www.socialistworker.co.
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It means worse pay and conditions, and job cuts...
new deal? return
it to the sender!
T
HE STRIKES last year
forced Royal Mail to offer
negotiations and now a
new deal. But the deal has to be
rejected. Here’s why:
●It prepares the way for mass
job losses. It’s not spelt out in clear
terms, but the union has accepted that
“modernisation” and the introduction
of new technology will inevitably mean
thousands of redundancies.
That’s disastrous at a time of high
unemployment, but it will also mean
even more work for those who remain.
●It’s a direct pay cut for many in
deliveries. The new agreement will
incorporate door-to-door into normal
workload, so workers will no longer be
paid per item.
Instead, they are to get a weekly
supplement of £20.60. They will also
lose the early shift allowance. Overall
that’s a pay cut.
It’s even worse for part-timers. The
figure is pro-rata.
So a part-timer doing a four-hour duty
will be getting £10.30, instead of the £30
he currently gets for taking out twice
as much stuff, while at the same time
receiving half the money of a full-timer
doing exactly the same amount of work.
●Longer Saturdays. This is
traditionally a light day for Royal Mail
employees so they can go home early
and enjoy a bit of the weekend with their
families.
The new system introduces later start
times will be rolled out over the entire
week. This will mean that some postal
workers will still be out on the streets on
a Saturday as late as 4pm.
So much for the “family-friendly”
policies the agreement also trumpets,
or its commitment to reduction in stress
and fatigue.
●Longer delivery spans: Again, the
agreement doesn’t specify how long. So a full-timer can vote away his
Current delivery spans are meant part-time colleague’s wages for what
to be 3.5 hours—which usually mean amounts to a lump sum he was already
between four and 4.5 hours—a period due to receive anyway.
of time of intense physical activity that
the former Royal Marine and British ●The service will get worse with
military fitness expert Tony Goddard deliveries as late as 4pm. The current
described as “unreasonable” on a deadline of 2pm in towns and cities
Panorama programme last year. and 3pm in rural areas has been pushed
More time on duty and more weight back an hour.
to carry are just two of the results of this
deal, and all for less pay. ●The “pay rise” is at best a
Also hidden away is a massive real- standstill and will probably be a pay
estate bonanza for the private sector, cut. The newspapers talk about a 7
as delivery offices in prime city-centre percent pay increase over three years.
locations become “rationalised”. But there was no pay increase last
It’s no wonder the negotiations have year, so it is actually 7 percent over
been kept strictly confidential. four years.
The “sweetener” for this will be a As inflation is on the rise again, a
lump sum of up to £1,400 – actually, deal that locks the union into three
just the yearly “colleague-share” bonus years of small pay rises means pay cuts
moved forward a month or two; again, in real terms.
pro-rata for part-timers. Three members of the union’s
postal executive voted against the
deal. Now we need a big campaign to
a wider struggle get the entire membership to vote no.
The CWU should then work with
Across Europe bosses and other unions that are in dispute (civil
politicians are trying to make service workers, Network Rail, several
working people pay for the crisis. colleges, British Gas etc). Let’s use
But there is also mass resistance. the pre-election period to build up the
Greek workers have launched three fightback.
general strikes and there have also Thanks to “Roy Mayall’s” work for help with
been general strikes in Portugal this leaflet. Roy writes in Socialist Worker at
and Italy. British unions should join www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=20202
the movement! and www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.
php?id=20534
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