Easter Saturday 11th April 2020 – Non-Service Day

To recognise and reward our members for their commendable efforts in keeping this great public service up and running under extremely difficult circumstances, the CWU believe members deserve a full weekend with their families and a break from the current daily pressure. We equally believe that the public we serve would fully understand and support such an act of appreciation.

Against that backdrop I have today written to the business (letter attached) calling for Easter Saturday to be a non-service day. Branches will be updated immediately once a response is received.

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)

20LTB185 Easter Saturday – Non-Service Day

LTB 185.20 Attachment 1

Domestic Violence/Abuse

As the coronavirus pandemic forces governments to take unprecedented steps to restrict peoples’ movements across the country, the CWU Equality, Education and Development Department have become increasingly aware of the rising number of victims of domestic/sexual violence and domestic/sexual abuse. The purpose of this LTB is to help representatives to advise and support members and to signpost them as to what information is available. 

Signs of Domestic Violence/Abuse in the Workplace

CWU representatives are reminded that there may be signs that a member is a victim of domestic violence/abuse and these may be indicative of other concerns. Although we recognise that representatives are not trained counsellors or specialists in dealing with domestic/sexual violence or abuse, often members will not feel confident in speaking to management and may prefer to involve a trade union official or utilise the expertise of our equality representatives. 

Where reps feel confident, they should facilitate a conversation with the member and identify where appropriate support is needed. During the conversation representatives may wish to ask the member indirect and open questions, to help establish a relationship with the member. Below are some examples of questions that could be used. 

How are you doing at the moment?  I have noticed recently that you are not yourself, is anything the matter? Is everything all right at home?  What support do you think might help?  What would you like to happen? How? 

If a representative has reason to believe that a member is experiencing a form of domestic violence, domestic abuse and/or sexual violence, they should refer to their employer’s domestic violence/abuse policy/guidelines in the first instance and encourage members to report it to their line manager so that they can be properly supported.

We have a very good booklet on the issue, which was produced by the Women’s Advisory Committee and can be found using the following link: https://www.cwu.org/media/9684/02838domestic-violence-booklet_2017.pdf 

If you require further assistance you can contact the Equality, Education and Development Department on equality&education@cwu.org. 

We understand that members may also need specialist support and attached is a comprehensive list of useful contacts that you may wish to signpost to members. 

PLEASE NOTE: If members are in danger and unable to talk on the phone, call 999, and then press 55. This will transfer them to the relevant police force who will assist without them having to speak.

Yours sincerely, 

Kate Hudson 
Head of Equality, Education & Development

20LTB 184 – Domestic Violence Abuse

Attachment-to-LTB-184-20-–-Domestic-Violence-Abuse (1)

COVID 19 – UPDATE

It is with great sadness we have been advised that two postal workers, Bola Omoyeni and Stefan Haluszczak, tragically died in hospital over the weekend after contracting Covid19. 

Bola worked at the National Distribution Centre in Northampton and was also a long standing CWU representative, who for many years had held a position at National level on our Race Advisory Committee.  He was a friend and colleague to many CWU reps around the country and made a great contribution to representing our members.  Bola had spent over 30 years working for Royal Mail.

Stefan was also a long standing employee of Royal Mail, who worked at the Coventry Parcels Hub.  He was very well respected in the office and had worked for the company for 8 years.

We are sure we speak on behalf of the whole of the union in sending our sincere condolences

to the family and friends of both of our colleagues who passed away. 

The union is in contact with our local Branch and Royal Mail to ascertain the full circumstances and we will be supporting our members and the Branch in dealing with the situation.

The thoughts of the whole of the CWU are with the families and friends of our two members who tragically passed away over the weekend.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward Terry Pullinger

General Secretary                                                     Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

20LTB183 COVID19 UPDATE

D2D NHS CAMPAIGN – April 2020

Dear Colleagues,

As previously advised to Branches in LTB 173/20 colleagues will be aware that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is writing to every household in the UK, enforcing the stay safe policy being ordered by government, as well as other advice.

