A DOCUMENT, entitled ‘Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond – a National Agreement Between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union’, is to go before a meeting of CWU officials in Bournemouth this Thursday.
It will then go to a ballot of CWU members in Royal Mail.
The document reveals the union is going to change its internal structure to satisfy the requirements of the Royal Mail and their business plan, following the termination of last year’s national strike.
On ‘Transforming Relationships’, the document says ‘Royal Mail and the CWU recognise that transforming relationships and modernising the culture is key to the sustainability and success of the business.’
It adds: ‘Real progress will only be achieved by creating momentum through practical and credible first steps.’
The document goes on to say: ‘A more positive role with genuine involvement will require the CWU and its representatives to recognise the environment the business operates within, commit to the success of the company, and adopt quicker and improved decision making.
‘The CWU has advised Royal Mail that it will reform its internal structures to facilitate this.’
The document then talks of, ‘The need to ensure that national agreements are consistently deployed at a local level with continuity of service in a way that means industrial action and managerial executive action become unnecessary.’
This means a no-strike agreement.
The document adds: ‘Having agreed a shared vision of modernisation both parties will focus all our efforts on working together to deliver that vision in a way that continues to align the interests of customers, the workforce and the company as a whole.’
It also speaks about: ‘The need to ensure local parties have the skills and the necessary support to deploy local change fairly, consistently and at pace.’
Outlining ‘The Practical Next Steps/Programme of Activity’, the document then says: ‘There will be a national relationship group, led by the senior representative of both parties, which will meet regularly to ensure the programme of activity is delivered to plan and that the new culture is embedded throughout the organisation.
‘We will design and start to introduce quality strategic forums that support the new relationship . . . by the end of May 2010 . . .
‘We will review and simplify the IR framework with consistent principles by Autumn 2010 which reflect our new relationship.
‘We will structure training to ensure that everyone involved in the IR Framework is developed to a minimum standard in line with defined skills and capabilities. Pilots to be concluded no later than Autumn 2010.
‘There should be a standard set of HR procedures covering all CWU grades.
‘Attendance, conduct (including the role and continuing need for the National Appeals Panel) and performance are priority procedures for joint review and these reviews should be concluded over the next six months.’
• Last night the CWU confirmed it had a deal with Royal Mail on pay and ‘transformation’ of the company.
