Month: September 2019

Update Meeting – Four Pillars – Honouring our Agreement

Update Meeting – Four Pillars – Honouring our Agreement

Further to LTB 524/19, Branches are advised that a meeting will be held on Thursday 19th September 2019 at the Indian YMCA (Mahatma Gandhi meeting room), 41 Fitzroy Square, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 6AQ, beginning at 11:00 and concluding at 15:00.

The purpose of the meeting is to update Branches and Senior Field Officials on the ongoing preparatory activity currently being carried out in relation to our dispute with Royal Mail Group.

To clarify, the following Representatives are invited to attend the meeting:

  • Postal Branch Secretaries
  • Divisional Representatives (including Technical Services)
  • Parcelforce Regional Organisers
  • Regional Secretaries

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)

19LTB536



0

Gas Safety Week 16–22 September 2019

Gas Safety Week 16–22 September 2019: 

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

The CWU is proud to again be supporting Gas Safety Week this year, 2019. The ninth annual Gas Safety Week sees organisations from across the UK working together to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances, which can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Gas Safety Week is an annual safety week to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of your gas appliances. It is coordinated by Gas Safe Register, the official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on gas.

The week aims to raise awareness amongst householders and landlords, about the importance of having their gas appliances serviced on an annual basis. 5000 organisation across the UK signed-up last year pledging to work together to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances. Unsafe gas appliances can put lives at risk from gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO2) poisoning.

This year, Gas Safety Week is addressing a whole range of gas safety matters throughout the week, from tackling illegal gas work to reminding people to avoid DIY when it comes to gas appliances and instead leave it the experts – registered engineers who are legally qualified to make sure your appliances are working safely and efficiently.

It’s vital that people make sure their gas appliances are safety checked every year, by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Anyone working on gas appliances while not being Gas Safe registered is working illegally.

Check your gas safe appliances every year
Gas appliances should be safety checked once a year and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Check your engineer is Gas Safe registered
Agents, landlords and tenants can find and check an engineer at www.gassaferegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500.

Check your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card
Make sure they are qualified for the work you need doing. You can find this information on the back of the card.

Carbon monoxide (CO) 

Carbon monoxide has no colour, smell or taste, and it can kill quickly. Help protect your family by arranging an annual gas safety check with a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer, and install an audible CO alarm.

For more info on CO visit GasSafeRegister.co.uk #GSW19

In supporting the 2019 Gas Safety Week, we are reminding Branches, Safety Reps and Members in a joint awareness campaign with RoSPA, HSE and the ‘Gas Safe Register’ to alert people to the importance of Gas Safety in the home.  In the UK, 21 million households use gas for heating, hot water and cooking. There are approximately 7,500 unregistered gas fitters actively working in the UK today with 250,000 illegal gas jobs done every year by unregistered gas fitters.

Badly-fitted and poorly-serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, explosions, fires, and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Dangerous gas work can kill and people have died and have been injured through Carbon Monoxide poisoning and other incidents. Carbon Monoxide symptoms can be mistaken for flu, food poisoning, viral infections and tiredness.  A carbon monoxide alarm costs around £15 to £20 – every home should have CO Alarms and Smoke Alarms – but they are not a substitute for regular servicing.

The ‘Gas Safe Register’ is the Government approved registration scheme for gas engineers in the UK, Isle of Man and Guernsey. There are more than 120,000 Gas Safe Registered engineers. There are more than 60,000 Gas Safe Registered businesses. All gas appliances need regular servicing and a gas safety check every year (or in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions). All landlords and housing associations are legally obliged to ensure that all gas appliances and related pipes and flues within their rental properties are checked every 12 months for safety. They must issue a copy of the certificate to the tenant within 28 days of the test and give a copy to any new tenants moving in.

Not all gas engineers can work on all gas appliances. Gas Safe Registered engineers carry an ID card that shows the type of gas work they are legally registered and qualified to do e.g. cooker, boilers, gas fires etc.

Dangerous DIY – One in three people would fit a gas appliance themselves to save money. This is extremely risky and dangerous.