Accordingly, we have attempted over the course of the week to establish more detail in regards to this mailing and to also document a jointly agreed set of guidelines with Royal Mail management at a National level.

Disappointingly, Royal Mail has once again chosen not to engage with the Union at a National Level in any genuine or meaningful way in order for us to provide satisfactory advice in terms exact timescales of when these items will be arriving into delivery units or the operational process for delivering them.

Given the current attitude from the Royal Mail senior management team, along with their current structures and interfaces with the National Union means that it is extremely difficult to deal with current issues in a joined up and constructive manner. It is unacceptable that at a time of National unprecedented crisis and at a time when everyone should be pulling together for National interest that Royal mail should act in this way. Particularly in regards to an important National Government posting, which contains advice that is in the public interest.

Therefore, we are issuing the following advice to our Branches and Representatives in order for them to engage in Area/local discussions with management along the following lines to establish an agreed process for dealing with the National NHS D2D drop covering the following points;

• These National NHS D2D items take precedence over all other national D2D items. (Taking account of CWU policy of suspending other commercial D2D items.)
• Essential indoor plan for the prep of items to ensure ‘warm call’ is facilitated as far as possible (which would include advance and staggered prep arrangements); noting some units perform reduced hours on Monday and Tuesday.

• Daily joint discussion in order to establish product priority along with fair and manageable workloads taking account of the current working arrangements.
• Establish how the delivery of the items can take place in units with high absence levels.
• Maintain social distancing as part of any local arrangements.
• Comply with current ‘one person, one van’ policy – with adequate replenishment solutions, including dealing with any weight on delivery issues.

As outlined above local discussions will need to take place as a matter of urgency in order to ensure compliance with the operational specification as much as possible given the measures and constraints in delivery offices that are already in place as a consequence of the current Covid-19 crisis.

In regards to the 3-day delivery specification we are of the understanding that this contract and commitment has been given to the Government on a “best endeavours” basis.

Our complete dissatisfaction continues to be made clear to the company who seem to believe that it is better to plough on regardless without the CWU, whilst continually showing disregard to our members.

Any enquires as to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, reference 230.03, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch                         

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB – D2D NHS CAMPAIGN April 2020 MB doc 2_DG_TB

Dear Colleague

ROYAL MAIL GROUP – CWU ACTIONS ON THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

On Wednesday, we issued a statement to members explaining that Royal Mail’s response to the CWU proposal to increase protection and support for our members during the Coronavirus pandemic, was completely unacceptable to the union.

The purpose of this LTB is to update Branches and members on the actions we have taken and outline further steps that we are announcing to force Royal Mail to act and change the company’s national approach to the pandemic.

To recap, the CWU proposal was designed to work with the company and the Government to get in front of the inevitable and increase protection for our members, minimise the potential for postal workers to spread the virus, whilst at the same time ensuring that Royal Mail could prioritise its operations and maintain an emergency national network to support the country and the business.

The CWU proposal takes the strongest possible position on health and safety by insisting our members should not be required to work if Personal Protective Equipment and Government and Public Health Authorities’ advice on social distancing measures are not in place. We were also pre-empting the reality of the challenges keyworkers and the whole country will face in the coming weeks as the pandemic reaches a peak. This is about linking a necessary relaxation of national service standards to enable social distancing in all offices and giving a better chance for our members to cope as sickness/self-isolation increases.

In putting the proposal forward, we are also aware that the provision of PPE and enforcement of social distancing is at different levels across our Regions and workplaces. We acknowledge that in some locations local managers are working well with the union to make prioritising the safety of our members a reality on the ground. However, this is being undermined on a daily basis by a lack of empathy and leadership from the top of Royal Mail, with the senior management team failing to act in the best interests of the workforce.

Against this background, it’s important that our members recognise that CWU representatives are doing their utmost across the country to support the workforce during these extraordinary times and we want to publically thank them for the initiatives that they are undertaking regionally and locally on behalf of our members.  This is undoubtedly having an impact and through their efforts we have seen a significant shift towards better working arrangements.
 
