Royal Mail Group Coronavirus Guidance Advice, Frequently Asked Questions and Answers and Work Time Listening and Learning Brief (Feb 2020):

This update to Branches and Regions follows LTBs 033/20, 043/20, 054/20, 063/20 and 071/20.

RMG Updated Communication:

Royal Mail Group has been closely following the guidance of Public Health England, the World Health Organisation and Chief Medical Officers amongst others, to provide the latest advice throughout the business on preventative measures and to minimise the risks to the workforce.

The latest advice is being issued via the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Business Partners and Advisors to all Office Managers and Persons in Charge (PiCs) through internal communication channels. (See attached copy of the WTLL and the Q&A documents).

Travel Advice:

Public Health England is advising that people who have travelled to the UK from (or travelled through) mainland China (excluding Wuhan or Hubei Province), Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau in the last 14 days and are experiencing cough or fever or shortness of breath, they are to stay indoors and call NHS 111, even if symptoms are mild. [In Scotland phone the GP or NHS 24 on 111 out of hours. If in Northern Ireland, call 0300 200 7885.] Employees should also inform their line manager.

In the interests of employee health, RMG is strongly recommending that employees do not travel to China and review the latest travel advice from Public Health England before any travel likely to take them to designated areas of higher risk.

Basic Hygiene

As with good winter health practice, it is important that everyone follows basic hygiene techniques. Wash hands regularly particularly after using the toilets or before eating. Regularly clean with antiseptic wipes any shared equipment such as keyboards, PDA’s and Scanners. Employees with a cold, dispose of any tissues immediately and try to cough into an elbow rather than into hands.

RMG First Class Support

RMG wish to remind all of the workforce that First Class Support is a free 24/7 confidential support helpline 0800 6888 777 providing a range of support services including health, counselling, debt and legal advice and practical help.

Anyone with concerns or questions relating to their own health and the Coronavirus should call NHS 111 or their GP for advice.

Anyone unsure about the PHE guidance for travellers, or if they have returned from an identified high risk area, should call NHS 111 or speak to their GP for reassurance of the action they need to take before returning to work and they should keep their manager fully informed.

CWU Reps can direct managers with questions or enquiries to the RMG SHE‎ Business Partner.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

20LTB080 RMG Coronavirus Guidance Advice, FAQs and Answers and WTLL Brief (Feb 2020)

Coronavirus Guidance – SHE Business Partners Questions and Answers 13.02.20

Coronavirus WTLL 2020

Royal Mail/CWU Road Safety Campaign Week – “Tyre Safety” – Monday 24 February to Friday 28 February 2020:

Introduction

Royal Mail Group has announced the first Road Safety Campaign of 2020, which will be about raising awareness of the importance, to all drivers, of correct tyre maintenance and the dangers of defective and illegal tyres whilst driving Royal Mail vehicles.  The campaign will concentrate on key messages to drivers and managers with the emphasis on how important it is for drivers to ensure that vehicles are safe to drive by checking the tyres before commencing their driving work duties.

Background

While it might sound like an elementary campaign title, first-hand evidence underlines the fact that there is still a need for basic education of a significant proportion of drivers. There may be a minority who choose to ignore road safety messages but there’s good reason to believe a far larger number would act on the advice, if they were made aware of it. This February’s Tyre Safety campaign covers routine tyre safety checks and maintenance: air pressure; condition; and tread depth. The campaign seeks to encourage drivers to check their tyres before commencing their driving duty as part of their pre-use checks and we want ASRs to help get the message out – ‘Don’t Ignore Your Tyres – Check Them’:

Things To Check:

• Air pressure: Is at the recommended setting.
• Condition: Lumps or bulges, cuts and cracks may mean the tyre may need replacing.
• Tread depth: Should be checked to ensure it is above the minimum limit.

