POST OFFICE: PRODUCT SPECIALIST: INTERIM BONUS PAYMENT

Branches are advised that following recent discussions with Post Office management, the following Joint Statement has been agreed and published in regard to an interim bonus payment for all Product Specialists:

Joint Statement – Product Specialist: Interim Bonus Payment

As a consequence of the pandemic we have been unable to set targets for Product Specialists (PS) in respect of both travel and mails. This situation is unfortunate however we were mindful that PS shouldn’t be penalised due to the circumstances and we wish to recognise your efforts. We have therefore agreed that all PS will receive an interim payment of £62.50 in lieu of the April-June quarter. This payment will be made with the July salaries.

In terms of looking forward we hope to be able to make informed decisions regarding targets for the rest of the year by September. At this point we will review performance against these targets and where appropriate top-up bonus payments will be made to individuals whose performance has been better than the target. Further discussions will take place between us to review these matters when there is greater clarity.

We hope the interim £62.50 recognition payment will be welcomed by Product Specialists.

Thank you for your hard work during these difficult times.

 Steve Blampied                                                               Andy Furey
Head of Directly Managed                                          Assistant Secretary
& WHS Branch Network                                              CWU

Obviously we recognise that our Product Specialists, especially the Travel Specialists have been working under unprecedented circumstances as the Post Office withdrew its travel insurance and bureau de change services for a number of weeks due to the pandemic. Therefore the usual targets were unable to be met and we needed to find a fair and reasonable solution for the April-June quarterly bonus payment. I am pleased we have reached an agreement for this interim resolution during these difficult times.

Finally, whilst some of our Product Specialist members may be disappointed with the amount compared to their normal bonus payments, the £62.50 should be viewed as an interim, short-term solution. Once we receive greater clarity and agree targets in September, it is hoped that retrospective calculations will facilitate top up payments to be made.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB 387/20 – Post Office – Product Specialist – Interim Bonus Payment

Revised Royal Mail Coronavirus/Covid-19 Risk Assessments Following Revised Social Distancing Government Guidance (2M to 1M)

Branches will be aware that Royal Mail issued revised guideline documents and SSOW based on revised Government advice on Friday 17th July 2020 in regard to social distancing arrangements on certain specific operational tasks within Mail Centres/RDC’s. Reports received from the field suggested that in some instances Representatives were being informed that the change represented a carte blanche reduction from 2m to 1m in relation to social distancing across all functions.

A meeting was therefore arranged this morning between the CWU Operational Departments, the CWU Health and Safety Department and the Royal Mail Senior Management Operational and Safety leads to seek clarification.

We can now advise, that following changes to Government advice in England and Northern Ireland a joint review of the current Covid-19 social distancing arrangements across all functions, was undertaken by the Royal Mail and CWU Health and Safety Departments. The review activity included input from nominated CWU Area Safety Representatives. As part of the review three areas were identified where it was established that amendments to the current arrangements could be safely made, with mitigation.

– Bullrings
– Incline Conveyors
– In Cab Training –Large Fleet >3.5T

Revised SSOW have been agreed for these tasks, which maintain the commitment to social distancing with a reduction in certain circumstances from 2m to 1m, only where appropriate and with proper mitigation. Attached for the information of Branches are the revised safety documents highlighting the specific tasks and the necessary additional measures required to facilitate the

change. Currently these changes only apply in England and Northern Ireland, as Government advice on social distancing in Scotland and Wales maintains the 2m criteria.

For the avoidance of doubt social distancing arrangements relating to all other operational tasks across all functions is unchanged and remains at 2m distance. There is currently also no change to the existing arrangement to preclude two-person operation of Car Derived Vans (CDV’s) in Delivery Units.

Local consultation should take place on any revised arrangements with sign off by both the IR and Health & Safety Representatives to ensure that all necessary measures associated to the SSOW are in place in full. Any issues that are identified should be escalated to the appropriate CWU Divisional Representative and Royal Mail Service Delivery Leader for resolution as a matter of urgency.

Royal Mail have confirmed that the business accepts the requirement to support employees through this change and that they will address individual concerns sympathetically. These arrangements will be the subject of constant review and will be revised in the case of any change to either National or local circumstances.

During the Covid period Royal Mail and the CWU have attempted to ensure that guidelines on operational arrangements have been clear, concise and issued to the field in advance of any proposed change. In particular, the progression of the arrangements for the handling of Covid-19 Test Kits has set the standard for coordinated consultation. In this case, Royal Mail have accepted that clearly this standard has not been met and assurances have been received on future consultation in relation to Covid-19 issues.

