ROYAL MAIL GROUP – IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR CWU MEMBERS REGARDING NEGOTIATIONS

ROYAL MAIL GROUP – IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR CWU MEMBERS

Royal Mail is a company at a crossroads. This puts tens of thousands of jobs and the future of postal services in the UK at real risk.

Everyone has an opinion on the future of Royal Mail - The disgraced Board - who by any measure are a spent force, Daniel Křetínský the Czech billionaire hoping to own the company, OFCOM the regulator who are not fit for purpose, a newly formed Labour government who know how significant this issue is, the media, businesses and of course the public.

It is clear in meetings with the company, prospective buyer, government, and regulator, that we have a major opportunity to influence the future through our collective strength.

Our challenge is to move beyond the impact of the recent dispute and unite the membership behind a well thought out, detailed and coherent plan that will protect jobs and enhance terms and conditions.

This is why we are developing an engagement plan which we are asking CWU members across the UK to get behind. We are asking every local representative and Branch to meet with members in the workplace and gain backing for the CWU position.

We are confident that if all the relevant stakeholders see and feel a united workforce it will help us deliver an agreement on terms that are favourable to CWU members whilst providing the platform to grow the company and meet the needs of customers.

We need to work on the basis that it is likely the government will clear the takeover bid from the perspective of the national security investigation.

Additionally, we also anticipate EP Group and the governmentreaching a separate agreement on the government’s requirement for strengthened contractual obligations over the future of Royal Mail. The CWU have also been meeting the government regularly on these issues.

We have been in negotiations with EP Group and Royal Mail management separately over multiple issues including job security, USO, future ownership models, pay, new entrants’ terms and more.

A vital next step will be a two-day negotiating meeting with EP group in the final week of November and we will provide a full report back to our representatives and members.

It is absolutely crucial our position ahead of those talks is shared with the members and that we do everything possible to get you behind the union’s plans.

The CWU are calling for an agreement which:

1. Delivers an above inflation pay rise for all Royal Mail Group members.

2. Achieves the harmonisation of new entrants terms and conditions within an agreed timeframe.

3. Commits to improved new duty patterns that deliver a minimum of every other Saturday off for all delivery members.

4. Sees the full restoration of quality of service across the UK and an end to the chaos culture.

5. Gives a longer-term extension to the no compulsory redundancy commitment and improves the voluntary redundancy terms.

6. Brings about a UK wide end to the use of agency workers.

7. Introduces a fundamentally different way of running and governing the business, giving employees a meaningful stake in the business and a greater say over the future of the company.

8. Introduces a new business plan for growth.

We are confident that with the full support of CWU members we can deliver an agreement in line with the terms set out above.

In the coming weeks we will be putting together an engagement package including CWU reps’ briefings, live sessions with members and written communications. It is vital that all members now get behind the union to help us create the leverage needed to demand a fresh start for Royal Mail, the service and most importantly you as frontline workers.

On Thursday 21st November at 5pm we will be live on the CWU YouTube Channel to set out this information directly to frontline members. Please encourage all your colleagues to join this session.

Dave Ward

General Secretary

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)