Since Wednesday, to increase the pressure to make the CEO and the senior management team take stronger action in line with our proposal, the union has taken the following steps:-
 
• We have written to the Secretary of State for Business, Alok Sharma, asking the Government to intervene and we are awaiting a response.
• We have written to the Minister directly responsible for Royal Mail and the Post Office, Paul Scully, and are expecting a meeting with him later today, or on Monday.
• We have also written to all MPs, enclosing our proposal and asking them to lobby the Chief Executive and the Government to take stronger action and force Royal Mail to change their national approach.  From this we know that senior Labour politicians are directly challenging the Government to take action.
• We have spoken to Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the TUC and she is taking up our case, along with problems all workers are facing, with Government Minister Michael Gove today.  
 
As well as setting out the conditions our members are working in, the above letters and actions we have taken with political leaders, make the point that the CEO has to lead by example and re-engage with the union at national level.
 
In the meantime, we can also advise that the following further steps are being taken.
 
Health and Safety
• We are issuing advice today to our members on their individual rights under the 1996 Health and Safety legislation.  This advice has been sent out in LTB 178/20 from Assistant Secretary Ray Ellis and for ease of reference is also attached again to this LTB.  This advice makes it clear that individuals have the right to refuse to work if they believe they are in serious and imminent danger.  Representatives have been encouraged to raise any such potential situation with management and to escalate the matter to a higher level within the business if it cannot be resolved.
 
• We reiterate the position we have already given to Royal Mail:-
If Personal Protective Equipment is not in place for all employees, or in any workplace, then that office should cease its operations until the equipment has been provided to all employees.  This includes gloves and hand sanitisers.

If social distancing measures are not in place, in line with the Government advice (2 meters apart), then the office should be closed until this is rectified.  Additional measures in this statement are designed to support the introduction of strict social distancing in every Royal Mail Group workplace.

• A number of individuals and offices have taken strong action locally on safety issues, which   has significantly improved PPE and social distancing.  
 
Supporting and Enforcing the CWU Proposal at Local Level
 
• We are asking all CWU representatives to make representation to managers at local, area and divisional level, in order to implement the CWU proposal and develop a menu of options that introduce our approach in local workplaces.  This is already happening and we know that there are some managers who are listening to our representatives and adjusting service standards accordingly.  Utilising our health and safety and industrial representatives in this way will eventually force the company to change their position at national level.
 
• The National Officers responsible for Delivery, Mail Centres, Distribution and Parcelforce are developing a further menu of options which will be cascaded through union structures to support the introduction of our proposal and how matters should be taken through the IR Framework.
• If by next week, there is not a consistent approach to PPE, social distancing and a supportive change (as outlined in our proposal) for giving our members full pay on sick absence/self-isolation scenarios and unreasonable positions on annual leave, the union will be launching and giving publicity to a national vote of no confidence in the CEO Rico Back.  To this end, we will be writing directly to the Chairman of the Royal Mail Group Board and his Board members, setting out our position and publicising this as an open letter to the Government, the country and the media.
• We are asking all CWU representatives to take up with their local managers and register a disagreement through the IR Framework, on the various sick leave/self-isolation/annual leave scenarios where managers are not giving our members full pay or treating them with dignity and respect.  The CWU demands on this are included in our proposal and there is evidence that some local managers support what we are asking for and under the radar have taken actions to put this in place.  Once again, this will put pressure on the CEO and senior management team to change their national approach.
• We are asking all Branch Secretaries to write to their local MPs and explain why the actions of the Chief Executive and his senior management team are unacceptable.  We will issue a template for this letter later today.  This will also focus on the need for the CEO to re-engage with the union at a national level.

Conclusion
 
We are confident that through the actions we have taken and the implementation of the next steps set out in this LTB, that we will see the company further shifting its position.
 
The union’s Executive will meet next Tuesday to review the situation and discuss any additional actions.  In the meantime, we would ask all Branches and representatives to ensure that the content of this LTB is publicised to all members and workplaces.
 
