Christine Buckley
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The dispute between the main postal union and Royal Mail worsened yesterday after the postal group warned that it would not increase a pay offer despite a vote by postal workers for strike action.
The Communication Workers Union accused Royal Mail of deliberately attempting to undermine the union rather than negotiate to avert the first national strike for 11 years.
Its comments came after Allan Leighton, Royal Mail’s chairman, and Adam Crozier, its chief executive, wrote to the CWU warning that there would be no change to the offer and claiming that most postal workers did not want to go on strike.
The letter was sent on Friday, the day after postal workers voted by 77 per cent in favour of strike action.
Royal Mail has offered a 2.5 per cent pay rise, while the union is seeking a 27 per cent increase over five years to bring pay in line with the national average. The two sides are also at odds over the company’s business plan, which involves £380 million of cost-cutting this year.
The union’s postal executive will meet today to set out its strategy in the dispute. It is unlikely to set strike dates yet, to allow Royal Mail more time to make a revised offer. Legally, the union has 28 days from last Thursday to set a date for any strike action.
Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the CWU, said: “Royal Mail leaders are in denial about the yes vote and the fact that an overwhelming majority of their workforce have rejected their business plan.”
He accused Royal Mail of being confrontational and of attempting to undermine the union, saying: “If that attitude continues then a strike is inevitable.”
The letter from Mr Leighton and Mr Crozier says of postal workers: “Many believe that, given our current financial position, the pay offer is acceptable; some are fearful of change; some are disappointed they have not had the opportunity to vote on the package of pay and change; and nearly all of them are telling us that they do not want to go on strike.”
A spokesman for Royal Mail said that the group was available to explain the current offer, but that there could be no more money on the table.
The CWU must give a week’s notice of strike action. Royal Mail is preparing for some managers to deliver mail. However, this can only cover a small amount of the market.
A strike would involve more than 130,000 workers across delivery, post office counters and the cash handling service.
Business groups have warned that a strike would be very damaging to small business, which relies on receiving cheques and sending invoices frequently. Business has also warned that companies will seek other forms of communication to mail and may not return to it once the dispute is over.
The last national strike, in 1996, lasted several weeks. A current dispute is likely to be fought with a series of short, sharp shocks in one-day walk-outs.
It is likely that the strikes could be staged on a Friday and the following Monday for maximum effect.
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The crazy postal service is doing the country so much harm it will take millions to put this right, the businesses which have suffered may not fully recover ever, there are many people out there who are out of work and would welcome a regular income, think of the unemployed have had delays to their unemployment benefit and who have to suffer and whose children suffer because the greed of the "FRIENDLY POSTPERSON". The time is now right to seriously think about selling this postal no service and stop the suffering inflicted by these idiots
Aaron - London
Aaron Sion, London, England
Letter to Allan Leighton.
Dear Allan
I am disappointed at your knee-jerk reaction to publicly ignore the views of the work force in response to their overwhelming yes vote.
We both know a secret strike ballot at home where people weigh up all the arguments and consequences is the clearest message of all.
You told your employees to make up their own minds they did.
Postal workers have rejected your plans and are telling you they are fed up with the way that they are being treated by Royal Mail. Postal workers want you to negotiate an improved deal with their union not sit on the sidelines and abrogate your responsibilities.
I am offering you a further opportunity to reflect on your position and engage in fresh and meaningful negotiations before any strike action takes place. I would also ask you to consider the following points:
Modernisation - You keep using the phrase Modernisation like a mantra without ever explaining what you really mean. Let me remind you. It was CWU who led the campaign for government investment the real debate is how we use that money to benefit the customers, workforce and the company.
The Union will not face away from change and we have a long history of successfully dealing with automation. You cannot continue to hide behind the word modernisation when what you really mean is cuts in the service, cuts in pay and cuts in jobs.
Royal Mail must be more realistic about what can be achieved in advance of automation. It will be the agreed introduction of automation that can reduce costs whilst at the same time improving service and properly rewarding staff. This means you must step back from the current damaging cost cutting frenzy taking place in every office.
CWU want an agreement on automation that genuinely helps the company face up to the challenge of competition, maintains the public service, looks after those staff who choose to leave and improves the terms and conditions for those who stay. This would mean the company returning to our previously agreed approach and working with the union.
Pay - You know we have not asked for a 27% pay rise. You should refrain from deliberately misleading the public on this point. What postal workers want is a decent basic living wage. The Union will be realistic about what can be achieved in the short term but with April inflation at 4.8% we will not accept a pay cut in real terms. The company can afford a better deal - government investment has been secured - additionally ColleagueShare is being made available. We could easily reshape that package and jointly deliver a decent basic increase now.
By refusing to negotiate you are revealing publicly that your real motivation is about destroying the union rather than working with us to make Royal Mail a success.
You have always said that leadership is about listening and taking the workforce with you. Its time you proved it. I urge you to get directly involved in immediate negotiations. However, if you choose to press on regardless with your cuts and attacks on the workforce then you will be responsible for the first national postal strike in 11 years.
I look forward to a positive response.
Yours sincerely
Dave Ward
Deputy General Secretary (P)
steven, wigan,
Pete from Billingham should get real.
Why doesn`t he rake a walk round his local mail centre and see what competition is doing to us?
He and the others like him will be out of a job before they decide to come into the real world.......
ALEX RODGERS, Glasgow, UK
We are not after 27% over 5 years, that was Royal Mail making its own figures. We are after an fair rise with no threads of job losses or their un-achievable business plans.
Please get the facts straight and let the public know the real story behind this dispute.
Also, Mr Crozier has stated that he would be prepared for this to become a fight like the miners dispute in the 80's, is this man really in charge of Royal Mail?
I want an agreement to this dispute now, so Mr Leighton and Crozier get back round the table and talk.
Pete, billingham,