Update Of The Lifting Of Covid-19 Lockdown Restrictions In Wales Regarding Shared Vans, Face Coverings And Social Distancing

Branches will be aware that LTB 327/21 provided an update in respect of the lifting of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in RMG.  At the time of issue, an announcement was still to be made in relation to arrangements for Wales.

That announcement has now been made and the attached RMG communication provides an update in respect of the following:

The position in Wales has now been confirmed by the Welsh First Minister as follows, effective from 7th August 2021.

In line with the approach used in England and Scotland, the legal lockdown restrictions, regarding social distancing have been lifted enabling a return to permitted shared vans in RMG Wales .

• Therefore, fully in line with the terms of the RMG/CWU Joint Statement of 20 July, Royal Mail Group and the CWU will adopt a gradual approach to the return to shared vans and LGVs, Managers in full consultation with CWU Area and Workplace Safety Reps, Delivery Reps and Distribution Reps, ensuring safe working instructions are applied and further infections are minimised. Both Managers and CWU Reps should commence discussions on Wednesday 11 August, based on the joint statement with a gradual re-introduction of shared vans and LGVs, dealing with any practical, operational and safety issues plus recognising any individual circumstances. Special consideration should be given to any Covid-19 high impact Offices. 
• Face coverings remain mandatory in Royal Mail Group in Wales. 

All changes will be undertaken in line with the principles contained in the Joint Statement issued via LTB 301/21, which ensures that a correct and supportive approach is adopted in all workplaces, which includes an agreed process for all the safety, operational, and individuals’ concerns and issues are being dealt with and resolved. Royal Mail Group and the CWU will adopt a gradual approach which aims to ensure that this will minimise further infections of the virus and any harm to the health of the workforce – maintaining our joint ‘safety first’ philosophy.

Both parties will continue to meet weekly at National level and review the measures outlined above in order to monitor arrangements.  This will include the monitoring of any local trends and increases in the spread of the virus and seeking to resolve any operational or individual issues that may be raised by either party.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact:

Deliveries/Collections: Outdoor Department reference 600, email address: njones@cwu.org

Processing/Distribution/Parcelforce: Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary email: dwyatt@cwu.org, ref: 014.14

Yours sincerely  

Mark Baulch
CWU Assistant Secretary                   

Davie Robertson
CWU Assistant Secretary

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Health, Safety & Environment Dept.

LTB 329/21

Joint Comms – Lifting of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in Wales – 10 Aug 2021

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Pension Salary Exchange Guidelines

Branches will recall the introduction of Pension Salary Exchange (PSE) at the start of August 2015, which was supported by the CWU.  It continues to cause confusion in the field with many enquiries still being received by the Department since its introduction.  The following guidelines are reproduced to assist Branches and members in understanding how PSE works and the potential advantages of taking part in it.  PSE introduced a way for eligible employees, who pay National Insurance Contributions (NICs), to increase the amount of money they take home each week or month without changing their pensionable pay, the overall level of contributions made to their pension or the RM benefits they receive.  By changing the way pension contributions are made, eligible employees who are enrolled into PSE can make a saving on their NICs.  This resulted in an increase in take-home pay, also known as net pay, equal to the NICs that would otherwise have been made on your pension contribution, with RM also paying a lower level of NIC.

If you are a member of the Royal Mail Pension Plan (RMPP) or the Royal Mail Defined Contribution Plan (RMDCP) you would have been automatically enrolled to take part in PSE from the launch date.  However, it is important to note that the following conditions should be clearly understood when claiming PSE, which must also meet certain thresholds.

Two checks are performed each time payroll is run to determine whether or not members of a Royal Mail pension plan are eligible to participate in PSE. The first confirms that the individual’s pay has not fallen below the participation threshold of £10,000 per annum (approx. £192 per week) and the second check confirms that the National Minimum Wage (NMW) threshold has been met.

The NMW rates from April 2021 are shown below:Age 23 & above£8.91Age 21 to 22£8.36Age 18 to 20£6.56Under 18£4.62Apprentice£4.30

Due to the rules of NMW, this check is carried out on pay that relates to the specific pay period only i.e. weekly or monthly. For someone receiving overtime, the check is calculated based on when the overtime was worked – not when it is paid.  Therefore, any overtime that is paid in the current week, which was worked in a previous week, is not included in the NMW check for PSE for the current week.  Instead, a reassessment of the week during which that the overtime was worked will also be carried out to check that the new overtime does not affect the check completed in the week it was worked, for example:

 Week 1 – employee does not receive overtime payment, employee works overtime.

