Postal workers yesterday reacted angrily when details of the ‘interim agreement’ reached between the Communication Workers Union (CWU ) leadership and the Royal Mail bosses was made public.
Not only were they angry at the way yesterday’s and Monday’s planned strikes were called off on Thursday evening, but at the level of capitulation to Royal Mail which was kept secret until midday yesterday.
The interim agreement commits the CWU to a ‘period of calm’ with no industrial action, both national and local, up to and during the busy Christmas period.
There is to be a forced march of negotiations, with both parties expected to devote four days a week to participate, to drive forward to ‘a final agreement by the end of 2009’ with modernisation implemented ‘from the beginning of 2010’.
Progress is to be reviewed from November 16 and fortnightly thereafter, overseen by a so-called ‘independent person’ appointed by ACAS and the TUC.
They will have to reach new national agreements ‘recognising the scale and pace of change that will be needed’.
Local offices will have to negotiate on the changes already imposed, without a return to the status quo.
Issues to be agreed include the level of job cuts based on ‘fair and transparent workload’ and ‘utilising all paid for hours’.
Also, ‘improved efficiency’ and ‘the need for duty redesigns’.
There will also have to be negotiations on ‘voluntary redundancy, any reduction in pay or allowances or potential office transfer’.
The final agreement will not deal with pensions.
Peckham Delivery Office CWU rep. Billy Colvill said: ‘We were winning this strike. We had the full support of the public.
‘Other unions were looking at our struggle with genuine concern.
‘In my opinion, we should have kept on until we could dictate our terms and conditions.
‘We can’t resolve our local problems if we can’t get satisfactory resolution.
‘This agreement means we can’t take industrial action. Quite frankly, our leadership has given Royal Mail the upper hand.
‘Who is going to decide how many jobs are going to go. Who is going to decide how many are going to be made part time, at this rate, Royal Mail.
‘And what about the question of our pension, that’s left out of the agreement.
‘We’re in the CWU to protect our jobs and standard of living and Royal Mail as a public universal service.
‘Quite frankly, in my opinion, our union leadership and the PEC have split away from the main members and it is urgent that in the branches and areas this issue of leadership is addressed.
‘Because, despite our leadership’s joining up with the government and Royal Mail with this agreement, ordinary members have no other option but to organise within the union to defend ourselves.
‘That means forming a new leadership in the CWU.
‘And quite frankly, let this be a warning to other unions about their leaderships.’
Rob Bolton, Chairman, South Central No 1 CWU branch added: ‘In the view of CWU members that I have spoken to, they all think that it is a huge tactical mistake to call off our strikes without firm guarantees that our grievences have been addressed.
‘In reading the Interim Agreement (I.A.), it appears that their fears are justified.
‘We must remember that it was management executive action in imposing intolerable workloads on our members and in doing so, cutting their pay, that was the spark that set off this dispute.
‘Nowhere in the I.A. does it say that this executive action will be removed in offices up and down the country. Only that they will be subject to negotiation.
‘What happens if management refuse to remove them.
‘Again nothing is said about that very real possibility.
‘Some of our members have lost lots of money, as management moved them without agreement from nights to days.
‘What does that say about Royal Mail’s commitment to family friendly duty spans.
‘As far as Royal Mail is concerned this agreement has not stopped them from continuing to cut duties.
‘Every Delivery Office will be faced with more cuts in hours and duties, ranging from 5% to 15% by April 2010.
‘Mail Centres are facing massive attacks on their jobs.
‘The I.A. is just a pocket full of mumbles, which Royal Mail will use to press ahead with attacks on our members jobs, pay and conditions.
‘It is time now for bringing a new leadership. The old one is bankrupt and cannot defend its members’ interests.
‘Every member of the Postal Executive who voted in favour of calling off the strikes, needs to be replaced, by new leaders who will not capitulate when the going gets tough.’
