Month: October 2015

Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement Doorstep Scanning of Products

Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement Doorstep Scanning of Products

Branches and Representatives will be aware that Royal Mail is introducing barcodes on more and more of the parcels that are handled across the business. As such Royal Mail have been working with all their customers and access channels, including Post Office Limited to introduce ‘smart’ 2D barcodes which will be scanned at key points in the pipeline.

To support this Royal Mail is adding background software to the current PDA’s to enable them to scan the new ‘2D Barcode’s’ before the roll out of the next generation of PDA’s takes place during 2016.

The operational impact is relatively straightforward and there are two main changes:

• Customers will apply a 2D bar-coded label at the time of posting within Royal Mail’s agreed barcode range to standard parcels and these items will travel through the normal standard pipeline. Some of the existing products such as Tracked and Special Delivery will also feature 2D barcodes.

• OPGs will need to start scanning the new 2D barcodes that will be on parcels. Items that contain only a 1D barcode should be scanned as before.

For standard parcels that now feature a barcode a first scan will be captured at the first point of acceptance, this means in the main at Mail Centre’s or RDCs on the Outward operation and a final scan will be undertaken on delivery routes at the point of delivery.

No signature is required on the newly barcode standard parcels (existing products such as Special Delivery, Signed for and Tracked Signature still need signatures on delivery). The items will arrive into the Delivery Offices with the rest of the parcels and large letters and will not be segregated into the tracked pipeline.

The scanning of items with 2D barcodes will commence from Monday 19th October 2015 in the Cheshire and Merseyside Delivery Director Area and nationally from the 25th January 2016.

A WTLL brief has been produced along with necessary communications to explain the change and these will be communicated from commencing during October 2015, information on 2D Barcodes and Scanning will be displayed across all units.

All employees will receive training from local management on the process and how to distinguish the labels with support from their Workplace Coaches. Handouts have also been produced and they will be given to support the training and answer any questions.

Royal Mail and the CWU both understand the importance of being able to offer customers the ability to track their items through the network and the introduction of 2D barcodes is the first stage of providing better information.

In addition following deployment both parties will after 3 months review whether there has been any effect on the operation in terms of additional workload and time associated with the new process, particularly as volumes grow and more business is generated.

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 530

Email address: Mstewart@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Mark Baulch

Acting CWU Assistant Secretary

   
   

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CWU Assistant Secretary (Postal) Election 2015

CWU Assistant Secretary (Postal) Election 2015

 

Further to LTB 652/15 dated 8th October 2015.

 

Please find attached the branch breakdown/analysis for the above election.

 

This is being sent to the branches in electronic format only. If any branch requires a paper copy of the branch breakdown, then this can be obtained from the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department.

 

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237 or email address sdgs@cwu.org.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW

CWU Assistant Secretary (Postal) Election 2015

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CWU Disability Conference – Thursday 19th November 2015

CWU Disability Conference – Thursday 19th November 2015

 

Branches would wish to know that the agenda for the forthcoming CWU Disability Conference being held in Glasgow on Thursday 19th November 2015 has now been published on the website and can be accessed using the link below:

 

Click to access cwu__1444744449_Disability_Agenda_2015.pdf

 

Hard copies of the agenda will be sent to Branch addresses of everyone that has registered using the online registration system.

 

Credential cards for delegates/visitors and voting cards for this conference will be issued on the Saturday morning at registration prior to the conference opening.   

 

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Angela Niven by telephoning 020 8971 7256 or by post to head office or by email to conferences@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

A P Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

 

 

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CWU Women’s Conference – Wednesday 18th November 2015

CWU Women’s Conference – Wednesday 18th November 2015 

Branches would wish to know that the agenda for the forthcoming CWU Women’s Conference being held in Glasgow on Wednesday 18th November 2015 has now been published on the website and can be accessed using the link below:

 

Click to access cwu__1444744556_Womens_AGENDA_2015.pdf

 

Hard copies of the agenda will be sent to Branch addresses of everyone that has registered using the online registration system.

 

Credential cards for delegates/visitors and voting cards for this conference will be issued on the Saturday morning at registration prior to the conference opening.   

 

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Angela Niven by telephoning 020 8971 7256 or by post to head office or by email to conferences@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

A P Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

 

 

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PETERBOROUGH MAIL CENTRE PROCESSING CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR 2015/16 AGREEMENT

PETERBOROUGH MAIL CENTRE

PROCESSING CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR 2015/16 AGREEMENT

Section 1 WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE CHANGES

Royal Mail and the CWU jointly recognise the need for alterations in the Working Time Directive at Christmas and the following will apply.

