Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) voted in favour of the recently reached paydeal with Royal Mail by two to one in a consultative ballot finally ending the long-running postal
dispute across the UK.The three-year agreement on pay, job security and improved industrial relations was alreadyannounced at the beginning of March following talks between Royal Mail and the CWU.
Under the deal called “Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond”, Royal Mail workers will get a6.9% pay rise over the next three years from April 2010 onwards. Over the same period, the workingweek will be reduced by one hour to 39 hours.
In addition to these changes in basic remuneration, Royal Mail will pay a total of £1,000 perfull-time individual linked to the introduction and implementation of the planned changes “tofurther reward them for their part in the modernisation of the business and to reflect the scale ofthe transformation Royal Mail needs to implement over the coming years”. The payments will be madepro-rata to part-time employees.
Royal Mail commented: “The three-year agreement paves the way for Royal Mail Letters to continuewith its much-needed £2 billion modernisation, including the introduction of new automatedmachinery and delivery equipment and changes in the way our people work. It also ensures a fairreward for our people that reflects the vital part they play in the transformation of Royal Mail.”& amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; lt; /p>
Mark Higson, Managing Director of Royal Mail Letters, said: “This is a great outcome for RoyalMail, its customers and its people. We’re already more than half way through our £2bn modernisationplan and we’re all now focussed on getting on with the changes that will give Royal Mail a strongand successful future, and will protect the future of the Universal Service.”
The CWU said in a press release that in addition to modern machinery and new operational methodsa “culture of co-operation” will see the union fully involved with the phasing in of each stage.The union emphasised job security guarantees that include full-time staff making up at least threequarters of the workforce and underlined that wages will improve year-on-year.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “This is a strong ballot result for a strong dealand we’re delighted that our members have fully supported this hard fought for agreement. The dealrecognises the importance of staff in successfully implementing change and rewarding people for thework.
“Job security was a major issue for us given the changes ahead. The deal commits Royal Mail toretaining full-time staff, improved flexibility and a voluntary approach to any redundancies,” headded. “Now the challenge is on for us all to prove in practice that we can all work together tobuild a positive future for our industry, our members and the public whom we serve.”