Some Tyre Facts:

• 40% of fatal or serious RTCs are caused by defective tyres.
• In the last 9 months, Royal Mail breakdown providers removed over 1,700 illegal tyres from Royal Mail and Parcelforce vehicles.
• That doesn’t include illegal tyres removed by RMG Fleet Workshops.
• The legal limit for tyre tread is 1.6mm, or 1.0mm for 3.5t and above. Royal Mail’s policy is to change tyres at 2mm. 
• The maximum penalty for a driver caught driving with illegal tyres is a £2,500 fine and 3 penalty points per tyre. 
• In wet conditions, tyres with only 1mm of tread can take 23% further to stop, than with 2mm at 50mph.
• Driving with under or over-inflated tyres can ‘dangerously’ affect the braking distance and steering of the vehicle.

CWU ASR Activity Guide & Checklist (Attached):

By following the daily activity guide and checklist, carrying out Safety Inspections at selected Offices, and speaking to our drivers/members during w/c 24^th February ASRs can play a key role in helping to raise the profile of ‘Tyre Safety’ during Road Safety Week for our members’ benefit by helping keep Royal Mail and Parcelforce drivers safe.

During the week, which is fully supported by the CWU/HQ Health, Safety & Environment Department, CWU ASRs will be fully involved and consulted in this Road Safety Week Campaign.  CWU/ASR full support and participation is much appreciated by Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worldwide, RMSS, RMP&FS and CWU HQ.

Benefits of the Campaign:

• Improved compliance with RMG Policy and Road Traffic Law.
• Increase awareness amongst drivers and managers.
• Reduction in Road Traffic Collisions.

ASRs Should Agree With Operational Managers, Which Units Will Be Inspected And Jointly Supported During The Road Safety/Tyre Safety Campaign, And:

• Assist the Front-Line Manager in delivering the WTLL.
• Carry out additional safety inspection and spot check activities to increase awareness.
• Start carrying out tyre checks on all vehicles ahead of Road Safety Week.
• Remind drivers to carry out their safety checks before they set out on their journeys.

Engage CWU/Member Drivers:

• Use the Road Safety Campaign materials (attached) to talk to drivers about the importance of tyre safety and carrying out vehicle pre-use safety checks.
• Check that drivers have received the WTLL briefing on tyre safety (attached).
• Check drivers have seen the poster and leaflets (attached).
• Ask Drivers – Do they follow Royal Mail policy on vehicle safety checks – including tyre checks?
• Remind drivers of the Fleet Customer Helpline number: 0345 266 0005 and to select option 4for tyres.  Royal Mail Group’s tyre provider, NFS will then either direct drivers to their local workshop or NFS site.

Engage Front Line Managers And Ask them:

• What activities have they completed for the Tyre Safety campaign?
• Have they made all drivers aware of the actions they need to take?

Attachments:

• ASR ‘Tyre Safety’ Activity Guide & Checklist
• Road Safety Week/Tyre Safety Campaign Plan
• Tyre Safety Campaign Power Point Slide
• Tyre Safety WTLL For Road Safety Week(draft)
• Tyre Safety Leaflet
• Tyre Safety Poster

Thanks for your support and assistance.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

20LTB078 Royal Mail CWU Road Safety Campaign Week – Tyre Safety – Monday 24 February to Friday 28 February 2020

ROYAL MAIL LEAFLET DROP – FINAL V4 – 6th Feb

ROYAL MAIL TYRE DEPTH POSTER – FINAL V4 – 6th Feb

RS Campaign One Pager – Tyre Safety – FINAL V2

Slide for Tyre Safety – FINAL V2

Tyre Safety February 2020 ASR – FINAL V2

WTLL February Road Safety Week -Tyres – Feb 2020 V2 (MB edits)

Lots of info out today but this one is vital. A video from SDGS Tony Kearns urging branches to return updates membership lists as a matter of urgency.

This is vital.

IAmTheUnion 🙋‍♀🙋‍♂

CWU LONDON DIVISIONAL COMMITTEE

FACT CHECK ON ROYAL MAIL AND OTHER FALSE ALLEGATIONS

Over the last few weeks there has been a number of false and inaccurate statements put out by Royal Mail.
In addition, there has been a number of posts from the usual anti-union individuals on social media.
The following bulletin puts the record straight. Gives you the facts. Not the spin.

