Royal Mail Fined Thousands for Unsafe Roadworks Offences across Somerset

Royal Mail Fined Thousands for Unsafe Roadworks Offences across Somerset

Royal Mail appeared in court last week and was handed down huge fines running into thousands of pounds for roadworks offences committed across Somerset.

This comes after the company was taken to court by Somerset County Council for breaching several safety laws while working on roads across the county.

Offences included closing a road without notice and failing to comply with safety measures.

They appeared at Taunton Magistrates Court on October 9 and pleaded guilty to several charges.

The two cases involving Royal Mail were at:-

Gulway Mead, Tatworth

Royal Mail incorrectly installed traffic management systems in breach of the safety code of practice and was fined £4,000.
Royal Mail failed to use its best endeavors to co-operate with the highways authority due to incorrect noticing of street works and was fined £4,000.

Holloway Road, Lopen

Royal Mail incorrectly installed traffic management systems in breach of safety provisions and was fined £4,000.
Royal Mail failed to comply with a direction by SCC highways authority on safety measures and was fined £6,000.
Royal Mail failed to use its best endeavors to co-operate with the highways authority and was fined £4,000.

In addition to the fines, a victim surcharge of £170 was applied to both cases and Royal Mail was made to pay £2,509.17 in costs.

Total: £24,679.17p

In a statement issued by Somerset County Council they said that the Local Authority owes it to residents and road users to take action when it is justified. These offences will have caused unnecessary disruption to the public or put safety at risk. This is not acceptable and we hope these prosecutions will send a clear message to other parties who work on the highway.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

19LTB602 Royal Mail Fined Thousands for Unsafe Roadworks Offences across Somerset

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BT Fined Thousands for Unsafe Roadworks Offences Across Somerset

BT Fined Thousands for Unsafe Roadworks Offences Across Somerset

BT appeared in court last week and was handed down huge fines running into thousands of pounds for roadworks offences committed across Somerset.

This comes after the company was taken to court by Somerset County Council for breaching several safety laws while working on roads across the county.

Offences included closing a road without notice and failing to comply with safety measures.

They appeared at Taunton Magistrates Court on October 9 and pleaded guilty to several charges.

The three cases involving BT were at:–

Hartrow Cross, Bishops Lydeard

BT installed two telegraph poles without a valid street works notice and was fined £1,600.
BT failed to co-operate with the highways authority during April 2019 it was fined £7,500.

The council says these offences meant it was unable to co-ordinate the works or attempt to minimise any impact on the road network.

Oake Road, Bradford on Tone

BT installed temporary traffic signals which did not comply with safety legislation. This posed a safety risk to both the travelling public and the site workforce. BT was fined £10,500.

Silver Street, Curry Mallet

BT closed the road without notice, despite knowing that a road closure was required seven days before. It also failed to co-operate with Somerset County Council, meaning the highways authority could not co-ordinate the works or attempt to minimise disruption. It was fined £2,500.

In addition to the fines, a victim surcharge of £170 was applied to all three cases and BT was made to pay £3,352.50 in costs.

Total: £25,622.50p

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

19LTB601 BT Fined Thousands for Unsafe Roadworks Offences Across Somerset

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National Industrial Action Ballot Results

National Industrial Action Ballot Results

Further to LTBs 591/19, 592/19 and 593/19 dated 15^th October 2019 which contained the respective ballot results. It is essential that Branches continue to publicise the National Ballot Results to all members. The results are reproduced below for ease of reference.

