Looming mail sale drives up tensions

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.cwu.org/news/archive/looming ... sions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From central London to Scotland, over in the west country, across the Midlands and up on Teesside, local managers stand accused of provoking a series of delivery office disputes, leaving CWU leaders asking whether this is a deliberate strategy linked to the company's preparations for privatisation.

The union's national outdoor secretary Bob Gibson said: "In June, we've had 22 unit industrial action requests, which is far higher than normal.

"There are always local problems in a few units - but these are normally resolved locally without the need to involve the national office, and it's only two or three at any one time (perhaps half-a-dozen in a difficult month) that will be formally reported to me as 'disputes'.


"So to have 22 units ask for ballots in just one month is quite unusual," he pointed out.

Cleaning staff working at Rathbone Place in central London, who are set to relocate to north London's Mount Pleasant site next month, are in dispute with Romec bosses over fears that at their new unit they may be forced into compulsory weekend working, with flat-rate Sundays.

"If these members are forced into industrial action here, then this could potentially affect the whole Mount Pleasant site, and would cause delay to the planned move" Bob warned, adding: "There is a potential solution here - let's hope management see sense."

Up in Coventry, 10 delivery offices could be taking action over accusations that Royal Mail chiefs have broken key elements of the Business Transformation agreement.

These alleged breaches include the taking of executive action, failure to abide by the terms of the Pay and Modernisation agreement, the IR Framework, Weekly Resourcing Meeting Guidelines and Setting Indoor Performance, Bob explains.

A "failed revision" is blamed for the problems that have emerged up in Edinburgh, where members at the city's South West Delivery Office are calling on their managers to adhere to the agreed Post Implementation Review process.

"This is ridiculous," Bob comments, pointing out that the Post Implementation Review process has only recently been agreed between the union and the business - "but already they're not keeping to it.

"And they've now moved the planners into other locations, so they're claiming they don't have the people to do the review at this time."

Members meeting at Bridgwater Delivery Office, 26th June 2013
Back down across the border on Teesside in north east England, independent arbitration service ACAS have been called in to try to reach a solution to the dispute in the South Bank Delivery Office, while down in the west country, a Bristol office (Fishponds) is facing a potential dispute over summer staffing levels, which is also a major problem at nearby Bridgwater, where members are set to strike tomorrow.

In the Cornwall village of Fowey, postal workers are determined to keep the local SPDO open, rather than move to St Austell, while Royal Mail's plans to split Plymouth's West Park Delivery Office have been met with the opposition of CWU members there.

One potential dispute, which would have seen five Taunton area delivery offices balloting for action, has now been resolved, following assurances from the company that members at Chard, Ilminster, Langport, Somerton and Wellington will now receive their business transformation lump-sum payments in full.

Commenting on the relatively high number of disputes, Bob said: "While the specific issues vary from unit to unit, the root causes can all be traced back to the looming issue of the potential sale of Royal Mail - frustrations are building up around the country as the company moves nearer and nearer to privatisation.

"But make no mistake," Bob insisted: "Whether in public or private ownership this union will always stand and fight for our members out there across the country."