1.1 CHRISTMAS PRESSURE PERIOD

Casuals have been planned to work in Processing Monday to Saturdays from 1400 the 23rd November to 0600 the 24th December. Therefore the Christmas pressure period will reflect the same time scale.

1.2 MAXIMUM GROSS HOURS WORKED

During the Christmas pressure period there will be a maximum gross working hour’s limit of 72 hours per week for weeks commencing 22nd and 29th of November and this then increases to 80 hours for the peak weeks of 6th and 13th of December. (Driving Regulations will remain in place).

1.3 WEEKLY REST BREAKS

During the Christmas pressure period the weekly rest break of twenty-four hours per week or forty-eight hours per fortnight will be suspended (Driving Regulations remain regarding the forty five hours continuous rest period).

1.4 DAILY REST BREAKS

During the Christmas pressure period the daily rest break of ten hours (10hrs) will not be relaxed for processing staff.

1.5 YOUNG WORKERS

During the Christmas pressure period Young Workers (defined as those less than eighteen years of age) shall be permitted to work up to twelve hours per day (with a minimum break of twelve hours per twenty four hours) and must have a twenty-four hour weekly break per week. They may not perform hours during the night period (2200-0600) unless they have been given the opportunity of a free health assessment before the Christmas pressure period begins.

Section 2 CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR STAFFING AGREEMENT 2015/16

This agreement covers the Processing Function at the Peterborough Mail Centre – Christmas 2015 and New Year 2016 – between the CWU and Royal Mail.

2.1 Friday 25th December, Monday 28th December and Friday 1st January are the Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day Bank Holidays. Saturday 26th December has been officially announced as a non service day. There will be no USO collections or deliveries on these days. Sunday 27th December, Saturday 2nd January and Sunday 3rd January are normal service days.

2.2 In order to comply with the USO, Sunday night start night shifts should normally resume at the scheduled time on Monday 28th December and Monday night start night shifts should normally resume at the scheduled time on Tuesday 29th December. All night shifts should resume at the scheduled time on Friday 1st January.

2.3 Local Christmas discussions/arrangements should ensure that agreed staffing arrangements are in place to meet these obligations in full, while balancing employee aspirations for time off on the Bank Holidays to avail this, discussions will consider a full range of resourcing options, including the realignment of conditioned hours across these weeks.

2.4 Staff who attend on the bank holidays within conditioned hours will receive the normal bank holiday premium for the hours worked.

2.5 Management and the CWU will look jointly at further Annual Leave slots being made available based around traffic forecasts. In particular the Night Shift on New Year’s Day Night where resourcing should be confirmed by Friday 11th December.

2.6 On Thursday’s 24th and 31st December the Full Time staff on the Late Shift and Twilight shift (18.00-02.00) will attend from 12.00 to 20.00. The Part Time staff on the Late Shift will attend their conditioned hours working back from 18.00 an example of this is an 18.00 to 22.00 will work 14.00 to 18.00. (conditioned hours shift allowance will not be affected) Staff who are unable to attend at these times for personal reasons must notify their line manager by Friday 11th December to enable alternative resourcing plans.

2.7 Part Time staff that temporarily change their contract to Full Time for Christmas will perform the additional hours around their current duty days and times unless there are exceptional circumstances required by either the business or the individual. Exceptional circumstances must be agreed by Royal Mail Management jointly with the CWU.

2.8 Part Time staff that temporarily change their contract to Full Time for Christmas will be given the opportunity to perform a minimum of four weeks change which will include the period of Christmas pressure as defined in 1.1 above.

Section 3 CHRISTMAS PRE-SCHEDULED OVERTIME

3.1 In order to cope with the increased traffic volumes over the Christmas pressure period, it is anticipated that there will be a need to employ casual staff to handle both first and second class mail throughout late November and all of December 2015. In order to fully utilise the skills and knowledge of existing staff, it is agreed that all Pre-Scheduled offers to work additional hours will be taken up, and so the following process has been agreed.

3.2 Staff volunteering for weekday hours Monday to Saturdays from 1400 the 23rd November to 0600 the 24th December using the Pre-Scheduled volunteer sheets will be allocated the hours that they have volunteered for, providing the Working Time Directive changes in section 1 above, are not compromised.

3.3 Sunday hours will be allocated on a weekly basis once traffic forecasts are available, and will be resourced using the usual aggregate methods in the event that there is not a full uptake.

3.4 All pre-scheduled overtime will be paid at Scheduled Attendance (SA) rates for all pre-scheduled overtime signed up for during the Christmas pressure period ( the dates and timescales in 1.1 above).

