CMA to ballot mambers on Industrial Action?

Post by **rhino49** » 02 Aug 2007, 11:14

PKR/HP

1 August 2007

To: Unite/CMA Representatives within Royal Mail

Dear Colleague

Royal Mail Pension Schemes

This is to advise you that no meetings of the Royal Mail Pensions Forum have been held in recent weeks. As an alternative Royal Mail has been holding separate meetings with the CWU, Senior Managerâ€™s Group and Unite/CMA.

From our previous circulars, members will be aware that we have been attempting to work with Royal Mail to protect the interests of existing employees and to provide safeguards for newly recruited staff.

The feedback that we have received during the process indicates that our members appreciate the financial issues that are driving Royal Mail. They have indicated that they are prepared to accept some slight changes to the schemes that could include a modest increase in employee contributions.

We met with our Senior Lay Representatives on Wednesday 25 July 2007 and they confirmed the above and went on to stipulate that they could not accept any changes to the current defined benefits that exist within the schemes.

On Monday 30 July 2007 we met with Royal Mail to report on the outcome of our meeting with our Senior Lay Representatives. In addition we also raised the following points:

â€¢ We have invited Royal Mail to meet with our Senior Lay Representatives to explain Royal Mailâ€™s position.

o They have agreed to this and a meeting has been scheduled for the 6 September 2007.

â€¢ We raised our concern that Royal Mail had cancelled several meetings of the Pensions Forum and were now engaged in meeting with the constituent parties on an individual basis.

â€¢ We raised our concern at the manner in which Royal Mailâ€™s proposed changes to existing scheme members has been laid out in the press and the fact that Royal Mail had produced a document back in June 2007 that they had intended to send to individual staff in July.

Those proposed changes being:

1. Increase NRA from 60 to 62 in 2008 and from 62 to 65 in 2010.

2. Restrict future pensionable pay increases to RPI or introduce CARE.

Royal Mail did not deny that the changes that were quoted in the press were those that they would be seeking.

The net effect of those two changes on our members would mean that they might be required to work longer for lower pension.

Although no firm proposals for change have been tabled, it is clear that at some point they will or, Royal Mail will go direct to staff giving notice to change their pension arrangements.

What is becoming increasingly clear is that we may not be able to protect our members existing defined benefits through negotiation alone. It is becoming increasingly apparent that our members may need to take industrial action to ensure that Royal Mail takes them seriously.

Please advise the members accordingly.

Best wishes

Paul Reuter
National Secretary

cc Tony Harris
Brian Scott
Regional Officers

Post by **de-coded** » 02 Aug 2007, 11:24

Does that mean the managers will want our support now after all of them have ignored our requests of support.

nelson · Post by **nelson** » 02 Aug 2007, 11:36

That would be the only picket line I would LOVE to cross, with fingers raised

ps as long as ours is over

Post by **Alzaman** » 02 Aug 2007, 11:40

No doubt managers will have their selective memory loss when they want OUR support, and forget they crossed OUR picket line when we needed support !

Then again, a management strike will highlight even more what a hindrance, and financial burden they are on "the business" because, as we all know, we get the job done without them.

kinmad4it · Post by **kinmad4it** » 02 Aug 2007, 11:52

Doesn't there have to be a certain numbers of managers present on the work floor for health and safety reasons?
I thought that was one reason why they usually increase the number of them during xmas pressure overtime on nights.

jafferpants · Post by **jafferpants** » 02 Aug 2007, 12:02

KINMAD4IT. YOUR ON THE MONEY HERE. THEY CAN NOT OPEN OFFICES WITHOUT A SET NUMBER OF MANAGERS ON SITE BY LAW. ONE OTHER POINT BEFORE YOU ALL WHOOP WITH JOY OVER THE MANAGER'S PENSION DILEMA YOU SHOULD REMEMBER THAT WHAT AFFECTS THEM AFFECTS US IT'S THE SAME SCHEME!!!!!. THEY LOSE AND WE LOSE.

Post by **Alzaman** » 02 Aug 2007, 12:04

kinmad4it wrote:Doesn't there have to be a certain numbers of managers present on the work floor for health and safety reasons?
I thought that was one reason why they usually increase the number of them during xmas pressure overtime on nights.

Roll on a CMA strike then, that'll be fun and games.

Turn up for work, but can't work due to H&S reasons, still get paid .. as if H&S is RM's priority, we all know they care more about the letters !

Spartacus · Post by **Spartacus** » 02 Aug 2007, 12:14

That bunch of spineless feeble minded cretins would stab their colleagues in the back in the blink of an eye.They wouldn't know the meaning of the word solidarity.

They wont go on strike,lets not kid ourselves,they'll do as they're told like good little boys and girls.

dididw · Post by **dididw** » 02 Aug 2007, 13:24

As I recall the last managerial strike in the late 70's or early 80's did all the mail get delivered without any hiccup ?

frankie · Post by **frankie** » 02 Aug 2007, 14:12

Our office runs quite smoothly without a Dum, so we probably would'nt notice Him not being there!! I certainly would not support Him, He's crossed our picket line, so it's only fair, I cross His!!

Post by **evilc** » 02 Aug 2007, 14:21

There would be one occasion that I would not cross a CMA picket line obviously that would be if we were already on strike.
:cfo :lfo other than that bollocks to them.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 02 Aug 2007, 18:07

We could give them our fraternal support and understanding. That would really make the knobs feel like s**t.

kinmad4it · Post by **kinmad4it** » 02 Aug 2007, 20:22

Seeing as during our IA we've seen managers doing our jobs. Would they ask us to do the managers jobs?
Maybe we can quietly say to them that we can arrange secret lifts into work for them, with blacked out windows so no one can tell who they are.

shelanda · Post by **shelanda** » 02 Aug 2007, 20:24

kinmad4it wrote:Seeing as during our IA we've seen managers doing our jobs. Would they ask us to do the managers jobs?
Maybe we can quietly say to them that we can arrange secret lifts into work for them, with blacked out windows so no one can tell who they are.

Or arrange for them to work in other offices so that they can't be recognised

bigsharkboy · Post by **bigsharkboy** » 02 Aug 2007, 20:28

Alzaman wrote:No doubt managers will have their selective memory loss when they want OUR support, and forget they crossed OUR picket line when we needed support !

Then again, a management strike will highlight even more what a hindrance, and financial burden they are on "the business" because, as we all know, we get the job done without them.