Royal Mail National Industrial Action Ballot Result

Number of individuals who were entitled to vote in the ballot	110,292
Number of votes cast in the ballot	83,704
Votes cast in the ballot as a % of individuals who were entitled to vote	75.9%
Number of spoilt or otherwise invalid voting papers returned	51
Number of Individuals Voting Yes	81,232	(97.1%)
Number of Individuals Voting No	2,421	(2.9%)

Parcelforce Worldwide National Industrial Action Ballot Result

Number of individuals who were entitled to vote in the ballot	4,217
Number of votes cast in the ballot	2,841
Votes cast in the ballot as a % of individuals who were entitled to vote	67.4%
Number of spoilt or otherwise invalid voting papers returned	1
Number of Individuals Voting Yes	2,697	(95.0%)
Number of Individuals Voting No	143	(5.0%)

Parcelforce Worldwide National Industrial Action Ballot Result (Separate Trading Company)

Number of individuals who were entitled to vote in the ballot	4,217
Number of votes cast in the ballot	2,928
Votes cast in the ballot as a % of individuals who were entitled to vote	69.4%
Number of spoilt or otherwise invalid voting papers returned	2
Number of Individuals Voting Yes	2,770	(94.7%)
Number of Individuals Voting No	156	(5.3%)

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

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Midlands Division Defending The 4 Pillars Agreement – October 2019

Midlands Division

Defending The 4 Pillars Agreement – October 2019

It’s a Massive 97% ‘YES’ Vote

We have recently announced the industrial action ballot resultin our dispute with Royal Mail Group. The result of the Group wide ballot is below:

Number of ballot papers issued: 110,292

Number of papers returned: 83,704

Ballot turnout: 75.9%

Number of YES votes: 81,232

Number of NO votes: 2,421

Percentage voting YES: 97.1%

This is an outstanding result. To achieve a 97.1% YES on a 75.9% turnout is nothing short of miraculous!

To put these results into context; a 75.9% turnout smashes the legal requirement of a minimum 50% turnout, it is a higher turnout than in any General Election in modern times and it beats the turnout in the 2016 Brexit Referendum.

A 97.1% YES vote is the highest YES vote achieved in any national industrial action ballot since the Trade Union Act became law. More importantly a 97.1% YES vote is the clearest possible rejection of Royal Mail’s position and future business plan.

This result has only been possible due to the fantastic loyalty of you, the members of the CWU, together with the incredible hard work of every one of the CWU’s army of Reps. A massive thanks to all of you.

What Happens Next?

The Union and Royal Mail are currently in mediation meetings, as required by our Dispute Resolution Processes. The final mediation meeting takes place this week. The CWU are not confident this will resolve the dispute.

There will then be a 3-week period where the Mediator writes his report and this is considered by Royal Mail and the CWU to determine whether this report forms the basis of resolving the dispute.

If the dispute remains unresolved then the CWU are free to give notice to Royal Mail of our intention to take strike action. The law requires that we give Royal Mail 14 days’ notice of our intentions.

This means that it will be towards the back end of November before we can legally take strike action.

The CWU remains committed to negotiating an agreement that resolves all issues in dispute, without the need to trigger the ballot. We have done it before, and we can do it again. Given the emphatic ballot result the ball is now very much in Royal Mail’s court.

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Legal Services Newsletter Legal Services for GMBand CWU members andtheir families for GMB and CWU Members and their Families September 19

Click on the link below to view and download

unionline-news-sept-2019.pdf

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Royal Mail Fleet Maintenance – Territorial Representative Elections 2019-2021

Royal Mail Fleet Maintenance – Territorial Representative Elections 2019-2021

Further to LTB552/2019. The ballot for the Central, East & Midlands Territory will take place with the following timetable:

Ballot Papers dispatched: 23rd October 2019

Ballot Closes: 8th November 2019

All enquiries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed to the PTCS Department, quoting reference 220. Email address: khay@cwu.org

Ray Ellis
Assistant Secretary

19LTB597

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CWU Union Learning Representatives Networking Event 2019 & Ken McKenzie Award

CWU Union Learning Representatives Networking Event 2019 & Ken McKenzie Award

#CWULearn19; #LearningWithoutLimits

Further to LTB 465/2019, Branches are reminded that places are still available for this year’s CWU Union Learning Representatives Networking event which will take place on the 20th & 21st November 2019 at:

The Liner Hotel, Liverpool, Lord Nelson Street, Liverpool, L3 5QB

This event will ensure that our ULRs can discharge their legally recognised responsibilities to great effect through networking with their peers and education leaders and politicians.

Over the two days, delegates will explore innovative ideas on learning and enhance their skills so that they can facilitate both new and ongoing learning opportunities in their workplaces.