Fact 1​- Royal Mail now hires an actress to make their media announcements. The actress, on behalf of Royal Mail, claims that Royal Mail has made a 3 year pay offer to the union.
Fact check -​The fact is that there is no detail given to the CWU of any offer. Royal Mail has communicated that it is would be prepared to make a 3 year pay offer but could not fund the shorter working week. They are saying that they will continue with their intentions of imposing revisions and changes onto the workforce.

Fact 2 -​Royal Mail’s announcement also states that the company is no longer prepared to agree to a reduction in the shorter working week – the agreement that we have to reduce our hours from 38 hours to 37 hours – Royal Mail said that this would cost them £100 million.
Fact check -​This announcement confirmed that Royal Mail was now going to break the pay deal element of the Four Pillars Agreement. The only reason the CWU agreed to a 2% pay increase last April 2019 was that anything above inflation would contribute to funding the shorter working week.

Additionally, there is no way the one-hour reduction cost the business £100 million as a significant amount of that would be absorbed, apart from the part timers 2.6% pay increase.

Lastly, if the shorter working week is worth 2.6% and Royal Mail say they cannot afford it, one can only wonder what they intend to offer on pay?

Fact 3 -​Royal Mail have communicated via social media that the CWU are responsible for the fall in the share price and a new profits warning.
Fact check -​Simply not true. Between April 2018 and June 2019, the Royal Mail share price hit a high of £6.31 and was looking good for all members who had held their free shares as in the October of 2018 they would be entitled to cash them in tax free.

Ricco Back, the new CEO, then decided to issue a profit warning and virtually overnight the share price plummeted to £3.45.

The share price on 6 February had reduced to £1.70 so under Ricco’s tenure the share price had gone from £6.31 to £1.70, no wonder he wants to blame the CWU but the truth is that it happened under his watch.

Fact 4 -​Royal Mail claim that they had to push forward by Executive Action, their new strategy as it was behind with their transformation plan time line.
Fact check -​Nothing could be further from the truth.

The initiatives that Royal Mail’s strategy is dependent on are flawed.

(a) The Delivery Method trials were a complete disaster at the lightest time of the year. In Stoke Newington’s case the Delivery Office Manager had to ask the staff to cease the trial on a regular basis so as not to fail the work.
(b) AHDC (Automated Hours Data Capture) which is the computerised signing in and out attendance sheet was inconclusive as a concept and totally unacceptable, especially as they want to link it to the hours postal workers are paid.
(c) Resource Scheduler was such a disaster as a resourcing tool that Royal Mail had to demand that the software company had to resolve the issues which meant any resourcing output made no sense. The CWU believe that Resource Scheduler is still a flawed resourcing tool but once again Royal Mail has spent so much money on trying to get it to work, they simply don’t want to accept that it simply is unworkable.
(d) Royal Mail have imposed their parcel separation trial on both Swindon and Crewe. In Swindon we have seen in one case a walking post person having four large parcels taken off their walks and then to be given an extra 150 addresses to sort and deliver which added an extra 8,000 steps to the post worker’s duty. This parcel separation strategy has clearly not been well thought out.

Fact 5 -​Royal Mail claim that postal workers are not productive enough.
Fact check -​The truth is that productivity went up in Royal Mail by 2.2% in the period leading up to September 2019 and is anticipated to have improved by 1.5% for the whole of 2019/2020. This is in spite of the CWU’s embargo on agreeing revisions and letter decline.

Fact 6 -​Royal Mail claim they are up for unconditional talks.
Fact check -​However, they insist that they need to continue to impose revisions and trials on offices.

The CWU had offered Royal Mail a period of calm up to the end of February. Royal Mail turned this down and decided to take executive action. The CWU remain open to negotiations but Royal Mail must stop imposing change.

Fact 7 -​Royal Mail have claimed that the CWU is opposed to any change.
Fact check -​This is complete rubbish. No trade union has seen as much change or agreed as much change as the CWU.

This change has included the removal of the second delivery, the creation of a uni- grade, a 50% reduction in Mail Centres and RDCs, amalgamation of Delivery Offices and the ending of both the final salary and CARE pension schemes.