To remedy any misinformation in the field the business agreed to arrange a call today with Mail Centre/RDC managers to ensure that the advice is consistent across all sites and refers only to the specific operational tasks included in the revised SSOW.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to:

Processing/Logistics/Area Distribution:Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email:

dwyatt@cwu.org quoting reference: 014.14

Or

Deliveries: Mark Baulch, Assistant Secretary, email: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org quoting reference: 600

Or
Engineering: Carl Maden, Acting Assistant Secretary, email: khay@cwu.org quoting reference: 420

Yours sincerely,

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

Mark Baulch
Assistant Secretary

Carl Maden
Assistant Secretary

LTB 386/20
Annex A – COVID 19 Social Distancing in the Workplace – reducing to 1m (002)
Annex B – Copy of Final TBRA 2m to 1m Incline Conveyors and Bullring Operations v8.1
Annex C – SWI Three Person Incline Conveyor Operations 2m to 1m v2
Annex D – SWI Two Person Incline Conveyor Operations 2m to 1m v2
Annex E – SWI Four Person Bullring Operations 2m to 1m v2
Annex F – SWI Two Person Bullring Operations 2m to 1m v2
Annex G – Final Larger Vehicle_Sharing_Task Risk Assessment 2m to 1m v8
Annex H – SWI In-Cab Training ‘Large Vehicles’ v2

Revised Royal Mail Coronavirus/Covid-19 Risk Assessments Following Revised Social Distancing Government Guidance (2M to 1M)

Branches will be aware that Royal Mail issued revised guideline documents and SSOW based on revised Government advice on Friday 17th July 2020 in regard to social distancing arrangements on certain specific operational tasks within Mail Centres/RDC’s. Reports received from the field suggested that in some instances Representatives were being informed that the change represented a carte blanche reduction from 2m to 1m in relation to social distancing across all functions.

A meeting was therefore arranged this morning between the CWU Operational Departments, the CWU Health and Safety Department and the Royal Mail Senior Management Operational and Safety leads to seek clarification.

We can now advise, that following changes to Government advice in England and Northern Ireland a joint review of the current Covid-19 social distancing arrangements across all functions, was undertaken by the Royal Mail and CWU Health and Safety Departments. The review activity included input from nominated CWU Area Safety Representatives. As part of the review three areas were identified where it was established that amendments to the current arrangements could be safely made, with mitigation.

Bullrings

Incline Conveyors

In Cab Training –Large Fleet >3.5T

Revised SSOW have been agreed for these tasks, which maintain the commitment to social distancing with a reduction in certain circumstances from 2m to 1m, only where appropriate and with proper mitigation. Attached for the information of Branches are the revised safety documents highlighting the specific tasks and the necessary additional measures required to facilitate the change. Currently these changes only apply in England and Northern Ireland, as Government advice on social distancing in Scotland and Wales maintains the 2m criteria.

For the avoidance of doubt social distancing arrangements relating to all other operational tasks across all functions is unchanged and remains at 2m distance. There is currently also no change to the existing arrangement to preclude two-person operation of Car Derived Vans (CDV’s) in Delivery Units.

Local consultation should take place on any revised arrangements with sign off by both the IR and Health & Safety Representatives to ensure that all necessary measures associated to the SSOW are in place in full. Any issues that are identified should be escalated to the appropriate CWU Divisional Representative and Royal Mail Service Delivery Leader for resolution as a matter of urgency.

Royal Mail have confirmed that the business accepts the requirement to support employees through this change and that they will address individual concerns sympathetically. These arrangements will be the subject of constant review and will be revised in the case of any change to either National or local circumstances.

During the Covid period Royal Mail and the CWU have attempted to ensure that guidelines on operational arrangements have been clear, concise and issued to the field in advance of any proposed change. In particular, the progression of the arrangements for the handling of Covid-19 Test Kits has set the standard for coordinated consultation. In this case, Royal Mail have accepted that clearly this standard has not been met and assurances have been received on future consultation in relation to Covid-19 issues.

To remedy any misinformation in the field the business agreed to arrange a call today with Mail Centre/RDC managers to ensure that the advice is consistent across all sites and refers only to the specific operational tasks included in the revised SSOW.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to:

Davie Robertson Mark Baulch Carl Maden

CWU Officers

CWU NORTH WEST REGION ONLINE ‘WOMEN OF TODAY’ EVENT

The CWU North West Region is holding an online ‘Women of Today’ event on the 28^thJuly 2020.  We are pleased to support this initiative by the Region and request that Branches circulate this information to members encouraging participation.

The details of the event are as follows:

DATE/TIME:               Thursday 28^th July – 6pm to 7pm

Speakers: 

• Jean Sharrocks, Women’s Lead (NEC)
• Vera Kelsey, CWU Activist
• Angela Connell, Union Tutor

This is an opportunity to meet a range of women involved with the CWU who will share some of their experiences.

