State Benefits and Tax Credits 2015 – A trade union guide to in-work entitlements

 

The Labour Research Department has published the booklet ‘State Benefits and Tax Credits 2015’. The booklet is not intended to be a definitive guide to state benefits but will enable union reps to access the current benefit rates and basic rules for qualification in order to indicate to members whether or not they are eligible to apply for them.

 

Recent research by the TUC showed that tax credits and benefits play a crucial role in lifting low paid workers out of poverty, particularly the more than five million workers across the UK who earn less than the living wage. Many low paid workers are unaware of their benefit entitlements; as such it is important for reps to be aware of the latest reforms to enable them to give accurate initial advice.

 

The 88 page booklet costs £9.75 for a single copy but LRD affiliates can make savings by ordering multiple copies at special rates. These discounts are outlined in the attached order form. It is also possible to order through the LRD’s website here.

 

Any further enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at gsoffice@cwu.org quoting the reference GS15.6/LTB 248/15.

 

Yours sincerely

 

W HAYES

General Secretary

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A trade union guide to in-work entitlements

The State of the Unions: union membership and union recognition

 

Please find attached a report on union membership by Professor Gregor Gall of the University of Bradford. The report looks at union membership from 1997-2014, looking at both the overall number and the figure for individual unions.

 

The report also looks at what has happened to the other manifestation of union health, this being, the extent to which unions are winning new union recognition agreements from employers. Gaining new union recognition agreements indicates success in recruiting new members on previously non-union sites.

 

Any further enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at gsoffice@cwu.org quoting the reference GS18.13/LTB 247/15.

 

Yours sincerely

 

W HAYES

General Secretary

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247-15 The State of the Unions union membership and union recognition

Here Is the Labour Election 2015 manifesto please take the time to read it              Labour Election Manifesto 2015

National UCU Demo to defend Lifelong Learning Saturday 25^th April

 

The UCU have called a national demonstration on Saturday the 25^th of April to defend lifelong learning. The demo was called after the government announced a 24% cut in funding to adult education.

 

The demonstration will assemble at 12:30, Kings College, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS and will march to Downing Street. More information can be found in the attached flyer.

 

It is possible to sign the petition to stop the cuts to Further Education in England here. An early day motion (EDM851) highlighting concerns of the funding cut was tabled in March receiving 63 signatures. Further information on the campaign can be found through www.fefunding.org.uk

 

Any further enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at gsoffice@cwu.org quoting the reference GS17.4 / LTB241/15.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

W HAYES

General Secretary

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Demo Flyer

WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY

28TH APRIL 2015

Every day two people set out for work, say good bye to their families, never to return. 133 people were killed in accidents at work in 2013/14 and a further 770 in accidents connected with work while 80,000 workers suffered serious injuries, often life changing.

Over 1 million people are suffering from work related illnesses and thousands die every year from these diseases. In the 5th richest nation on earth it is unacceptable that so much suffering can be caused just from going to work. 

Health and Safety regulation is not “red tape” or “a millstone around employers’ necks” as the government claim. 27 million working days are lost each year due to workplace injuries and ill health costing society an estimated £14 billion. 

The trade unions believe that workplace health and safety legislation and enforcement should be increased not weakened. We go to work to earn a living not to die or be made ill.

CEREMONY AT CLARKSON MEMORIAL 

ASSEMBLE 11.45

MINUTE’S SILENCE AT 12 NOON

Speakers: Ken Rustidge NUT

              Mark Plum Unite

 

Wisbech, March & District TUC

Tools and Measurement Update                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Following recent ADR briefings attended by members of the Outdoor Committee we are circulating for information purposes nationally agreed delivery tools updates.

