ROYAL MAIL PROPERTY & FACILITIES SOLUTIONS LTD – PRODUCTIVITY HOURS

ROYAL MAIL PROPERTY & FACILITIES SOLUTIONS LTD – PRODUCTIVITY HOURS

Dear Colleagues,

Background

Branches will be aware that an agreement was reached in 2014 that introduced a productivity scheme for our RMPFS (then known as Romec) cleaner members. The agreement also agreed new median rate cleaning standards across the RM estate and re-measuring took place at all Royal Mail buildings that our Cleaner Members worked at. This exercise threw up a list of hourage totals across the estate that new duties were to be built around. It also included a process of buy down and VR opportunities for our members in sites where there were surplus hours to requirements.

As the excess hours process was voluntary, and there were protections in place regarding unreasonable relocation distances, a large number of hours still remain in the system some five years on. This has resulted in RMPFS approaching the Outdoor Department with a view to revisiting that agreement and updating the processes within it.

Agreement

Please find attached the revised agreement and processes for attempting to deal with the circa 5000 surplus hours within the cleaning operation, following the exercise in 2014 and subsequent re-measurement of the estate in 2017, and also following agreement with the CWU on bringing the company back under the Royal Mail Group. Colleagues will also recall that the Productivity Bonus Scheme for Cleaners was also wound up in 2016, once again as a result of a pay agreement with the CWU.

The revised agreement ensures the following:

• A non-binding preference exercise will commence following ratification of this agreement and indication from our members that they require a quotation
• Any buy down of hours will be completely voluntary and subject to the terms of the MSF Agreement in RMPFS
• Any VR offers will once again be totally voluntary, no-one will be asked more than once
• Full CWU involvement through local and Area Postal Reps and Regional CWU RMPFS Reps
• A transparent detailed process is outlined in the appendices to this agreement
• A deployment programme
• Full visibility of hours for each site
• Both parties acknowledge that the deployment of this agreement may uncover issues not envisaged at present. Accordingly the agreement will be reviewed within 3 months of deployment or at the explicit request of the CWU Assistant Secretary – Outdoor or the appropriate National PFS Ltd Director

Branches are reminded that this is a totally voluntary exercise and no PFS Cleaner members should be put under any pressure whatsoever to accept the offer of buy down or VR, once they have declined. Any instances of this nature should be brought to the attention of the Outdoor Department or Mick Kavanagh, PE Member without delay.

Any queries to the content of the above, please contact the Outdoor Department, reference 120.12, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch
CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 220.19 – RMPFSL – Productivity Hours

RMPFS_ CWU Cleaning Productivity Agreement 2014 (Reviewed 2019)

Appendix 1 Cost Efficiency Briefing Document V3

Appendix 2 Deployment Plan

Appendix 3 Cost Efficiency – Reductions

Appendix 4 2019 Employee Preference Form