Union rejects Royal Mail’s latest offer as declaring ‘war on your postie’
Less than a day after the welcome news for the greeting card industry that postal strikes have been called off for a fortnight, the Communication Workers’ Union announced it is considering further industrial action saying Royal Mail has “declared war on your postie”.
On Sunday, 30 October, CWU members voted following what the union said was “a letter received by Royal Mail’s legal team which attempted to undermine pre-existing strike ballots” but which caused them to withdraw industrial action notices over the next two weeks – planned for 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 10 November – with the strikes involving over 115,000 postal workers due to resume on 12 November.
Royal Mail said the decision came after it wrote to CWU “to highlight numerous material concerns with the formal notification of planned rolling strike action” and the two sides had planned talks at conciliation service Acas yesterday, 31 October.
At these talks, Royal Mail proposed a new conditional pay-for-change offer it said is worth 9% for CWU-grade colleagues, including a 7% salary increase over two years, plus a lump sum payment of 2% of pay this year.
The offer is subject to agreeing a programme of change with the CWU, including changes to Sunday working, start times and flexible working, so Royal Mail can re-invent and compete in the growing parcels market.
The postal giant’s ceo Simon Thompson said: “Royal Mail made a loss of £219million in the first half of the year. This once again demonstrates that the need for change at Royal Mail is urgent.
“We have always been clear that the more we can change the business, the more we will be able to pay our people – both now and in the future. We urge the CWU leadership to accept the change and pay offer without delay, call off damaging strike action, and help us to transform the business. That is the only way to secure Royal Mail’s future and ensure job security for our people.”
However, the union’s immediate reaction was for a spokesman to declare: “These proposals are about dismantling a 500-year-old service and destroying the lives of those who serve it. Make no mistake – Royal Mail bosses have just declared war on your postie.”
The CWU said the offer “includes more unacceptable changes and a derisory 7% two-year pay offer that is well below projected inflation for both years”.
It added: “This reaffirms the company’s whole approach of imposing change rather than negotiating it. Not only is the offer not applicable to Parcelforce and fleet employees, but the company have confirmed that as of tomorrow,1 November, new entrants will be brought in on lower terms, and will be introducing owner-drivers into Royal Mail – a service that will be comparable to Uber.
“There are also proposals to close mail centres, with wholesale site closures being mooted part of an overall programme, and changes to Sunday working.”
The CWU has been locked in a long-running dispute with the company around pay increases keeping up with the soaring cost of living and working practices.
The BBC reported the median pay at Royal Mail is £32,465 a year, with the average pay for a postal delivery worker lower than that at £25,777, and the company blames strike action for rising losses – £70m during the first half of its financial year, leading to an operating loss of £219m compared to £235m profit last year – and job cuts, as well as lower volumes of parcels being posted.
It has been attempting to make the company a “parcels-led” business as the number of letters being sent through the post declines and more people shop online.
Top: Union members on the picket lines in October