Auto-IWT-Forecasting Tool

This will be switched on and available on the intranet from May 5^th 2015. The DTFT (Delivery Traffic Forecasting Tool) will continue to be available for forecasting within resource meetings until this date. Even though the new system will be switched on from the 5^th May units should not be using it until they have had their webinar training. In conjunction with this it has also been agreed that every office will validate their IWT base data and be signed off by the DOM and CWU Rep.  A national form is being produced to undertake this task which should be drafted for CWU agreement by the end of this week. Once agreed it will be circulated to Branches via LTB. The Auto IWT Forecasting Guidelines are attached which can be used during the webinar training.

ACST (Attendance Call Sampling Tool) + MIRA (Manual Interventions)

Work has been taking place to merge these 2 tools into one and is nearing completion. Branches will be notified in due course of any agreed changes.

Model Week Guidance v2

The 3 monthly model week updates for delivery units will be produced on the first week in April, first week in July, first week in October, and first week in January each year for CWU Reps and DOMs to review their duty structures within weekly resource meetings. This does not mean units will have to agree improved performance levels it will mean reviewing your agreed performance against the updated traffic figures.  Hopefully these dates will be easy to remember.

SPDOs

On the issue of SPDOs being included in Parent Office IWTs, we are currently in dialogue to see if we can jointly agree a solution. In line with this Paul Chapman will carry out a joint exercise with Royal Mail to compare the affect of including and excluding SPDOs in the IWT on the parent units performance and workload.

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230.03                                      Email address: hnutley@cwu.org or Mstewart@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary – Outdoor

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Auto IWT Forecasting

Delivery Planning Value Maintenance Programme + National TOR

Branches will be aware of the ongoing validation exercise of existing planning values used in delivery, which has been carried out using fully trained Industrial Engineers. The main reason for this is the ongoing efficiency review that is taking place on behalf of Ofcom the regulator and the purpose of this maintenance programme is to carry out checks on the national planning values, which are being used for product costing purposes and efficiency.

The Industrial Engineers will carry out work studies to collect data on the operational tasks, including measuring distances, times for tasks, container fills and other flows of work to ensure the Royal Mail figures used for traffic weighting and product costing is reliable and up to date. This current exercise is a maintenance exercise of existing PVs etc that were updated as a consequence of previous validation exercises, and will include at some point those currently being validated. A fair amount of this maintenance work will have no impact on our members or the operation whilst it is being carried out.

The maintenance will be a rolling programme of work and this current phase will continue through to 2016 when it is likely that there will be a further rolling programme agreed. The TOR will remain the same for the entire programme and it will only be the offices included in the programme that will change. These changes will be notified via a LTB.

We will have full access to all outputs/data generated and the CWU will be fully involved at all sites and at national level. The TOR for the programme and the initial list of sites to be included is attached (Annex A).

The maintenance has already commenced with our agreement but there was a mistake with some of the offices which have now been removed and is the reason for the timing of this document.

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230.03

Email address: hnutley@cwu.org or Mstewart@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary

Terms of reference – Industrial Engineer Observations

Planning Values Maintenance  

 

Introduction

Industrial Engineers (IE’s) will be visiting a number of Delivery Offices between March 2015 and March 2016. (The initial list off offices is attached at annex A)

The purpose of this is to carry out checks on the national planning values which are being used for product costing purposes and efficiency. The industrial engineers will carry out work studies to collect data on the operational tasks, including measuring distances, times for tasks, container fills and other flows of work to ensure the Royal Mail figures used for traffic weighting and product costing is reliable.

This will enable Royal Mail to confirm that the approach taken by them is valid and that work measurement has been accredited by trained experts, which will help demonstrate to the regulator that products are priced appropriately relative to cost and that the operation is working efficiently. This is about maintaining the existing planning values and to identify if there is a need for new planning values due to operational changes. This underpins the work on regulatory and commercial pricing.

This activity may also involve filming, and employees will be asked in advance if they don’t mind, if they decline they will not be filmed. The information and data is primarily designed for national use.  Local feedback on the methods, layout, equipment etc. (not individuals), may be discussed with the DOM and the CWU representative where there are opportunities for improvement. Where this is the case then the full terms of existing national agreements, joint statement and guidelines will apply including the IR Framework.

