CWU update

[Martin Walsh]

UPDATE FOR ROYAL MAIL GROUP MEMBERS

We have made progress in our ongoing talks with Royal Mail and these are now at a crucial stage, although there are several outstanding issues.

CWU Branches and members will have seen the company’s half yearly results issued today. This confirms that whilst still in a challenging business environment, Royal Mail Group is now in a better place than originally projected and there has been strong revenue growth. This has been achieved because of the fantastic work that our members have carried out in meeting the needs of customers and wider society throughout the ongoing pandemic.

Talks are currently interrupted because of Royal Mail’s need to prepare their half yearly results and we expect them to reconvene either later today or tomorrow.

We are very focused on achieving an overall agreement on the future and in particular to ensure that our members rightfully receive a backdated consolidated pay award before Christmas. On the basis of the company’s half yearly results, we now anticipate an improved offer on pay.

We can confirm to our Branches, reps and members that whatever the position we reach, we will provide our reps and members with a full update next week.

Terry Pullinger Dave Ward
DGSP GS

[Woody Guthrie]

although there are several outstanding issues.

Minor issues or deal breakers?
We're either close to a deal or a million miles away depending on the lines in the sand.

[Schiff]

Better results than expected so less pressure on RM to reach an agreement with CWU. Remember the CWU's position was that it would be essential to RM come to an agreement before releasing the terrible half year results.

The best result that we can get from this whole fiasco would be the resignations of the CWU leadership.

[Martin Walsh]

This is part of the letter Keith Williams has written to staff


Royal Mail is at a crucial juncture: we need to work together
We need substantial business change in order to capture the opportunities from the rapidly growing demand for parcels and provide a sustainable and profitable future for Royal Mail. We have been engaged in talks with CWU since July, which have intensified over the past weeks. The focus has been on pay and how we can work together to accelerate the pace of change to improve our efficiency and productivity, and respond to a market that has jumped forward three years in terms of customer behaviour and the changing parcel/letters mix.

We have been clear on our programme and the operational changes we need to make, including more regular revisions across delivery, processing and distribution, and our continuing network change programme (e.g. parcel hubs and van delivery). We have laid out the benefits to CWU that we believe can be delivered, which will fund future pay increases. Our first half performance demonstrates we can capture the opportunity in the market, and deliver a growth agenda to support jobs, which has long been advocated by CWU. There is common ground in this vision, however, we need to reach agreement soon in order to move ahead with our programme to enable the business to deliver a financially sustainable future.

[borders]

Reads like RM has kicked this back into the CWU's court , how much will the CWU except as "substantial business change " ? dont think we are that close to a deal reading these myself ?

[wazer]

so same news from CWU. Nothing

[Martin Walsh]

I disagree we have made real progress and resolved some key issues and I am reasonably confident of us reaching an agreement over the next week or so. Still some issues to finalise and of course getting the words right.

[Woody Guthrie]

I disagree we have made real progress and resolved some key issues and I am reasonably confident of us reaching an agreement over the next week or so. Still some issues to finalise and of course getting the words right.

Okay Martin these were our demands.


THE CWU’S SPECIFIC DEMANDS ARE....

• That any Agreement reached and any review of the
legally binding protections between RMG and the CWU
will be to complement and not replace the contract.

• That the current RMG proposals for a new operational
pipeline are withdrawn and that no investment is made
until a further National Pipeline Agreement is reached
in line with the existing Agreement. The new Pipeline
Agreement will focus on how the operational pipeline
must change to be in a position to attract and effectively
handle parcels growth.

• That there will be no change to the operational pipeline
until a National Pipeline Agreement is reached.

• That any new Pipeline Agreement must not threaten
the viability of the current network of Offices which
are crucial to the 6 Day USO by ensuring a full range of
product offerings, including parcels above shoe box size
delivered from all Offices.

• That a National Agreement is reached on a clear
commitment to defending the 6 day USO and the joint
activity required in pursuance of this commitment.

• A commitment not to outsource any business unit/
functions of Royal Mail Group or create limited
companies within the Royal Mail Group.

• That the proposal to make Parcelforce a limited company
is withdrawn and the acceptance that Parcelforce is an
integral part of the Royal Mail Group pipeline.

• That the current TUPE consultation is ceased and
that there will be no TUPE transfers of current Group
employees into any proposed limited company within
the Group unless agreed between RMG & the CWU.

• That any new pipeline will not place RM and Parcelforce
in competition with each other.

• That a National Agreement is reached on workplace
culture which deals with all issues raised from the
joint culture visit activity and in line with our existing
Agreement including a commitment to joint IR Training.

• That a National Agreement is reached on the application
and use of new technology which includes ensuring that
all local factors and circumstances are fully taken into
account and subject to Agreement.

• That a National Agreement is reached on the application
and use of new technology and an undertaking that
the company will not use new technology/data as a
vehicle to introduce working arrangements adverse to
the interests of our members and as measurements
to be used against our members by applying constant
pressure through continuous improvement techniques,
in effect dehumanising the workplace.

• That all improvement and total quality management
techniques recently introduced will be withdrawn and an
undertaking that no such management techniques will
be introduced without the agreement of the CWU.

• That a National Agreement is reached on clear
commitments of joint activity to maximise the
volume and promote the value of letters and develop
opportunities for innovative growth other than parcels.

• That a National Agreement is reached to deploy the
second hour of the Shorter Working Week and to set
out the further flightpath to a 35hrs gross working week,
including paid meal reliefs by October 2019.