3.4.1 Part timers who perform pre-scheduled overtime up to thirty nine hours will still be entitled to a paid meal relief as they do not attract SA/Overtime paid rate until they have worked 39 hours.

3.4.2 A paid meal relief will not be granted where an SA payment is made (except for Sunday attendances) in line with National Agreements.

3.5 In the event that the Peterborough Outhouse is used to process work deemed proper for the Peterborough Mail Centre during the weeks commencing 2nd, 9th, and 16th of November there will be a full uptake of Processing overtime paid at overtime rates at Peterborough Mail Centre for the appropriate shift.

3.6 In the event that the Peterborough Outhouse is used to process work deemed proper for the Peterborough Mail Centre on Sundays 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th November and 6th, 13th and 20th December there will be a full uptake of Processing overtime paid at SA rates at the Peterborough Mail Centre.

3.7 Catch overtime is not guaranteed during the Christmas pressure period even though Christmas planning casual staff will be in the building. If additional casual staff are required during the Christmas pressure period then there will be a full uptake of catch overtime in line with local agreements.

3.8 Providing resourcing is secure at the Mail Centre staff can volunteer for duty or additional earnings opportunities at the Outhouse.

Section 4 PETERBOROUGH MAIL CENTRE OVERTIME FAILURE PENALTIES CHRISTMAS 2015

4.1 A failure to perform pre-scheduled or catch overtime after confirmation of attendance without meeting one of the accepted criteria below will result in the locally agreed banning process being issued against the individual.

4.1.1 Immediate exceptional circumstances

4.1.2 Pre-scheduled handed back with at least 6 hours notice.

4.1.3 Agreed on the day by the Shift Manager, where there is no adverse quality of service implications.

4.1.4 Catch overtime that is turned down at initial contact or contact cannot be made.

4.2 Bans will be issued and recorded by the Resourcing Unit using the Hours Monitoring Tool. The weekly resourcing meetings will ensure that all bans are enforced.

4.3 An individual under a ban will not be able to perform overtime in Processing, Distribution, Logistics or Deliveries during the period of the ban. The respective Resourcing Units will be responsible for notifying the parent unit. The CWU and Management will jointly monitor and carry out random checks on the various functions/business units to ensure compliance.

4.4 Any ban will come into force during the Christmas pressure period. This may result in multiple failures taking place within that period. Therefore bans will be allocated as written in the current locally agreed overtime agreement, which are:

4.4.1 1 Failure = Written Warning

4.4.2 2 Failures = 1 Week Ban

4.5 The written warning will be handed out by the Resourcing Unit during the week following the failure.

4.6 An appeal if raised will be heard by the Resourcing Manager. At the appeal, due consideration will be given to any personal circumstances and the individual’s previous record within this Agreement.

4.7 CWU and Management will robustly monitor ALL overtime failures.

The 2015 Royal Mail and CWU locally agreed Processing Christmas Agreement

M Fovargue ​                                     Ernie Orviss

Royal Mail Christmas Manager​        CWU Area Processing Rep

16th October 2015 ​

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ROYAL MAIL – PRIVATISATION

ROYAL MAIL – PRIVATISATION

The Government announced late yesterday that it had placed its final shareholding in Royal Mail with a number of city institutions to be sold overnight to institutional investors.

As explained with the previous 15% sale in June 2015, the process for concluding the sale was undertaken under the terms of the original Act of Parliament.  As such this enabled the Government to proceed without any public or parliamentary scrutiny of their proposals.

The CWU has condemned the sale and made it clear that a fully privatised Royal Mail significantly increases the threat to the continuation of a 6 day delivery service to over 29 million UK addresses, something which the British public has enjoyed for over 350 years.  A copy of the union’s press release is attached to this LTB.

In response to the disgraceful actions of the Government, it is now more important than ever for the union to secure stronger legislation for the protection of daily deliveries as a key part of our People’s Post Campaign, alongside continuing to campaign for renationalisation of Royal Mail under a Labour Government.

In the coming weeks, the union will be stepping up our activities and undertaking a series of communications with our members to highlight why their support for the union’s People’s Post Campaign is crucial to defending the service, their jobs, terms and conditions, whilst also helping shape the future of the postal industry.

As part of the final sell-off of its shares the Government gave employees an additional 1% in the company on the 5th October, and our understanding is that a further 1% will now be given to employees as a result of today’s announcement.  We will provide further information on this once this has been confirmed.  In the meantime, please ensure that this LTB is circulated to our members in all workplaces.

Any enquiries on the Government’s actions should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Department and any enquiries on the industrial impact should be addressed to the Deputy General Secretary (Postal).

