CWU accuse Royal Mail Group of 'attacking the workforce’ as dispute escalates

A new pay offer from Royal Mail Group is ‘not good enough’ to put to members, according to the Communication Workers Union (CWU) amid warnings of impending strike action as the dispute escalates.

This comes as Dave Ward, General Secretary of the CWU, today called on the Royal Mail Group board to ‘stop attacking the workforce’ ahead of a board meeting concerning the long-running dispute about Royal Mail workers’ pay and conditions.

The union issued a statement yesterday saying that they will serve notice of strike action unless the Royal Mail Group change their course of action in the dispute.

The CWU have said Royal Mail now face a choice between ending the company’s current ‘disastrous approach’ which has ‘alienated’ the workforce, or carrying on the same path which they say will destroy the company.

Ward said the latest pay offer was based on a three-year deal, which the union is keen to look at further, but that the current offer is not good enough to put to members.

In a further message to the Royal Mail Group board today, Ward urged the company to look at the dispute from the perspective of workers and said the, ‘relentless attacks on our members cannot carry on’.

Following 18 days of strikes by postal workers in 2022, the union paused industrial action in the new year when talks with the postal company were reopened.

The CWU said that although progress has been made in the talks, they are still not in a position to recommend any agreement to their membership.

Among the conditions discussed, CWU said there were improvements on the company’s approach to the imposed new entrants conditions, however they remained ‘inadequate’, along with the company’s position on all issues related to absence and ill health.

The union has warned that if they do not win this dispute with Royal Mail Group then the company will be turned into an ‘Uber-style gig economy employer’.

Media reports yesterday suggested that the Royal Mail Group was threatening to go into administration if an agreement is not reached, implying the long-running talks between the union and company are on the brink of collapse.

Addressing the reports, Dave Ward reassured members that they were not ‘reckless people’ and criticised the company for the way they’ve managed their finances.

“The greatest risk of all is that we actually let them destroy this industry and destroy these jobs,” said Ward.

He added: “We’ll make the right call on your part and its important that the pressure goes back onto Royal Mail.”

In a previous video to members, Dave Ward acknowledged that the company is in ‘a serious financial position’ but added that this was, ‘no excuse for the way that they are behaving to our members’.

Darren Jones MP said it would be ‘scandalous’ if Royal Mail were to put the company into administration.

Jones said: “It would be a scandalous outcome of the privatisation of Royal Mail if shareholders and bosses are able to walk away with a spun out profitable part of the business, alongside their huge salaries, bonuses and dividends with no consequences.”

Royal Mail Group have said that they have highlighted the need to transform throughout the disputes and that strike action was continuing to cause them losses.

In a statement, Royal Mail Group said: “We are doing all we can to get agreement with the CWU, including making numerous improvements to our offer throughout the negotiations with the CWU, supported by Acas and Sir Brendan Barber.

“We remain committed to getting the right deal, which secures the future of Royal Mail and its workforce – that would be the best outcome for our people, our customers and our shareholders.”

Hannah Davenport is trade union reporter at Left Foot Forward

(Photo credit: Youtube / Sky News)

Left Foot Forward’s trade union reporting is supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust

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