This year’s theme is “Learning without Limits” and will focus heavily on distance learning resources available to all members irrespective of their workplace or duty.

There will be opportunities:

· To meet with other CWU Union Learning Representatives

· To attend facilitated workshops

· To hear from high profile guest speakers

· To learn about the latest CWU learning developments

· And to celebrate your achievements!

Programme (subject to minor change)

Wednesday 20th November, 12.50pm – 6.00pm

– Registration from 11.30am, lunch from 12.00 noon – 12.45pm

– Followed by introductions, guest speakers and workshops

– Evening buffet & entertainment

Thursday 21st November 2019, 9.00am until 1.00pm

– Main Event, Workshops and Panel Session

– (Exact programme to be confirmed)

Also, further to LTB 466/2019, Branches will be aware of the policy adopted at General Conference 2010 to present the “Ken McKenzie Award for Lifelong Learning” which is given to a Union Learning Representative (ULR) or group of ULRs who have made a significant contribution to lifelong learning.

The award is presented each year at this Event. Last year the accolade was awarded jointly to Wayne Callaghan (North Wales & Chester Combined) and Amy Jackson (North Staffordshire Postal) and as usual we received a number of high quality nominations.

There is still time to process applications for this year’s award and nominations can be made by Branches, Regional Education, Learning & Training Sub Committees or Regional Committees via letter or email to my Department.

Nominations should include a précis of the nominated ULR or group of ULRs endeavours and achievements and be sent to: Michelle Simpson, Equality, Education & Development Department, CWU, 150 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 1RX or email learn@cwu.org.

The closing date for nominations will be Monday 4th November 2019.

Conference Registration

Please note that Branches are responsible for delegates travel and authorised expenditure for this event. However, we will be providing lunch and an evening buffet on the 20th and lunch on the 21st November 2019.

Further detail – please read

Branches are asked to book a ULR delegate place by email in the first instance to learn@cwu.org with contact details including name, Branch, contact number and an email or postal address to which an application form can be sent.

Alternatively, Branches can contact Michelle Simpson (as listed below).

The form will be sent out to the individual ULR and this will need to be countersigned by the Branch Secretary. Delegates who have specific dietary needs or allergies must advise us of any requirements on the form.

To guarantee that your Branch is represented you must return your completed and signed application form to the Equality, Education & Development Department at HQ by Monday 4th November 2019.

You can book accommodation at The Liner Hotel for a cost of £67.50 per person per night. This cost also applies if you wish to stay more than one night (apart from weekends).

Please advise The Liner Hotel that you are attending the CWU ULR Networking Event using the code 1911COMMUN. Accommodation at The Liner will be on a first come-first served basis and you can book into other accommodation in Liverpool if you wish. For a list of nearby hotels, see below. Please note that the hotels listed have not been vetted by the CWU so we cannot make any recommendations.

Unfortunately, due to registration and accommodation not being linked, we will not be able to arrange substitutions for delegates. The Branch will need to contact the Equality, Education &

Development Department and the hotel directly to either notify of cancellation or replacement by another ULR from within the Branch.

This event is being supported by the CWU and the Union Learning Fund (England).

Release

This event should attract paid release for those accredited ULRs working for employers where the CWU is recognised. The event is specifically designed to meet the aims of ULR legislation and is fully supported through the Government Department for Business Innovation and Skills. The ACAS Code of Practice applies.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Michelle Simpson by telephoning 020 8971 7340 or by email to learn@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

Nearby Hotels

The Lord Nelson Hotel, Hotham Street, Liverpool, L3 5PD

Tel: 01517095161 http://www.lordnelsonhotel.uk/

Holiday Inn Liverpool – City Centre, Lime Street, Liverpool, L1 1NQ

Tel: 0151-7097090https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/liverpool/lplls/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-HI-_-GB-_-LPLLS

Liverpool Marriott Hotel City Centre, One Queen Square, Liverpool, L1 1RH

Tel: 0151 476 8000https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lpllp-liverpool-marriott-hotel-city-centre/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2

