Safe & Well – January 2018

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Please see attached the January edition of Safe and Well newsletter with contributions from our USRs and field teams. This is a bumper edition this month and leads with the reminder on safe climbing practices and ends up with a look back at Q4 last year seeing what can be learnt.

It also includes the launch of the new “Don’t Twist and Shout” leaflet which was also shared at the recent London joint forum. Attached is a separate pdf for information in case people can’t access the Openreach only snip codes.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB058 Safe & Well – January 2018

DTAS – driving and vehicles

DTAS – lifting shifting and moving

DTAS – Reaching

DTAS – handling ladders

DTAS

DTAS – injury management and prevention

DTAS – Kneeling advice

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REDESIGN – DEFERMENT OF NATIONAL ELECTIONS

The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches that the NEC has taken a decision to defer, at this stage, setting any timetable for the following National elections which were due to take place later this year.

• • Assistant Secretary – Health, Safety & Environment

• • Assistant Secretary – Equal Opportunities

• • Assistant Secretary – T&FS (1)

• • Assistant Secretary – T&FS (2)

This decision has been taken because we are now at a crucial stage of our plans to streamline CWU Headquarters as part of the Redesign Project. Work is now well underway on this and key elements include creating a three pillar foundation for a new CWU HQ structure (Central Policy and Services, Industrial Postal, Industrial T&FS) and within the Central Policy and Services pillar a more joined up way of working, merged departments and the potential to scope reallocation of some work, roles and responsibilities.

As previously explained, the need to implement a new streamlined Headquarters is fundamental to securing our future as a stand-alone union and therefore it makes absolute sense, while this work continues, to defer setting election timetables.

However, we do want to stress that the NEC has taken no decision on the future of the roles affected and has agreed that a further paper will be placed before the NEC no later than June 2018 to finalise this.

In advising Branches of this decision we are sure you will understand that it reinforces the scale of the Redesign Project and the fact that in LTB 689/17, we made it clear that we are determined to achieve financial stability and positively address the major challenges facing not just the CWU – but the whole of the trade union movement.

In this regard, we would remind Branches that we will be launching a wider consultation on structures outside of CWU Headquarters at a National Briefing in the near future. A date and venue for this will be announced shortly. Also of our plans to ensure we discuss Redesign at Annual Conference and ultimately at a Special General and Rules Revision Conference, targeted for early November 2018.

Any enquires should be addressed to the General Secretary’s office at gsoffice@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward – General Secretary

Tony Kearns – Senior Deputy General Secretary

18LTB055 Redesign deferment of National Elections

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UNI World Women’s Conference & World Congress 2018

Further to LTB 014/18 dated 10th January 2018, at the close of nominations the following were received:

Postal Constituency

NEC (1 Member)

Shelly Banbury

Kent Invicta*Elected

3 Lay Members (at least one of whom must be a woman and at least one of whom must be 29 or under)

Elli Long

Greater Mersey & South West Lancs*Elected

Ballot RequiredKate Hudson

South Midlands Postal Sajid Shaikh

Birmingham District Amal Amarjite Singh

South East Wales Amal Telecoms and Financial Services Constituency

NEC (1 Member)

Tom Cooper

Leicester & Midshires*Elected

3 Lay Members (at least one of whom must be a woman and at least one of whom must be 29 or under)

Fiona Curtis

Northern Ireland Telecom, Mid Wales The Marches & North Staffs*Elected

Ballot RequiredVivien Holding

Northern Ireland Telecom, Mid Wales The Marches & North Staffs Jean Sharrocks

North East, Northern Ireland Telecom, Mid Wales The Marches & North Staffs Jeffrey Till

Greater London Combined The timetable for the ballots is as follows:

Ballot Opens   1 February 2018

Ballot Close 15 February 2018 (14:00)

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

18LTB054

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Election of CWU National Delegations – Wales TUC 2018

The NEC has agreed the 2018 election arrangements for the National delegations listed above. Accordingly please find attached the regulations and nomination forms for these elections.

The details of the Conferences are as follows:

• 22–24 May 2018 Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales

The Timetable for the elections is:

Nominations open: 2 February 2018

Nominations close: 16 February 2018 (14:00)

Despatch ballot papers: 21 February 2018

Ballot closes: 7 March 2018 (14:00)

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

18LTB053

Wales TUC Regulations 2018

Wales TUC – 2018 – Nomination Forms

Wales TUC – 2018 – Candidates Consent and Biographical Details Form

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Time to Talk Day 2018 – Thursday 1 February – “Time To Change” Campaigning To End Mental Health Discrimination and To Change The Way We Act and Think About Mental Health

Dear Colleagues,

Time to Talk Day 2018 will take place on Thursday 1 February and the CWU will be supporting the event. Time to Talk Day resources are set out in this Letter to Branches along with attachments and links to assist Reps and Members participate and support the campaign day and get involved ongoing.

It’s easy to think there’s no right place to talk about mental health. But the more we talk about it, the better life is for all of us.

