SPECIAL REPORT
CWU Annual Conference 2011 Report
This year the CWU Annual Conference running from the 22nd to 26th May at the Bournemouth International Centre threw up some very interesting debates and issues which could seriously affect our members.
This report will list motions that were carried I feel are relevant to the Processing function. For members who are unsure a carried motion becomes a policy for your executive committee to take away from conference and negotiate with the appropriate authorities over the following twelve months.
Motion 1 (below) at General Conference was carried unanimously and is a scathing attack on the Con-Lib Government and the current state of the Country. It notes what is happening not only here but in other Countries across the globe. That is firstly, through their lies and ideological use of the media, attempt to convince us that we (the ordinary working class people) are responsible for the current global economic crisis and to punish us for the financial state the world is in, rather than punish the Banks and Politicians who are the real culprits responsible. In carrying this motion unanimously, your Union will call upon the TUC to coordinate a 24 hour general strike against the cuts and attacks on wages and pensions and to work with other Unions and organisations to campaign against cuts in local areas.
1 CATEGORY A:
COMPOSITE MOTION
That this union notes:
1) The all out attack launched on working people and the vital services they rely on by the Con-Dem coalition government.
2) That the attacks on British workers are part of a global attempt to make workers pay for the economic crisis.
3) The wave of mass protests and general strikes across Europe.
4) TUC leader Brendan Barber's call for united campaigning against cuts and that “Where members, faced with attacks on jobs, pay or pensions, take a democratic decision for industrial action, they will have the support of their unions. The TUC stands ready to co- ordinate that.”
5) That a number of unions are already making moves towards National coordinated strike action.
Believes that:
1) This crisis was caused by bankers and politicians, not workers. It's the bankers and the rich who should pay the price.
2) There should be no cuts made on working class people's jobs, conditions and services. We should not pay for the bankers' crisis.
3) The government should be creating jobs, investing in a Sustainable future and protecting public services.
4) The response of the trade union movement in countries such as Greece and France should act as a model for resistance here.
5) We need to build the fight against the austerity measures at a local and national level both through building unity across the campaigns organising resistance and through industrial action.
6) It will take strike action on the scale we have seen in Greece and France to stop Cameron's attacks.
Resolves:
1) To work with other trade unions and campaigning organisations to stop the cuts in our local area.
2) To call on the TUC to coordinate a 24-hour general strike against the cuts and attacks on wages and pensions.
3) To call on our union leaderships at branch, regional and national level to seek to coordinate campaigns and strikes with other unions.
South Central No.1
Eastern No.4
Eastern Regional Committee
Emergency motion E6 (below) was submitted by the London Divisional Committee after the result of the London ballot for industrial action returned a YES vote.
Detailed reports on the situation in London can be found on the Union board and in the vending areas.
However, I want to get the message across in laymen terms so that all members fully understand what is happening and that this is not a dispute about London being “the same old” rebellious London.
The fact is, this is about COMPULSARY REDUNDANCIES. No matter how much Royal Mail fabricate the truth to us via articles in the Courier and Management briefings. This dispute is about the back door implementation of COMPULSARY REDUNDANCIES. The Proposals to close East London and South West London Mail Centres and Rathbone Place Delivery Offices transferring staff to either Greenford, Heathrow, Croydon, Romford or Mount Pleasant Mail Centres will not work. Because firstly there will not be enough vacancies at the other Mail Centres to accommodate the staff losing their jobs at the three central London locations. When we say staff, we not only mean OPG’s but also Romec, Quadrant, LA grades and Managers alike. Royal Mail said in the Courier “there will not be compulsory redundancies providing people are reasonably flexible on relocation”. To ask people to have to travel from the centre of London to the outskirts just to go to work and then to do the same journey to go home again is not, in my opinion, “reasonably flexible”.
The CWU is faced with a battle now that has never been experienced by this Union before.
