International Women’s Day – 2017International Women’s Day is 8th March 2017.  

On 21st March 2017, the Joint WAC and Regional Chairs & Secretaries have decided to commemorate International Women’s Day by having a guided walk, meeting at Embankment tube station at 9.50am for a 10am start. The walk will be for about 2 hours ending at Westminster tube station.

There will be a speaker, Ian Porter – Suffragettes in Westminster.

There is a charge of £9.00 per person for the guided walk.

Anyone interested in attending, will need to contact their branch to cover expenses.

Following the walk, the Joint WAC and Regional Chairs & Secretaries will been having their meeting at 2pm at the YMCA, Tower Lodge Conference Room, 200 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1RY. Anyone interested in attending the meeting, could you please email equalopportunities@cwu.org.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be referred to the Equal Opportunities Department.

Yours sincerely

Linda Roy

Assistant Secretary

Email Attachments – Click to download

LTB 059/17 – International Women’s Day – 2017

TUC Black Workers Conference 2017 – VisitorsThe TUC Black Worker’s Conference 2017 is being held from Friday 7th April until Sunday 9th April 2017 at the TUC, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS.

The Conference times are as follows:

Friday 7th April starting at 2pm, closing at 5.30pm

Saturday 8th April starting at 9.30am, closing at 5.30pm

Sunday 9th April starting at 9.15am, closing at 1pm

The CWU are allowed a limited number of visitors to attend the Conference and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Should anyone be interested in attending the Conference, they will need to contact their Branch initially for funding, to include a £10.00 visitor’s ticket fee. 

Please let me know if you would like to attend the Conference as a visitor by no later than Monday, 20th February 2017. 

Please note that places will not be reserved until a cheque for the £10.00 fee (made payable to ‘TUC’) is received in my office by the closing date. 

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be referred to the Equal Opportunities Department.

Yours sincerely

Linda Roy

Assistant Secretary

Email Attachments – Click to download

LTB 058 – TUC Black Worker’s Conference 2017 – Visitors

Drivers Using Mobile Phones while Driving will Receive Six Penalty Points and a £200 Fine from March 1 As Penalties Double in Government Road Safety Clamp Down & Police Launch National Campaign:
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
• Drivers who use their mobile phones while driving will receive six penalty points and a £200 fine from 1 March, even if it is their first offence, as the Government seeks to clamp down on dangerous driving.
• A national campaign by Police has begun to increase the enforcement on people who use their mobile phones while driving in the run up to 1 March when the Government introduces stricter penalties for the offence.
• A report published by the RAC in September 2016 stated that 31 per cent of drivers now admit to using a mobile phone when driving, up from eight per cent in 2014.
• All Drivers have a fundamental responsibility to behave with due care and attention, drive safely and ensure they do not put themselves or others in danger.”
The current law means that anyone caught using a mobile phone while driving will be dealt with by means of a traffic offence report, with a £100 fine and 3 penalty points. In more serious cases, police officers have powers to prosecute drivers for careless or dangerous driving and drivers may also be asked to provide a breath test.
A national Police campaign has been launched in the run up to the legislative change, with police running targeted operations against drivers on their mobile phones and educational campaigns to warn of its dangers.
The police operations include:
• targeted patrols using unmarked vans, high vantage points and helmet cams to catch offenders;

• partnership with local authorities and emergency services to deter people from taking the risks;

• innovative digital campaigns to communicate that the risks are more serious than people think;

• community ‘spotters’ to highlight hotspots and repeat offenders to Police;

• advising the public about changes to penalties for mobile phone use while driving from 1 March 2017.
Last November 36 Police forces across the country took part in another campaign against mobile phone driving offences, stopping 10,012 vehicles and detecting nearly 8,000 mobile phone offences, the highest ever total for a week of enforcement on distraction driving. The current Legislation was introduced back in 2003 which prohibits the use of hand held mobile phones whilst driving. But with the advances in hand held devices and the worrying increases in the use of these devices at the wheel, the law is now being changed again.
“In March 2017 a change of the law will take place to reflect the severity of this offence. Not only will those caught get a £200 fixed penalty fine, but if they are caught twice and accrue 12 points they will automatically appear in court and face a fine of up to £1,000 and a driving ban of up to six months.
One of the biggest changes is that new drivers could face having their licenses revoked after the first offence, and to regain their license must reapply for a Provisional Driver’s License and may only drive as a learner until they pass further theory and practical tests. This process would run up a bill of over £100 on top of the £200 fine so not only is it dangerous, it’ll be a very expensive mistake to make.
There is growing evidence that the use of mobile phones is becoming a more common contributory causation factor in many serious collisions. It is the mental distraction more than the physical distraction that causes the problems. The Government, Police and Road Safety Campaigning Organisations want Drivers to think about the dangers of using a mobile phone at the wheel and not to put their, or other people’s, lives at risk.
Although it is currently legal to use hands free kits, this still causes a similar mental distraction to that of a hand held mobile phone and the latest version of the Highway Code, revised in 2007, actively discourages the use of hands free kits.
Even if you’re using a hands-free phone Drivers should avoid making or answering calls when driving. All phone calls distract drivers’ attention from the road.
Additionally people should not call other people when they’re driving. If you call someone and they tell you they are driving, ask them to call you back when they have parked up safely.

Police are hoping to:
• Reduce the incidence of motorists using their mobile phones whilst driving.

• Improve driver attitude and behaviour with a view to preventing road collisions occurring.

• Reduce casualties resulting from road collisions, particularly those resulting in fatal or serious injuries.

• Raise awareness amongst motorists about the potential consequences of driving whilst using a hand held or hands free mobile phone.
Using mobile phones when driving – The law
• It’s illegal to ride a motorcycle or drive using hand-held phones or similar devices.

