Royal Mail workers have said the suspension of industrial action may only be temporary if bosses continue to push ahead with changes to working practices and conditions which would see borough residents and small businesses, as well as the workers themselves, suffer.
Members of the Communication Workers Union, in a joint statement with Royal Mail, announced they were suspending strike action, which has been in place since July 29, in a bid to reach a solution before September 4.
Last week, a member of the South West Middlesex Branch of the Communication Workers Union, which covers the TW postcode area, said Royal Mail staff feel they have no choice but to continue their industrial action if they are to preserve the future of the service.
But strikes planned for last week and this week did not take place as the CWU agreed to meet Royal Mail to discuss the company's modernisation plans which could lead to 40,000 redundancies and a below-inflation pay offer along with changes to shift patterns and a much later mail delivery.
A spokesperson for local CWU members said bosses wanted postmen to start work at 6.15am, rather than 5am, and to not begin their rounds until 10am, meaning some residents and small businesses might not get any post until after lunch.
And with fears delivery staff may be expected to collect mail on the way back to the office, and only one collection of post a day, it would be impossible to give a next day reply to important mail.
A local spokesperson said plans were being put in place to scrap the Sunday collection of mail, which, coupled with later deliveries on Saturdays, meant it would be impossible to get a reply delivered by Monday morning to Saturday post.
During the talks, Royal Mail agreed not to serve notice or take any unilateral action to impose changes by executive action and the CWU will suspend industrial action for the same period.
But local postmen, who are also fighting to preserve their final salary pension scheme - which the company wants to scrap - and to retain the retirement age of 60, have said strikes may resume if a solution is not reached.
And workers were seething again earlier this week when Royal Mail bosses accused the CWU of fighting a political campaign to challenge the right to competition in the postal service.
"We are hopeful an agreement will be arrived at," said a local CWU spokesperson. "But there are so many issues our negotiators have a very hard task in front of them. They have a real task on their hands to reach an agreeable solution.
"Of course, we are pleased to be back at work. We believe it is a public service and the public should get the best service we can provide. The earlier we can get their mail to them in the morning, the better."
He said: "Around 60 per cent of addresses will get their mail after midday under the new working conditions, and that is unacceptable. We want to see our negotiators resolve that.
"We are pleased to be back providing the service but we want to provide it in the future - Royal Mail just want to run a business."
12:18pm Sunday 19th August 2007
Top marks to the person whose comments in response to the article:
Posted by: Andy, Bath on 7:54am today
Ive been a postman for 18 years and enjoy my job and get much satisfaction from delivering what was once a 1st class service. I accept that times are changing and RM has to change with it. But nowhere since the introduction of the single delivery we,the staff have been helpling RM modernise and turn around an ailing business. We asked for and were given a £300 a week basic pay deal as part of accepting radical changes which helpled PM not only back into profit but record profit at that. The thanks we get? The public are told that we are 40% underworked and 25% overpaid! What a kick in the teeth for loayal men and women who many still take immense pride in what we do. The style of management has changed into a daily bullying to get the job done scenario. Our pensions and working conditions appear under threat as messrs Leighton and Crozier now after years of frenzied costcutting and selling off seem to have no other option than to use staff for one last asset stripping frenzy. They are not demi gods they are simply businessmen who once their mission is acheived will be off elsewhere a couple of days a week on huge salaries and bonuses doing the same no doubt. We will be left with an under-resourced workforce attempting to deliver some kind of sub standard economy service for the person in the street. Any business with urgent postal needs will be forced to pay over the top prices to survive. Make no mistake altenative services such as TNT are foriegn postal services in sheeps clothing at present and who know what when they collar the UK market. Maybe RM will make inroads in Germany and Holland? I for one voted to give my union the power to put RM under pressure NOT for a pay rise but to try and save a service which once demolished will never return in the form we know it. Ive always taken pride in my work but over the last few years Ive come to be embarrassed telling people what I do for a living.The day to day chaos is no longer a secret behind closed delivery office doors,the public getting their post sometimes at 7pm are finally finding out.