Under the Mail Centre Rationalisation section of the Business Transformation 2010 agreement, Rule 6.6 (below) allows a consultation period where Royal Mail will consider counter proposals to their Mail Centre closure proposals by the CWU. Royal Mail has been complying with this rule and the CWU’s counter proposals offered a slower rationalisation programme which would not lead to compulsory redundancies.
6.6 The CWU will formally present (and submit in writing) any alternative
option/s for consideration and the management team will fully evaluate and
respond accordingly in writing to the CWU. These views will be taken into
account when Royal Mail determines which option/s should be considered
However, following the consultation, period Royal Mail have come back to the CWU and said “we have listened to your counter proposals but are still going ahead with our original proposals”. This then leads into Rule 6.11 (below)
6.11 Following the above decision being announced the CWU will accept the
decision, jointly support the implementation and deal with the employee
impact.
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. The art of negotiation is give and take until both parties achieve a satisfactory result on a win win basis. Not “we’ll listen to you as a formality but do it our way anyway”.
The Mail Centre Rationalisation Programme will see the number of Mail Centres in the UK reducing from 64 to 30 and Peterborough Mail Centre is not safe, as all the sites to be closed have not yet been revealed.
IF COMPULSARY REDUNDANCIES ARE ALLOWED TO TAKE PLACE IN LONDON THEN THEY WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND NO EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATED WITH ROYAL MAIL WILL BE SAFE (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT).
THIS IS UNDOUBTABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGHT THIS UNION HAS EVER FACED WITH THE EMPLOYER AND EACH INDIVIDUAL SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THEIR ROLE IN IT. THE ACTION YOU TAKE WILL DEFINE THE FUTURE OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT BY THE COMPANY YOU ARE EMPLOYED BY.
EMERGENCY MOTION E6
Conference recognises that
the industrial action ballot results for London on 23rd May 2011 is a
clear sign that postal workers will not accept compulsory transfers or
redundancies.
Conference deplores the actions of Royal Mail towards London Postal Workers who
have experienced some of the worst bullying ever seen in Royal Mail.
Conference agrees that the fight that is due to begin in London will have a huge
bearing on Royal Mail’s future approach to compulsory redundancies.
Conference therefore endorses the following policies:
1. That no mail centre/RDC/VOCs should handle any of the work from
London by un-agreed diversions. This can include Mail Centres, RDCs,
and VOCs requesting industrial action ballots.
2. That there will be an industrial action ballot of the whole postal
membership if Royal Mail makes any postal worker compulsory
redundant.
3. That there will be a
communications exercise conducted across the union
explaining the seriousness of the situation the union membership is facing
concerning compulsory redundancies.
The Postal Executive is instructed accordingly.
London Divisional Committee
Motion 51 (below) was carried unanimously at the Postal Constituencies Conference. This motion instructs the Postal Executive to carry out an immediate review of the National Mail Centre Rationalisation Framework Agreement because it would appear Royal Mail are ignoring or purposely misinterpreting some of the wording in the current agreement. This is what has led to the confrontation not only in London but other areas of the country where the rationalisation programme is taking place. Some examples follow.
National Mail Centre Rationalisation Framework Agreement
The following text is taken from Rule 3 of the National Mail Centre Rationalisation Framework Agreement section within the Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond Agreement
That employee issues have been taken fully into consideration and dealt with in line with the appropriate national agreements, including any identified surplus.
That there has been the opportunity for full involvement of union representatives in developing, influencing and implementing any proposals for site closure.
That it helps produce a more robust mail centre network securing sustainable employment opportunities.
That all issues have been dealt with by both managers and CWU representatives at the appropriate level.
It is clear from what we have heard that Royal Mail have not taken employee issues into consideration and the CWU have not had full involvement in developing, influencing and implementing any proposals for site closures.
The following text is taken from Rule 6 of the National Mail Centre Rationalisation Framework Agreement section within the Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond Agreement.
The CWU will formally present (and submit in writing) any alternative option/s for consideration and the management team will fully evaluate and respond accordingly in writing to the CWU. These views will be taken into account when Royal Mail determines which option/s should be considered.