This maintenance activity will be undertaken on an annual basis, with a 12 month rolling programme of maintenance work being discussed and agreed with CWU each year going forward.

Operation & Scope

Prior to the Industrial Engineers visiting an Office all employees will be briefed to make them aware of the visit and the purpose. That they are not being monitored as individuals, it is about working out what the workload is for different tasks/activities.

When the Industrial Engineer(s) arrive they will be met by the DOM who will introduce them to the CWU Representative and other managers where applicable. They will then be shown round the office to familiarise them with the layout and processes at the unit concerned.

All IE’s will wear Royal Mail ID and PPE appropriate to the work area at all times.

Examples of the things to be looked at include:-

• Distances between work areas
• Container fills, traffic flows and percentages
• Times to carry out all associated tasks

All observations will be made on compliant processes and, the Industrial Engineers will be issued with a checklist of common non-compliances that might save time, which needs to be included in the time allowed to do the job to the required method and standards. People should follow the Standard Operating Procedures and Safe System of Work and that is what will be observed and accounted for. Checklists are being provided to the IEs in case some people do cut corners so that the results are not distorted.

This is not about checking the performance of individuals against standards or assessing the performance of units against standards or other units. This is about assessing how long the task takes, not how well individuals are working.

Involvement

Local CWU reps will be invited to observe Industrial Engineers carrying out their work and to also ask questions. Adequate release will be provided for this to be done.

All information/data will be shared with the CWU during and following the exercise.

During and following the maintenance work there will be a joint review and  the information/data will be jointly analysed to see what affect if any this may have on current standards, which may in turn require further discussions about the use and application of the information/data.

P Bates

Signed………………………………………………..                Signed………………………………………………………..

Royal Mail                                                      CWU

Date 08^th April 2015

Delivery Offices PV Validation Exercise

The list below is the offices that they want to sample the frequency data; box fills, clearance data, etc

New Cross                          Lewisham

Coventry South                  Retford

Leicester Central                Burslem

Kidsgrove                           Sheffield N

Burton on Trent                Bromsgrove

Manor Park                                 Rotherham

Sutton Coldfield                  Congleton

Sheffield SE                       Derby

Stafford                           Southwark

Swadlincote                                Lichfield

Rugby

Delivery Outdoor Planning Value Validation Exercise – National TOR- Phase 2

Further to LTB 675/14 and the outdoor planning value exercise, we have agreed to carry out further validation on the outdoor elements of delivery (phase 2) using fully trained Industrial Engineers. The agreed TOR, which is basically the same as the TOR used for the initial outdoor validation is attached.

The main reason for this remains the same as the initial outdoor validation exercise which is due to the efficiency review that continues to take place on behalf of Ofcom the regulator.

There were a number of studies carried out on delivery including some that did not exist when planning values on outdoor work were originally established, these are mainly the trolleys, CDVs, PDAs and Delivery to Neighbour which we need to establish a planning value for as it is becoming more and more prevalent in the drive for first time delivery and we need appropriate time allocated to delivery routes for this to be carried out. The initial study did not gather enough information for reliable PVs to be used and some had a fairly wide discrepancy and are therefore not suitable.

The objective of the exercise is to provide more reliable and accurate reporting. We have requested the filming of some elements of outdoor work so that they can be used as a reference point and to be able to demonstrate how the outdoor elements should be carried out. Filming will only take place where the person due to be filmed agrees.

We will have full access to all information/data generated and the CWU will be involved at all sites and at national level. The list of sites to be included is attached (Annex A).

The exercise is due to commence this month.

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230.03

Email address: hnutley@cwu.org or Mstewart@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary

National Terms of Reference – Industrial Engineer Observations

Delivery Office Planning Values Validation – Outdoor Phase 2

 

Introduction

Industrial Engineers (IE’s) will be visiting a number of Delivery Offices during April & May 2015 (The proposed list of offices is attached at annex A)

The purpose of this exercise is to carry out checks on the outdoor national planning values which are being used for product costing purposes and efficiency measures. The industrial engineers will carry out work studies across all aspects of outdoor delivery work, across a range of delivery types – Town / Rural / Firm / Shared Van / HCT.

