Royal Mail Fleet – pay and attendance deal: ballot timetable agreed

Postal April 11 2019

Royal Mail vehicle repair and maintenance workers are set to vote next month on a negotiated package that raises basic rates by 14 per cent – 11.7 per cent, taking account of consolidation of existing pay supplements – linked to Saturday working in contracted hours.

Balloting on the deal was delayed after Royal Mail Fleet issued ‘guidelines’ on attendance revisions which had not been agreed with the CWU. The unagreed guidelines have now been withdrawn and CWU and Fleet have issued agreed guidelines, allowing local discussion to enable members to see how the changes will affect their workshop before voting on the national deal.

Because of the delay the union sought – and Fleet has now agreed – payment of the 2 per cent Royal Mail Group-wide 1st April increase in advance of the vote on the Fleet package.

Assistant secretary Ray Ellis explains: “The pay award incorporates the 2 per cent April 2019 pay award and the cash equivalent value of the two one-hour reductions in working time linked to the 2018 and 2019 phases of the Four Pillars Agreement.”

Following attendance pattern revisions in Fleet workshops, it is agreed in principle that the ‘core opening hours’ will be 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am – 4pm on Saturdays.

“In workshops with six or more staff, attendance will be one Saturday in three,” Ray continues.

The basic rate increase becomes pensionable next year and applies with immediate effect to London Weighting and Scottish Distant Island allowances – while there is a 7.6 per cent increase in assigned shift allowance and 2.7 per cent increase in overtime rates. Reserved rights, shift allowance and senior tech allowance remain in place.

Ray accepts that Saturday working within conditioned hours represents a major change. “To date, Saturday attendance has been performed on overtime, but the change is needed to enable growth of non-Royal Mail work to underpin jobs and meet the changing needs of Royal Mail. In exchange, our members get rates of pensionable pay and allowances which make Fleet a market leader.

“For all these reasons, the Postal Executive will be strongly recommending a YES vote in the forthcoming ballot.”