Government Consultation on New Legislation On Offensive and Dangerous Weapons – Knives Sold On Line – Post Office and Royal Mail Workers

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

The Home Office on behalf of the Government has conducted a public consultation, on “new legislation on offensive and dangerous weapons” which amongst other things, seeks views on the proposal for creating a new range of criminal offences in order to prevent knives sold online being delivered to private residential addresses and to ensure the age and identity of the purchaser are checked.

The proposal for England, Wales and Scotland is that where a knife is sold online, it is an offence to deliver the knife to a private residential address and that knives sold online must only be delivered to and collected – by the person who made the purchase – at a place where the age of the purchaser can be checked. This new offence is intended to provide additional safeguards to the current legislation which already makes it a criminal offence to sell knives to a person under 18.

We note the possible options open to retailers include requiring that customers collect the knives at a store if the retailer has both an online and physical store presence, while online-only retailers could consider making arrangements for the item to be collected at a place where age and identity can be verified in person e.g., entering into a third party agreement with another retailer, collection service or post office etc., where age and identity can be verified in person with the important point that the purchaser’s age and identity must be checked. In the event that retailers makes arrangements with a third party to provide collection and age verification services on a retailer’s behalf, there will be an associated criminal offence to ensure that the age and identify of the purchaser is checked by the third party.

The proposals will require that the third party (e.g., Post Office or Royal Mail Caller’s Office Staff) that hands over the knife provides a defence for retailers and third parties to demonstrate that they have taken reasonable precautions and exercised due diligence, similar to the existing defences in the Criminal Justice Act 1988. This may also apply to catalogue/mail order service sales of knives and to postal delivery services for knives ordered online from abroad.

The CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department has responded to the Home Office on behalf of Postal Workers in the UK and along with Royal Mail has made a number of important points:

• The CWU recognises the importance of tackling knife crime and understands the intention of the proposal to better control the sale of knives which is a principle our Union would support.

• We have a number of practical concerns around the proposal for a new offence of delivering a knife to a private residential home or dealing with purchasers collecting knives from a Post Office or Royal Mail Caller’s Office.

• We strongly believe liability should sit with the vendor/sender of knives, not the carrier and/or its employees (CWU members).

• The introduction of this new law could well lead to an increase in online, internet purchasing of knives and if that should be the case then liability should rest with those selling and sending the knives out to buyers.

• Criminal liability should not be extended to those Postal workers making deliveries or staffing Post Offices and Royal Mail Caller’s Offices where parcels and packets are collected by members of the public and where:-

◦ Firstly the Postal workers will not know what the parcel/package contains and it would be wholly wrong to prosecute the Postal worker should a knife have been collected illegally.

◦ Secondly, if it is known that the parcel/package contains a knife or knives, sold under the new control law, again it would be wrong to hold the Postal worker responsible and criminally liable for establishing, checking and verifying the age and identity of the person collecting the package.

◦ Thirdly the Postal worker’s personal safety and security could be endangered should altercations occur as a result of the process.

• The important point is that the sending of parcels and packages are beyond ordinary Postal workers’ control.

The Consultation has closed and the feedback is being analysed. We await the outcome of the public feedback.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB150 Government Consultation on New Legislation On Offensive and Dangerous Weapons Knives Sold On Line Post Office and Royal Mail Workers

Home Office Dec2018

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Royal Mail Group New Menopause Guide Introduction – ‘Supporting Women at Work Through The Menopause:’

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Further to LTB 610/17, I am pleased to announce that agreement has been reached between the Health, Safety and Environment Department and the Royal Mail Group Head of Health on the introduction of the first ever Royal Mail Group Menopause Guide for Managers entitled “Supporting Women At Work Through The Menopause.”

The New Guide goes live as of this month and sections cover:-

• What the Menopause is

• How does it affect people?

• How might it affect work?

• What do I need to do as a manager?

• Key points to consider when managing an employee who is going through the menopause

• Sources of information and guidance

The Guidance has been placed on the Royal Mail Group Health & Wellbeing pages of the Royal Mail Group intranet with Publicity in the following places:-

• Myroyalmail

• RM Bi-weekly

• Feeling First Class Focus

• Feeling First Class (FFC) website.

