Royal Mail Group – Latest Updated Coronavirus/Covid-19 – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Guidance Document (Version 71):

I attach for your information Version 71 of the Royal Mail Group, Managers’ Coronavirus/Covid-19 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Guidance document, issued by the business on 3 December 2020.

At the commencement of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak, Royal Mail Group established a ‘Business Pandemic Team’ which includes all national heads of department and this team meets regularly to review the situation across Royal Mail Group and to issue update Questions and Answers information communications to all managers, which is cascaded throughout the business.

The Coronavirus Guidance, Version 71 Q&A document has been shared with the Union’s Health, Safety & Environment Department and is hereby circulated for information and reference purposes for CWU Health and Safety Reps and Branch IR Reps.

The Q&A documents are circulated to all RMG managers and are also available to access through a link on the Royal Mail Group ‘Intranet’, in the ‘Managers Update Messages’ section.

Please note that changes and additions from the previous version are highlighted in ‘Yellow’.

NOTE: Please also note that these Q & A documents are ‘Royal Mail Group’ advice documents and all the contents are not agreed with the CWU.

Contents List:

1. HEALTH

1. Prevention
2. Self-isolation, testing and reporting
3. Cleaning and consumables
4. Travel
5. Support and advice
6. POLICY 

1. General guidance
2. Travel/and annual holiday
3. Caring for dependants
4. Sick pay
5. Attendance process
6. Vulnerable employees
7. POST & PARCELS 

1. General Ops advice
2. NHS testing kits
3. Operational processes and reporting changes
4. Delivering and collecting from customers
5. Fleet and vehicles
6. ADVICE FOR CUSTOMERS 

Any enquiries to this LTB or feedback on the RMG Q&A document should be directed to Dave Joyce CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer.

Attachment:

• Coronavirus Guidance Questions and Answers V71

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 588/20 – RMG – Updated Coronavirus Covid-19 – FAQs and Answers Guidance Document (Version 71)

Coronavirus Guidance Questions and Answers v71

JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN PARCELFORCE WORLDWIDE AND THE CWU ON THE

IMPACT OF BREXIT ON PARCELFORCE INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL OPERATIONS

Branches and representatives will be aware that planning activity relating to the upcoming end of the

agreed Brexit transition period, which will finish at midnight on 31st December 2020, has commenced

across RMG.

As with the rest of the business, the end of the transition period will entail operational changes to be

made to Parcelforce processes to address the revised Brexit customs arrangements. The planning

for this has however been somewhat hampered due to the ongoing EU negotiation process which

has yet to be concluded.

However, given the impending changes it was believed that it would be timely to provide an update

to employees/members on the current situation. Discussions have therefore taken place with the

business to conclude a Joint Statement that has now been endorsed by the Postal Executive, a copy

of which is attached for information.

In summary the attached outlines that PFW’s planning has focused on the upcoming changes that

they are currently aware of and limiting the impact on customers from a service and cost perspective

as far as possible.

During November PFW also introduced their own Central Customs Bureau team based at the

International Hub, taking over responsibility for high value clearances from UPS. This has resulted

in the permanent transfer of some experienced customs agents from UPS into the PFW Coventry

team. This will be invaluable in helping the PFW International operation cope with the new demands

of the customs changes coming up in 2021, as well as creating the prospect of a significant number

of new job opportunities in the New Year.

Outside of the International Hub, there will also be a number of key changes required to operational

processes within the Coventry National Hub and PFW Depots, particularly in the way that customers

will have to prepare and present their parcels and paperwork to the business. Internally these new

requirements will mean that checks at Driver level, Depot level and in the International Hub will have

to be carried out to ensure that export parcels travel through the system smoothly.