6.11) Following the above decision being announced the CWU will accept the decision, jointly support the implementation and deal with the employee impact.
As mentioned earlier in this report, the wording of this rule would suggest full influential involvement by the CWU. What is actually happening is that Royal Mail are listening to the Unions proposals then coming back and saying they will not change their proposals. Once that decision has been made, rule 6.11 kicks in and the CWU are expected to support it and help implement it.
The following text is taken from Rule 8 of the National Mail Centre Rationalisation Framework Agreement section within the Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond Agreement.
No member of staff will be forced to buy down their hours/go part-time and no part-time employees will be forced to increase their contractual hours. The aim will be to meet every individual’s first preference wherever possible and offer suitable alternative jobs that take into account individuals’ personal circumstances, including any additional travelling distances and time. The business will seriously consider practicable opportunities to mitigate job losses in losing units in the short-term by sensible phasing of work and in the longer term by scoping work to retain where it is cost-effective and meets customer and operational needs. Consideration will also be given to the possibility of introducing new work. The movement of workload will be based on operational needs including the ability of gaining offices to maintain quality of service. When moving workload, people issues will also be considered in line with the existing national policies and procedures including Managing the Surplus Framework (MTSF). In addition to the terms of MTSF, an outplacement support package (currently contained in Clear Choice) will be provided to help individuals so they can make realistic and appropriate choices for their future
There are so many points to this rule that Royal Mail are misinterpreting or purposely ignoring, it’s difficult to know where to start, for example, even in our own Mail Centre the business is trying to force Quadrant staff to take a buy down of hours. Elsewhere, Romec employees are being forced to change their hours of attendance. Employees who work at London Mail Centres due for proposed closure are being given the option to either take VR or commute and work at Heathrow and peoples issues are not being considered before the movement of workload.
51 CATEGORY A: COMPOSITE MOTION
The Postal Executive is instructed to carry out an immediate review of the National Mail Centre Rationalisation Framework Agreement. The review will include requesting [Joint] written submissions from Local/Area Reps and Divisional Officers of all areas which have losing and receiving offices where a rationalisation has been proposed. These reports should detail both the strengths and weaknesses of the National Agreement and where representatives believe it could be improved as we take the Business Transformation forward. Once the submissions have been received the aims of the review will be:
• Engage with the employer to secure improvements to the existing agreement.
• Identify the areas of the agreement which have fallen short of CWU expectations.
• Identify areas and give clear examples where Royal Mail have “mitigated job losses in losing units in the short-term by sensible phasing of work and in the longer term by scoping work to retain where it is cost-effective and meets customer and operational needs and introduced new work”.
• Identify where Royal Mail proposals have not dealt with people issues in line with National Agreements.
• Examine quality of service and service specification results at gaining offices where a rationalisation of another Mail Centre has taken place, this in order to identify maintenance, improvement or deterioration.
• Review the statement and have a full understanding of what “maintain or improve quality of service to the customer in line with our service specification” means in its application and practice.
• Identify improvements to the Mail Centre Rationalisation Process which places more emphasis on gaining agreement with the Union on people issues prior to any transfer of work.
• Review in its entirety paragraph 6.11 of the agreement to fully satisfy the CWU that this statement is commensurate with gaining agreement rather than employer dictate.
• To determine in Mail Centre closures thus far that economies of scale have been achieved and people issues were dealt with in line with existing agreements.
This list is not exhaustive.
The review will be completed by no later than 1st August 2011. Should this date not be achieved no further agreement to any Regional Mail Centre reviews will be given until the review of this agreement is complete and communicated to Branches.
Essex Amal
Northamptonshire Amal
Anglia Divisional Committee
Emergency Motion E3 (below) was carried unanimously at the Postal Constituencies Conference. This motion is a clear response to the attacks on the business by both Royal Mail and the Government and allows the Postal Executive to defend our rights and terms and conditions that we have fought for.