Week 2 – employee receives payment for overtime worked during Week 1.

• In Week 1 the NMW check is carried out based on the earnings received that week;
• In Week 2 the NMW check (for Week 2) does not include the overtime (as this was worked in Week 1);
• A reassessment of Week 1 is also carried out to now include the overtime worked in Week 1;
• If the reassessment for Week 1, completed in Week 2, shows paying via PSE would breach NMW, the pension amount from Week 1 will be refunded as PSE and deducted as a net deduction instead;
• Assuming the check for Week 1 in Week 2 shows that paying via PSE would not breach NMW, two amounts will appear on the payslip under PSE on the Payments side (the normal deduction for Week 2 and the refund that relates to Week 1 reassessment) and an amount as non-PSE on the Deductions

Pay for NMW and Threshold check = pay relating to that period only, for example:Weekly Basic Pay£453.50RRIS Area 3£20.00Delivery Supplement£16.14Delivery Supplement£10.20£499.84

Hours:Basic38.00hrsOvertime2.17hrs40.17hrs

NMW Check = £8.91/hr

Pay divided by Hours = £12.44 above NMW.

PSE Threshold Check = £192/wk.

If pay for this period is less than £192/wk, less pension deductions, then this will not meet the threshold.Pay£499.84Normal Pension Contribution£28.40AVC£690.00Below Threshold Check-£218.56

 NB– the pension contribution amounts are unaffected by this and the right amount is paid into the pension pot.  It can be confusing when overtime is worked every week as due to the above check an employee could see this type of adjustment regularly.

 Not all the overtime is pensionable – only the Single Standard Pay Rate (SSPR) element is pensionable for RMDCP and RMPP Pensions.  For the P&FS DC Plan, overtime is excluded altogether.

 Participation Threshold Check

 The participation threshold is £192.00 for weekly and £833.00 for monthly pay.  This checks that after pension and Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) have been deducted from the pay received, the amount does not fall below the threshold.  If it does, the pension and AVC will be deducted as net deductions and not PSE.

Commonly, when a member increases the amount of an AVC to a high amount, this will cause the net pay amount to fall below the threshold.  Therefore, the Pension contributions will fail the check and not qualify for PSE in that week.  In the following week, if this is recalculated due to overtime being paid, the employee now does not fail the check, a refund of the original non-PSE deductions is made under the Deductions side of payslip (it shows as a negative amount) and a positive arrears amount as PSE on the Payments side.

Members are encouraged to click on the following link (please ensure you press Ctrl while clicking on it) for further information on the Royal Mail guide to Pension Salary Exchange:

https://www.myroyalmail.com/sites/default/files/document_library/PSE%20brochure_a4%20WEB.pdf

Members are also reminded they can access the Royal Mail Media Library (by pressing Ctrl whilst clicking on the link below) where there are a number of video animations which provide short ‘explainers’ about how the RMPP works and how to understand the annual benefit statement for employees.

https://www.royalmailpensionplan.co.uk/section-ab/media-library

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)

LTB 328/21

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Royal Mail/CWU National Joint Statement Covid-19 Pandemic – Next Steps in Easing Lockdown Restrictions in Royal Mail Group and Re-Introduction of Shared Vans and Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) – Update

Branches will be aware that LTB 301/21 Royal Mail/CWU National Joint Statement/Covid-19 Pandemic – Next Steps in Easing Lockdown Restrictions in Royal Mail Group and Re-Introduction of Shared Vans and Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) provided information in respect of the changes associated to the easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. 

At the time of issue the Joint Statement highlighted the following and that measures in some of the devolved nations were still to be announced:

The return to Shared Vans and LGVs will therefore commence from (taking account of any individual and operational issues which must be jointly resolved in each unit beforehand) as follows: 

o England w/c 19th July 2021. 

o Northern Ireland w/c 26th July 2021 (subject to final confirmation on the 22nd July 2021). 

o Wales 7th August 2021 (subject to final confirmation). 

o Scotland 9th August 2021. 

The attached Royal Mail Communication now provides an update in respect of the following:

Scotland

The position in Scotland has now been confirmed by the Scottish First Minister as follows, effective from 9 August 2021:

•In line with the approach used in England, the legal lockdown restrictions, regarding social distancing have been lifted enabling a return to permitted shared vans in RMG Scotland. 