This exercise is a follow on from the Outdoor studies undertaken in November last year, and will enable Royal Mail to confirm that the approach taken by them is valid and that work measurement has been accredited by trained experts, which in turn will help demonstrate to the regulator that products are priced appropriately relative to cost and that the operation is working efficiently.

This is not necessarily about producing revised planning values; it is about validating the existing ones and to also identify if there is a need for new planning values due to operational changes, although tasks such as Delivery to Neighbour and collection on delivery, which have not been subjected to this type of measurement before, will have time values established. This underpins the work on regulatory and commercial pricing.

This study should not be seen as, and is not, a walk testing exercise. Data for each individual delivery gathered during the study will not be published, but will instead be amalgamated with similar data from other units across the country to derive a National value for each task.

The information and data is primarily designed for national use.  Local feedback on certain aspects of the study (not individuals’ performance), may be discussed with the DOM and the CWU representative where there are issues or opportunities for improvement. Where this is the case then the full terms of existing national agreements, joint statement and guidelines will apply including the IR Framework.

Operation & Scope

Prior to the Industrial Engineers visiting an office all employees will be briefed to make them aware of the visit and the purpose. That they are not being monitored as individuals, it is about working out what the workload is for different tasks/activities.

When the Industrial Engineer arrives they will be met by the DOM who will introduce them to the CWU Representative and other managers where applicable. The CWU Representative and DOM will be asked to nominate deliveries that will fulfil the needs of the study.

The IE will be introduced to the nominated individual performing the delivery, and will outline the details and methodology of the study.

All IEs will wear Royal Mail ID and PPE appropriate to outdoor delivery at all times.

 

Examples of the things to be looked at include:-

• Successful / unsuccessful attendance calls (Town / Rural / Firms)
• Delivery To Neighbour
• Start / End of loop activity
• Collections on delivery
• Associated HCT work
• Return to office activity

All observations will be made on processes compliant with agreed Standard Operating Procedures and Safe Systems of Work. The Industrial Engineers will be issued with a checklist of these common standards to ensure the correct methods are studied. Individuals will be made aware of the Standard Operating Procedures for each activity. People should follow the Standard Operating Procedures and Safe System of Work at all times and that is what will be observed and accounted for. Checklists are being provided to the IEs in case some people do cut corners so that the results are not distorted.

This is not about checking the performance of individuals against standards or assessing the performance of units against standards or other units. This is about assessing how long the task takes, not how well individuals are working.

Note: Elements of the observations will be filmed as a reference point both to support the SMVs that are produced and to potentially support training & induction as well as future WTLL briefings on delivery processes and safe working methods.

Involvement

As with the indoor studies, IEs will spend time with the Local CWU reps to talk through the study in detail.

Local CWU reps will be asked to work with the DOM to nominate deliveries that will meet the needs of the studies

All information/data will be shared with the CWU during and following the exercise.

Following the exercise there will be a joint review and  the information/data will be jointly analysed to see what affect if any this may have on current standards, which may in turn require further discussions about the use and application of the information/data. This will take place prior to any sharing with the regulator, or any changes to the current tools used for the purpose of delivery revisions.

P Bates

Signed………………………………………………..                Signed………………………………………………………..

Royal Mail                                                     CWU

Date 08^th April 2015

Annex A

 

Outdoor Planning Value Validation Exercise – Phase 2

The IEs will contact the units well before hand to make arrangements.

Cambridge

Huntingdon

Bury St Edmunds

Dumfries

Penrith

Warwick

Coventry South

Leicester Central

Sheffield West (S10)

Worksop

Stafford

Crewe

Kidsgrove

Wolverhampton

SE1 Mandela Way