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward                                                    Terry Pullinger

General Secretary                                                  Deputy General Secretary (P)    

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RESULTS AT THE CLOSE OF CWU EASTERN 5 BRANCH SET 1 NOMINATIONS

RESULTS AT THE CLOSE OF CWU EASTERN 5 BRANCH SET 1 NOMINATIONS.       Branch  Chair

Richard Line

Branch Secretary

Amanda Hill

Branch Treasurer

Austin Goldsmith

Branch Equality Officer

Dennis Smith

Branch Political Officer

Andy Beeby

Branch Deputy Secretary

Luke Smith

Branch Editor

Terry Henderson

Branch Returning Officer

Vacant

Branch Women’s Officer

Kate Jackson

Branch BAME Officer

Joel John

Branch Youth Officer

Matt Bellamy

Retired Members Chair

Mick Shill

Retired Members Secretary

Pat Friskey

Assistant Secretary (Legal & Medical)

Dave Westbrook

Area Processing Representative

Ernie Orviss

Area Distribution Representative

Steve Clarke

Area Delivery Representative

Simon Peach

Area Health & Safety Representative

Richard Line

Lead Union Learning Rep

Terry Henderson

Branch Equality Committee (6 members)

Hutch Patel

 

5 vacant positions

Branch Women’s Committee (6 members)

6 vacant positions

 

All vacancies will be advertised at the close of branch elections (January 2016). Term of office will run from March 2016 to March 2018.

Any queries to the Branch Secretary.

Amanda Hill

Branch Secretary

CWU Eastern 5

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Eastern 5 Branch SET 2 ELECTIONS

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Eastern 5 BranchSET 2 ELECTIONS

Nominations open 26/10/2015 9 a.m.

Nominations close 16/11/2015 9 a.m.

Unit and Shift Representatives

Health and Safety Reps

Sectional Secretary (Letters)

Sectional Chair (Letters)

Mail Centre Secretary (APC Committee), Mail Centre Chair (APC Committee)

Substitute Unit and Shift Representatives

Substitute Area Processing Representative

Substitute Area Distribution Representative

Substitute Area Delivery Representative

Substitute Area Health & Safety Representative

Union Learning Reps

Term of Office will run from March 2016 to March 2018

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Peoples Post Rally Manchester Monday 5th October 2015 Andy Beeby, Branch Political Officer

Peoples Post Rally Manchester Monday 5th October 2015

I attended this rally on behalf of the branch, the rally was held inside and outside of Manchester Cathedral

“We can go away from here and build something special – let’s do it for the millions, not the millionaires,” urged Dave Ward as he brought the tumultuous Manchester People’s Post rally to a close last night. With around 1,000 people crammed inside the city’s historic cathedral and several thousand more filling the Cathedral Gardens area outside, this was one of the biggest ever CWU-organised actions – it was certainly the liveliest!

peoplespic

Forewarned that the huge venue was likely to be packed out, event organisers had taken the innovative step of setting up an extra speakers’ platform outside the iconic building, and speakers rushed from addressing the full-to-the-rafters Cathedral Hall to give their contributions again to the massed ranks thronging the precinct known locally as ‘The Triangle’.

Some of the younger attendees had even climbed up on the sills of first-floor windows to get a better view, as Dave Ward, Terry Pullinger, Jane Loftus, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and others explained the People’s Post campaign as an integral part of the struggle to build a positive alternative to austerity, cuts and the so-called ‘free market’.

With every seat in the hall having been filled almost an hour before the scheduled start, the audience was entertained with a selection of music and as the final chorus of the classic 1970s Strawbs hit “I’m a union man” ebbed away, David Holgate, Manchester Cathedral’s Canon for Theology and Mission, opened the meeting with a warm welcome to everyone.

Canon Holgate reminded the assembly that “this cathedral is yours, not ours” and then led a short prayer in which he appealed to “God the communicator” asking Him to “please inspire all who speak and all who listen. Help us to communicate well, Amen.”

And communicate well everyone did, from first to last, chairman for the evening Kevin Maguire kicking off with a strongly worded criticism of Chancellor George Osborne for making the UK’s poorest workers worse off through tax credit cuts.

Maguire, the associate editor of the Daily Mirror, then had the audience laughing when he told them that he had “always wanted to introduce JC in a cathedral,” in a reference to the Labour leader’s initials.

Our general secretary and his deputy were the first speakers, both of them setting out in detail the arguments for defending our postal industry, as a vital public service and as a defence of workers’ jobs, pay, terms and conditions.

“We’re sending a defiant message to the Tories,” said Dave, adding: “You may have privatised Royal Mail, but this will always be the People’s Post.”

