Member Info for OliGarch

AngerSharkz, "it’s probably a bit difficult to implement any diversity into your service when there’s 110,000 employees on strike over their terms and conditions"?
Why? A quick Google search reveals that Deutsche Post workers went out on strike in 2015 and 2018 so it obviously can be done it's just that neither Greene, Back or Thompson have got on with it?

AngerSharkz, thanks for the response. I wonder why the RM BoD haven't picked up on any of these ideas from Deutsche Post? In my opinion, it shows a lack of imagination.

AngerSharkz, "the difference being is that Deutsche post have various products and services to cover them against a slowing economy."
I would be interested to learn what these products and services are?

AngerSharkz, obviously I can only go on the official guidance but I believe that the BoD quoted Q1 losses at £92m or £1m a day, so on track for approximately -£360m for the year?

Eastside/Soundbite, the current dispute is about pay only. There was a separate ballot regarding terms and conditions which was carried by the CWU membership but yet to be implemented.
I will break down the "5.5%" pay increase. RM UK have implemented (by executive action) a 2% pay award. This is permanent and pensionable.
A further 1.5% will be awarded provided that the workforce agreed to;
Giving up some allowances (my shift allowance is around 9.8% of my basic pay).
Changes to sick pay (see previous posts).
Annualised hours (differing hours per week over the course of the year).
Changes to start and finish times.
Sunday working to be mandatory as part of the working week.
This 1.5% will be permanent and pensionable, however it will cost some employees up to 9.5% of their wages to unlock this 1.5%.
There is also an offer of a 2% bonus for hitting office targets. This is neither guaranteed nor is It pensionable. Most of the workforce are sceptical of bonuses especially following the "colleague shares" debacle.

So, it's 3.5% if I agree to give the business back 9.5% of my salary and a possibly/maybe/perhaps 2% bonus.
Personally, I would rather keep what I currently have and see if RM UK finish the year with £360m losses. Call me sceptical but I somehow doubt that those losses will materialise.

Sound bite, when were the posties offered a "pay rise of 5.5%"?

Phunt, as mhudson states "what do management do ? nothing just stand around talking with them". This is quite clearly a management issue.
Arsenal, don't trouble yourself with what Dave Ward thinks, perhaps some CMA/Unite contributors could explain the actions of these managers?
It's the same with sick leave. Quite a large percentage of sick is taken by a small percentage of the workforce. Most of the time, these employees get away without any disciplinary action because their manager fails to follow correct procedure. I couldn't possibly state whether this is by accident or design but the outcome is still the same, but because of this the BoD want to change the sick leave policy rather than ask their managers to actually follow procedure.

Marmion, where did you get the figure of £Bns from?

Thedetector, I heard that it was Hertz Van Rentals. They're hoping to drive the SP up with some wheely good ideas.....lol

It wouldn't surprise me if Williams and Thompson have been working with VESA since Thompson took over eighteen months ago and I wouldn't be surprised if both were offered lucrative contracts once their mission is complete. Looking back at some of Thompson's posts on Workplace it is clear that he is at best duplicitous which is a point backed up by my line manager who has met him on several occasions.
On the subject of GLS, I would imagine that is all VESA are interested in however as for RM UK being "tossed back at the governments door which would be as welcome as a hole in the head", this could be a stumbling block for VESA if true. I'm sure that Rees-Mogg would take a dim view of that scenario so in my opinion it would be all or nothing?
As for RM UK being "stripped down to the bare bones as a skeleton service at best", it would be a brave minister to allow that to happen given the legal obstacles?

AngerSharkz, the RMG SP has been in decline since the start of 2022. It took a tumble from 526.8p on the 13th of January and hasn't been looking too good since. This was long before the CWU request for pay talks was even mentioned.

Obviously Kwarteng has been promoted to Chancellor so Rees-Mogg will pick this one up.

Cont....
We also believe that these talks include a plan to undermine and ultimately abandon the Universal Service Obligation (USO), which the company sees as a hindrance, rather than an advantage and a key benefit to the consumer. These changes represent nothing more than a "levelling down" agenda for the company with the ambition being to maximise profit by turning Royal Mail into just another gig economy employer. On the question of the USO, we would also like you to clarify if there have been any approaches by the company to you or your department regarding changes to USO service standards and/or regulatory issues.

Given what is at stake in these discussions, we are very concerned about the undue influence of a billionaire-controlled equity firm on the existing leadership of Royal Mail Group.