• That RMG commits to the use of RPI data for the
purposes of the funding formula for the reduction of the
working week.

• That all locally unagreed productivity/efficiency targets
are removed and that local savings targets will not be
introduced without a National Agreement with the
Union and until a National Agreement on productivity is
reached.

• That a National Agreement is reached on the application
of the attendance and conduct procedures to stop and
preclude the misuse and abuse of those procedures.

• The immediate withdrawal of all CWU Representatives’
disciplinary proceedings until an agreed review is
carried out using an independent Mediator to produce
recommendations to strengthen the current procedures.

• That a National Agreement is reached which restores the
RMG and CWU interfaces at the highest level, ensures
full CWU involvement in the development of strategy
and direction, and defines how this will be achieved and
assured going forward.

• Reaffirm the commitment to expand customer offerings
in RM Fleet to strengthen the internal service provided
within Royal Mail and enhance our external customer
offering.

How cast iron are those demands now?

[Woody Guthrie]

Also Martin I assume the union is aware of this....

Royal Mail intends to introduce a new suite of access services (“D+5 Letters access services”) from 4 January 2021. The new services will defer the mail until there is another item already being delivered to the recipient’s address, subject to a maximum of four days after it enters the network.

That's not very "committed to a 6 day USO" is it?
What's the union's take on that?

[SSkUNkY]

Ambiguity in any agreement is useless as Royal Mail will not honour anything unless they are firmly tied down to it.

Pay increases, hours off the working week etc cannot have any stipulations tied to them; they have already been earned.

Everyone knows where the savings are but why the hell would management agree to cut their own throats?

With the vaccine announcements strike action can be firmly placed back on the table and forced into play.

[SpacePhoenix]

With the vaccine announcements strike action can be firmly placed back on the table and forced into play.

I can't see the government allowing that to happen

[Martin Walsh]

Woody all of those issues are in the discussions. Parcel force TUPE no longer being perused.

On the USO it is not in the gift of Royal Mail or the CWU to agree to change the USO. It requires primary and secondary legislation to change.

Of Com are carrying out a consultation on the future sustainability of the USO , expected later this month.

The likes of DPD , Yodel , TNT , Hermes and others will want to lobby Of Com to allow parcel access in the same way as DSA , they will want the Royal Mail Vat exemption abolished and other issues tackled.

Remember less than 42% of your daily workload is covered by the USO and sadly due to letter decline it , the work covered by the USO reduced.

The union wants to maintain the 6 day service and even look at delivering parcels on a Sunday on a voluntary basis.

However in terms of current letter decline since COVID it now stands at 28% year on year. So if each week you have 100% letters and you deliver 16.6% of that work per day , you have lost almost 2 days or letter traffic since March 2020.

Yes we have seen massive and unprecedented growth in parcels , However the debate is going to be unless letter decline is reversed you are spreading less letters over 6 days.

With regards to Royal Mail introducing a new product called economy Mail which is not part of the USO which is part of Royal Mail strategy on D2D of only delivering D2D when you have live mail. This product will allow Royal Mail to have this new product automated along with D2D and will be prepped on a Tuesday and warm called when other live mail is needed for that address and if none Mail is for that address it than gets delivered on Saturday.

Has this been agreed no ! The Of Com decision on Royal Mail’s request is due on 23rd December.

[rogersh]

A recap on the "standalone" pay issue for April 2020. I am not sure if an offer of a "backdated consolidated pay award before Christmas" has any sway on members voting yes to any agreement to the dispute. IMO the pay deal does appear to have become intertwined.

Stuart Simpson
RMtv Special 1 July - Joint statement 1 July 2020

“We also need to talk about pay”


JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN RMG AND CWU(EDIT)
3. Timeline and Scope of Talks
The scope of these talks will be all encompassing, with everything on the table and will
include the following:

3. To agree a pay settlement for April 2020.
...All areas will be progressed with a view to reaching agreement by the end of July….



CWU update
Achim Dünnwald has the latest on talks with CWU
27th August
(EDIT)
“This week we have started our discussions on pay, we want to get an agreement on pay and the best way to get an agreement on pay is a change deal….”

So it appears if talks about pay did not commence until the end of August then progress to reach agreement by the end of July was unattainable.


JOINT STATEMENT – PAY AND SHORTER WORKING WEEK
No. 459/20

21st September 2020
(EDIT)
To agree a pay settlement for April 2020.

Our 2020 pay award is a standalone pay claim and separate from our 2019 dispute….. at number three in the Joint Statement.

[Rommagic]

However in terms of current letter decline since COVID it now stands at 28% year on year. So if each week you have 100% letters and you deliver 16.6% of that work per day , you have lost almost 2 days or letter traffic since March 2020. Lost just two days of work since march?.

[RHONE]

Pre-tax profit fell 90.2% to £17m. OR £250,000,000 DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT.............

During the six months to 27 September, Royal Mail's increased costs included £85m related to Covid-19 as well as £147m on voluntary redundancies due to a continuing restructuring of the business.
SO PROFITS ARE ONLY DOWN AGAIN BECAUSE OF SPEND SO NOT REALLY A LOSS THEN
If you dont account for spend that's a profit of around £250,000,000 not bad if you can get it I suppose
Thanks 4 all our hard wrk lads have an xtra hours wrk and maybe just maybe you can have your £1 a week rise you've be waiting for .
Where's my 35 hour week sounds like its gonna be 45 hrs