To register, please email cwunwreg@gmail.com

For more information, please contact Sheila Biggins, North West Women’s Lead – Email:sheilabiggins.cwuequality@gmail.com

The Region will also be holding a number of workshops for women over the next few months, please see attached programme. 

Any queries on this LTB should be directed to Equality&Education@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson

Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 385/20 – CWU North West Region Online ‘Women of Today’ Event

WoT 2020 programme

CWU Windrush Day – Competition

Further to LTBs 261/20 and 325/20, this is a brief reminder that the CWU Windrush Competition is still open and we would encourage Branches to bring the attached posters to the attention of your members, on social media platforms and mailing out directly where possible.

Windrush is a hugely important part of our history and shows the significant contribution made by many from the West Indies.  This is an opportunity to be a part of an historic CWU resource and it’s open to members and their families alike.

Any queries on this LTB should be directed to Equality&Education@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson

Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 384/20 – CWU Windrush Day Competition Reminder

Attachment 1

Attachment 2

TUC responds to announcement on return to workplaces from August

Responding to Boris Johnson’s announcement today (Friday), allowing employers to start bringing home-working staff back to the workplace from next month, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:  

“We all want to get the economy up and running as quickly as possible. Returns to workplaces must happen in a phased and safe way. 

“The government is passing the buck on this big decision to employers. Getting back to work safely requires a functioning NHS Test and Trace system. Yet progress on test and trace is still patchy, and the government is still refusing to support workers who have to self-isolate by raising statutory sick pay from just £95pw to a rate people can live on.

“A safe return to workplaces also requires much greater investment in public transport if people are to be able to commute to workplaces.

“Before reopening any workplace, every employer must complete a risk assessment, and make plans to reduce the risk to workers through enabling social distancing. They must consult their staff trade unions, and larger employers should publish the risk assessment on their website.    

“Not everyone will be able to return to workplaces full-time or immediately. People who have been advised to shield and those without enough childcare may need to work fully from home for the foreseeable future.  

“Many businesses have seen the benefits of flexible approaches to working during this pandemic. This progress must not be lost. All staff should have the right to work flexibly from their first day in the job.” 

The TUC is calling on employers to do the following before asking staff to return to the workplace:

• Complete their Covid-Secure risk assessments as required by law, in consultation with unions and their workforces
• Publish their Covid-Secure risk assessment on their website, as the government expects
• Take the actions from the risk assessment to enable safer working, such as requiring social distancing and supplying PPE if it is required
• Show flexibility and consideration for workers’ individual circumstances, including considering caring responsibilities, those who are shielding, and those who have other health conditions, including mental health  
• Allow workers who rely on public transport to have staggered start times to prevent a rush hour crush 

More information on flexible working: The TUC is calling for government to make flexible work the default and give all workers the right to work as flexibly as possible from their first day in the job. Flexible working can take lots of different forms, including the right to predictable hours, working from home, job sharing, compressed hours and term-time working.

Not a member of a union? Please click on the link below to join

https://findyourunion.tuc.org.uk/?language=cy

Banning Tyres Aged 10 Years and Older – Motion 17 (2018) – Supporting the “Tyred” Campaign – Government announces ban on old coach, bus and lorry tyres from UK roads in new measures to improve road safety through legislation due before Parliament in the autumn

Further to LTB 530/19 this is an update on the “Tyred” Campaign which the Union has been fully supporting following the carriage of Motion 17(2018).

In recent years the safety of older tyres on heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches has become a matter of increasing concern following a series of fatal accidents on UK roads.

In September 2012, a catastrophic failure of a 19-year-old tyre, fitted to the steered axle of a large coach, led to the loss of three lives. In September 2017, a truck travelling on the M5 suffered a tyre blow-out of an 18-year-old tyre and collided with oncoming traffic with five lives lost in that accident. The accident investigations in both cases concluded that the tyre failure was as a direct result of its age – both tyres were nearly 20 years old.

The ‘Tyred’ Campaign was launched in 2017 by Frances Molloy from Liverpool, the mother of a victim of the 2012 fatal crash – Michael Molloy.

This week, on 15 July 2020, Government Roads Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton announced that Tyres aged 10 years and older will be banned from lorries, buses and coaches on roads in England, Scotland and Wales in a boost to road safety.

The ban follows an extensive investigation, including research commissioned by the Department for Transport, which indicates ageing tyres suffer corrosion which could cause them to fail.

The move will make it illegal to fit tyres aged 10 years or older to the front wheels of lorries, buses and coaches, and all wheels of minibuses.

The new law will include the following measures:

• Banning tyres aged 10 years and older.
• A Requirement for tyres to have a clearly visible date of manufacture on them, ensuring older tyres are easy to spot.