If you suspect an illegal gas worker report it to Gas Safe Register:

Gas Safe Register
PO BOX 6804
Basingstoke
RG24 4NB
0800 408 5500
Website: www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk/reportillegal

‘Gas Safe Register’ also offers technical support for registered gas engineers. Call the technical helpline on 0800 408 5577, or visit the ‘Gas Safe Register’ Website at:

www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk

‘Gas Safe Register’ replaced the ‘CORGI’ gas registration scheme as of April 9, 2009. Corgi ID cards are no longer valid. You can check card ID details instantly online. Only ‘Gas Safe Register’ registered engineers can work on gas and fit, fix and service boilers, gas fires and most types of gas cookers in your home – it’s the law. Keeping the public safe from dangerous gas work is ‘Gas Safe Register’s top priority. If someone other than a ‘Gas Safe Registered’ engineer carries out gas work in your home, you are risking the safety of both yourself and your family, other residents, visitors and your property.

Simple search and identity check

Finding a Gas Safe Registered engineer is easy. You can find an engineer in your area online at the ‘Gas Safe Register’ website: www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk – or by calling the free helpline: 0800 408 5500. Every engineer on the Gas Safe Register carries an ID card with their own unique licence number. The back of the ID card lists what gas appliances your engineer is qualified to work on. The message from Gas Safe Register is clear: Before you have any gas work done in your home, make sure you ask for the ID card and check the front and back.

Gas Safe Register’s top ten tips: Great advice for Gas Safety Week 2019 

  1. Have all your gas appliances, including boilers, gas cookers and gas fires, safety checked annually.
  2. Always use a Gas Safe Registered engineer to fit, fix and check gas appliances in your home – it’s the law and will help keep you safe.
  3. Always ask to see an engineer’s Gas Safe ID card and check the back of the card to ensure they are qualified to carry out the specific type of gas work you need.
  4. To find a Gas Safe Registered engineer in your area, call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500 or go to GasSafeRegister.co.uk.
  5. Recognise the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.
  6. Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room.
  7. Buy an audible carbon monoxide alarm for your home and make sure it is located near to your gas appliances in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidance. Carbon monoxide can leak from appliances and kill.
  8. Only use gas appliances for their intended purpose e.g. don’t use a gas oven to heat a room or use a gas barbeque inside the house.
  9. Always ensure there is enough ventilation for your gas appliances to allow them to burn correctly and make sure you are not blocking any air vents that provide an air supply to the gas appliance.
  10. Anybody working with gas has to be Gas Safe Registered by law. To report someone working without registration, call Gas Safe Register on the free phone number 0800 408 5500.

Did you know?

  • Every year thousands of people across the UK are diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. It is a highly poisonous gas. You can’t see it, taste it, or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning.
  • Gas Safe Register found almost 5 million people across the UK are putting themselves at risk by employing illegal gas fitters who aren’t properly qualified. 65% of all gas jobs carried out by illegal fitters were unsafe, with 1 in 5 so dangerous they had to be disconnected immediately.
  • 3 in 4 victims of illegal gas work hired the worker following a friend’s recommendation and 1 in 4 found them through an advert, wrongly assuming they were registered. In all cases the householder did not check the credentials of the worker before the work was carried out – you should always check the official Gas Safe Register.
  • Although there is awareness that gas appliances need to be safety checked annually, 43% of Britons don’t do it, and 10% have gas appliances which have never been checked.

Further Information

Gas Safe Register
200 Cedarwood
Chineham Park
Crockford Lane
Basingstoke
Hampshire
RG24 8WD

Consumer enquiries
0800 408 5500
enquiries@gassaferegister.co.uk

Engineer enquiries
0800 408 5577
register@gassaferegister.co.uk

Attached Materials

  • Gas Safety Week Leaflet (pdf)
  • Gas Safety Poster (pdf)

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

 19LTB534 Gas Safety Week 16–22 September 2019

GasSafeWeek2019_Leaflet_A5

GasSafeWeek2019_Poster_A3

0

Dispute Daily Episode 12: General Secretary, Dave Ward tells us why it’s so important to keep the momentum

Dispute Daily Episode 12 has landed

General Secretary, Dave Ward tells us why it’s so important to keep the momentum up in this dispute #WeRiseAgain

0

Union members support bid to keep TV licences free for over-75s.

Union members support bid to keep TV licences free for over-75s.

At the TUC’s annual congress motions from unions Prospect, the GMB and the National Union of Journalists condemned the “wrong-headed and unfair” decision to scrap them.

Licence to lie.

 

WHEN unions representing nearly six million workers demand  no change to free TV licences for our over-75s, it underlines how out of touch the Tories are on this.

 

Blaming the BBC doesn’t wash when the Conservatives have broken their manifesto vow – and the whole country knows it.