•Therefore, fully in line with the terms of the RMG/CWU Joint Statement of 20 July, Royal Mail Group and the CWU will adopt a gradual approach to the return to shared vans and LGVs, Managers in full consultation with CWU Area and Workplace Safety Reps, Delivery Reps and Distribution Reps, ensuring safe working instructions are applied and further infections are minimised. Both Managers and CWU Reps should commence discussions on Monday 9 August, based on the Joint Statement with a gradual re-introduction of shared vans and LGVs, dealing with any practical, operational and safety issues plus recognising any individual circumstances. Special consideration should be given to any Covid-19 high impact Offices.

•Face coverings remain mandatory in Royal Mail Group in Scotland. 

Wales

•The situation in Wales is to be announced by the Welsh First Minister on 6 August. Whilst RMG await final confirmation of lockdown restriction changes for Wales, which are now expected to be effective from Saturday 7 August 2021, there remains no change. Therefore there is no return to shared vans plus mandatory masks and social distancing remains in place. RMG will await the outcome of the Welsh Government. 

Northern Ireland

•Social distancing restrictions remain in place in Royal Mail Group in Northern Ireland. 

•Facemasks remain mandatory in Royal Mail Group in Northern Ireland. 

•There will not be a return to shared vans in Royal Mail Group in Northern Ireland currently and we await further updates from the Northern Ireland administration. 

•Royal Mail Group in consultation with the CWU and Unite will review this again on 12 August 2021 in line with the next Northern Ireland Government review. 

All changes will be undertaken in line with the principles contained in the Joint Statement issued via LTB 301/21, which ensures that a correct and supportive approach is adopted in all workplaces, which includes an agreed process for all the safety, operational, and individuals’ concerns and issues are being dealt with and resolved. Royal Mail Group and the CWU will adopt a gradual approach which aims to ensure that this will minimise further infections of the virus and any harm to the health of the workforce – maintaining our joint ‘safety first’ philosophy.

Both parties will continue to meet weekly at National level and review the measures outlined above in order to monitor arrangements. This will include the monitoring of any local trends and increases in the spread of the virus and seeking to resolve any operational or individual issues that may be raised by either party.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact:

Deliveries/Collections: Outdoor Department reference 600, email address: njones@cwu.org

Processing/Distribution/Parcelforce: Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary email: dwyatt@cwu.org, ref: 014.14

Yours sincerely

Mick Kavanagh – CWU Assistant Secretary (Acting)

Davie Robertson – CWU Assistant Secretary

Dave Joyce – National Health, Safety & Environment Officer, Health, Safety & Environment Dept.

Attached Comms

05 August 2021

Update of the lifting of Covid-19 Lockdown Restrictions in Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland Regarding Shared Vans, Face Coverings and Social Distancing:

This follows the communication issued on 23 July and the RMG/CWU Joint Statement dated 20 July.

Scotland

The position in Scotland has now been confirmed by the Scottish First Minister as follows, effective from 9 August 2021.

•In line with the approach used in England, the legal lockdown restrictions, regarding social distancing have been lifted enabling a return to permitted shared vans in RMG Scotland.

•Therefore, fully in line with the terms of the RMG/CWU Joint Statement of 20 July, Royal Mail Group and the CWU will adopt a gradual approach to the return to shared vans and LGVs, Managers in full consultation with CWU Area and Workplace Safety Reps, Delivery Reps and Distribution Reps, ensuring safe working instructions are applied and further infections are minimised. Both Managers and CWU Reps should commence discussions on Monday 9 August, based on the joint statement with a gradual re-introduction of shared vans and LGVs, dealing with any practical, operational and safety issues plus recognising any individual circumstances. Special consideration should be given to any Covid-19 high impact Offices.

•Face coverings remain mandatory in Royal Mail Group in Scotland.

Wales

•The situation in Wales is to be announced by the Welsh First Minister on 6 August. Whilst RMG await final confirmation of lockdown restriction changes for Wales, which are now expected to be effective from Saturday 7 August 2021, there remains no change. Therefore there is no return to shared vans plus mandatory masks and social distancing remain in place. RMG will await the outcome of the Welsh Government.

Northern Ireland

•Social distancing restrictions remain in place in Royal Mail Group in Northern Ireland.