Both parties have committed to working together in relation to the upcoming Brexit changes and a

series of joint communications at functional and local level will be issued during the remaining weeks

of December to provide more detail of any changes.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary,

email: dwyatt@cwu.org quoting reference: 121.17

Yours sincerely,

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

LTB 587/20

LTB 587/20 – Attachment – Joint Statement between Parcelforce Worldwide and the CWU on the Impact of Brexit on Parcelforce International and National Operations

Membership Subscription – Retired & Retired Associate Members – from 1st January 2021

You will be aware that the CWU Rule book, at rule 11.5.2 contains the following instruction:

“The rate for retired and retired associate members shall increase on 1 January each year by the same percentage increase as the known CPI at the time.” 

This means that we have to notify this increase in advance for pension deduction purposes and write to 4,962 direct debit payers.  In order to do this, we traditionally take the decision to apply this increase in October using the current CPI rate at that time.  The current CPI rate at that time i.e.1^stOctober 2020 was announced on the 16^thSeptember 2020 and stood at 0.2%.

Currently we have 13,479 retired members.  The retired members subscription rate is £5.32 (non-political levy).  This means as follows:

Monthly income 13,479 x £5.32 = £71,708.28p

Yearly income £71,708.28p x 12 = £860,499.36p

Yearly income multiplied by 0.2% = £860,499.36/100 = £8,604.99p x 0.2 = £1,720.99p (additional annual income)

If we wrote to all direct debit payers to notify them of such an increase, as we would be required to do under the banking direct debit mandate, it would cost 4,962 x £0.80p (approx. letter and 2^nd class postage cost) = £3,969.60p.  It would cost us more to notify DD payers of the 0.2% increase than we would get in total from applying the increase.  Indeed, it would be approximately 2.3 years from the date the increase was applied before we recovered that expenditure.

In addition, whilst the monthly rate is £5.32 we have a large number of weekly paying retired members.  They pay £1.23 per week (rounded), 0.2% of £1.23p is £0.002p, in other words a fraction that cannot be added to a weekly paying subscription rate because it is below 1p.  For weekly paying retired members there is no other way of collecting the additional £0.12768p that a yearly increase would bring.  Monthly payers would be fine; they would pay the extra 1p per month.

Following discussion with the NEC and the CWU Trustees we believe these are valid reasons not to increase retired members subscriptions on 1^st January 2021 as per rule 11.5.2.  It is neither practical nor cost effective to implement this change at this time.  Therefore, from 1^st January 2021 the membership subscription rates for Retired and Retired Associate Members remains unchanged, as follows:CWU Contribution ratesWeekly ContributionsMonthly Contributions– from 1 January 2021“I” Rate £“O” Rate £“I” Rate £“O” Rate £Retired Members1.431.236.195.32Retired Associate Membersn/an/a4.813.94

The CWU NEC reserves the position to add on the 0.2% increase to any future increases that the NEC agrees.

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

LTB 586/20

Re: Extension to the current Terms of Reference between Royal Mail and The CWU on Deployment of an Electric Taxi Van from London Electric Vehicle Company

Branches will recall LTB 351/20 advising the trial of an Electric Vehicle Taxi-van from the London Electric Vehicle Company based in the Midlands. This vehicle is additional to the current number of Electric Vehicle trials initiated across a number of Delivery Offices in the UK. The growing concern around vehicle emissions, pollution and the impact on health, the environment and global warming have been increasingly evident and additional focus has recently been highlighted internationally. There are circa 290 electric vehicles in the fleet that are currently testing their capabilities, which will demonstrate the impact this will have on the grid to sustain available power.

In July of this year the department agreed to further test a vehicle that is based on the London Taxi, which has world-wide recognition for durability in urban areas and replicates the stop-start collection and delivery of the current light commercial vehicle, or LCV panel vans. The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) offered Royal Mail a vehicle ‘free of charge’ to test, which has a range extender (36 litre petrol tank) and is therefore suitable for longer routes & duties, giving a total range of 340 miles and a pure EV range of 50-70 miles. This vehicle was tested in seven sites across the UK for durability and received an overall welcome by the participants in those units with constructive comments on how best to improve the vehicle.
During the trial there were no reported incidents of breakdowns and there were no issues raised with the charging process. Drivers found the unique turning circle extremely useful as well as robust and the overall driving experience proved to be very positive. The only concerns raised by drivers during the trial was toward the limited load space and a non-adjustable seat. On those comments the LEVC have returned with an updated model with added safety related measures which include:

➢ Load space increased to 5.5m cubic capacity
➢ Adjustable seat position
➢ Automatic electronic parking break
➢ Front and rear parking sensors
➢ Autonomous Emergency Braking System for pedestrians & cyclists
➢ Forward collision warning
➢ Rear and side loading doors
➢ Flat loading floor and bulkhead
➢ Up to 830kg gross payload
➢ LED cargo light

The attached visuals provide confirmation of the vehicle to be deployed in RM livery and branded with the cruciform, as well as a reference to electric branding has now been signed off, including the safety documentation. The vehicle has also been checked for suitability of collection and delivery and will be deployed in the following sites as from Monday 7th December:

Whitechapel
Bristol
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Harehills
Hockley

All selected sites are already EV Offices with trained EV Drivers that also have charging posts installed. The deployment will again be for a limited period of 6 months in total and the department has worked closely with the National Health, Safety and Environment Officer who has confirmed the SAC1 Risk Assessments, SSoW and SWIs have been subject to consultation via the Health and Safety Department.

For any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 300, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,
Mark Baulch
CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 585/20 – Deployment of an Electric Taxi Van from London Electric Vehicle Company

Electric Taxi Van VN5 – 02.12.20

Coronavirus/Covid-19 Vaccine Update:

This is a brief update, further to LTB 558/20.

The Government announced yesterday that the UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech Coronavirus vaccine. This now paves the way for mass vaccinations in the UK which is good news.

Britain’s medicines regulator, the MHRA, say the Covid-19 jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe to be rolled out and the first doses are on their way to the UK from Belgium, with 800,000 due in the coming days. The UK has already ordered 40 million doses of the jab – enough to vaccinate 20 million people.

However, the Government has warned the public not to get “carried away with over optimism or falling into the naive belief that our struggle is over”. Whilst the nation now has a working vaccine, significant logistical challenges remain. The bulk of the rollout across the UK will be next year 2021.

The free vaccine will not be compulsory and there will be three ways of vaccinating people across the UK:

• Hospitals
• Vaccination centres
• GPs and pharmacists

Around 50 hospitals are on stand-by and vaccination centres (in venues such as conference centres or sports stadiums) are being set up now. It is thought the vaccination network could start delivering more than one million doses a week once enough doses are available.

However, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, along with other medical and scientific experts, has warned that people still need to remain vigilant and follow rules to stop the virus spreading – including hand washing, good hygiene, 2M social distancing, face masks and self-isolation. “We can’t lower our guard yet,” he concluded. The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Dr David Nabarro said the Pfizer vaccine would not replace the other measures for a number of months, even a year, so it’s important to keep doing physical distancing, mask wearing, hygiene/cleanliness and isolating ourselves when we’re sick.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 584/20 – Coronavirus Covid-19 Vaccine Update

Royal Mail Group -Mandatory Face Coverings and Masks – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (Version 3 and Addendums):

LTB No. 544/2020 reported in detail on Royal Mail Group’s decision to introduce ‘Mandatory Face Masks’ in all indoor workplaces as from Monday 9 November 2020.

A number of questions and enquiries were received by both Royal Mail Group and CWU/HQ which have been forwarded to Royal Mail Group Headquarters, National Head of Occupational Health where all the questions were collated and answered by Royal Mail Group’s Occupational Health and Legal Team experts before being produced in the attached ‘Mandatory Face Coverings And Masks – Frequently Asked Questions And Answers’ document, Version 3 dated 26 November 2020 being the latest edition. A copy is attached for the information of all Branches, Regions and Health and Safety Reps. Two additional questions received after publication have been answered separately and are also attached for your information.