 

BY

Mikey Smith Political Correspondent

 

11 SEP 2019Duration 0:51

Loaded: 77.19%

 

 

Thanks to a sneaky Tory manoeuvre to shift the benefit’s cost on to the BBC, the free licence is due to be mean-tested from next year.

That means only 1.5million OAPs who get Pension Credit will be eligible and up to 3.7million more will have to pay £154.50 for a licence or do without their TV.

The move breaks a Tory manifesto commitment to fully fund the benefit until 2022 – but PM Boris Johnson has refused to backtrack.

The Mirror is campaigning to save free licences, which the Beeb estimates would cost it £745million a year to maintain in full.

At the TUC’s annual congress yesterday in Brighton motions from unions Prospect, the GMB and the National Union of Journalists condemned the “wrong-headed and unfair” decision.

Military veteran John McDonnell, 80 (no relation to the Shadow Chancellor), said his generation had earned their free TV licences. “I was 18 when I was called up,” he said. “And I come home got married, had a daughter. In 1956 they called me up and I went to Suez in that fiasco.

“I’m saying to everybody who’s over 75 – don’t pay for it, because John McDonnell won’t be paying it!”

 

Philippa Childs, head of media union Bectu, said: “Free TV licences are a welfare benefit and should be funded by the Government.”

 

Latest UK Politics News

• 

MPs scuffle as Commons is shut down

BreGMB boss Tim Roache said: “The BBC have been backed into a corner by a vicious Tory Government.”

 

 

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson added: “It’s a disgrace that this Tory Government is breaking the promise it made to pensioners. This cruel policy will leave millions of older people poorer and more isolated.”

 

 

0

CWU DGSP Terry Pullinger moving an emergency motion at TUC Conference 19

E2 Royal Mail dispute

Congress notes the CWU announced a ballot timetable for strike action in Royal Mail on 22/8/2019 and is holding meetings around the country in the second major national dispute in two years.

In 2017, CWU members delivered an 89% yes vote on a 74% turnout, smashing the legal threshold – we believe this will happen again.

Royal Mail has replaced its senior management team and it is clear that it plans to de-recognise the union’s influence; break current agreements; reduce the vital 6-day USO and good jobs, terms and conditions; and break up this excellent public service the People’s Post.

It has unilaterally announced moves heralding the break-up of the company, starting with Parcelforce, and a new strategy for parcels that will render the core 6-day service unsustainable and leave 20,000 jobs at risk, as well as introducing operational change without agreement, which will leave thousands of jobs under threat.

It has done nothing to tackle a bullying culture that is endemic in Royal Mail, is introducing technology in a way that leaves staff being tagged like criminals and wants to move away from the legal protections agreed with the CWU in 2012 that have prevented it joining the race to the bottom with destructive asset-stripping and insecure employment models.

This dispute is the direct result of liberalisation and privatisation and Congress expresses its full solidarity with CWU members in defence of their jobs, agreements and the very future of a vital public service.

#WeRiseAgain

Mover: Communication Workers Union

Seconder: Unite

0

CWU South Central Postal Branch Simon Maxwell HP Section Secretary 

wanted to write something down about the upcoming ballot but really do not know where to start so here goes

Our beloved (cough) CEO Rico has decided to take executive action on part of our company, he has decided that Parcelforce needs now to be a LTD company to make them more self-reliant and responsible for its own budget. This is a very strange reason to do so as they have always been responsible for its own spending and profit. As part of this he has decided that even though the employer stays the same (Royal Mail Group) all the staff now must have their contracts TUPE’d (Transfer of Undertakings and Protection of employment) so does not seem bad really does it? Well yes it does because as part of being TUPE’d over after 12 months he can then go for an ETO (Economical Technical or Organisational change) in short it would not be too difficult for someone like Rico to find an excuse to enforce this. So where does that leave you? Well basically you have a new contract of employment, new terms and conditions new pay rate and overtime rate, holiday sick pay etc etc etc.

OK so now I can hear some of you saying “it’s ok it’s only Parcelforce I’m alright, and to be fair if you do not work for Parcelforce you are right, until he decides to say, “OK that worked well now lets have a look at deliveries and processing and look logistics is doing rather nicely aren’t they” and before you know it we are all LTD companies of Royal Mail Group and all have nice new contracts that leave us worse of financially than we are before. And now look what comes next, as we are all little companies owned by Royal Mail, we are ripe to sell off to the highest bidder, I am sure you will all be happy working for Amazon or Eddie Stobart and deliveries franchised off to Hermes. This would however make a small fortune for the shareholders!

