Annual General Report 2009.

PROCESSING SECTION.

What a year.

STRIKES/PENSION ANNIHILATION/OPENING OF NEW CSS SITE/REALISATION OF CLOSURE. To name but a few.

The year has seen the coming and going of the Manchester Mafia with no or little effect to the Processing section. We see them come & we see them go. We still remain to carry out the great tradition of this trade union to fight for the rights of its membership.

OVERVIEW OF THE YEAR SO FAR:

The Mail Centre is currently going through the most difficult period it has ever faced but will come out the other side and become a stronger and more vibrant unit over the coming months and also in the new site.

The processing committee is currently working with the new Mail Centre manager to accommodate our people to achieve their option for the future. We have successfully achieved the right to have our people who are eligible to leave the business before the pension changes on the 5th April 2010.

We have successfully migrated and agreed 9 Processing staff to the new Sand Hills site on the new CSS Machines. We are currently in negotiations for more of our people to be eligible to transfer to the new Brunswick Dock site. Negotiations will continue for all jobs in all sites over the coming months and updates as they happen will be publicized. Royal Mail have excepted the need for a continuation of the bus service to Warrington after the initial three year period is exhausted and negotiations are ongoing as to the final period for all staff who need to use the bus service.
Clear Choice will be continuing with their second interviews from the 18th January 2010. At these interviews people will be matched to the position their seniority gets them. If the position offered to individuals is unacceptable there is an appeals process that will be pursued on their behalf by the CWU.

NETWORK 09:

As I am sure you are all aware the Network 09 revision was brought in by EXECUTIVE ACTION by Royal Mail. The CWU committee was instructed by CWU HQ not to get involved in any negotiations. At the eleventh hour this stance was retracted by CWU HQ and we were instructed to do what was right for individual offices. With this in mind the Committee reluctantly entered negotiations and achieved what can only be described as the best deal possible for our members.

SAWN is still being argued at stage 3 of the IR FRAMEWORK. We believe that some sort of compensation work will be agreed for Mail Centre staff.

THE YEAR AHEAD:

Change will happen very quickly this year but the CWU Committee will try to make the impact to the staff as minimal as possible. As well as negotiating the closure and move to Warrington we have just received the Business Plan Revision for 2010.We are actively agreeing for our members to leave the business under the budget revision over and above any that we agree to leave under the closure program. This will enable us to achieve what our members want and also as a consequence guarantee our members who want to stay in employment in the new site. We are currently challenging the business over the suspension of the buy-down of hours as we have a number of members who are interested in this option and feel we will soon have agreement on the suspension being lifted.

The Committee have yet again managed to protect peoples level of earnings and have agreement for the removal of S.T.C. S which will lessen the impact under the business plan revision for our members. Under the Business Plan no scheduled attendance will be removed without agreement with the CWU.

PERSONAL:

The Processing Committee would like to thank JOHN COYSH for all the hard work and endeavor that he showed whilst being a CWU Unit Representative over the last twenty years.
We would also like to welcome the new committee members Lewis Gannon and Neal Lamb who have already shown a great deal whilst helping out with the Clear Choice interviews

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Finally I would like to thank all those who recently voted for me in the Pensions Trustee Director Ballot. Unfortunately I was not successful in the election but will be maintaining a voice for this office in all future meetings with regards to the pension problems.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL CWU MEMBERS.

PAUL EDWARDS

AREA PROCESSING REPRESENTATIVE.