Adelphi Hotel, Ranelagh St, Liverpool, L3 5UL Tel: 0871 222 0029https://www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/the-adelphi-hotel-liverpool

Printworks Hotel, 13-15 Renshaw Street, Liverpool, L1 2SA

Tel: 0151 708 4008

http://www.printworkshotel.com/

19LTB 596 – Reminder ULR Networking Event Ken McKenzie Award 2019

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Letter Section:National Briefing Report October 2019

As you are all aware, honouring the four pillars campaign hasbeen taking place within the branch and across the whole country the branch Reps and officers Steve Clarke, Ernie Orviss, Andy Beeby and myself, with assistance from Julian Charlton, Mark Biggs and Steve Butts conducted gate meetings in every single delivery unit and SPDO across the patch. We also held 11 gate meetings at the Mail Centre to encompass the Network, Distribution, Collections, Deliveries, Print site and Processing staff. The gate meetings were well attended and very well received by all who attended them.People listened to what we had to say, and we received very positive feedback. The last meetings coincided with the opening of the National industrial action ballot. The branch sent a home post out to all members and obviously recommended a yes vote.

On the 15th of October there was a ballot announcement briefing held in London at Friends House. The branch attended the briefing which started at 13:00 and was opened by General Secretary Dave Ward who spoke about how this wasn’t just a day for a result for us as postal workers but it was about standing up for every downtrodden worker in this country and standing up to the anti–trade union laws put in place to make it as hard as possible for us to take strike action.After this was an address by Terry Pullinger, who gave a rousing speech around how proud he was of all the hard work every single rep and member has put into this campaign, he also told us that Unite (the managers union) had decided to announce they have come to an agreement over managers pay deal on the same day as we announce our ballot result he used some choice language to describe his feelings about the matter. He also gave a short update on mediation and said that in his opinion mediation was set to close this week, with a three-week period for the mediator’s report to be concluded and possibly acted upon. However, he didn’t expect any progress. Although, the ballot result may well change that, but it needed a distinct change of direction from Royal Mail.Terry made it clear that he didn’t think they would do so untilwe take strike action.

There was then a question and answer session. Many reps from all over the country voiced their opinions on the type of strike action we should be taking, and the consensus was that people didn’t want functional strikes but favoured one out all out strikes. The meeting was then adjourned for about 45 minutes.

We returned at 15:15 to a live Facebook feed, which was made available for all members to watch and this was shared on the branch Facebook and website as well as Whatsapp. At 15:30 Jane Loftus read out the ballot results. I’m very happy to report that we had a fantastic 94% and 95% Yes vote in both Parcelforce ballots and an incredible 97.1% Yes vote with a 78.4% turnout in the Royal Mail Group ballot. These were the highest YES votes recorded since the new anti-tradeunion laws were introduced.

We then had a press conference for invited journalists from the BBC, Financial Times and Morning Star to ask questions.Terry Pullinger and Dave Ward answered the questions which were mainly about strike dates and what can be done to prevent them. Terry emphasised the importance of the press coverage on this dispute and it will be interesting to see how you report it. You have the power to influence the British public and you should do so by reporting the truth in that the dispute is not about wanting more but about keeping what we have got and to stop these greedy ruthless carpet baggers, Rico Back has employed from breaking Royal Mail up for a quick profit. It’s a National disgrace that this is being allowed to happen. Terry went on to say in his summing up, this was the fight of our lives and that he would not back down. He wouldn’t give an inch, he said he will fight as hard and as long as he must, and while he’s still got a breath in his body.He will fight to defend what he thinks is right and he’ll fight to defend our futures in this industry. The briefing closed at 17:00.

The next steps will be an announcement of any strike action if Royal Mail don’t start to negotiate meaningfully. The earliest a strike can be called is for the 20th November and I believe that there will be an announcement once it has been decided by the Postal Executive.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to all of the Reps in all the units where we visited for gate meetings and a massive thanks to all the members for supporting their union and themselves and delivering a YES vote the solidarity of the members of this union never ceases to amaze me.