This Postal Group Conference agrees that the recent actions of the Royal Mail Group and the prospect of privatisation and separation of Post Office Limited are not in the interests of CWU members, customers or the future of the UK postal industry.
There are clear parallels between the introduction of a new Business Plan that downgrades the future expectations of the company, announcements on Colleagueshare and the Governments privatisation and separation agenda. These developments are at odds with the agreed shared vision of modernisation, the agreed approach to Business Transformation and other existing National Agreements.
The Company's actions threaten existing job security commitments and raise the very real prospect of compulsory redundancies.
The company's actions and their open support for privatisation and separation have destroyed trust and confidence in the commitments to build a new relationship and develop a culture of mutual interest.
This conference recognises that the published PEC Policy which set out the Unions position in response to Royal Mail's actions has not resolved the situation by the April deadline. The PEC received a full report on this situation at its meeting on the 11th May 2011. Furthermore given the imminent and likely Royal assent of the Postal Services Bill, tensions will be heightened and the legitimate industrial concerns that potential privatisation will have on CWU members jobs, terms and conditions will come to the fore. As the owner of the company we recognise the Government will have had a direct input into the new Business Plan and decisions on Colleagueshare.
Given the aforementioned developments the CWU will continue to oppose privatisation beyond the end of the parliamentary process and must now seek urgent negotiations and agreements with Royal Mail and where appropriate the Government covering the following:
In order to pursue this policy the Union will take whatever steps are necessary up to and including National Industrial Action for all CWU members within the Postal Group.
Prior to any Industrial Action ballot the Union will immediately embark on a major consultation and communications exercise with all CWU members.
Postal Executive Committee
The above four motions were probably the most important ones debated at Conference. There now follows a list of other motions carried from the Postal Constituencies Conference with a brief explanation of what they mean.
Motion 2
Instructs the Postal Executive to enter negotiations with all employers within the Royal Mail Group to secure the Benenden Hospitals Health Plan and Denplan dental health scheme benefits currently available to Parcelforce Worldwide staff at no cost to individuals, for all employees at no cost for individuals.
Motion 9
Instructs the Postal Executive to negotiate a pay increase for Quadrant staff.
Motion 12
Instructs the Postal Executive to negotiate an extension to the annual leave purchase option of over 6 weeks.
Motion 26
Instructs the Postal Executive to negotiate a rise in the Christmas Bonus.
Motion 38
Instructs the Postal Executive to commence a political and industrial campaign to seek an immediate and substantial increase in Royal Mails price for handling DSA mails and eventually to re-nationalise all DSA mails.
Motion 67
Instructs the Postal Executive to reach an agreement on a process with Royal Mail that allows an employee to gain a copy of their attendance/absence record without first having to approach their local manager. The employee must be able to make direct contact with HRSC Sheffield where they can request a copy to be sent directly to them.
Motion 68
Eastern No 5’s motion instructs the Postal Executive to include in the on-going Attendance Procedure negotiations, an immediate review of ATOS Healthcare’s increasingly non-committal assessment of whether a member is covered under the previous Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) which has led to a marked increase in Attendance Procedure stages being issued by managers and any mitigation put forward mentioning the DDA being ignored.
Motion 74
Instructs the Postal Executive to negotiate a Grievance Procedure that will support the aspirations of all Royal Mail employees and will contain at minimum the current ACAS standards and undertake training on a joint basis so that everyone has the same understanding and has an opportunity to work through the procedure.
Motion 75
Instructs the Postal Executive to request a review with Royal Mail of the unacceptable un-agreed process the Gateway Team extract bullying and harassment complaints and downgrade the seriousness of the complaint to an individual grievance.
Members who wish to view a full list of the seven separate (rules revision, general, postal constituencies, packages and express, clerical cash handling, royal mail outdoor and indoor and postal technical services) conferences agendas and motions can do so by logging onto www.cwu.org conference. Also by clicking onto Standing Order Reports you can view the conferences motions decisions.
EJ Orviss
Area Processing Representative