Our general secretary pledged that the union will “refuse to accept” postal workers terms and conditions being “dragged down” by competition and urged all workers in our industry, in all businesses to “join the CWU and we’ll fight to raise your pay, terms and conditions.”

Dave also highlighted plans to launch an online petition backing the campaign’s aims, with a target of 100,000 signatories.

DGSP Terry continued the focus on the social importance of the universal postal service, describing it as a “natural monopoly” and “one of the great inventions of our social history.”

And he also had strong words of praise for all the union’s front line reps and activists, who he described as “heroes.” Terry explained: “Those people don’t just protest on one day, they protest every day of their working lives, standing up to the employer.”

The CWU is “a fighting union,” he continued and vowed that, if postal workers’ pay, terms and conditions are attacked “We will fight.”

Next up was Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, who predicted that the philosophy of neo-liberalism, which “rose with Mrs Thatcher, is going to fall with Cameron.”

Other memorable speakers were author Owen Jones, the ‘Artist Taxi Driver’, Mark McGowan, and Abby Tomlinson the creator of #milifandom.

Both inside and outside, the arrival of the new Labour Party leader was greeted with enormous enthusiasm – in the Cathedral Hall, Jeremy Corbyn was cheered to the rafters, receiving prolonged standing ovations before and after his speech, while his appearance outside was greeted with an explosion of noise that visiting Conservative Party conference delegates may have heard in their hotel rooms.

The Labour leader spelled out exactly why he fully supports the People’s Post campaign, stating that the privatisation of the company had been “a massive rip-off.”

He vowed to push for the renationalisation of Royal Mail and to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the CWU in protecting the universal postal service and postal workers’ pay, terms and conditions.

To the crowd outside, Corbyn asked: “Are we going to allow Royal Mail to be destroyed on the altar of profitability?” The mass of people outside shouted: “No”.

corbyn

And, sending his own defiant message to those who would destroy the USO and attack the workers, Corbyn vowed: “They’re not getting away with it, we’re not having it, we’re protecting Royal Mail.”

In the hall, Corbyn promised to work to build “a society that cares for all – that is the fundamental principle of what our party is all about.

“Our election victory in 2020 won’t be won in the four weeks of the campaign,” he warned, “it’ll be won by winning the hearts and minds of people right across this country.

“We’re creating a movement that cares for everyone – and we’re going to do it together.”

Closing the rally, Dave Ward thanked members of Manchester CWU Branch for their invaluable assistance in organising the event and the union’s telecoms and financial services members for their support, as well as Canon Holgate and everyone else for their attendance and support.

“This is an exciting time in politics. We don’t have to be victims, we can build a positive alternative,” he stressed.

“We can go away from here and build something special – for the millions, not the millionaires.”

Andy Beeby

Branch Political Officer

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Assistant Secretary (Postal) Election 2015

Assistant Secretary (Postal) Election 2015 

Please find attached a copy of the Independent Scrutineer’s report for the above election.

 

Please ensure that the results are brought to the attention of the members of your branch.

 

The detailed branch analysis will follow as soon as it is available.

 

Any enquiries regarding this matter should be directed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s department for the attention of Peter Metcalfe.

 

Telephone: 0208 971 7368

Email: pmetcalfe@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

ELECTION OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY (POSTAL)

 

Our report of voting for the above elections, which closed at first post on Tuesday 6th October 2015, is as follows:

 

Number of eligible voters:

 

119,165

​Votes cast by post:

18,613

 

Total number of votes cast:

18,613

Turnout:

 

15.6%

Number of votes found to be invalid (abstentions):

 

41

Number of votes found to be invalid (spoilts):

 

15

Total number of valid votes to be counted:

 

18,557

 

Result (1 to elect)

 

ROBERTSON, Davie​​9,718​​​Elected

MADEN, Carl​​8,839

 

As Scrutineers appointed in accordance with Section 49 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (as amended), we are satisfied as to each of the matters specified in subsection 52(2) with regard to the election. The following points should be noted:

1. The person appointed under section 51A to carry out the storage and counting of voting papers was Electoral Reform Services Limited.

 

2. The person appointed under section 51A to carry out the distribution of voting papers was Electoral Reform Services Limited.

 

3. A copy of the register of voters (as at the relevant date) was examined in accordance with section 49(3). The examination took place at our own instance and did not reveal any matter that should be brought to the attention of the trade union.

 

We would draw your attention to sections 52(4), 52(5), and 52(6). Section 52(4) requires that a copy of this report be published and made available to all members of the union within a three month period from today. This does not, however, mean that every member has to be notified individually.

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