Here is a article from the morning star on the ballot announcement

Communication Workers Union (CWU) members in the Royal Mail Group voted by 97.1 per cent today to take strike action, with a turnout of 75.9 percent.The result is a serious blow to Royal Mail’s new boss Rico Back, whose year at the helm has already involved the company slipping off the FTSE 100 and a shareholder rebellion over his £6 million “welcome package.”He also angered workers with apparent moves to undermine the so-called Four Pillars Agreement, which was struck between the CWU and Royal Mail management in 2018.It saw the formation of four key “pillars of security” for Royal Mail workers on pensions, legal protections, job security and a push towards a 35-hour working week.Seniormanagement figures who backed the agreement have been replaced. Union members have slammed a growing culture of workplace bullying.Despite the resounding vote in favour of postal strikes, a mediation process between Royal Mail and the union will continue before any industrial action can commence.The Star understands that this is only the second national ballot by any trade union to have beaten the 50 per cent turnout threshold imposed by the Tories’ 2016 Trade Union Act.A CWU ballot in 2017 delivered an 89.1 per cent “yes” vote for a strike on a 73 per cent turnout.If strike action is declared at the end of this latest mediation process, it will be the biggest industrial action in the postal industry since 2009.That year saw CWU members walk out in protest at plans that they believed would damage job security and the quality of service.WE RISE AGAINToday’s result comes off the back of an unprecedented campaign by the CWU to get the vote out, under the hashtag #WeRiseAgain.It saw CWU members holding over 1,000 workplace meetings, and a huge effort by the union’s social media team to publicise efforts of people posting their Yes votes on Twitter and Facebook.Whenasked by the Morning Star what he would do if he was in Mr Back’s shoes, Mr Ward told the Star: “He has to make his own mind up with how he deals with this dispute.“If I was in his shoes, I’d walk out of the business today.“I would recognise that his plan for the future is not a plan that postal workers are ever going to buy into.“You cannot run a business of this nature, where you’ve got over 110,000 people out on the streets every single day of the week, right across the UK, if you’ve lost the confidence of the workforce.”CWU deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger added: “If he [Mr Back] decides to go, he’s never going to go hungry.“But this day has nailed it – his legacy now is nothing to be proud of. He’ll have nothing but bad memories with us.“We will fight in every distribution office, parcel office and processing centre every day if we have to.”Speaking outside the press conference, Labour MP Hugh Gaffney –himself a former Parcelforce worker and active CWU member before he was elected as a Labour MP in 2017 – told the Star: “That result today is for every trade union. Get behind us – this is a battle for every worker.“This is it, let’s fight. We’ve given you 97 per cent for yes. The workforce is saying enough is enough – time for change.”A spokeswoman from Royal Mail said the company was “very disappointed” with the ballot.“A ballot result for industrial action does not necessarily mean there will be industrial action. We are still in mediation with the CWU.“Under our Dispute Resolution Procedure, set out in the Agenda for Growth, we are committed to reaching a resolution.“No industrial action can be taken, and formal notification of industrial action cannot be given, before the conclusion of the Dispute Resolution Procedure.She added: “We want to reach agreement.“Industrial action – or the threat of it – is damaging for our business and undermines the trust of our customers

Luke Smith

Letter section secretary

Sub Area processing rep

Deputy Branch Secretary

Eastern no 5

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For those who haven’t seen it here is the ballot announcement

#WeRiseAgain

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Some of the media coverage of the CWU industrial action ballot result.

Please see below links to just a section of the media coverage we were able to secure yesterday. Could you share these links via social media, Email and WhatsApp.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/15/christmas-postal-strike-looms-after-royal-mail-workers-vote-for-action

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-50059531

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7575843/amp/Royal-Mail-workers-vote-favour-strike-action.html

https://speakerpolitics.co.uk/headlines/1558-royal-mail-workers-vote-overwhelmingly-for-strike-action

https://uk.reuters.com/article/royal-mail-cwu/royal-mail-union-votes-overwhelmingly-in-favour-of-strike-action-idUKL5N2705S8

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2019/10/stand-by-your-postie