All of this with no Universal Service Obligation would mean us all on lower income with worsening terms and conditions potentially no sick pay and no job security, a basic pension and no chance of earning a living wage

So, what can I do? I hear you ask, well this is what you can do, VOTE YES to support your union in the upcoming ballot. Support your union leaders by giving them a huge amount of support and bargaining ability with a maximum YES vote as close to 100% as we can

If it is necessary, I will be taking industrial action to secure my job my future and the future of all our CWU members and I ask you to do the same. We may suffer a short-term loss, but it is better than a long-term loss with no future

So, all I ask is that you support your union and vote yes on the 24th September and show Rico you are willing to stand up for your right to a future

Thank you for taking the time to read this

 

Simon Maxwell

HP Section Secretary 

CWU South Central Postal Branch

0

Dispute Daily – over 600 meetings on National Gate Meeting Day. Incredible.

Dispute Daily – over 600 meetings on National Gate Meeting Day. Incredible. Thanks everyone so much. Let’s bring this home.

Apologies for the Offices we missed out There were just so many.

#WeRiseAgain

0

UK Suicide Rates Rise by 11.8% to Highest Level Since 2002 – Office for National Statistics (ONS) Report Published

UK Suicide Rates Rise by 11.8% to Highest Level Since 2002 – Office for National Statistics (ONS) Report Published:

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have this week published data for 2018 which shows that the rate of suicides in the UK has risen sharply to its highest level since 2002 and this is the first rise in numbers since 2013. The overall increase reversed a trend of continuous decline since 2013. In 2018, a total of 6,507 suicides were registered in the UK, 686 more deaths than in 2017 when there were 5,821 deaths (11.8% increase).

The official figures show a worrying, sharp 11.8% increase which translates to 11.2 deaths from suicide per 100,000 people – up from 10.1 in 2017.

The official figures show that men account for three-quarters of the number of people who took their own lives last year with 17.2 deaths from suicide per 100,000, up from 15.5 per 100,000 in 2017.

Those men in their late 40s remain the age group with the highest suicide rate at 27.1 per 100,000.

Of particular concern is the increase in the rates of young people aged from 10 to 24 killing themselves, which saw a significant rise with the overall rate for that age group reaching a 19-year high with 730 deaths. The rate for young girls and women reached an all-time high. Young men aged 20-24 saw significant increases. The rate among 20 to 24-year-old males leaped 31% to 16.9 per 100,000, from 12.9 a year earlier. Among females aged 10 to 24, despite a low number of suicides overall, the rate rose to its highest level, 3.3 per 100,000.

Across the UK Scotland had the highest suicide rate with 16.1 deaths per 100,000 people (784 deaths), followed by Wales with 12.8 per 100,000 (349 deaths) and England the lowest with 10.3 deaths per 100,000 (5,021 deaths). The rates for Northern Ireland will be published by the ONS later this year.

Outside of Scotland, the area with the highest suicide rate for men was the north-east, with 20.4 per 100,000 taking their own lives and for women it was Wales that had the highest rate, at 6.9 per 100,000. London and the south-east had the lowest rates for both men and women.

The all-time peak in the suicide rate is was in the 1980s.

Attachments:

  • Suicides in the UK 2018 Registrations Statistics Report (ONS)
  • Suicides by Gender & Age Group Summary (ONS)

Note:

  • World Suicide Prevention Day is on 10th September 2019.
  • The Samaritans 2019 Annual Suicide Statistics Report will be published on 10th September 2019.

Members in Distress:-

In the UK the Samaritans can be contacted as follows:

Tel: 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

19LTB535 UK Suicide Rates Rise by 11.8 Per Cent to Highest Level Since 2002 – Office for National Statistics ONS Report Published

Suicides By Gender Age Group Summary – ONS

Suicides in the UK 2018 Registrations – ONS

 



0

Royal Mail Electric Vans Introduction/Deployment Update – Part of The 2019/20 Vehicle Replacement Plan

Royal Mail Electric Vans Introduction/Deployment Update – Part of The 2019/20 Vehicle Replacement Plan

LTBs 106/18 and 215/18 detailed the first 3-phase deployment of 100 Peugeot Partner L2 Electric Vans by Royal Mail Group Fleet to 17 pilot Delivery Office locations in various parts of the country.