A copy of the Guide is attached.

Motions To CWU Conference

A number of Motions have been carried at CWU Conference in recent years calling for such guidance, i.e. Motion 93(2015), Motion 85(2013,) Motion 93(2012), Motion 100(2005).

Meetings With Subject Matter Experts

In the build-up and in preparation for the introduction of the guidance, meetings involving Royal Mail Group and the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department took place with Professor Amanda Griffiths of the Nottingham University School Of Medicine, who is an expert in the field of the Menopause and author of many research studies and guidance on the issue.

In November 2016 the “Faculty of Occupational Medicine” produced guidance on menopause and the workplace, based on the largest study to date about menopause and work, conducted by Professor Amanda Griffiths. Professor Griffiths concluded that “It’s good to see that menopause is increasingly being widely recognised as a potential problem and is no longer ‘taboo’”.

More awareness and some simple changes, many that women themselves have recommended, could make their working lives during this time much easier.’ We also met with Jeremy Bevan HSE Head of the HSE Vulnerable Workers Team. Both experts endorsed the RMG/CWU approach.

Royal Mail Group “Managing Short Term Absence & Informal Absence Review Guide”

The CWU Health Safety and Environment Department pointed out that line managers need to be trained and informed in order to be aware of how the menopause can affect work and what adjustments may be necessary to support women who are experiencing the menopause. The Royal Mail Group “Managing Short Term Absence & Informal Absence Review Guide” has a new additional paragraph inserted which should help managers deal with absences relating to the menopause. The paragraph headed “Managing an employee’s return to work” states – “Employees may find it difficult to discuss their health concerns particularly for conditions that are of a personal nature, such as irritable bowel syndrome, the menopause or gender related health issues. Managers should allow time and listen to the employee when having these conversations.” The emphasis is on the manager to listen and understand that this is a condition to a certain age group of women where they may not be able to perform elements of their duty on a particular day but may be able to perform some other work within the office for example. This is a small but positive step, coupled with the fact that members can ask to be interviewed by someone of the same sex, and now combined with this new ‘Menopause at Work’ Guidance is a positive move in the right direction.

Latest Menopause Research Studies and Polls Including a Government Study

A 2017 research study, commissioned by the government into menopause support, conducted by the University of Leicester on ‘the effects of menopause transition on women’s economic participation in the UK’ has outlined what the government can do to better support women going through transition. The research suggests that there should be more awareness raising campaigns for mid-life women; further advice to employers; training for medical and social care professionals so they are more aware of and sympathetic to the effects of menopause and more research. So let’s hope that change is on its way to make employers generally more aware of the impact the menopause may have on their female workforce.

A 2018 “ComRes” poll looked at how the menopause affects women at work and in their relationships, and the treatments they found effective. (ComRes are the leading research consultancy specialising in Corporate Reputation) The main findings were:-

• 70% of working women didn’t want to make their employers aware of their menopause symptoms.

• 48% felt that their mental health had suffered as a result of the menopause.

• 25% said that the menopause made them want to stay at home.

A 2018 published ‘Wellbeing of Women (Charity)’ study looking at how symptoms of menopause affect women’s careers, conducted by King’s College London, found women struggling with menopause symptoms. The study concluded that a simple self-help cognitive behavioural therapy programme, provided in short practical and accessible guidance on the subject and coping at work, would have a positive effect, helping to reduce the degree to which women felt their symptoms were causing them problems and improved the way in which they felt they could discuss menopause in the work place, thus challenging the stereotypical belief that women in menopause are ‘past it’. The study found many women suffering from these debilitating symptoms and feeling unsupported during the menopause with some dropping out of the work force. This natural process has been overlooked and considered a taboo for too long it concluded.

Findings from the studies:-

• In the UK there are 4.3 million women aged 50 and over in employment. By 2020 1 in 3 UK workers will be over 50. All female workers will go through the menopause. The average age of menopause for women in the UK is 51. Some begin in their early 40’s and for others it can go on into their late 50’s and beyond.