The CWU’s position has always been about shaping and agreeing change rather than Royal Mail imposing change.

Fact 8 -​Some of the usual suspects with an anti-union agenda have been attempting to mislead people into believing that the CWU’s use of social media would lead to the industrial action ballot being challenged.
Fact check -​Again this is completely false. The reason why the High Court and Court of Appeal awarded Royal Mail the injunction was that the CWU had tried to change the 1992 Trade Union Act.

The 1992 Trade Union Act replaced the right for industrial action ballots to be conducted in the workplace and that ballot papers had to be sent to home addresses.

The CWU will be encouraging all CWU members to vote in the industrial action ballot in the comfort of their own home where they will receive their ballot paper.

However, the use of social media to highlight where members are attending gate meetings or showing their support for the CWU is vital to show that the length and breath of the UK we are all united in opposition to Royal Mail’s attack on our terms and conditions.

Fact 9 -​Some of the usual anti-union suspects have been saying that Royal Mail just impose their changes on the workforce.
Fact check -​If it was that easy, Royal Mail would have done it before.

The simple reality is that the introducing of unagreed and unacceptable change on the workforce is unacceptable and causes tensions and quality issues.

The only way change can ever work in Royal Mail is through negotiation and an agreement.

These are the facts not the spin.

It is time to once again rise up and vote yes!

Only by voting yes will you force Royal Mail into proper negotiations over the future.

Remember, that Royal Mail is obsessed with measuring everything we do. The one thing they don’t measure or value or want to recognise, are the buckets of goodwill that they get from us.

LET’S STAND TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN!!

VOTE YES!
A statement by the London Divisional Committee

Diversity and Inclusion Forum – Thursday 16 January 2020

A Forum of Branches (including Equality Officers) took place on Thursday 16 January 2020.  BT was represented by two managers from the Diversity and Inclusion team as well as Employee Relations.

The slides (attached) and presentation dealt with BT creating a more diverse workforce reflecting the society that BT exists in.  The intention is to equip both HR and operational managers with the knowledge to deal with and create a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Part of the strategy is to conduct a declaration campaign so that the company understands in more detail how diverse the workforce is at present.  Any progress can be measured against that point.  Colleagues will note from the slides that the first pilot attempts have resulted in a low response rate, however, the company intends to try again making changes to the strategy based on the pilots.  Nationally we have offered to support the declaration campaign.

These are genuine attempts from the management group who are new to the company, but the consensus from Branches present at the forum was that they are not fully aware of the size of the task or the culture that exists in BT.

Any enquiries from Branches regarding this LTB should be referred to my office in the first instance.

Yours sincerely

Dave Jukes
Assistant Secretary

LTB 076/2020

D&I Briefing for CWU Meeting

The Comms Department have created a one-stop shop for all your dispute resource needs. If you use https://www.cwu.org/iamtheunion/

You will find graphics, posters, etc.

Everything we produce will he uploaded to this link so keep checking back. We will also add divisional / branch comms in there if you send them into us.

Please cab branches start printing and distributing the Vote Yes and Gate meeting posters as a matter of urgency.

IAmTheUnion 🙋‍♀🙋‍♂

CWU ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2020 – ONLINE REGISTRATION

The online registration is now available for Branch Secretaries to register their delegates attending the conferences that are taking place in Bournemouth.

A letter has been sent to all Branch Secretaries advising them of their delegation entitlement for each of the conferences.

Please ensure that you register the correct amount of delegates for the conferences your branch are entitled to attend. Any additions have to be registered as Observers as we are aware that Branches do bring more than their entitlement and throughout the week rotate their delegation.

For the first time observers will be allowed to participate in a Question and Answer session at the Equality Day which is being held on Monday. This makes it even more important that branches register observers and are reminded to promote a diverse delegation on this day and to maximize their attendance.

In previous years we have used barcode scanning at all conferences and intend to use it again this year. This enables HQ to obtain data required for equality monitoring purposes. Branches are asked to co-operate on the morning of each of the conferences and allow the Stewards to scan their credentials in order that the data can be collected.