•Facemasks remain mandatory in Royal Mail Group in Northern Ireland

•There will not be a return to shared vans in Royal Mail Group in Northern Ireland currently and we await further updates from the Northern Ireland administration.

•Royal Mail Group in consultation with the CWU and Unite will review this again on 12 August 2021 in line with the next Northern Ireland Government review.

As a result of the lifting of social distancing legal restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales Royal Mail, CWU and Unite will continue to discuss how that impacts on the wider operational tasks, with a view of working together and consider operational tasks that are currently restricted.

By way of a reminder:

•A further Royal Mail Group/CWU and Unite joint communications will follow – once England and the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland make further announcements on Covid-secure controls.

•Royal Mail Group will continue to reflect Government (central and devolved nations) and their agencies advice and guidance.

•Royal Mail Group will support Government messaging through internal communications and engagement strategy.

•Royal Mail Group risk management and risk assessment procedures will be jointly reviewed and be regularly monitored with full CWU and Unite ASR/WSR involvement and engagement across all Units.

•Royal Mail Group will retain contingency measures. Infection rate data will be monitored and Shared Vans/LGVs may be removed and other controls put in place should the infection rate rise to a level considered to require that course of action, if assessed to be a necessary infection control measure either locally or nationally.

•Royal Mail Group strategy will continue to review World Health Organization (WHO) Covid-19 guidance.

•Further Royal Mail Group, CWU and Unite joint communications will follow as the devolved nations update their positions on such things as face coverings, social distancing and other Covid-secure controls.

The National Joint Statement of 20 July should be read in conjunction with the previous CWU Joint Statements and Joint Communications (plus attachments) on returning to Van Sharing, issued on 11th and 17th June 2021 and the joint commitments to Health & Safety, approach to Individuals, along with the Operational issues contained within these National documents which must be fully applied in all workplaces.

Royal Mail Group, CWU and Unite will continue to meet regularly at National level and review the measures outlined above in order to monitor infection rates, and any local trends and increases in the spread of the virus, along with resolving any operational or individual issues that are raised by either party.

LTB 327/21

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Election of CWU National Trustees 2021

The NEC has agreed the arrangements for the election of the CWU National Trustees.

Please note that the term of office for these positions is from September 2021 to the end of April 2023.

Accordingly please find enclosed the Regulations, Nomination Forms and Candidate Consent and Biographical Details Form for these positions.

The Timetable for the election is as follows:

Nominations open               9 August 2021                           

Nominations close               23 August 2021                         

Dispatch ballot papers        26 August 2021                         

Ballot closes                          9 September 2021                 

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 326/21

CWU Trustee Election Regulations 2021

CWU Trustee Nomination Forms 2021

Candidate Consent & Biographical Details Form

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CWU NEC & National Representative Elections 2021

Please find attached a copy of the Independent Scrutineer’s report for the above elections.

Please can you ensure that the results are brought to the attention of the members of your Branch.

The detailed Branch analysis will follow as soon as it is available.

Any enquiries regarding this matter should be directed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s department for the attention of Peter Metcalfe:

Telephone:  0208 971 7368

Email:  pmetcalfe@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

LTB 325/21

Att: ROV CWU Officers, NEC & Industrial Executives Elections 2021

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POST OFFICE: HORIZON SCANDAL – CORE PARTICIPANT STATUS CONFIRMED

Further to LTB305/21 dated 23^rd July.  Branches are advised we have now received formal confirmation from Sir Wyn Williams, Chair of the Horizon IT Inquiry that the CWU has been designated as a “Core Participant” for the purposes of the inquiry.

Sir Wyn notes the following in his confirmation letter:

“The matters which are likely to be of particular interest to the CWU include the extent of any organisational and cultural changes implemented within Post Office Limited (“POL”) since the conclusion of the Post Office Group Litigation, together with the suitability of existing arrangements between POL and subpostmasters to enable the latter to operate their businesses effectively.”

We are obviously pleased with this development and have already started working with the Research Department on a further written submission to the inquiry and will also be in contact with Sir Wyn Williams’ team to discuss and agree next steps in terms of our participation in the next phase of this critical inquiry.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

Attachment 1: 21LTB324 Post Office – Horizon Scandal – Core Participant Status Confirmed

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CWU & COVID-19 – SUPPORTING OUR NHS

Today we are proud to launch our short CWU film and campaign in support of the NHS.

