Advisory Committees election results

Congratulations to all who have been elected to our advisory committees. I look forward to working with you to drive our equality agenda forward. If you were unsuccessful this time don't give up. I've lost elections and I've won elections.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

CWU Womens Conference 2011 in pictures

CWU condemns the fat cats

22^nd November 2011
For immediate release
CWU says the 'the greed game has gone on too long'
The Communication Workers Union welcomes today’s High Pay Commission report and says “the greed has gone on too long”.
Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said: "Executive pay has been out of control for some time in the UK. We've been warning about the effect that it has on the morale of workers and the whole of society by creating gross inequality.
“CEO pay in the UK is 170 per cent higher than the average in the rest of the world and this gap is increasing. From 1949 to 1979, the proportion earned by the top 0.1 per cent decreased from 2.5 percent to 1.3 per cent. But over the past decade, earnings by the top 0.1 per cent have increased by 64.2 per cent, while average pay went up by just 7.2 per cent,” Billy explained.
"The government should adopt the High Pay Commission's 12-point plan to restructure executive pay. These are practical actions to bring fairness, transparency and accountability.
“Big business leaders say big bonuses lead to better results – not true – the big bonus culture encouraged the reckless risk-taking that sent us into recession.
“They claim that the best talent is being lured abroad – not true – not one FTSE 100 company has had its CEO ‘lured’ abroad in the past five years. 
"There are too many John Plutheroes with the ability to award themselves massive bonuses regardless of company performance which ultimately put jobs and services at risk. The greed game has gone on too long. It's time for fair wages for all, not more for the rich and forget the rest.”
For more information, please contact:
Sian Jones, Press Officer, E: sbjones@cwu.org  T: 020 8971 7267  M: 0779 3314249

Royal Mail interim results

Financial performance beginning to improve. But core Universal Service activities remain loss-making

Key financial highlights	Half year to 25 September 2011	Half year to 26 September 2010
	£m	£m
Group revenue	4,606	4,402
Operating profit including modernisation costs *	67	22
Free cash inflow/(outflow)	309	(52)

* - Operating profit after modernisation costs, before other operating exceptional items

·          Our financial performance, including our cash flow, is beginning to improve. We have a great deal to do still to return Royal Mail to sustained financial viability;

·          Revenue grew by 5% and costs before modernisation increased by 1%;

·          The business unit that provides the core Universal Service to the UK’s 29 million addresses remains loss-making. But as a result of tight cost control and price increases introduced last spring, the loss at the half year was £41 million - not as great as the £55 million loss a year ago;

·          Were it not for profits from GLS (£58 million) and Post Office Limited (£55 million), the Group overall would have made a loss;

·          UK letter volumes fell 6% compared to a year ago. UK packet volumes rose 5% in tough market conditions;

·          Modernisation is painful for our people as working practices are changing and there are continuing job losses – over 5,000 people left over the last 12 months, with almost 2,000 of them in Head Office or other managerial roles;

·          EU approval for the Government’s State Aid application remains vital;

·          Our strategy to achieve our goal of a financially sustainable Royal Mail and to attract private capital investment remains the same:

o         Modernise Royal Mail,

o         Respond better to customers’ needs and grow our business,

o         Work with Ofcom to secure a new, appropriate regulatory framework.

Moya Greene, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Mail Group, said: “Our financial performance at the Group level in the first half of our financial year, including our cash flow, shows some improvement on the same period a year ago. The necessary measures we implemented earlier in the year – increasing our prices and tight cost control – are a key part of our strategy to return Royal Mail to sustained financial viability. They are beginning to deliver results. But, we have a great deal to do.

“We are half way through our financial year and are operating within a difficult and challenging business environment. The economic downturn is proving to be prolonged and, like many other predominantly UK and European-based companies, our trading conditions are challenging. Our focus therefore remains on returning to sustained financial viability. We will continue to reduce our costs wherever possible without compromising the six–days-a-week service.

“We look forward to working with Ofcom to secure a new regulatory approach as the need to do so is pressing. Furthermore, it will be essential for Royal Mail that the European Commission approves the Government’s State Aid application to relieve the Company of its historic pension liability and allow restructuring of the Royal Mail balance sheet”.

More good news

CWU welcomes 300 new BT jobs
The Communication Workers Union today (Friday) welcomes the announcement that around 300 new jobs are being created by BT at their Sandwell site in West Bromwich. CWU has been closely involved in ensuring these jobs are permanent, directly-employed posts based in the UK.
Recruitment for the customer service jobs started this week and will continue over the next couple of months. Full training and support will be given to new recruits.
Andy Kerr, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “This is a good news story for everyone at BT and for job-hunters in the Sandwell area.
“We’ve worked closely with BT to create these jobs in the UK and we’re really pleased that the outcome is permanent, stable and directly-employed jobs. For us this is the best scenario as it offers job security and real investment for the local economy.
“We hope that this model will be used in the future to create more permanent UK-based jobs in BT customers services and other areas.”
CWU represents BT workers in a range of roles including call centre positions, engineering and support functions.
For more information please contact:
Sian Jones, Press Officer, tel: 020 8971 7267, mobile: 0779 3314249, e-mail: sbjones@cwu.org

O2 4G trial welcomed.

15^th November 2011
For immediate release
CWU welcomes O2 4G trial
CWU – the union representing workers in the telecom and mobile sector – welcomes O2’s 4G trial launched today (Tuesday) which will cover 40 square kilometres of London.
Andy Kerr, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “We warmly welcome the launch of O2’s 4G trial across London. Clearly, this is good news as it’s about trialling future technologies and assessing new capabilities. 
“With the explosion in demand for smartphones and data downloads on the move there’s a desperate need for increased spectrum to service this rapidly growing market. This trial is one part of essential investment in 4G which will potentially bring large dividends to mobile companies.
“When the auction for 4G spectrum takes place next year we want to see a plan which ringfences some of the income to be used for universal access to broadband, addressing the problems which the digital divide will bring to businesses and services across the UK.”
Consumers, businesses and venue owners will be provided with the latest 4G technology as part of a nine-month trial so the firm can collect information about the performance of the network and receive feedback from users.
The initiative has been welcomed by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

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