Too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, worthless and ashamed. Time to Talk Day is a chance for all of us to be more open about mental health – to talk, to listen, to change lives.

Wherever you are – at home, at work or participating in clubs, hobbies, pastimes and leisure activities – have your conversation about mental health this Time to Talk Day.

Why not plan a local workplace event, take a look at the attached Time To Talk communications packs for organisations, employers and people championing the cause.

If you are planning to get involved and organise something in your Branch area workplaces, or at home or in the community with others, the communications packs can help.

For the first time this year sister campaigns; Time To Change Wales, See Me Scotland and Change Your Mind Northern Ireland are joining in and supporting ‘Time To Change Day’.

It’s easy to think there’s no right place to talk about mental health. But the more we talk about it, the better life is for all of us.

Mental health problems affects one in four of us yet people are still afraid to talk about it. For people with mental health problems not being able to talk about it can be one of the worst parts of the illness. So by getting people talking about mental health we can break down stereotypes, improve relationships, aid recovery and take the stigma out of something that affects us all.

Mental health problems can come about from any number of stresses and worries that all of us have at some time or another in our lives. Perhaps it’s relationship problems, homelessness, job stress or money worries. It’s important to recognise when things are getting serious. This is usually when the problem begins to interfere with our ability to cope day to day.

It’s also important to remember that, with the right support, most people manage their mental health problems successfully and lead fulfilling lives.

The most common mental health problems include addictions, anxiety, depression, eating disorders. One in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. That’s a lot of people. Most of the time, people cope ok and find ways to switch off, chill out and relax. But when things start to take over and get on top of us, it can develop into something we need specialist help with. Everyone has bad days and some of the symptoms of mental health problems may not immediately seem obvious. Take a look at the list below, and if some of the things sound familiar, that you or a friend or colleague has been experiencing for a few weeks or more, something may need to be done:

• Problems getting to sleep, or waking up early in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep again.

• Feeling really knackered even when you haven’t done much.

• Aches and pains for no apparent reason or feeling run down.

• Poor appetite.

• Not feeling like going out.

• Not being interested in the things you used to be.

• Feeling anxious and irritable for no real reason, or having difficulty managing your anger and ‘flying off the handle’.

• Repeatedly getting headaches or migraines.

If you’re concerned about yours or someone else’s mental health, contact and talk to your GP or contact one of the groups listed below. If the person concerned wants to talk it over first, give one of the groups listed below a call. The people on the helplines are non-judgemental and will give individuals the chance to explain the way they feel, and give help on what to do next.

Too often, people who experience a mental health problem are also left with the burden to talk about mental health in the wider sense. Time to Talk Day encourages everyone to talk about mental health. And this year the organisers propose that Any Place is the Right Place to talk about mental health, whether you are at home, at work or participating in leisure activities.

You can talk about mental health at work. Thursday 1 February is Time to Talk Day – a day when everyone is encouraged to have a conversation about mental health. We know that it benefits all of us to talk about mental health. “Time to Talk Day” is run by “Time to Change” and the aim is to help spread the word that anywhere can be the right place to talk about mental health – including at work. Time to Change is England’s biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination and is run by the charities “Mind” and “Rethink Mental Illness”. There are posters and top tips cards giving ideas on how to start conversations. There is also information about how to support colleagues, and where to go if they need support.

It’s great to start the conversation in the workplace and we hope that the campaign materials and ideas help CWU Branches, Health and Safety Reps, Branch and local Reps to do this. Sometimes this can mean that people currently experiencing mental health problems will need some support as sensitive conversations may bring up difficult things. We would encourage you to highlight the support tools that are currently available from employees, Mental Health Charities, NHS etc. If anyone you know is experiencing mental health problems or needs

urgent support, there are lots of places they can go to for help. “Time to Change” is focusing on changing how we all think and act about mental health.

“The Time to Change Employer Pledge”

Remember, Royal Mail, BT and Santander are amongst the employers that have signed the ‘Pledge with the CWU. When signing the Time To Change Pledge employers demonstrate their commitment to change how the organisation thinks and acts about mental health in the workplace and pledges to:-

• Demonstrate senior level buy-in

• Demonstrate accountability and recruit employee champions

• Raise awareness

• Have policies to address mental health in the workplace

• Equip managers to have conversations about mental health

• Ask employees to share their personal experiences with mental health problems

• Provide information about mental health and signpost to support services

• Make sure that employees who are facing these problems get supported and feel supported

Some local managers may need reminding of this commitment so on “Time To Talk Day 2018” as CWU Reps, if nothing else, why not talk to them and inform them or remind them of the pledge on “Time To Talk Day”.

