Harrow and District CWU » H & D Media

Dispatches

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:26:51 +0000

Two reporters go undercover as agency postmen to find out if the Royal Mail has delivered on claims that it is modernising and improving its service.

In 2004 and again in 2005, Dispatches went undercover to investigate the Royal Mail. These reports exposed serious systemic and individual failures within the organisation, resulting in an enquiry by the postal regulator, followed by a fine of almost ten million pounds. Five years on, the Royal Mail claims it is modernising and improving its service.

The reporters find an antiquated system with lax security, poorly trained agency workers – many of whom are clearly not up to the job – damaged and defective equipment and allegations of stealing.

Out on their rounds, they are bombarded with complaints from angry members of the public who have experienced damaged mail, delays and poor service, and behind the scenes some managers and workers express contempt for the customer and their concerns.

Joining just before the busy Christmas period, when an industrial truce has been publicly announced by both management and the unions, both reporters find that normal service is far from being resumed. Managers tell the reporters that disputes with unions over working times and the size of postmen’s rounds are causing continued disruptions to the service.

With over four million pounds a year being paid in compensation to customers for lost post and a recent dip in Royal Mail’s delivery performance, Dispatches asks if the organisation is fit for purpose.

BBC Panoram Can’t Deliver Won’t Deliver

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:53:13 +0000

What is wrong with the Royal Mail? Panorama investigates the service that gets around 5,000 complaints a day, and asks if our once-proud postal service is failing its customers.

Reporter Vivian White’s bleak message is that 2010 will deliver yet more bad news for the Royal Mail, unless the posties and the bosses can get themselves sorted.

Dave Ward talk about the deal

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:59:26 +0000

TUC leader Brendan Barber said the agreement halts any industrial action until after the Christmas period.

He said it provided for a “period of calm” in the run-up to and beyond Christmas, free of industrial action, to enable further negotiations to be held to secure a longer term deal.

Dave Ward, of the Communication Workers’ Union, said: “We hope we can genuinely take forward modernisation in a way that puts the union at the centre.

Brendan Barber Announces Strike Deal

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:18:48 +0000

The postal strikes have been called off until at least the New Year to allow for fresh talks between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the decision had been made to provide “a period of calm” in which the two sides could reach a long-term deal.

He said that meant Royal Mail deliveries would be “free of any disruption” over Christmas.

However Mr Barber said that securing a final deal remained a long way away.

He was speaking after the TUC helped to broker the agreement between the two sides to end the strike action.

The industrial dispute has been over the level of job losses the Royal Mail says are necessary as part of its modernisation plans.

While the CWU accepts that some redundancies are required, the two sides disagree over their extent.

They also disagree over changes to pay and working conditions for Royal Mail staff that remain in their jobs.

‘Work hard’

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said the decision to end the strike action had been unanimously agreed by its executive board.

30th Oct – Nick Ferrari becomes a postman

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:54:44 +0000

As postmen strike for a second time, Nick Ferrari donned his high-visibility jacket and 16kg mail bag to deliver the post in South East London.

UK postal strike is to go ahead Dave Ward interveiw

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:02:15 +0000

A nationwide postal strike will go ahead on Thursday and Friday, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) says.

The action, to begin at midnight, comes amid a row over pay, conditions and Royal Mail’s modernisation plans.
The CWU said it also planned further strikes and that it would announce details later in the week.

The union criticised Royal Mail bosses and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson for not getting involved in talks to end the dispute.
Mail centre staff and drivers will strike on Thursday while delivery and collection staff will take action on Friday.

‘No trust’
Government sources told the BBC the strike was “something of a tragic matter” and revolved around a dispute over implementing working practices and changes agreed two years ago.
Meanwhile Royal Mail condemned the strikes which it said were “wholly unjustified”.
It had earlier issued a last-gasp plea for a “strike-free period of calm” in the run-up to Christmas, saying industrial action would bring “huge damage and distraction” and cause “pain and disruption” for customers.
The CWU’s deputy general secretary, Dave Ward, said that progress had been made in the discussions.But he claimed that agreements struck with negotiators on Tuesday night had been vetoed by Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson – who it accused of overruling a key part of the agreement.

Royal Mail denied this and said it was prepared to sign the agreement it had reached to prevent the strikes being necessary.
The CWU had “no confidence or trust” in either Mr Higson or Royal Mail’s chief executive Adam Crozier, Mr Ward said.And it accused Lord Mandelson of working “hand in hand with Royal Mail” to deliberately undermine the talks, saying the minister had privately expressed his doubts about the capabilities of Royal Mail’s management.Billy Hayes, the CWU’s general secretary, labelled Lord Mandelson the “minister without responsibility”.

Contingency plans
The decision to go ahead with strike action came after more than 30 hours of talks between Royal Mail and the union this week.The prime minister had urged unions and managers to agree a deal saying a strike would be “counter-productive”.Earlier, in the Commons, David Cameron accused Gordon Brown of lacking the “courage and leadership” to intervene in the postal dispute to prevent two days of planned strikes.Since plans to part-privatise Royal Mail had been shelved “union militancy has got worse,” the Tory leader said.Mr Brown said that had nothing to do with the dispute and urged unions and managers to agree a deal.If the strikes continue for a prolonged period, contingency plans for delivery of hospital appointments and medical test results have been drawn up, MPs were told earlier this week.And it has emerged that the Ministry of Defence may charter extra aircraft to ensure serving troops get their Christmas post.

Postal Strike To Go Ahead Within Hours

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:41:02 +0000

A national postal strike is to begin within hours, crippling mail deliveries across the country.

It comes after the Royal Mail and union bosses failed to reach an agreement in their dispute over pay conditions and modernisation.

Up to 120,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will stage two 24-hour walkouts on Thursday and Friday.

Postal union ‘happy to go to Acas’

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:33:49 +0000

Private postal workers from Royal Mail’s biggest competitor could take to the streets if this week’s threatened postal strike goes ahead.

Billy Hayes, from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) told BBC Breakfast they are happy to go to the conciliation service Acas.

Royal Mail temps hire ‘stupid’ says union

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:34:20 +0000

The Royal Mail has said it is recruiting as many as 30,000 temporary staff to help it cope with a national postal strike.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has called two nationwide strikes next week over pay, conditions and reform.

Union general secretary Billy Hayes told the BBC the recruitment drive was a ”stupid” move which would only inflame the situation.

Wolverhampton March

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:01:57 +0000

On 14 March up to a thousand postal workers and officials from the Communication Workers Union staged a lively demonstration in Bilston, the Wolverhampton constituency of the Postal Affairs Minister Pat McFadden. The protest demanded the government drop its plans for postal privatisation, calling for McFadden and Peter Mandelson to resign, while the rally afterwards saw CWU leaders threaten to break from Labour and ballot for a national strike. The bulletin handed out by Workers Power supporters can be found online. CWU workplace rep Andy Young reports (personal capacity).

CWU TV March 2010 News