LTB 047/24 - Policy Documents - National Briefing 8 Feb 2024
No. 047/24
30th January 2024
Dear Colleagues,
Policy Documents ahead of the National Briefing on 8th February 2024
Please find attached two Policy Documents discussed and influenced by the Senior Field Officials, which have now been agreed by the Postal Executive. We will explain our combined strategy at the National Briefing on 8th February 2024.
The Policy Documents are:
How the CWU Reconnects in the Workplace.
How the CWU Recruit and Organise in the Workplace and Beyond.
There is no denying that many members believe the Agreement was served cold to them and that it did not mirror the sacrifices they had made.
If you then add in the fact that Royal Mail imposed executive action on a scale never seen before, which has had a massive impact on our members in the workplace, it is hardly surprising that some members have been critical of the Union nationally.
The Reconnect strategy is one of re-engagement with the members in their workplaces. The Postal Executive including the Postal Officers have committed to visiting three different units per month and we have asked the Senior Field Officials to do the same.
The first object of the visit is to explain to the members why the Agreement was a far better option than the alternative. The reality is that, for the company to continue to be a going concern, they had to introduce a business plan. The choice for the Union was, did we negotiate and mitigate that business plan or, did we watch as Royal Mail imposed a business plan based on their original strategy without any safeguards including over pay.
It is also worth explaining to those who believe further strike action was the answer that we would have possibly pushed Royal Mail into administration resulting in thousands of compulsory redundancies.
Our experience is that, once the above is explained to the members; they will be more aware of the reasons why the CWU reached the Agreement.
The second point of the visit is to understand the local issues which are occurring in the workplace, whether that be a failed revision, quality of service problems, bullying in the workplace or a supernumerary issue. The aim then is to work collectively with the Branch and Division to help resolve some of these issues.
Running in tandem with the Reconnect strategy is our Recruitment strategy. The CWU in the Postal section of the Union is facing the perfect storm. We have the highest non-membership levels we have ever seen, alongside which we have only 16% membership density amongst new entrants.
The Union will not survive if we do not all tackle the above. The recruitment of members can no longer be a spectator sport. Where Reps who cover positions in Industrial, Health and Safety, Political or Equality say they do not do recruitment – every Rep must now recognise that, without playing a role in recruiting new members, this Union will simply cease to exist.
At the Briefing on 8th February, we will also give you a slide presentation on the differences between contracts prior to December 2022, and those the employer imposed after that date. We are also in the process of holding our first meeting with the business on the Joint Working Group to improve the terms and conditions of new entrants.
We look forward to seeing you at the National Briefing.
Yours sincerely, Yours sincerely,
Martin Walsh Dave Ward
Deputy General Secretary (Postal) General Secretary