NEW: Cleaners and engineers vote to strike

COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
27/09/2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ROYAL MAIL CLEANERS AND ENGINEERS TO STRIKE AGAINST “SHABBY” TREATMENT AND REAL-TERMS PAY CUTS

Cleaners and engineers who keep Royal Mail workplaces functioning have voted to strike against “shabby” treatment by management.

The Communication Workers Union – the union for Royal Mail Group workers – have announced today (Tuesday 27th September) that Property and Facilities Functions (P&FS) members have voted by 93.51% on a 66.79% turnout to take strike action.

From 2000 until 2016, P&FS work was carried out on a semi-outsourced basis under the auspices of ‘ROMEC’, which was partly owned by Royal Mail and by private companies.

After a long campaign led by the CWU, Royal Mail brought the whole operation back in-house in 2016, with existing employees kept on and the division rebranded as Royal Mail ‘P&FS’.

However, negotiations over pay, terms and conditions have continued to function separately.

Anger has developed among P&FS cleaners after pay negotiations, when Royal Mail management made it clear their position was to offer no annual pay rise at all to employees who had received a Real Living Wage adjustment in April., despite a promise made in an agreement between management and the CWU to not link the two.

This has meant that approximately 90% of Royal Mail cleaners have had no pay rise at all this year, while engineers and admin members were offered the same 2% pay rise imposed across Royal Mail Group.

As well as pay, the union is seeking parity with the rest of Royal Mail Group employees in a number of key areas, including pensions, leave entitlement, average holiday pay and paid maternity/paternity leave.

CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “I congratulate our members in overcoming the company’s propaganda and standing with their colleagues.

“During the pandemic, these workers were vital for the functioning of society.

“Now, they are being treated with complete and utter contempt. It’s a familiar story in Britain today.

“But these workers would have never accepted these terms, and nor will their union, who will now pull out every possible stop to ensure these people get the pay rise they deserve.”

CWU Deputy General Secretary (Acting) Andy Furey said: “Today’s result sends a loud and clear message to Royal Mail management that selfishness doesn’t pay.

“During the pandemic, Royal Mail cleaners and engineers were every bit as crucial as frontline workers – their essential cleaning, repair and maintenance work kept workplaces safe and functioning.

“Since then, it’s shameful that they’ve been treated so shabbily – and it’s no wonder they’re angry.

“But we will turn this anger into action, and these cleaners and engineers will fight every step of the way for what they’re owed.”

ENDS

For further information and press enquiries, please contact CWU Press Officer Marcus Barnett at mbarnett@cwu.org or 07812590450.