Yours sincerely

Dave Ward Terry Pullinger
GS DGSP

POST OFFICE: POLICY DECISION & CORONAVIRUS “FORUM”

Further to LTB 163/20 dated 27th March. Branches will wish to know we were holding daily calls with the Post Office with regards to the health, safety and well-being of our members during the Coronavirus crisis. However, despite the collaborate working (which resulted in the Joint Statement in relation to a change to opening hours published last Friday) there were many issues on which our members did not believe the Post Office was moving fast enough to resolve, such as the supply of much needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all sections of the business. As a reminder, with regards to opening hours, we secured a change in Crown Office opening times as follows:

Mon – Fri: 9am – 3pm (previously 9am – 5.30pm or 6pm)

Due to the similar circumstances between what was happening in the Post Office and those being experienced by our Royal Mail members, in conjunction with Dave Ward, GS and Terry Pullinger, DGS (P), the Union’s Senior Leadership made a policy decision on behalf of all of our members working across the Postal industry. We agreed to write to the CEOs of both Post Office and Royal Mail to urge them do the right thing and support and protect the well-being of our members in these extreme circumstances.

My letter to Nick Read, Post Office CEO, which is attached for your information, outlined the key components of our policy decision as follows:

• All PPE must be in place in each and every workplace (including the Supply Chain operation and vehicles) or the operation will be suspended where this isn’t happening 
• Transactions & services performed across the entire Post Office network should be reduced to absolute essential items only which support communities and the vulnerable/disadvantaged, together with the revised Royal Mail operation. The essential items should be jointly determined between Post Office and CWU

• All Post Offices should close at 1pm Monday to Friday and 12.30pm on Saturday 
• Anyone over 65 should be attending work only if they are comfortable and confident to do so 
• Employees should only have to work alternative days to enable strict social distancing and total equipment/workstation cleansing prior to each day. This means no more than three attendances per week by any person 
• Social Distancing must operate in each and every Post Office without exception. Where this is not undertaken, the service will be closed until this operation can be put in place in order to protect those providing essential Post Office services including Crew and Royal Mail Collection Drivers. 

It should be noted that PPE is belatedly starting to arrive in workplaces (in the last day or so) which includes self-assembly Perspex screens, gloves, santiser etc. This has not been received everywhere as yet; however, we are hopeful that this will be fully resolved today.

Disappointingly, Nick Read chose not to respond personally to my letter and delegated the reply to Lee Kelly, Employee Relations and Policy Director. This correspondence, which we received late on Wednesday night, is also attached.

Whilst some elements of the Post Office’s letter are clearly unsatisfactory, we were encouraged by the proposal to establish a “forum” to “further discuss and potentially reach agreement on some of the points that you have raised”.

In conjunction with our Representatives we considered our next steps including the proposal above regarding a “forum” and it was agreed by all that we should support this proposal in order to be able to influence the Post Office’s direction on any policy and strategy in relation to the Coronavirus. The first meeting (via conference call) of the forum will take place later today and further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

20LTB180 Post Office – Policy Decision & Coronavirus – Forum

Attachment 1 to LTB180

Attachment 2 to LTB180

POST OFFICE: THREE MONTH MORATORIUM ON CROWN OFFICE FRANCHISING

Branches are advised I wrote to Nick Read, CEO on 24th March to propose that during this national emergency there should be a six month moratorium on the franchising/closure of all Crown Offices. A copy of my letter is attached for information.

Today I received a response to my proposal from Tracy Marshall, Network Development Director, (attached) in which she confirms there will be no further announcements for franchising of Crowns for the next three months (no announcements were made during March). Whilst this is relatively good news in the short term, I am disappointed the Post Office hasn’t gone further than three months. This message to our members clearly indicates that franchising is still very much part of the Post Office’s future plans. This is despite the fact Crowns are proving so vitally important during this crisis.

Tracy Marshall also confirmed the three Crowns which have not yet had a date of transfer confirmed, Great Portland St, North Walsham and Stockport, will not have a final operating date announced for three months. Unfortunately, for the seven other Crowns which are towards the end of the process for franchising, the Post Office will be “continuing to work towards these transfer dates” which are expected to be later this month.