• The rules are the same if you’re stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic.

• It is also illegal to use a hand-held phone or similar device when supervising a learner driver or rider.
Penalties for using your phone while driving:
• The current law states that you can get an automatic fixed penalty notice if you’re caught using a hand-held phone while driving or riding. You’ll get three penalty points on your License and a fine of £100. In March this will double to Six Penalty Points on your License and a Fine of £200.
When you can use a phone in your vehicle:
If you’re the driver, you can only use your phone in a vehicle:-
• If you need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop.

• If you are safely parked.
Using hands-free devices when driving:
• You can use hands-free phones, satellite navigation systems and two-way radios when you’re driving or riding. But if the police think you’re distracted and not in control of your vehicle you could still get stopped and penalised.
Being stopped by the police while driving: your rights
• The police can stop a vehicle for any reason. If they ask you to stop, you should always pull over. You’re breaking the law if you don’t.
For more information please visit http://www.gov.uk/using-mobile-phones-when-driving-the-law.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – LTB055/17 Drivers Using Mobile Phones while Driving will Receive Six Penalty Points and a £200 Fine from March 1

JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL AND THE CWU COVERING THE DEPLOYMENT OF GRAVITY ROLLERS FOR LARGE PARCEL SORTING IN THE MAIL CENTRE NETWORK – ADDITIONAL INSTALLATIONS
 
Dear Colleagues
Branches and representatives will be aware that LTB 420/16 communicated the Joint Statement between Royal Mail and The CWU Covering The Deployment of Gravity Rollers For Large Parcel Sorting in The Mail Centre Network (copy attached for ease of reference at Annex A).
The business has now informed the department that feedback from the initial deployment activity has been very positive and that additional funding has been secured to extend deployment of the standard method via Phase 2 activity. During Phase 2 it is planned to deploy a further 17 sets of Gravity Rollers in Mail Centres during January to March 2017, which will mean that 24 out of 38 Mail Centres will be operating the new standard method.
The table attached at Annex B provides details in relation to the number of conveyors that have been deployed at each Mail Centre in Phase 1, will be deployed in Phase 2 and a total overall.
Branches and representatives are therefore informed that local engagement should now take place in regard to deployment arrangements in line with the aforementioned Joint Statement.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 711.02 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Davie Robertson  
Assistant Secretary  
Email Attachments – Click to download
· 17LTB 051 Deployment of Gravity Rollers – Additional Installations 30.01.17

· Attachment 1: Annex A – LTB 051Gravity Rollers Extension

· Attachment 2: Annex B – LTB 051 – Gravity Rollers Extension

ELECTION OF: CWU REGIONAL SECRETARIES – 2017 
Nominations are invited for the positions of CWU Regional Secretary for the following regions:
Eastern

Midland

North East

Northern Ireland

North West

Scotland

South East

South West

Wales & the Marches 

London
The period of office for the above position will be from April 2017 until April 2019. 
Candidates must be nominated by their own branch at a properly constituted branch meeting. Where there is more than one candidate for each position there will be an individual member ballot of the whole membership of the respective region, and ballots will be conducted in accordance with the attached election guidelines.
Ballots will be run concurrent with the NEC/Industrial Executives elections scheduled to take place during March – April 2017.
Nomination Forms are attached to the electronic version of this LTB, or are available on request from the Senior Deputy General Secretary Department and should be returned to: Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary by 14:00 on 28th February 2017.
The timetable for the elections is as follows:
Nominations Open: 7 February 2017
Nominations Close: 28 February 2017 (14:00)
Dispatch ballot material from: 16 March 2017
Close of ballot: 4 April 2017 (first post)  
Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches 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
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 054/17 – Election of CWU Regional Secretaries 2017

Election Guidelines 2017

Regional Secretary Nomination Forms 2017

Pension Review
Further to LTB 28/17 and Royal Mail’s decision to consult on the future of the DB scheme from April 2018, I attach a briefing document which highlights the financial impact of the company’s pension proposals and a report on the feedback from the consultation to date.
The document is in two parts. The first part provides information on the average pension loss for people who are retiring at age 60 and 65, the numbers, ages and profiles of current DB members as well as specific examples for members in different sections of the scheme (at different salary levels and with different ages and length of service). It also includes information on current DC provision.
Part two reports on the feedback from Royal Mail’s consultation exercise with scheme members, detailing the most frequently asked questions and the key issues raised.
As the company have now provided individual illustrations for every DB member, we are encouraging those who still have questions about their future pension to contact Royal Mail directly by calling the pensions consultation helpline on: 0345 850 0081. Members can also visit the question and answer section at http://www.royalmail.com/pensions.
We would also suggest that CWU members in the current DB scheme write to Royal Mail as part of the consultation process to reject their proposals and request that the company seek a negotiated settlement with the CWU that secures a decent wage in retirement for all members (DB and DC) as one of our four key Pillars of Security. This can be done by post: Freepost MY PENSION, Pond Street, Sheffield, S98 6HR or by email: my.pension@royalmail.com (writing FEEDBACK in the subject header).
Finally, it is worth repeating that the CWU do not accept Royal Mail’s proposals. No agreement has yet been reached with the CWU and no final decision taken on future pension provision after April 2018. With your support, the CWU will continue in talks with Royal Mail to seek a pension solution that provides all members with security and dignity in retirement.
Further updates will be provided to Branches in due course.
Any enquiries relating to this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.
Yours sincerely
 
Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
Email Attachments – Click to download
· LTB 048/17 – Pension Review

· Attachment 1 to LTB 048/17 – Pension Review