The secondary legislation will be laid in the autumn and will also apply to re-treaded tyres – with the date of re-treading to be marked – making the age of the tyre clearly visible.

The Minister said that in the same way that you wouldn’t drive a car with faulty brakes, ensuring tyres are fit for purpose is crucial in making every journey safer.

Taking this step will give drivers across the country confidence their lorries, buses and coaches are truly fit for use – a safety boost for road users everywhere.

This change is in no small way the result of years of campaigning, particularly from Frances Molloy and her ‘Tyred’ campaign supported by the CWU and a number of other organisations and individuals.

Drivers, owners and operators are responsible for the safety of their vehicles. This will also now include ensuring vehicle tyres meet the new requirements. The government will also be asking DVSA to continue checking tyre age as part of their routine roadside enforcement activities and adding an additional assessment to the annual MOT test.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 382/20 – Banning Tyres Aged 10 Years and Older – Motion 17 (2018) – Supporting the Tyred Campaign

Royal Mail & CWU National Terms of Reference on the trial of a Vehicle Check App

To comply with the ‘O’ Licence maintenance obligations (that affect all vehicles and not just those ‘O’ Licensed), Royal Mail has committed to maintain its vehicle fleet to a standard agreed with the Department of Transport. In addition, the duty of care to our members and other road users and members of the public, as well as the Health & Safety at Work Act, means that Royal Mail must ensure all drivers are aware of their responsibilities. To maintain vehicles in a roadworthy condition, it is the legal responsibility of every driver to carry out basic safety and maintenance checks every time a vehicle is used.

Branches will therefore recall that drivers working in Royal Mail Operations must undertake different levels of safety checks at different times. Checks when a vehicle is first used (daily or first use check), at the start of another duty (duty check), and weekly ones which all vary slightly, and drivers must understand which is to be done and when. Managers must also carry out periodic checks of their own to make sure vehicles are safe. Branches will further note that Royal Mail will ensure that sufficient time is included in all P318/ Driving Duty Schedules to allow drivers to perform each of the pre-use safety checks on their vehicles. It is a legal requirement that each new driver completes some form of roadworthiness check before taking a vehicle onto the road.

Royal Mail have recently approached the Outdoor Department to discuss how best to improve compliance of drivers around the legal requirement as mentioned above. An obvious concept is to complete these checks via an App on the PDA which will record each check electronically. Royal Mail are of the opinion that Under the Bonnet checks, as contained in the First Use Check, need only be completed on a weekly basis. Such checks will now preclude all fluid levels such as sufficient levels of oil including screen wash. The Department feel that such a move could potentially result in the status of the vehicle being in breach of the Ministry standards if there is insufficient water in your screen wash bottle which is enough to cause an MOT failure.

In order to compare both compliance and the effectiveness of the checks, the Department has agreed that from w/c 20th July roll out of this capability will proceed to 13 sites to test the App using the refreshed checks built into the App for a 4-week period. The trial will test both checks (6 units & 7 units) in order to ensure a like-for-like evaluation can be performed within the units, fully taking into account the roads, local factors and weather conditions etc. There will also be a shared list of vehicles identified in advance of the trial in order to ensure which vehicles are involved and on which checks, so this aspect can be monitored.

A suite of documents have been constructed alongside new training material that provides a step by step approach to the new process which must be completed by all drivers. Royal Mail will provide the necessary support, information and training for drivers on vehicle pre-use safety checks, as well as the PMT1 Fault Reporting procedure. All training will be recorded in a driver’s individual record, and if individuals feel that they have not been adequately trained, they should identify this and speak to their manager.

The Union and Royal Mail fully support the use of an App for the vehicle check process and recognise that we need to jointly improve compliance to the actual checks and ensure that this is done in a supportive way. The times associated to complete such checks will remain as listed in the Drivers’ Manual and will not impact upon the trial activity.

Any queries in relation to the content of the above should be directed to the Outdoor Department quoting reference 300, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 381/20 – Royal Mail & CWU National Terms of Reference on the trial of a Vehicle Check App
LTB 381/20 – ATTACHMENT

Latest Royal Mail Group Coronavirus Covid-19 Guidance/Q&A Document (Version 49)

I attach for your information Version 49 of the Royal Mail Group Coronavirus Covid-19 Guidance – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers document, issued by the business on Monday 13 July 2020.

The Health, Safety & Environment Department continues in dialogue with the Royal Mail Group Safety Health & Environment Team to raise additions and amendments to the Q&A document.

Any enquiries to this LTB should be directed to Dave Joyce National Health, Safety & Environment Officer.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 380/20 – Latest Royal Mail Group Coronavirus Covid-19 Guidance Q&A Document (Version 49)

Coronavirus Guidance Questions and Answers v49