After the initial flood of questions and enquiries, many of which have been dealt with directly in written responses to Representatives, the number has now abated and support for mask wearing in offices across the country is generally very high. Will all those who sent communications with either single or lists of questions please accept this LTB and attached Q&A as a reply if you haven’t received a response separately. Many of the questions received were repetitive and so these were grouped together and collated for a single response.

It is crucially important to recognise and remember that Royal Mail Group and the CWU fully agree that face coverings do not replace other important preventative measures such as increased hand hygiene, social distancing and increased cleaning; THESE MUST REMAIN IN PLACE.

It will not eliminate the risk in totality, but wearing a face covering can help workers stay safe by reducing the risk of infection significantly. This is even more important in situations where social distancing is difficult, with the onset of the flu season and where employees meet new people, such as Christmas temporary workers over the Christmas peak in crowded workplaces. The key benefits of face masks/face coverings in the workplace is to prevent the spread of the viral infection and defend the workforce from being a pandemic victim of what is an airborne illness, protecting both the wearer and the surrounding people – giving risk reduction from airborne droplet and aerosol transmission during exhalation.

Mandatory masks are one important component to a ‘five-pronged’, fully committed drive that’s now needed with both RMG and CWU in agreement. These are:

• Improving Hygiene.
• Mandatory Face Coverings.
• Social Distancing (2M).
• Regular and Improved Cleaning (premises and vehicles and touchpoints).
• ‘Workforce Testing’ (This will be separately reported. CWU, RMG and the DHSC have agreed to run a Workplace Testing Pilot within a Royal Mail Delivery Office).

An update on the development of a Coronavirus/Covid-19 vaccine will be reported in a separate LTB.

Any further questions should be sent to Nicholas Burns Royal Mail Group Safety Health and Environment Engagement Manager: Email: nicholas.burns@royalmail.com

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 583/20 – RMG – Mandatory Face Coverings and Masks – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (Version 3 and Addendums)

Face Coverings Frequently Asked Questions and Answers V3

Document1

Document2

Royal Mail Group, Message From Dr. Shaun Davis Global Director Compliance & Sustainability (02.12. 20) – ‘Covid-Secure’ Compliance & Managers’ Actions:

Attached please find, for your information a copy of the most recent communication to Royal Mail Group Managers and staff from Dr. Shaun Davis Global Director Security & Sustainability on ‘Covid-Secure’ compliance.

Summary of key important items covered:

At our request – the communication contains an “Important reminder to all managers to monitor and encourage employees to comply with Covid-19 preventative controls and all managers to continue high compliance” as follows:

• Face Masks are mandatory indoors and must be worn correctly over the nose and the mouth.
• Hands should be washed regularly, at least every two hours and more if you are about to eat or following use of the toilet facilities.
• Hand sanitiser should be used in between hand washing.
• Comply to social distancing (2M).
• Don’t attend work if unwell with Covid-19 symptoms (temperature, cough, smell & taste loss).
• Wearing a face covering does not replace good hygiene standards and social distancing, it is an additional measure.
• Managers must continue to use weekly SMATs and monthly inspections to monitor compliance to coronavirus control measures.
• Managers to ensure adequate monitoring and supervision in place and identify any shortcomings in social distancing or hygiene and act without delay.
• Managers to regularly remind staff of the ‘Covid-Secure’ rules.
• Managers to walk the floor and challenge non-compliance.
• Managers to update risk assessments.
• The cleaning of touch points is important to help reduce the risk of virus transmission.
• Regularly sanitise common touch points in the workplace.

Visors

Public Health England have updated their guidance on the use of ‘Face Visors’, which advises that a face visor or face shield may be worn in addition to a face mask but not instead of a face mask. This is because ‘Face Visors’ or shields do not adequately cover the nose and mouth.

Those with Exemptions in Royal Mail – Visors Are Better Than Nothing!

Those with an ‘exemption’ to wearing a face covering and who can/are currently wearing a face visor or face shield should continue to wear the face visor or face shield as this offers more protection than wearing nothing at all.  This is recommended and encouraged but is not mandatory for those with a legitimate exemption.

