But after 6 weeks of talks Royal Mail management’s real intentions have been exposed for all to see. They want nothing less than the complete destruction of the union and a total flexible workforce which they can control.

The management has put their cards on the table by offering us a 6.7% pay rise over 2 years in return for every national and local agreement being torn up allowing the managers to run over the top of the workforce.

We must accept:

1/ Flexable attendances. Managers can make postal workers start 2 hours before or after your normal start times so you are committed to a 12 hour period every working day.

2/ Change to shift times.  

3/ Accept that door to door items (the leaflet deliveries that we get paid for) are included into the normal workload with an agreement to increase the amount of deliveries.

4/ Annualised hours. Postal workers will work around 35 hours a week during the summer but as many as required during the busy periods, such as Christmas, without extra pay.

5/ Flexiable summer staffing. Where 5 postal workers will do the work of 6, you will also be expected to cover any short term absences.

6/ Removal of the MTSF agreement (our redundancy package) to be replaced with a more “commercially realistic” - one probably statuary terms.

7/ Closure of our pension scheme. Both to new and existing staff. At present we have a final salary scheme.. Royal Mail say they want that to be replaced by a career average scheme which will have a major effect on our pension. Many posties now that we may not have the best job in the world but at least we have a decent pension to look forward to.

8/ The ripping up of the existing industrial relations framework. To be replaced by ACAS lowest standards. Royal Mail have already said in informal meetings that they will end all trade union facialty time for union officials.

It’s now clear that Royal Mail have declared war on the CWU and its members. Even since talks have broken down they have announced a serious of executive actions including the closure of 2 mail centres, a change of start times, ending of Sunday collections etc. This clearly is the start of an onslaught by Royal Mail.

The Union has responded by calling two 48 hours strikes on the 5th and 6th October followed by the 8th and 9th of October, this will backed up by continues functional strikes from the 15th of October which will mean there will be at least one section of Royal Mail workers out every day.

This is a dispute we can’t afford to lose. Our very future is on the cards and so is a vital public service.

The union must also be calling on support from our trade unions as this looks like this will turn into a long and bitter dispute. Support groups should now start to be set up.

Demos must be called in every region of the country to take the reasons for the dispute to the wider movement.

Gary Clark Sub Area rep. Scotland No. 2 Branch CWU