In it, we hear personal testimony of the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on our members and how NHS workers went above and beyond for them in their darkest moments. We also spoke to a 999 call operator and CWU member about their experience of working during the pandemic.

What is absolutely clear from these stories is how much NHS workers have done for us over the past 16 months. Now is the time for us to begin repaying them.

Watch the video on Facebook: https://fb.watch/7allPH90bc/ or 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CWUnews/status/1422885715772379144?s=20

In the coming weeks we will be launching a campaign to raise awareness and funds to support NHS workers.

The idea for the campaign came from Ian Pointer (CWU Area Delivery Rep Nottingham), who is featured in the video and who courageously fought and won his own life threatening battle with Covid. We don’t want the contribution of NHS workers to ever be forgotten or taken for granted. By extending the collectivism that is at the heart of the CWU, we can ensure that this never happens. Let’s thank our NHS. Please share our video.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

21LTB323 – CWU & COVID-19 – SUPPORTING OUR NHS

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JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL AND THE CWU ON PARTICIPATION IN A TYRE TRIAL FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Further to LTB 509/19 and 641/17 Joint Statement on Optimise Prime – Road to Zero Emissions. Those documents advised that Royal Mail Fleet had purchased 100 Peugeot Partner LE2 Electric vehicles and was also followed by the Optimise Prime Project, as a result of an increase in funding for new vehicles by an additional £40m. Royal Mail is now involved in what is considered the world’s biggest trial of commercial EVs that brings together leading companies in Hitachi technology giants, UK electricity distribution partners and key household operators Centrica, Uber and Royal Mail with £16m of Electricity Network Innovation Competition (NIC) funding awarded by Ofgem to the project.

The decarbonisation journey has resulted in zero tailpipe emissions for a number of our collection and delivery fleet with a desired completion date for a complete change in the fleet profile in advance of 2030. Royal Mail has recently been approached by Transport for London to participate in a trial to explore the potential for a specialist tyre designed for electric vehicles. The trial relates to a new compound for tyres which claims to produce fewer micro-particles compared to standard tyres purchased by Royal Mail Fleet. ENSO, the company involved, claim to have developed a new sustainable tyre for Electric Vehicles (EVs) that are made from non-carcinogenic materials and are also fully recyclable. The Standard tyre is constructed of a number of different materials including synthetic rubber, natural rubber, fabric and wire along with carbon black and other chemical compounds.

The Innovators tyres (ENSO) will be fitted to 15 electric Peugeot Partners and potentially up to 5 diesel Peugeot Partners. ENSO Tyres Ltd which is a British company will supply and fit their tyres and will measure the weight loss on these tyres compared to the diesel van tyres. This will give them an indication of the wear rate and particulate matter emitted through real-life use. Any improved range claimed by ENSO will also be measured as part of the trial.

All costs including the provision of the tyre fitting team, the tyres, tyre fitting equipment, logistics and emission and tyre data monitoring will be covered by the Innovator. The tyres need to be monitored and weighed every 6 weeks at which mileage data and electricity consumed will also be provided by the Fleet Innovation and Environment Manager for the 15 electric Peugeot Partners.

The selected Royal Mail office for the trial is West London Delivery Centre. This site has a designated safe working area that a Royal Mail Fleet Support Vehicle currently uses which is also suitable for the Innovators Medium Panel (Ford Transit) Van. The vehicles therefore do not have to leave the site and the work could be carried out in downtime with zero impact on the Royal Mail operation.

Participation in the project helps demonstrate our commitment to improving the air quality in the communities we operate in and will also help to inform future purchasing decisions. The trial will last no longer than 9 months but no less than 6 months.

The trial activity will involve: 

15 electric Peugeot Partners

Up to 5 diesel Peugeot Partners

Mileage data and energy consumption data will be shared every 6 weeks by the Fleet Innovation & Environment Manager.  The Innovator will visit West London Delivery Centre every 6 weeks to monitor and weigh the tyres of the 15 electric Peugeot Partner and up to 5 diesel Peugeot Partners which will be completed during down time so no adverse impact to duties or any Collections or Delivery.  The trial activity will be the subject to an ongoing monthly review including a full commitment to protection of personal data. The final summary and results of the trial will be shared within the operation by the Joint Working Group. Local Managers, CWU representatives and drivers involved in the trial will feed into this process.

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

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch                                                                                              

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 322-21 Participation in Tyre Trial

Joint Statement – Participation in a Tyre Trial For Electric Vehicles – final

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