The union is in dispute with the recently-privatised postal operator on the issues of “pay, pensions and the impact of privatisation on job security [and] terms and conditions”. It announced the one-day walkout on 16 October, days after Royal Mail’s shares began open trading, although it has now agreed to stand down Monday’s strike to allow both parties to focus on reaching an agreement. In return, Royal Mail has agreed to extend the legal validity of the CWU’s current industrial action ballot from 15 November to 20 November, leaving open the possibility for strike action to take place should a deal fail to materialise. Royal Mail and the CWU issued a joint statement yesterday (30 October) in which they commited to “finalising an agreement in the next two weeks”. According to the statement, the agreement will include: Legal protections for employees that extend beyond the current three year offer An improved pay and reward offer A separate pensions agreement An agenda for growth underpinned by a culture of consensual change, timely decision making and industrial stability supported by alternative dispute resolution processes An agreed approach to aligning resourcing to workload with a resolution to any current workload and resourcing issues An overview of the future parcels and letters strategy A joint company/CWU charter shaping the on-going values and principles of the Royal Mail Group An on-going operational programme of work The two parties said that an overall agreement would depend on all the elements outlined above being agreed. No mention was made of the separate and ongoing issue of downstream access mail, which the CWU has threatened repeatedly to boycott. However, A CWU spokeswoman said that a recently-announced ballot for industrial action over the issue of DSA mail would also be postponed while the union and Royal Mail attempted to reach an agreement on the problems of pay, pensions and job security. Meanwhile, Royal Mail share price is currently around 550p, some 67% above its IPO price of 330p, on the back of “irrational exuberance” on the part of would-be investors. While this means that Royal Mail employees who took part in the free share offer have landed a sizeable windfall, they will not be able to sell their shares for three years from the IPO. In addition the implied dividend yield of 6.1% (based on the IPO price of 330p per share) has fallen to 3.6% based on the current, higher share...

The M60 and M80 machines include modular technology enabling users of both models to interchange alternative units such as for feeding and delivery. This makes any combination of set-up possible and improves flexibility and simplicity, according to UK & Ireland agent Friedheim International. The M60 is suitable for B2 work and has an in-feed width of 62cm while the M80 has B1 capability and an in-feed width of 83cm. Both folders are capable of working at a maximum production speed of up to 230m a minute and both feature touch-screen control. The M80 is available now and costs from £40,000 to £180,000. The M60 is due for availability in 2014 and prices are being finalised. According to MBO, the M80 is the world’s only fully adaptable folder, giving users flexibility to install add-on components after your initial purchase. If a new job comes along the M80 can be reconfigured to meet the new demands....

The union is in dispute with the recently-privatised postal operator on the issues of “pay, pensions and the impact of privatisation on job security [and] terms and conditions”. It announced the one-day walkout on 16 October, days after Royal Mail’s shares began open trading, although it has now agreed to stand down Monday’s strike to allow both parties to focus on reaching an agreement. In return, Royal Mail has agreed to extend the legal validity of the CWU’s current industrial action ballot from 15 November to 20 November, leaving open the possibility for strike action to take place should a deal fail to materialise. Royal Mail and the CWU issued a joint statement yesterday (30 October) in which they commited to “finalising an agreement in the next two weeks”. According to the statement, the agreement will include: Legal protections for employees that extend beyond the current three year offer An improved pay and reward offer A separate pensions agreement An agenda for growth underpinned by a culture of consensual change, timely decision making and industrial stability supported by alternative dispute resolution processes An agreed approach to aligning resourcing to workload with a resolution to any current workload and resourcing issues An overview of the future parcels and letters strategy A joint company/CWU charter shaping the on-going values and principles of the Royal Mail Group An on-going operational programme of work The two parties said that an overall agreement would depend on all the elements outlined above being agreed. No mention was made of the separate and ongoing issue of downstream access mail, which the CWU has threatened repeatedly to boycott. However, A CWU spokeswoman said that a recently-announced ballot for industrial action over the issue of DSA mail would also be postponed while the union and Royal Mail attempted to reach an agreement on the problems of pay, pensions and job security. Meanwhile, Royal Mail share price is currently around 550p, some 67% above its IPO price of 330p, on the back of “irrational exuberance” on the part of would-be investors. While this means that Royal Mail employees who took part in the free share offer have landed a sizeable windfall, they will not be able to sell their shares for three years from the IPO. In addition the implied dividend yield of 6.1% (based on the IPO price of 330p per share) has fallen to 3.6% based on the current, higher share...

The Cheshire council, which switched from Ricoh kit to Konica Minolta two months ago up, looked at several booklet systems, before deciding on the Morgana device, according to principal reprographics officer Alan Argent. “It is highly versatile and requires the minimum of adjustment to cope with the wide range of work we produce,” said Argent. “Even though the machine has been in only a few weeks we have managed one urgent request from our local theatre that we could never have coped with in-house before the arrival of this unit. They needed programmes in a last minute rush: we turned the entire job around inside a day.” Halton digital department recently swapped a Ricoh Pro C651 colour machine and a black and white model for three Konica Minoltas – a Bizhub C6000 colour machine and two Bizhub Pro 951 black and white models – to print booklets for internal departments. Argent said the efficiency of the new bookletmaking system may attract commercial work beyond its usual customer base, such as local schools. The Morgana replaced a Watkiss bookletmaker, which was used alongside a two-colour Komori litho press before Halton went digital four years ago. “The System 2000 can produce booklets up to 120 pages, with output of up to 3,000 booklets an hour though our typical runs are in their hundreds,” he said. “We can now offer more on the finishing side so maybe we can attract more work.” The system is fed by the hybrid ACF510 feeder capable of feeding pre-collated sets from a digital print engine, collating litho printed sections, or combining both into a finished book product. The heavy-duty bookletmaking section comes with wire-stitching heads and fore-edge trimmer. Morgana marketing director Ray Hillhouse said: “The needs of this installation show the difference in post-press requirements when making the change from litho to digital. Older-style binding kit just can’t compare with efficient bookletmaking systems made with digital production in mind.”...

The Cheshire council, which switched from Ricoh kit to Konica Minolta two months ago up, looked at several booklet systems, before deciding on the Morgana device, according to principal reprographics officer Alan Argent. “It is highly versatile and requires the minimum of adjustment to cope with the wide range of work we produce,” said Argent. “Even though the machine has been in only a few weeks we have managed one urgent request from our local theatre that we could never have coped with in-house before the arrival of this unit. They needed programmes in a last minute rush: we turned the entire job around inside a day.” Halton digital department recently swapped a Ricoh Pro C651 colour machine and a black and white model for three Konica Minoltas – a Bizhub C6000 colour machine and two Bizhub Pro 951 black and white models – to print booklets for internal departments. Argent said the efficiency of the new bookletmaking system may attract commercial work beyond its usual customer base, such as local schools. The Morgana replaced a Watkiss bookletmaker, which was used alongside a two-colour Komori litho press before Halton went digital four years ago. “The System 2000 can produce booklets up to 120 pages, with output of up to 3,000 booklets an hour though our typical runs are in their hundreds,” he said. “We can now offer more on the finishing side so maybe we can attract more work.” The system is fed by the hybrid ACF510 feeder capable of feeding pre-collated sets from a digital print engine, collating litho printed sections, or combining both into a finished book product. The heavy-duty bookletmaking section comes with wire-stitching heads and fore-edge trimmer. Morgana marketing director Ray Hillhouse said: “The needs of this installation show the difference in post-press requirements when making the change from litho to digital. Older-style binding kit just can’t compare with efficient bookletmaking systems made with digital production in mind.”...