Please note that all Field Officials will be registered by HQ.

Branches should be familiar with the process but if you have difficulty with your login details or passwords please do not hesitate to contacteventsregistration@cwu.org and it will be dealt with. This also applies if you need to make any changes once the applications have been submitted.

The log in website is https://conference.cwu.org  

Please note that all online registrations have to be completed byThursday 9^th April 2020 as after this date you will be unable to use the website to register.  

Any enquiries on this LTB should be directed to Angela Niven on 020 8971 7256 or email eventsregistration@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

20LTB075 – CWU Annual Conference 2020 – Online Registration

View Online

CWU Mental Health Courses (Part of The CWU Mental Health Strategy):

As a result of the ongoing development of the CWU’s Mental Health Strategy, in line with CWU Conference Policy, the Health, Safety and Environment Department and the Equality, Education & Development Department have been jointly developing a comprehensive ‘in-house’ Mental Health Training Programme for CWU Reps. We are now offering two mental health courses for our reps. Both can be organised locally by contacting Maxine Todd (Course Administrator) at mtodd@cwu.org or 01993 843373.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) – 2 Day Course

The CWU now has a cohort of tutors trained to deliver the Mental Health First Aid course across the country. This two-day course provides an in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing. It will cover practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues. Reps will learn how to identify, understand and help individuals who may be experiencing a mental health issue. It provides students with the confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress and it aims to enhance interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening. It looks at mental health, what it means and challenges some widely held misconceptions. The course considers support and sign-posting to specialised help for a wide range of common mental health issues. On completion of the course, participants will gain a certified qualification as a Mental Health First Aider. This two-day course qualifies you as a Mental Health First Aider, giving you: (See attached course description).

Mental Health Awareness – 3 Day Course

In addition to developing a better understanding of key mental health issues, this course seeks to enable students to gain a better understanding of work related mental health issues, and to develop a better understanding of Disability Discrimination Law and how it applies to people with mental health issues. On completion of the course reps will have developed practical skills for dealing with mental health related issues and produced an action plan to work with members and employers to develop a strategy for mental health issues. The course is accredited through the National Open College Network: (See attached Course Description).

Both courses can be delivered residentially or regionally. If your branch or region is interested in setting up a regional course, please contact Maxine Todd (Course Administrator) at mtodd@cwu.org or 01993 843373.

These courses are aimed specifically at CWU Reps who will be providing support to CWU members as part of their branch, regional or national structure. All applications must be authorised by the applicants’ Branch Secretary.

Yours Sincerely

Dave Joyce                                                                                  Kate Hudson
National Health Safety & Environment Officer               Head of Equality, Education & Development

20LTB074 CWU Mental Health Courses (Part of The CWU Mental Health Strategy)

Document1

Document3

Election of CWU Delegates to the TUC Equality Conferences – 2020

Further to LTB 041/20 dated 24^th January 2020, please find detailed below the results of the ballots.

TUC WOMENS  CONFERENCE

Postal

4 Lay Members Rachel DaleyBristol & District Amal81,945*ElectedClare DrummondGreater Manchester74,208*ElectedChristine GlynnSouth Central Postal61,879*ElectedTina HolmesLeicestershire46,820Kath KellyNewcastle Amal92,117*ElectedRuth MeadowsShropshire & Mid Wales40,764

Telecoms & Financial Services

3 Lay Members                                Sylvia BeckettCapital23,085*ElectedMel GorrieScotland No 127,816*ElectedGwawr JenkinsSouth Wales28,815*ElectedCathy RhodesWest Yorkshire19,124

TUC BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE

Postal

3 Lay Members Adam AlarakhiaLeicestershire81,480*ElectedGreg AmissahNorth Lancs & Cumbria51,082*ElectedAmar SoofiSouth Central Postal47,438Daniel SmithShropshire & Mid Wales29,842Ian TaylorGreater Manchester100,299*Elected

The branch analysis for the above elections are attached to this LTB.

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

20LTB073

Postal Ballot Returns

TFS Ballot Returns