Deal extends crown post offices network guarantee
9th August 2012
All 373 crown post offices in the UK will remain open thanks to a commitment secured by the CWU, which means that the existing Network Guarantee Agreement will have been extended for over five years in total.
The union's assistant secretary Andy Furey, who led the negotiations, said that the extension was "excellent news for our members in terms of job security and marks the longest period of stability since the late 1980's.
"This latest extension takes us through into March 2013 and it's a step in the right direction and something we hope we can build upon as part of the ongoing Crown Transformation and pay discussions," he added.
Andy has also been leading pay negotiations with Post Office on behalf of crown members, talks which he describes as "extremely complex.
"Several more meetings have been diarised for coming weeks in order to facilitate further negotiation," he explained.
"The pay date for our members in crown offices was April 2012, when inflation (RPI) stood at 3.5 per cent and the CWU negotiating team is determined to achieve satisfactory consolidated pay increases for these highly skilled, hard-working members.
"Our members working in the Post Office Supply Chain and Admin Units received a 3.5 per cent consolidated pay rise for 2012/13 and we will be seeking parity with this fair increase for our members in crowns," Andy pointed out.
For full details on the extension to the crown network guarantee, see LTB 594/12
