The Postal Executive has endorsed a National Agreement with Royal Mail covering all the key areas in our dispute.
The Postal Executive also endorsed a Joint Statement entitled ‘Restoring Good Industrial/Employee Relations’.
The agreement will be placed before the membership via an individual members’ ballot. Details of the ballot timetable are currently being finalised and will be sent out in due course.
The Postal Executive has also agreed a Joint Statement on the Pension Consultation. Pensions has been decoupled from the Pay and Modernisation Agreement and given that it is a group-wide issue, will now be subject to a separate National Briefing and separate communications. Details of the Pensions Briefing will be sent out in due course.
Please find attached to this communication the following documentation:-
Key gains achieved through the dispute
It is important that we consider the proposed agreement by comparison with where we started from and Royal Mail’s previous proposals.
We must also recognise that the agreement gives the Union the opportunity to be at the centre of dealing with change at national and local level.
The agreement reflects the best possible negotiated settlement, taking into account the real challenges facing CWU members and the company.
Detailed below is a list of the considerable gains achieved through the dispute.
Pay
- From a starting point of no basic pay increase and just a lump sum - eventually followed by a 2.5% pay offer - we now have a 6.9% basic pay increase over 2 years (with 5.4% from October 07).
- A lump sum covering April to September of £175 (funded from the ESOS pot).
- We have decoupled any link between pay and pension reform. Pensions will now be dealt with separately as a group-wide issue and members will be balloted separately following the conclusion of the legal consultation process.
- LA’s were originally told they would not be included in the pay settlement – they will now receive the full pay offer.
- Network drivers will now receive a 2.7% increase from April 08.
- Although ESOS is closed – it will now continue accruing monies from the projects already in the scheme.
- Early shift allowance in delivery will be permanently retained. In addition, those who had already moved to later start times as long ago as May 05 and were in receipt of MTSF payments will now retain those payments permanently. We have also secured the option of these monies being part of a new pay package.
- Monthly pay will now be subject to further discussion in the Joint Working Group.
- Although we have not been able to move Royal Mail on the 50-50 Productivity Scheme - £400 of ColleagueShare dividend payments previously linked to achievement of unit budget - will now be payable following the successful implementation of local office plans.
- We have negotiated a further opportunity to radically overhaul and improve the whole pay and reward structure by April 08 and it will be our intention to further increase basic pay.
START TIMES
- Following Royal Mail’s implementation of start times we have now successfully negotiated that Saturday start times and the overall length of attendance will revert back to the previous situation.
All offices will now have the opportunity to review those changes locally.
NETWORK 07
- A Deployment Framework Agreement has been achieved on the basis of default duties; this will give our Representatives the opportunity to be fully involved.
NIGHT SHIFTS IN DELIVERY
- Royal Mail’s original position on this was the cessation of all night shifts. This has now been considerably watered down and will be dealt with through our IR procedures. Health, safety and security aspects are now covered.
AUTOMATION
- Royal Mail have now committed to agreeing with the Union a generic Deployment Framework by the end of January 2008. This specifically covers the trialling and implementation of all technology/automation.
NEW WAYS OF WORKING/FLEXIBILITY
This section has been completely redrafted and should be considered against Royal Mail’s previous proposal which was sent to every member. Unacceptable elements of Royal Mail’s proposal has been removed and replaced with a commonsense approach to new ways of working/flexibility.
The Union is now totally involved throughout the process. Implementation requires local agreements in accordance with our IR Procedures.
There are also numerous safeguards throughout the draft. These safeguards make it clear individual circumstances should always be taken into account. Furthermore, there is a clear statement that this is not about people not knowing what job they are on, or their start and finish times, from one day to the next.
- On the key issue of ‘covering for one another’ Royal Mail has now agreed this will be dealt with through a separate trial. Change will happen, we have the opportunity to input our ideas and shape that change in a way that benefits our members.
- The agreed objectives give local offices the chance to address earnings issues and ensure flexibility measures are introduced as a two-way process.
- Longs and shorts have now been confirmed as a structural change to align attendance patterns to the traffic profile. The actual attendance patterns are subject to local agreement utilising IR Procedures.
- Royal Mail has committed to introduce innovative duty pattern. This is an opportunity for the Union to develop 4 day weeks and 9 day fortnights etc.
- From Royal Mail’s original proposal for 2 hours flexibility on an individual’s start and finish time we have now agreed that this would be limited to 30 minutes. This is on the basis that individuals ‘may be asked and is not in any shape or form compulsory’. It really is about all people working with a bit of give and take and only where there are genuine operational difficulties. Again, the implementation of this is subject to local agreement.
- Working in nearby offices is now subject to local agreement with the Union. There are many offices around the country who have successfully concluded agreements that deal with this situation. This includes the ability to utilise reserves and volunteers. Working in nearby offices will be the exception rather than the norm and should only apply where there is a surplus of staff or genuine operational needs.
PHASE 4 – JOINT WORKING GROUPS
- Royal Mail has now committed, through separate Joint Working Groups, to continue to consult with the Union on all major change issues. The intention is to reach appropriate national agreements by the end of April 08.
COLLEAGUESHARE
- Previously Royal Mail has resisted any Union input into ColleagueShare. Now this agreement influences aspects of the scheme and gives us a platform to move the debate forward. The criteria of the dividend payments in years 2 and 3 will now be subject to joint review. This is in addition to the change that has been made to the year 1 £400 payment. We should continue to pursue our overall concerns around ColleagueShare as part of the debate on how employees will be rewarded in the future.
OTHER ISSUES
- MTSF will now be jointly reviewed, not as Royal Mail was originally insisting that the agreement should be removed.