• 3 in 4 women experience menopause symptoms and 1 in 4 of these women experience severe physical or psychological symptoms.

• 4 out of 10 women haven’t ever consulted their GP about symptoms of menopause.

• Employers should do more to provide support and better protect these women.

See attached ‘Health and Menopause Focus Infographic’.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB149 Royal Mail Group New Menopause Guide Introduction – ‘Supporting Women at Work Through The Menopause’

Menopause guidance final

Health Menopause Focus Infographic

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CWU REDESIGN PROJECT – NATIONAL BRIEFING 13TH MARCH 2018

At today’s Redesign National Briefing in Manchester we had the opportunity to reflect on the positive changes that have been introduced in the last couple of years, review the challenges facing the CWU and the whole union movement and share thinking, ideas and views on what type of union we need to be to face the future.

Throughout Redesign we have been clear that major change must happen at CWU Headquarters. This is fundamental to securing the very future of our organisation and at today’s Briefing we were able to take you through the work we are doing to streamline CWU Headquarters.

A key element of today was to launch the next phase of Redesign which is a consultation on Conferences, Branches, Regions and National Structures. This booklet which was given out at the Briefing includes each of the consultation papers and a specific set of questions on each paper designed to provide a focal point for responses. The papers were positioned at the Briefing and the process going forward was explained including the timeline for responses and the approach we want Branches to take to ensure maximum participation.

Guidance for Completing the Consultation – Completing the Questionnaire

The consultation document for completion will be available electronically via the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/G62LN97

Branches can only submit one response to the consultation and this should be signed or verified by one of the principal Branch Officers.

Please answer all questions as fully as possible – the dialogue boxes will expand to allow you to provide detailed responses.

For clarity and ease of analysis please do not provide a hand-written response – all responses should be typed.

Please note there is space at the end of each section for any general comments or to raise any relevant issues not covered by the questions.

Closing Date 

All responses to be submitted either by post addressed to Redesign Consultation, General Secretary’s Department at CWU HQ or via email to re-design@cwu.org – please note that all completed questionnaires must be received by close of business on 11 May 2018.

We would encourage all Branches to submit their views and opinions regarding the future of the union.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be sent to re-design@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward – General Secretary  

Tony Kearns – Senior Deputy General Secretary

18LTB148 CWU REDESIGN PROJECT NATIONAL BRIEFING 13TH MARCH 2018 PDF

Redesign

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Here’s the livestream from today’s redesign briefing in Manchester. Please share #TheCWU

Wolverhampton Mail Centre Loading Bay Roof Collapse – Update Report:

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

This is an update report to Branches, further to LTB 135/18 issued on 7 March 2018.

The Wolverhampton Mail Centre Warehouse Loading Bay canopy Roof collapsed on Friday night 2 March at around 9:45pm.

Further discussions have taken place with the Director of Property Risk, Compliance & Assurance and I can report as follows:-

As a consequence of the failure of the loading bay canopy roof at Wolverhampton (North West Midlands) Mail Centre on the evening of Friday 2nd March, please find below details of the continuing work in relation to the Mail Centre and other buildings across the estate with similar canopy roofs.

Whilst the cause of the failure at Wolverhampton is not yet fully understood and is the subject of a specialist investigation, Royal Mail Group Property and Facilities Solutions (RMPFS) believe that the weather at the time was a significant contributing factor with high levels of snowfall being recorded and strong winds. The area affected by the collapse remains fenced off and managed such that it does not pose a risk to RMG employees working at the mail centre.

Current and future activity for Wolverhampton (NW Midlands) Mail Centre

• A detailed investigation into the root cause of the failure has already commenced using a specialist safety consultant (WGY Ltd) and structural engineering team (Curtins). The investigation is being led by the Royal Mail Property Risk, Compliance & Assurance team with support from WYG. Evidence is being gathered from the site, and it is anticipated that specialist forensic analysis of the canopy design and materials involved in the failure will be undertaken as part of the investigation. This investigation is expected to take around 3-4 weeks to complete due to the depth of analysis required.

