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So are you now accepting our sources were correct and there is a potential sweetener to try and achieve the "yes" vote?
Regardless you do have to fear a "no" vote unless RM doesn't come up with something more before the voting commences.
Strong suggestions are now being made by various union officials that RM have found extra cash to offer a sweetener in order to try and secure a yes vote. The big unanswered question is whether it'll be £500 or £1,000 extra RM now offer.
Total nonsense any company has to take it's employees with them on the journey, particularly a labour intensive one like a postal/delivery company. I wouldn't be surprised to see another £500 or even £1,000 sweetener given in order to get the yes vote boosted, if not then the CWU were foolish to go for the far less attractive £500 rather than £1,500 one off payment.
It's sounding like the deal will be more or less agreed next week, I can't see there being much support for the CWU going forward if it is as it seems they've basically sold out. RM seemingly winning most of the battles, just losing out with allowances remaining.
Assuming the update is a true reflection of the state of pay (ST has re-posted on Workplace w/o any comments so you have to assume it is) it seems RM haven't moved at all and now want to agree a 3 years pay rise and reduced the indoor work by up to 25 mins a day. It's almost as if RM don't want to agree a deal and now want further strike action.
What if the Tories now decide they don't want RM returned to public ownership and so just pass it on to the highest bidder, whilst RM PLC continue to run it whilst the sale goes though. What if that's RM PLC/GLS or Amazon who then decide to impose all the proposed changes and offer the minimum Government redundancy terms to staff they no longer want i.e. CWU reps etc? Possibly one of the conditions of purchase proposed is that the USO is reduced to 5 days a week as no purchaser can see value in a 6 day a week service.
Are they simply holding RM back or still trying to protect some of the workers rights? If the CWU simply give in what will their members think when RM suddenly become profitable again next year?
If an agreement can't be reached this week perhaps it's time DW stood aside and let somebody see it they can agree a deal before it's too late?
Martin Walsh is the "big union guy", he sits on the CWU Postal committee so should know the true position of RM's finances, assuming that they are telling the CWU the truth.
Perhaps DK is buying up shares in the basis RM PLC is worth more with just GLS than it is including RM?
I don't think the reasons are actually connected but there's clearly a demand for 7 day a week parcels and apparently limited demand for letters.
As far as GLS given they are purchased after privatisation the USO surely can't apply, AS must be incorrect.
RE RM & GLS just to confuse matters RM PLC was previously the holding company of RM & GLS not RM,now IDS are the holding co for RM & GLS. Clearly RM & GLS were split for some reason if they are still both bound by the USO what was the point in splitting them.
As far as the USO just because they are telling RM it won;t be reduced doesn't mean if they do go into Admin they won't then decide differently, we all know how good this Government is at changing it's mind when it suits them, regardless if the USO does send RM into Admin will the Government really insist it remains 6 days a week when even Joe Public doesn't want it.
Why would a Tory government want to re-nationalise Royal Mail, more than likely they'd want it sold on to the highest bidder PDQ even if that meant reducing the USO to 5 days, or even less for some outlying regions, a week. Although they are probably putting some pressure in the background on IDS to now agree a deal.
Whilst DW talks the talk it's interesting he's only now threatening to announce further strike dates whereas in the past they've just been announced. What's the betting early this week DW claims the threat has worked and announces that a pay deal of some kind has been agreed.