One postie it seems, actually took your idea on board and sent a letter to the Bristol Evening Post, dated August 10th. I don't quite know how to do a link as yet, but I'm sure someone out there does, and hopefully it will appear soon.It was a very good letter, it says exactly what RM's intentions are, and at least the people of Bristol are a little bit more aware of Leighton and Croziers actual plan for modernisation, instead of the ambiguous statements from them that keep appearing in print. :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo
frankie wrote:One postie it seems, actually took your idea on board and sent a letter to the Bristol Evening Post, dated August 10th. I don't quite know how to do a link as yet, but I'm sure someone out there does, and hopefully it will appear soon.It was a very good letter, it says exactly what RM's intentions are, and at least the people of Bristol are a little bit more aware of Leighton and Croziers actual plan for modernisation, instead of the ambiguous statements from them that keep appearing in print. :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo
frankie wrote:One postie it seems, actually took your idea on board and sent a letter to the Bristol Evening Post, dated August 10th. I don't quite know how to do a link as yet, but I'm sure someone out there does, and hopefully it will appear soon.It was a very good letter, it says exactly what RM's intentions are, and at least the people of Bristol are a little bit more aware of Leighton and Croziers actual plan for modernisation, instead of the ambiguous statements from them that keep appearing in print. :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo
10:40 - 10 August 2007
I Would like to tell Post readers the details behind the Royal Mail strike, as the public seem to think it is just about a pay rise. It is much more than that.The following issues are part of the changes to working practices attached to the current 2.5 per cent pay offer; for which Royal Mail workers must be prepared to:
l deliver unlimited numbers of door- to-door contracts for no payments. Royal Mail also want to cease all current payments for delivering door-to-door items of mail.
l deliver all future election material for no payments.
l accept later duty start times and take a pay cut when pay protection ceases.
l cover parts of other duties for no extra reward.
l continually perform deliveries far in excess of 3.5 hours (your duty plus part of additional duty/duties).
l see current pension terms and conditions eroded
l attend for duty on a flexible basis.
l cease all overtime payments for extended delivery because of the flexible attendance approach.
Name and address supplied.
All post by me in Green are Admin Posts. Any post in any other colour is my own responsibility. If you like a news story I posted please click the link to show support Any news stories you can't post - PM me with a link My sharing of news articles should not be interpreted as an endorsement or condemnation of any particular viewpoint or the issues presented. I share them solely for informational purposes.
The title of this thread is:----No strike, for now - union hopeful of deal i dont thinkso,although we dont know whats going on behind closed doors,the short history of the two cowboys in charge(AL&AC)suggest they dont what Royal Mail to exist and have been installed by the goverment to shut us down.
Happy old sole aint I and its chucking it down outside
frankie wrote:One postie it seems, actually took your idea on board and sent a letter to the Bristol Evening Post, dated August 10th. I don't quite know how to do a link as yet, but I'm sure someone out there does, and hopefully it will appear soon.It was a very good letter, it says exactly what RM's intentions are, and at least the people of Bristol are a little bit more aware of Leighton and Croziers actual plan for modernisation, instead of the ambiguous statements from them that keep appearing in print. :lfo :cfo :lfo :cfo
I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A READ OF THAT FRANKIE
There was a idiotic Senior Mgr on H***F*** saying why can't people stay on thier feet for more than 3 1-2 hrs , Lollipop ladies/hairdressers do ??!!!. Thankfully it's going at the end of this month. That annualised hours is Team Working by stealth because one day RM would have you pounding the streets for hours on a CORPORATE job and finish, another day RM would send you home when it suits them. If anyone couldn't do the trudging around they'd be letting the side down which would cause friction ; and it's exactly what RM want . 'Supervision" on the cheap, if anyone went to the Union with a complaint they'd be a grass , again RM wants this as it sidelines the union . Mgt can be very territorial AND vindictive for "going behind people's backs " . Stick to 318s , RM DON'T like that at all. Never mind all this corporate crap about committment etc, it's a service , different ball game.BASICALLY THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY DOCKET !, been there with the RMT, if you cut to the bone , quell surprise the O/T bill goes up. The "cunning plan " was 312 hrs divided by 8 weeks to annualise hours to a weekly 39hrs . So we lost 5 rest days in 9 weeks . To cover it was lots of 12hr shifts . I only did 12s AFTER the night shift and didn't do Rest Days . FLEXIBILITY is RMs flexibility all take and no give but there will always be the usual grabbers. That flexible plan will mean more bullying .THEY JUST WANT THINGS ON THE CHEAP, they're under pressure from Postcon to reduce costs but they are quite happy to pay for so called Supervision/Management costs , seen this with the RMT too, jobs for the boys but **** you lot!
10:40 - 10 August 2007
I Would like to tell Post readers the details behind the Royal Mail strike, as the public seem to think it is just about a pay rise. It is much more than that.The following issues are part of the changes to working practices attached to the current 2.5 per cent pay offer; for which Royal Mail workers must be prepared to:
l deliver unlimited numbers of door- to-door contracts for no payments. Royal Mail also want to cease all current payments for delivering door-to-door items of mail.
l deliver all future election material for no payments.
l accept later duty start times and take a pay cut when pay protection ceases.
l cover parts of other duties for no extra reward.
l continually perform deliveries far in excess of 3.5 hours (your duty plus part of additional duty/duties).
l see current pension terms and conditions eroded
l attend for duty on a flexible basis.
l cease all overtime payments for extended delivery because of the flexible attendance approach.