RMG ‘Free’ Flu Jab Scheme

The free flu jab offer closes on 31 December 2020. Over 8,000 RMG employees have had their free flu jab since 1 October. Lloyds has confirmed that additional vaccine supplies are in stock – members have a month to take up the offer.

Sharing Food Warning

The communication warns people not to share food in work as this presents a high risk of spreading Coronavirus/Covid-19.

First Class Support ‘Free’ Helpline

For those in distress, suffering stress or anxiety or seeking access to ‘free’ independent counselling services – Call 0800 6888 777.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 582/20 – RMG Message From Dr Shaun Davis (02.12. 20) – ‘Covid-Secure’ Compliance & Managers Actions

RMG Message From Shaun Davis Director – ‘Covid-Safe’ Compliance 02.12.20

Coronavirus/Covid-19 – Workforce Testing Pilot – Using Lateral Flow Testing

Led by the Health, Safety & Environment Department and Postal Outdoor Department, CWU/HQ has been pressing for the introduction of ‘Workforce Testing’ for Covid-19/Coronavirus as a positive, proactive way of combatting the spread and transmission of the virus in the workplace by quickly identifying those infected and getting them into self-isolation promptly, to firstly protect the individual and secondly reduce the risk of transmission of the virus, bearing in mind that many people may be infected but are either pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic and will not know they have the virus.
A positive test early in the course of the illness enables individuals to isolate themselves, reducing the chances that they will infect others and allowing them to seek treatment earlier, likely reducing disease severity and the risk of long-term disability, or death. Since it is recognised that nearly half of all Covid-19 infections are transmitted by people who are not showing any symptoms, identifying infected individuals via testing while they are pre-symptomatic, as well as those who are asymptomatic, workforce testing in Royal Mail Group, one of the UK’s largest employers, could therefore play a major role in stopping the pandemic.

A ‘tripartite’ agreement has been reached involving the CWU, Royal Mail Group and the Department of Health and Social Care for Royal Mail to be involved in a wider government initiative, running a number of pilots to test the concept of regular weekly Covid-19 testing in the workplace. The pilot, forms part of the plan to roll out mass testing technology across the country with the full support, help and assistance of the Representatives and members of the South Yorkshire Postal Branch. Sheffield City Delivery Office has been selected to run a 4-week pilot to trial ‘lateral Flow Testing’ whereby the workforce will be offered the new 30-minute rapid lateral flow tests (LFTs), which can be administered in person at the workplace.
Royal Mail HQ and CWU HQ nationally, will jointly work together to bring about the successful piloting of the lateral Flow testing of the workforce. The role and full involvement of Local managers, CWU Area and Local Representatives including H&S reps and the workforce will be vital to the successful deployment and evaluation of the testing and they will be fully involved in the pilot site and if successful in each deployment site, it will enable consistency and ongoing success.
Royal Mail and CWU will closely monitor the methods, progress and success of this important initiative, during the pilot in order to jointly understand all aspects of this initiative and to consider any process improvements. A review will take place in January 2021.

All enquiries should be directed to CWU/HQ Health, Safety & Environment Department and Postal Outdoor Department
Attached is a copy of a joint statement entitled ‘Royal Mail/CWU Joint Statement – Coronavirus/Covid-19 – Workforce Testing Pilot – Using Lateral Flow Testing – Sheffield City Delivery Office’.

Further updates will follow in due course.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 600, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours Sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Mark Baulch
Assistant Secretary Outdoor Dept

LTB 581-20 Covid-19 – Workforce Testing Pilot – Using Lateral Flow Testing – Sheffield City D.O

Joint Statement Coronavirus Covid-19 Workforce Testing Pilot Using Lateral Flow Testing

Updated Equality Factsheets & Literature

This LTB is to inform Branches that the Equality, Education & Development dept has now updated the equality factsheets & literature on the equality section of the CWU website.  Please make sure to use only these current documents in future, which can be found on the various pages of the website via this link https://www.cwu.org/my-union/help-and-support/general-equal-opportunities/

If you have in your possession any factsheets/literature that you cannot find on the website, the most likely reason is that they are obsolete and have been removed.  Therefore, please check with the dept prior to using, if you are unsure.