• Planning is underway for the safe removal of the collapsed structure and damaged vehicles. This is being led by the Property Projects and Programmes team and consultation with the site and interested parties will take place in preparation for the commencement of this work. The principal contractor for this operation will be (Wates) who will start mobilisation on site on Thursday 8th March, ahead of the main demolition work commencing on Monday 12th March. Removal work is anticipated to take 4 weeks. Until the canopy is removed and the area made safe, work cannot proceed on the design for the repairs to the façade of the building.

• The erection of a marquee to provide temporary accommodation on site is due to commence Thursday 8th March for completion Tuesday 13th March. This work is also being led by Wates and the Property Projects and Programmes team.

Current and future activity for the rest of the estate:

• As part of the RMPFS review into the safety of these canopy roofs, they have identified similar canopy roof designs in Belfast Mail Centre, Medway Mail Centre, HWDC and Jubilee Mail Centre. Others may present themselves over the coming days. Independent surveyors have already been mobilised for Belfast and will be due on site Friday 9th March to ascertain the robustness of the canopy roof structure and its fixings. Surveyors are being mobilised for the remaining sites. The findings of these surveys will be shared with RM Property & Facilities Solutions who will liaise with the sites concerned on the findings and any remedial work required.

• Across the estate there are many canopy roofs of various designs and construction. As part of a wider programme commencing next financial year to survey the condition of the RMG estate, all these canopy roofs will be inspected and assessed for their robustness and safety. Where any concerns are identified, appropriate measures will be taken to fix or modify the canopies.

Please note that the above will take time to coordinate so as to ensure that work can proceed safely and without risk to the surveyors and RMG employees or general public. In doing so, the full support of the relevant Unit Managers has been requested, should surveys be required on their canopy roofs, such that investigations and surveys can proceed swiftly.

Further updates will follow in due course.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB146 Wolverhampton Mail Centre Loading Bay Roof Collapse – Update Report

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Royal Mail Fleet – Slip Over Seat Covers for Light Commercial Vehicles/Vans (LCVs):

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

The Health, Safety & Environment Department has been receiving a number of enquiries during the winter from Branch ASRs regarding the health and safety issues associated with LCV van seats getting soaked in bad weather, heavy rain, sleet and snow. Seat bases were soaking up rain water from wet clothing and rain ingress and this was causing obvious problems for subsequent drivers getting soaked from damp seats. Seats were becoming smelly and not fit to use in some cases and can present possible health risks. There was also premature wear and early replacement required in some cases as well as many vans being logged out of service.

Royal Mail Fleet has in response set up a contract to provide ‘slip over seat covers’ containing Kevlar for the driver seats in LCVs (light commercial vehicles). The intention is to equip all new vehicles starting with new vans delivered from May 2018 onwards. It will provide a waterproof cover to stop the seat base soaking up rain water from wet clothing and deliver extended life and performance of the OE seat cover.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB147 Royal Mail Fleet – Slip Over Seat Covers for Light Commercial VehiclesVans (LCVs)

Specification Sheet

Royal Mail New Slip Over Seat Covers

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The Future Risk: Impact of Work on Health, Safety and Wellbeing Report Published By The ‘British Safety Council’

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

The British Safety Council (BSC) have notified the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department of the publication of their new report entitled ‘The Future Risk: Impact of Work on Health, Safety and Wellbeing’, a copy of which is being circulated for the information of Branches, Health and Safety Reps and Regional Health and Safety Forums.

The Report was commissioned by the BSC from ‘Robertson Cooper’ researchers. It reviews the existing literature on this subject and makes a number of recommendations.

The Report considers and examines the latest evidence, mostly from the UK, into how work is likely to change in the future, what the probable impact will be on people’s physical and mental wellbeing and what employers, trade unions, educators and government should do now to prepare for the future.

While providing an overview of the landscape of work, the report explores the changes that employers and employees are likely to experience over the next 20 years. It focuses on the risks of these changes to the health, safety and wellbeing of the workforce.

