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Talks to agree the first step in equalising new entrants’ terms and conditions as part of the Royal Mail agreement are set to intensify from next week, the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) has shared.
Posting on X yesterday (2 October), the CWU confirmed that EP Group will take the lead on talks to reach a settlement on the issue, a key element of the Rebuilding Royal Mail part 1 agreement.
It follows delays due to prolonged negotiations on Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation (USO) which the CWU said had impacted other areas of the agreement, including on equalising new entrants’ T&Cs.
Last month it was confirmed that there will be no further pilot units or roll outs of USO until the new year, or until a national agreement has been reached between the CWU and EP Group.
The CWU said its immediate focus was on supporting all current pilot units, ensuring they’re fully resourced and achieving service targets, and that this period will be used to reach an agreement on USO.
On equalising new entrants’ terms and conditions, the CWU said in a statement, issued on Thursday (2 October): “Following discussions last week we can confirm that EP Group will now be taking the lead on these talks, and they will intensify from next week. The CWU position is that any settlement we reach will have to be backdated to September to ensure we deliver on the terms of the Rebuilding Royal Mail Part 1 agreement.
“We are fully aware that the true test of our agreement and of the new owners of Royal Mail is whether you are seeing and feeling change in the workplace. We know that is not currently the case. However, in the coming weeks, a number of initiatives and communications will be shared which [we] believe will begin a full reset of employee and industrial relations. We want to see real and meaningful actions from Royal Mail and EP Group and through the negotiations we are determined to ensure this is what will be delivered.”
Earlier this week, CWU general secretary Dave Ward used a speech at the Labour Party Conference to slam the government over its economic strategy and accused the government of “bending the knee to the corporate world”.
Addressing conference guests, Ward argued the Labour leadership was delivering an economic strategy that had failed to cut through with working class people.
Referencing the 1945 post-war Labour settlement and Roosevelt’s New Deal, Ward rallied the Labour Party to have the same level of bravery and ambition.
“It’s not brave to bend the knee to the corporate world when their wealth and power is still massively an imbalance in the world of work,” Ward said, “the ER [Employment Rights] Bill is a good step but we need to go further.”
The CWU submitted a motion, along with the FBU, TSSA and Unite the Union, at this year’s Labour conference calling for a wealth tax to raise money for public services.
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