The CWU is unequivocal in our stance against this potential takeover - it is against the interests of the workers and the public. We urge you to confirm that you will take every step necessary to ensure that shareholders are not unduly or duplicitously influenced by VESA Equity, or by the senior leadership of Royal Mail, as part of your review into the ongoing discussions.

Surely, it cannot be right if members of the existing Board, including the Chair Keith Williams and CEO Simon Thompson, are allowed to put forward their view on the takeover, if they or other Board members, as appears likely, have already been engaged in secret discussions to facilitate this.

We would also like you to investigate whether these talks amount to insider trading and whether Board members have received or are due to receive additional benefits if the takeover goes ahead. We make this point because of information circulating from the UK markets, where it appears that the two CEO's (RMG and GLS) and the Chief Operating Officer, have just received additional shares worth close to a £1 million each.

Given the nature of your investigation we are also asking for an explanation of how and when this will be conducted and whether the union will have the opportunity to give evidence to it.

Due to the urgency and importance of all of the issues outlined above, I am requesting that we meet as soon as possible to elaborate on our concerns and hopefully receive the assurances from you that the workforce and the public deserve.

I look forward to your prompt reply.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

An important update for all Royal Mail Group members. Kwasi Kwarteng

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and

Industrial Strategy

1 Victoria Street

London SW1H OET

Minister.kwarteng@beis.qov.uk

Dear Kwasi

I am writing today to highlight the urgent issue of talks between Royal Mail and VESA Equity about a potential takeover of Royal Mail Group.

As the union that represents over 115,000 postal workers across every corner of Britain, we are extremely alarmed by these secret discussions with a Luxembourg-based private equity firm, controlled by billionaire Daniel Kretínský'.

We welcome your acknowledgement of these discussions between VESA Equity and the leadership of Royal Mail Group and we welcome the decision to investigate these talks with urgency.

We now believe that secret talks have been going on behind the backs of the workforce and the public for some time and that this explains the reason why the Royal Mail Group walked away from all our agreements on change and have deliberately manufactured the disputes that are currently taking place, to facilitate a predetermined outcome, that being the takeover of the Royal Mail Group by VESA.

It is the view of the CWU that what has taken place has a strong possibility of involving corporate corruption. Therefore, we are particularly keen to understand when and on what basis the company contacted you or your department.

The CWU wrote to the company on the 24th August raising our concerns and it cannot be a coincidence that less than 48 hours later the government and Royal Mail issued statements to the City of London confirming an investigation is taking place.

Not only do these secret talks represent the dismantling of Royal Mail's 500-year-old service, but they also present a serious threat to the conditions faced by workers in Royal Mail and a degradation of the services available to the public.

Our members have already taken the brave decision to take strike action against the insulting pay rise imposed on them and have also returned a 98.7% yes vote for strike action against the abandonment of union-agreed changes.

In response, the leadership of the company has already threatened the break-up of Royal Mail and the sell-off of the international arm of the company, GLS, or as an alternative, to use GLS as the parcel delivery arm of Royal Mail in the UK, threatening thousands upon thousands of jobs..... cont

Redceo, it's not my weekend on duty.
profit seeker, I haven't worked overtime for a few years now as I don't need any additional income.
If I do work additional hours then I make sure that I have them back as time off in lieu according to RM policy.

A little insight into the situation at my place of work (mail centre) following the first day(s) of strike action.
The late shift after each strike was like Christmas with a backlog of letters in York containers around the sorting machines, two days worth of letter box collection mail (whoda thunkit) plus parcels in York containers in just about every conceivable place including walkways and fire exits (as a safety rep, I'm not happy about that).
Admittedly, my office is not a large office but is representative of the community that it serves.
So, Joe Public are still happy to send items with RM even though they know we are on strike....so far.
If the last two days have been anything to go by, it's going to be rammed to the rafters at the weekend and the planned strike at the end of September will span the weekend so that's three days.

https://fb.watch/fpjCbOKQhs/

https://fb.watch/fpjf0jinSB/

Eastside, yes it was a postal ballot. It would have been difficult to get 115,000 people in the same room/field at the same time to do a show of hands.....lol
Anonymity? About as anonymous as your vote at a local or general election.

JB, the period of reflection was for both sides?
Strikes may not help Royal Mail bit given the fact that there is always a demand for parcel deliveries then it will be another courier's gain so someone is going to benefit?
A workers right to withdraw labour is a basic employment right and the last resort.
The alternative is to accept all the changes that the employer wishes to make regardless of the effects so if that means a pay cut then so be it? Welcome to Victorian Britain. We will be queuing up at the depot gates