Emergency Mental Health Support For Those In Crisis

Emergency support for people in crisis is available from a number of charity organisations specialising in mental health crisis situations, providing confidential, non-judgmental emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those that could lead to suicide. They are listed here:

Samaritans Telephone: 116 123 (Free 24 hours a day)

Mind Infoline Telephone: 0300 123 3393 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday)

Rethink Mental Illness Advice Line Telephone: 0300 5000 927 (10am-2pm Monday to Friday)

SANE – Saneline Telephone: 0845 767 8000 (6pm-11pm)

PAPYRUS (Prevention of Young Suicides) – HOPELineUK: 0800 068 41 41 (Mon-Fri 10am- 10pm, Sat-Sun 2pm-10pm, Bank Holidays 2pm-5pm)

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) dedicated to preventing male suicide. Telephone: 0800585858

‘Time to Change’ Champions e-learning!

Time to Change provides access to useful e-learning information for those who wish to champion the campaign and it can be useful for anyone wishing to lean more. Each module is stand alone and anyone is free to take whichever modules they are interested in as follows:-

Module 1: Time to Change Champions Induction

Module 2: Handing out Time to Change Materials

Module 3: Running a Time to Change Coffee Morning

Module 4: Being a Champion Every Day

Module 5: Social Contact

Module 6: Speaking Out on Social Media

Module 7: Stigma and Discrimination: the Facts

These are accessed at the following link:

https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/champions/e-learning

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB052 Time to Talk Day 2018 – Thursday 1 February – Time To Change

MIND – Managers Guide – Supporting Staff With Mental Health Problems

Time To Talk Day 2018 Comms Pack Employers

Time To Talk Day 2018 Comms Pack Champions

Time To Change – Be In Your Colleagues Corner Poster

Time to Talk Day 2018 – CWU Poster

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Joint Statement between Royal Mail Group and CWU on Current Dispute Negotiations

Branches are advised that a negotiators’ agreement has now been reached between the CWU and Royal Mail Group in relation to our Pay and Four Pillars of Security Campaign, please see attached Joint Statement with further details.

Additionally, a video announcing the negotiators’ agreement will be available on the CWU website and Facebook page during the course of this morning.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely

Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

18LTB049- Joint Statement between Royal Mail Group and CWU on Current Dispute Negotiations

LTB 49.18 Att 1 25.01.18 Joint Statement between Royal Mail Group and CWU on Current Dispute Negotiations

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NHS demo – London 3rd February

The purpose of this LTB is to notify branches of the ‘NHS in Crisis‎ – Fix it Now’ demo taking place in London from midday on Saturday 3rd February.

The demo is being organised by the People’s Assembly and involves a march from Gower Street (WC1) to Downing Street. The CWU will have a bloc on the march, congregating on Gower Street by the large CWU balloons from midday.

Details for the demo and of transport from around the country are available here: http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/events

‎Any queries on the contents of this LTB should be addressed to gsoffice@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

LTB051 NHS demo – London 3rd February

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IMPROVED GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Conference Motion 88, reproduced below was carried in 2016 and the Union started engaging with Royal Mail immediately after Conference 2016.

88 CATEGORY A: Conference instructs the Postal Executive to open negotiations with Royal Mail on the Grievance Procedure.

Conference congratulates the Postal Executive on the good work already performed with the new Conduct and Attendance Agreements.

The Grievance Procedure is the next personnel process that requires an overhaul as Royal Mail management, in many locations, do not afford the credence that this statutory provision demands.

This lack of acceptance of an individual’s legal right to challenge back to the employer through a grievance in today’s workplace does need to be given a new approach that brings the best chance for early resolution.

Anglia Co-Ordinating Committee

Motion 100 reproduced below, was carried at Annual Conference 2017.

100 CATEGORY A: Conference notes concerns over the excessive and unclear timescales when progressing individual grievances through the Grievance Procedure.

With reference to the Bullying and Harassment Procedure, there is a clear prompt of timescales and actions which are accessible on the PSP system.

Conference instructs the Postal Executive to negotiate a similar system on PSP for use in the Grievance Procedure.

Portsmouth and District

Following protracted negotiations the Postal Executive has now agreed an improved procedure.

The revised procedure covers off the issues raised in the two motions.

The procedure has three stages, an informal and two formal stages, with a right to Union representation at all stages.

The improved Grievance Procedure is attached to this LTB, along with the guide for Reps and Managers. Hard copies of the policy booklet will be sent to branches in due course.

There are significant improvements to the procedure, including:-

• Informal Resolution.

• All formal stages recorded on PSP.

• Set timescales for each stage.

• Prompts for managers to ensure the process is completed on time.

• Automatic escalation if the case is not dealt with.

The improved Grievance Procedure went live on PSP on 22nd January 2018. This means the new procedure, letters and prompts are active for any new grievance starting after this date.

CWU will be reviewing the procedure with Management on a regular basis to ensure the new procedure is working as intended in ensuring grievances are dealt with properly on a timely basis.

Any enquiries should be addressed to PTCS department, quoting reference PTC/RE/kj/021 Email address: khawkins@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

 

Ray Ellis

Assistant Secretary

18LTB039 Improved Grievance Procedure

Grievance Policy

Grievance Policy Booklet – An Update for Managers and Reps