The main themes explored by the report include the implications of “any time, any place” work. A move away from standard work practices, hours and location etc., which will challenge the relationship between employers and their workforce. The report states that we are currently seeing loyalty between employers and employees decreasing, which means that retaining healthy, high performing employees is even more important and adds that organisations of the future need to trust their employees and manage by praise and reward.

A second theme in the report is the need to build so called “resilience”. The report states that the future world of work will place new pressures and forms of stress on employees. Working alongside intelligent machines and robots, which never stop, outperform humans and are incapable of social interactions, will require an entirely different set of skills. This may strip away everything good work in a traditional social environment offers employees, such as a sense of identity and belonging, as well as social support. That’s why employers will need to introduce specialist training and wellbeing programmes to help their employees gain skills that will build their resilience and help them to cope in new circumstances. [NOTE: So called “resilience” is a controversial approach that has been invading workplaces, with a mission to “toughen up feeble workers” and shrug off the work stress and strain. The Trade Unions are not impressed with an approach like this that wants workers to be more resilient rather than workplaces more healthy].

A third theme in the report is forward-thinking education. New jobs in partially-automated, remote or less secure workplaces may require a greater variety of “soft skills”, including creativity, leadership, flexibility and social skills, as well as skills related to new technology and the ability to collaborate with intelligent machines and robots. The Report recommends that schools and training bodies should start developing such skills and this process should continue beyond the compulsory education system. Such training must teach employees how to look after themselves, as well as how to take responsibility for their own health, safety and wellbeing.

The fourth theme covered in the report is the necessity to update regulatory systems to protect modern workers. The report states that in modern workplaces, where humans will work alongside robots and companies operate across borders, the answer to the question of where ownership of risk lies, that is, who should take responsibility if something goes wrong, will be of crucial importance. As employment contracts are increasingly diffuse (people in the gig economy are often not classified as workers), companies may wish to avoid the costs of sickness absence or liability insurance. The report concludes on this that the government should look at all measures to protect the self-employed and gig economy workers.

Finally, the report concludes that there is a need to understand future risks. These fundamental changes to work and the work environment present huge risks to employers, employees, the economy and the environment. For example, the fast pace of innovation, insecurity around employment status and a drive for efficiency are putting increasing pressure on people, and can lead to stress, which people working remotely may not be able to handle, particularly if they are older. The current understanding of these risks is poor in places. The report, while identifying the risks which have particular relevance to employee health, safety and wellbeing, calls for further research into this area.

In a statement launching the report Matthew Holder, head of campaigns at the British Safety Council, said that at a time when work is rapidly changing, whether through technological innovation or types of employment, there is an urgent need to have a more strategic view on what research says about the future of work and risk, and how these two issues are related.

See attached copy of the report for your information.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB145 The Future Risk Impact of Work on Health, Safety and Wellbeing Report Published By The ‘British Safety Council’

BSC Future Risk Impact of Work on HS Report 2018

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It’s National Gate Meeting Day. Make sure you get everyone in the office together today, play this video message from DGSP Terry Pullinger and send us your photos backing the union – many members will receive their ballot papers today – Vote now and Vote YES! #PowerOfTheUnion

Dear Colleague,

VOTE YES TO THE FOUR PILLARS AND PAY AGREEMENT

This week the CWU’s National Officers completed the National Unit Reps Tour with Briefings held in the Midlands, South Wales/South West and Northern Ireland. Over the course of the last three weeks, the Tour has addressed over 2,000 local CWU Representatives to explain the Four Pillars and Pay Agreement, answer any questions and encourage the biggest possible turnout and YES vote in the forthcoming membership ballot which opens on Monday 12th March 2018 and closes on Wednesday 28th March 2018.

It is vitally important that we build on the magnificent strike vote and use the ballot to send another strong message to the employer that we support the Agreement we have campaigned hard to secure.

For every CWU Representative and Officer at all levels of the Union, the key task now is to encourage every member to vote, secure a high turnout and deliver the largest possible YES vote that will demonstrate our continued collective strength and underline our commitment to the Four Pillars and Pay Agreement.