Our Representatives have been informed of this development and we will continue to monitor the situation regarding future franchising in light of the Coronavirus emergency and will make further representations to the Post Office where appropriate.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

20LTB179 Post Office – Three Month Moratorium on Crown Office Franchising

Attachment 1 

Attachment 2

Legal Rights of Employees in Unsafe Working Conditions

Since the introduction by government of measures to contain the Coronavirus epidemic the Health and Safety Department has been receiving a steady stream of enquiries from concerned members and representatives about the legal rights of employees in a situation in which they are expected to work in conditions which appear to be unsafe.

It is emphasised that the intention in advising members of their legal rights is not in any way to encourage unofficial industrial action.  It is important to emphasise that in the first instance the Safety Rep and/or IR Rep should immediately raise the issue with the relevant manager or person in charge of the building. If the problem is not immediately addressed, it should be escalated to area or equivalent level and if still not resolved should be escalated without delay to the relevant senior field official.

Royal Mail is publishing regularly updated Q&A sheets on measures which should be in place to minimise the risk of infection.  The most recent, issued yesterday, has been circulated in LTB177/20 issued today.

The key measures which must be in place are social distancing – a distance of 2m (6ft) should be maintained between individuals at all times; and facilities must be available for regular handwashing and collection and delivery staff and other staff working outside the office should be provided with hand sanitiser.

There are a small number of situations where a 2m distance cannot be maintained – for example engineers working on a fault which requires two-person attendance.  Urgent discussions have taken place with the business to identify and obtain appropriate clothing/equipment to enable the limited and specific situations to be dealt with safely.

In situations where members believe there is a failure to implement and maintain safe working conditions and this represents a “serious and imminent danger” Section 44 of the 1996 Employment Relations Act (ERA) protects employees from detriment or dismissal:

(d) in circumstances of danger which the employee reasonably believed to be serious and imminent and which they could not reasonably have been expected to avert, they left (or proposed to leave) or (while the danger persisted) refused to return to their place of work or any dangerous part of their place of work, or

(e) in circumstances of danger which the employee reasonably believed to be serious and imminent, they took (or proposed to take) appropriate steps to protect themself or other persons from the danger

In plain language, section (d) means that where an employee reasonably believes that there is a danger which is “serious and imminent” they can tell RMG that they intend to leave the workplace, or that part of the workplace where the danger exists, to actually leave if not given permission to do so or to refuse to attend for work but only for the specific health and safety reasons.

Whilst this is expressed as an individual right in the legislation, in Royal Mail where there are well established safety and industrial relations structures and procedures, mechanisms exist to quickly raise concerns with the appropriate manager and to escalate them if legitimate concerns are not fully addressed.  It is imperative that wherever possible concerns are raised with Royal Mail so that action to remove the perceived threat can be taken.

None of the actions protected under Section 44 of the ERA 1996 should be treated as industrial action.  Once again it must be emphasised that in responding to members’ enquiries in situations producing major stress and anxiety, the union is notencouraging un-balloted industrial action.  We will of course support members exercising their rights under Section 44 to do so without suffering any detriment from the employer.  The union’s primary role in the current situation is to ensure that the workplace is as safe as possible and that membership concerns are appropriately addressed by Royal Mail which has a legal obligation to adopt and apply appropriate measures to protect the safety of its workforce.

Any enquiries to this LTB should be directed to Ray Ellis (rellis@cwu.org).

Yours sincerely

Ray Ellis
Acting National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

20LTB178 Legal Rights of Employees in Unsafe Working Conditions

Coronavirus Guidance Latest Royal Mail Q&A Document

I attach for your information Version 25 of the Royal Mail Coronavirus Guidance Q&A, issued by the business late yesterday.

Any enquiries to this LTB should be directed to Ray Ellis (rellis@cwu.org).

Yours sincerely

Ray Ellis
Acting National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

20LTB177 Coronavirus Guidance latest Royal Mail Q&A Document

Coronavirus Guidance Questions and Answers v25