Walkouts planned for Thursday and Friday at facilities and maintenance company Romec were suspended today after the company finally accepted CWU requests for meaningful negotiations.
Punitive actions by the company, linked to its introduction of new work planning appliances (WPA) are at the heart of the long-running dispute
But, in a move that CWU assistant secretary Ray Ellisdescribes as “significant,” Romec has agreed to halt these actions “in order to create the appropriate climate for meaningful and substantive negotiations to proceed.”
In response to the move by the company, the union has agreed to suspend the scheduled two-day stoppage and to lift the ongoing callout and overtime restriction.
Welcoming today’s developments, Ray said: “There’s a long way to go and at this time we are still technically in dispute, but it’s our hope – and also the hope of the company – that these joint ‘acts of good faith’ will create the right environment for a full and comprehensive settlement.”
The breakthrough came after informal discussions between senior Romec managers and the union, with the help and assistance of arbitration service ACAS and leading individuals from Royal Mail Group.
CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward - who has personally assisted in the search for a solution – said that he was “hopeful that Romec will now engage in sensible negotiations with us and that we can reach a fair agreement as soon as possible.”
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