CWU updates members on Royal Mail CEO talks and incentive scheme

In an update from general secretary Dave Ward and acting deputy general secretary (postal) Andy Furey, the pair said that Royal Mail has announced an incentive scheme, based on units improving quality of service, which could deliver up to £500 per employee.

The full details of the scheme, they said, would be shared in separate communications next week.

“The CWU broadly welcomes this initiative and in recent weeks, our interventions have redesigned key elements of the proposal to maximise the number of employees who are likely to receive payments.

“This scheme has arisen from high-level discussions between the Royal Mail Group CEO and the CWU general secretary on the need to urgently improve morale, quality of service and resourcing, whilst also focusing on all the other serious issues facing the company.”

Moving on to their discussions with the new CEO, Ward and Furey added that “there appears to be more common ground than we have seen previously, particularly with a joint acceptance that the only way we can rebuild the Royal Mail Group is by working together at all levels”.

They added: “However, we have made it clear that we believe a small cohort of senior managers are still refusing to turn the page and move on from our recent dispute.

“Judged by their actions, the evidence is overwhelming that this group fundamentally disagree with the right of the union and employees to have a real say in the direction of the company.

“Their continuing managerial actions on issues such as failed/imposed delivery revisions, Mail Centre supernumeries, command and control performance apps and the deliberate and relentless undermining of the USO, are scuppering any chance of real progress.”

The update continued: “It is now time for Royal Mail to make up their minds. Do they really want to work together to save the company or are they going to continue to allow this group of managers to wreck any chance of serious joint working and the rebuilding of relationships.

“The CWU wants nothing more than the agreement to be honoured and for us to align the interests of employees, customers and the company.

“We also recognise that jointly fixing quality of service and resourcing for the upcoming peak and Christmas period will be critical to any chance of growing the business in the future. We support this objective, and we want CWU members to have the best chance possible to achieve the full £500 on offer.”

The pair described the CWU’s initial engagement with the Royal Mail Group CEO as “a platform to build on, but none of us can wait any longer for quality of service and resourcing to drastically improve”.

In July, CWU members at Royal Mail voted by a big majority to accept the new agreement on pay and terms thrashed out between the postal operator and the union.

The result of the ballot ended a long and bitter dispute that involved 18 days of industrial action last year, which Royal Mail said cost the business some £200m.