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

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson

Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 580/20 – Updated Equality Factsheets & Literature

Royal Mail/CWU National Delivery Traffic Measurement Processes and Review Guidelines (An Agreed Approach for Delivery Managers and CWU Representatives – Version Update 2020)

Branches will recall that LTB 336/20, dated the 26th of June 2020, set out a Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement on the National Deployment of Traffic Transformation, which set out the following joint commitment:

Work will continue to finalise the revised agreement to support the traffic challenge process as a result of Traffic Transformation, which will be covered in the National Delivery Traffic Measurement Process and Review Guidelines – An agreed approach for Delivery Managers and CWU Representatives – version update 2020. (This is a higher-level process that will support the BAU activity).

Since then talks have been ongoing with Royal Mail in order to finalise a revised traffic challenge process in line with this joint commitment, and these talks have now concluded with the attached Royal Mail/CWU National Delivery Traffic Measurement Processes And Review Guidelines (An Agreed Approach For Delivery Managers and CWU Representatives – Version Update 2020) and accompanying documentation. This updated version is designed to replace the former National Delivery Traffic Measurement Process & Review Guidelines which were issued to Branches on the 18th of November 2014 in LTB 743/14.

In setting out these revised Delivery Traffic Measurement Processes and Review Guidelines it should be noted that the bulk of the documentation and accompanying materials simply update and refresh the former guidelines/documents agreed in 2014 and referred to above, but with the following key differences:

• The revised traffic challenge process is now in two parts, the first is an initial ‘Delivery Verification (Business As Usual) Process’ which in most cases should assist local Delivery Office Managers and CWU Representatives in addressing traffic reported concerns. However, in the event this does not resolve matters, a further ‘Delivery Verification Overarching Process’ has been established and provides further higher level steps for traffic to be reviewed and investigated. It will also be necessary to guarantee that the appropriate measures are put in place to correct any discrepancies and update reported traffic figures.
• The revised traffic measurement and review guidelines for the first time, references the direct option to establish ‘interim’ local level observation/gate keeping arrangements as part of the traffic challenges process, although, it is fully noted that many Delivery Offices already have in place such ‘gate keeping’ including similar processes that have been undertaken for a number of years
• As part of the updated version, four CWU Representatives will receive appropriate Delivery Traffic Measurement training and once established, these Representatives can be called upon and assist Branches in traffic related matters and enquiries as CWU Subject Matter

These updated Delivery Traffic Measurement Processes and Review Guidelines have for many reasons taken far longer than expected to reach a conclusion. Nonetheless, it is now believed that these updated processes and guidelines, which will also be subject to review at national level will build upon the work carried out and the position achieved in 2014 and this will continue to directly assist and support Branches and Representatives in re-engaging in the challenge of inaccurate reported traffic within Delivery Offices.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 230.03, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 572/20 – Delivery Traffic Measurement Processes and Review Guidelines 30.11.20

National Delivery Traffic Measurement Process and Review Guidelines Nov 20

Delivery Traffic Reporting TMI Sept 2020

SOP IP55 Inward Primary Sort Parcels

SOP IP56 Inward Secondary Sort Parcels

SOP IP57 Inward Sort RM Tracked

SOP IP60 1 Sort Large Parcels using Gravity Conveyor

SOP IP60 2 Sort DTRE bundles using Gravity Conveyor

SOP IP64 Sort residue letters

SOP IP65 Sort residue large letters

SOP IP76 Consolidate and despatch manual letters large letters

SOP OP1.1 Traffic Recorder – PDA Login & Logout Process

SOP OP1.2 Traffic Recorder – Scanning a container

SOP OP1.3 Traffic Recorder – Abnormal Posting

SOP OP1.4 Traffic Recorder – Shift history