As previously reported in LTBs 454/17 and 535/17, 106/2018, 215/2018, RMG, recognise the need to respond positively to the Government’s much-anticipated Clean Air, Environmental Plan and the need to reduce carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and diesel particulate emissions from all forms of road transport. There is a need to comply with the introduction of major city Low Emission Zones initially and then secondly prepare for the Government announced petrol and diesel engine vehicles ban due in 2040 (2032 in Scotland). This all comes amid the rising levels of pollution posing a major risk to public health. As previously reported, the UK Government is now bound to implement new measures to cut toxic air quickly after two court rulings that the current UK plans are so poor they are illegal. London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) will come into force from April 8, imposing daily tolls of £12.50 per day for affected cars and vans, and £100 for lorries. Birmingham, Derby and Newcastle are planning their own ULEZ schemes with others to follow. Since 2015, more than 60 local authorities have been ordered to tackle illegal levels of air pollution, which is why many of these are planning to introduce clean air zones. A new report from Public Health England, an arm of the Department of Health, has recommended that every council considers setting up such a zone to improve air quality.

RMG’s 2018 purchase agreement for the first 100 Peugeot Partner L2 Electric Vans represented one of the biggest single purchases of electric vehicles to be used commercially in the UK to date. This was the first batch of Light Commercial Electric Vans, introduced over 3 phases with another 193 electric vans now imminently to be introduced this year as the fleet transitions over coming years away from the internal combustion engine powered diesel and petrol vehicles. The electric vans will certainly help Royal Mail to significantly reduce the environmental impact of its delivery fleet. The technical and safety feature details of the vans, along with training details for drivers and fleet technicians was reported in earlier LTBs and further training will be provided as more electric vehicles are introduced. The new electric vehicles are part of a £90m overall investment in new vehicles in 2019/20.

 

New Electric Vehicles
Office Peugeot Partner Mercedes

E-Vito

 LDV Total Electric Vehicles
East London DO Whitechapel 6 20 26
North London DO Islington 6 12 18
Dartford DO 10 1 3 17
West London MPU

Premier Park

 32 10 42
Mount Pleasant MC/DO 0 87 87
Bexleyheath DO 6
Total 60 130 3 193
100 Electric Peugeot Partners previously entered service in 2018 adding to the 2 original trial vehicles. These were deployed at: Derby DO, Camden DO, Whitechapel DO, Bexleyheath DO, SW London DO, Hockley DO, Cardiff DO, Nottingham South DO, Belfast DO, Harehills DO, Edinburgh Dell DO, Orpington DO, Dartford MPU, Islington DO, Bristol South DO, Hythe DO, Southwark DO and WLLC MPU.  

Grand Total

Electric Vehicles

295

 

CWU ASRs will be consulted and fully involved in determining the safe installation and location of electric vehicle charging, Risk Assessments and Safe System of Work.

Other related LTBs and Reports:-

  • LTB 289/19 – Independent Committee on Climate Change (ICCC) Report Calling on UK Government To End its Contribution to Global Warming with New Target of Net Zero Emissions by 2050.
  • LTB351/19 – National Clean Air Day – Thursday, 20 June 2019.
  • LTB 436/19 – Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN) Charter & New TUCAN Guidance Published.
  • LTB 198/19 – New Royal Mail Peugeot Partner Vans with New Range of Extended Safety Features.

Attachments

  • Clean Air Zones UK Map
  • Details of UK Clean Air Zones
  • Clean Air Zones Exempt Vehicles

Electric Vehicle AVAS Safety Systems – (Acoustic Vehicle Alert Systems)

A separate LTB is being issued on AVAS systems which are noise generating safety systems which now have to be fitted to ‘silent’ electric vehicles by law.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

19LTB533 Royal Mail Electric Vans Introduction Deployment Update – Part of The 2019-20 Vehicle Replacement Plan

Clean air zones – Exempt Vehicles

Clean air zones map

Details of Clean air zones and low emission zones

 



0

Cancellation Notification: Postal Organising/Recruitment Seminar/Workshop 9th October 2019

Cancellation Notification: Postal Organising/Recruitment Seminar/Workshop 9th October 2019

Further to LTB 467/19 regarding the above, circulated on 1st August 2019.

Due to the current ongoing dispute with Royal Mail Group and the Industrial Action ballot timetable circulated in LTB 524/19, the Postal Organising/Recruitment Seminar/Workshop scheduled to take place on Wednesday 9th October 2019 in Liverpool has been cancelled.

I am sure Branches will understand the reason and logic of why the decision has been taken to cancel this event and I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause however you can be assured that this important event will be rearranged as soon as possible.

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

19LTB531



0

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

Up ↑