The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced it will put its “negotiators' agreement” with Royal Mail to a referendum of its members from 22 June, following two postponements. The union says it has negotiated additions to the agreement, including a further £900 non-consolidated lump-sum payment, and further clarity on the parameters within which the start and finish times for delivery workers' shifts can be changed.
The Posties Say Vote No group, formed to mobilise for rejection of the offer, has published the following statement. An unabridged version can be found at twitter.com/postiessayno
After another month of secret talks, CWU leaders have finally presented yet another joint statement [with Royal Mail] on the quality of service, USO [Universal Service Obligation], and revisions [changes to shift times]. This is the third agreement with Royal Mail on this subject.
We will be doing a closer analysis of this [...] but members will be right to be skeptical after the old section 2.5 in the new agreement proved to be empty words, just as the 2 March joint statement did, which promised an end to executive action [by Royal Mail].
They want to stuff our mouths with gold, but a one-off lump sum won't cover the prices that remain high next year. It's pro-rata for part-timers, but they don't feed their kids or pay bills pro-rata! What remains are massive revisions […], a big workload hike for deliveries […], plus the two-tier workforce, cuts to sick pay, attendance procedure, ill-health retirement […] and hundreds of suspended or dismissed reps who may or may not be reinstated.
All that makes it a terrible deal […] In terms of finish times, it's not clear how set in stone these estimates are. Many are still not family-friendly, and flexing and possibly seasonal variation will extend these, as well as hiking the outdoor span for delivery workers.
It's all thanks to the no vote wave
We should remember the only reason they have renegotiated these extras – if they prove to be real – is due to the mass rejection of the deal by CWU members, and due to the workplace reps who voices their opposition in meetings with local officials and the national leadership. This has been supported and helped along by the public campaign Postal Workers Say Vote No, that has provided an analysis of the worst aspects of the deal and given the rejection an organised form.
To look at it from the other side, the CWU leadership wanted us to accept £500 and let the revisions continue, much as they have since the 2 March joint statement. They would have put the deal to ballot as [was], it was massive anger that forced them to renegotiate. So at the very least the no vote wave has helped posties get at least another £900, even if it's not yet a done deal […]
Robin Hood in reverse
We respect the fact that many CWU members will vote for this deal, believing it is the best we can get, or at least get under the current leadership after the experience of the last year. We understand that many of us, hit by the cost of living and 18 days' lost pay, are desperate for that money. However, we still believe the best response to this agreement is to vote no.
Even with these “improvements”, if they come off, the deal sells our terms and conditions, unsustainably hikes the workload for the majority of CWU members, and weakens the union hugely, all in order to restore profitability to Royal Mail – in other words, to its millionaire shareholders. It's Robin Hood in reverse.
If the deal goes through, it does not mean a secure or sustainable job. In terms of mail centres and distribution, all Royal Mail will say is that they “have no plans” to break up the company, sell off bits, close mail centres. The CWU is making this out to be a guarantee. It's not.
And the clock is ticking to Spring 2025, when Royal Mail will come back pushing to cut the USO – something that Dave Ward already says we might have to accept. In the meantime, the union will have helped them construct a detachable parcel service, ready to be hived off into a separate company and handed to IDS.
They think they can buy us with another £900. We think postal workers and the postal service are worth more than that. We will continue to press for a no vote on this deal, rejecting the two-tier workforce, terms-and-conditions cuts, and other unacceptable concessions. The mantra of [union officials] Terry Pullinger and Dave Ward was “don't settle for less” - let's not!