Government Response to the House of Commons DWP Select Committee’s Asbestos Report and Recommendations:

Introduction:

LTB 190/2022 reported that following an inquiry, the Department for Work and Pensions House of Commons Select Committee of MPs had published its report into how the Health and Safety Executive manages the continued presence of asbestos in UK buildings. That report was attached to LTB 190/2022 and was welcomed by the TUC, CWU, all Trade Unions and asbestos victims campaign groups. On the other hand, the recently published Government and HSE response (copy attached) is to put it mildly, extremely disappointing and weak.

Background to the House of Commons DWP Select Committee Inquiry Report and Recommendations:

Despite the importation, supply and use of asbestos being banned in the UK since 24th of November 1999, twenty-two years later this toxic mineral still plagues public health, being linked to multiple diseases. Asbestos remains the largest single cause of work-related fatalities, with more than 5,000 deaths each year from diseases including Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer and Asbestosis.

Vast quantities of asbestos remain inside workplaces and public and private buildings throughout the UK because asbestos was used heavily in construction up until the 1980’s where it now still remains in-situ. The UK today remains a storehouse of asbestos. There are six million tonnes of asbestos in the UK, most of which can be found in over 1.5 million buildings across our public estate, including our hospitals and schools. This means that many people are still exposed to the potential dangers of asbestos on a daily basis. While workers are no longer manufacturing or installing asbestos, the substance continues to be the UK’s number one occupational killer, causing more than 5,000 deaths a year – a deadly legacy from the past.

The DWP Select Committee raised concerns last year with the Government about the UK’s policy on managing asbestos in buildings, following the publication of a report by ‘think tank Respublica’. In response, the Minister for Employment confirmed that the HSE would be reviewing the effectiveness of the regulations for managing asbestos.

The inquiry examined the current risks posed by asbestos in the workplace, the actions taken by the HSE to mitigate them and the results of the inquiry and final report feed into the Government and Health and Safety Executive’s asbestos regulations review aimed at looking into how asbestos can be handled more safely. Evidence has pointed to there being widespread non-compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 in the UK and a lack of information on the full extent of how much harm asbestos is causing. The UK has some of the weakest standards in Europe, while also having some of the highest Mesothelioma rates and there is widespread non-compliance with asbestos control law. Shockingly UK nurses and teachers are 3 and 5 times more likely to develop Mesothelioma because of the asbestos in the buildings in which they work.

Trade Union Support for DWP Select Committee Inquiry Report and Recommendations:

The inquiry and Select Committee’s final report, published in April was welcomed by the CWU, TUC and all UK trade unions who collectively have adopted a policy of seeking ultimate removal of asbestos from UK buildings. The Select Committee report (see LTB 190/2022), supported the Trade Union position on eradication by calling on the Government to agree a deadline for all asbestos to be removed from all public and commercial buildings.

The Government and HSE Negative Response to the DWP Select Committee Inquiry Report and Recommendations:

The Government and HSE have now published their response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s report on the management, removal and disposal of asbestos in public buildings.

The House of Commons DWP Work and Pensions Select Committee Chair, Stephen Timms MP stated “The Government’s response to the Select Committee report is extremely disappointing.” He added; “The Government argues that fixing a deadline for asbestos removal would increase the opportunity for exposure, but the risk is likely to increase anyway with the drive towards retrofitting of buildings to meet net zero aspirations. Setting a clear target should just be one part of a new properly joined-up strategy. This strategy should prioritise the highest-risk buildings and urgently boost the evidence base for the safe removal and disposal of a material that is still the single greatest cause of work-related fatalities in the country.”

Leading campaigners, industry bodies, and MPs heading the inquiry are without exception disappointed with the lack of concrete action being taken – with regulators seeming to kick several key recommendations for reform into the long-grass.

The recommendations put forward in the Work and Pensions report were both sensible and timely, and yet they have been almost completely rejected by the Government. To put it bluntly, the UK has one of the worst asbestos legacies in the world – and our current lack of an informed strategy for dealing with this is shocking. For any project involving old buildings it will mean increased costs, delays, and even untimely deaths. Industry, campaigners, patient organisations and Trade Unions are united in their disappointment of this missed opportunity.

In the report, published on 21^st April 2022, the House of Commons DWP Work and Pensions Select Committee of MPs from all political parties suggested a suite of reforms that could radically improve asbestos regulations in the UK. These included:

• Creating a ‘National Asbestos Database’ to record all asbestos currently remaining in public buildings – including type, quantity, risk factor, etc.
• Changing the current policy of ‘management in-situ’, which is best described as a sticking plaster for a holding policy. Other nations have enacted prioritised, scheduled removal of asbestos from ‘at-risk’ buildings – the UK should follow suit.
• Developing a National Asbestos Strategy between the Government and the HSE, which would coordinate efforts to remove asbestos from high-risk settings. (This would include CLASP-type schools; prefabricated structures built in the 50s & 60s with large quantities of amosite – ‘brown asbestos’).
• Creating a robust research framework into the measurement of asbestos exposure using more advanced techniques than are currently practiced.

Unfortunately, the Government/HSE response shows little movement on any of these areas. On the recommendation for a phased, prioritised removal of asbestos from at-risk buildings – the Government says: “The Government could only advocate a proactive course of action in this area if there is compelling evidence that the, undoubted, increase in exposure to asbestos workers that will result from active removal, possibly prematurely, is justified in terms of reducing risk of exposure to building users. At present this evidence is not there.” This is despite much recent research showing an increase in ‘secondary exposure’ to asbestos, especially in older-build schools and hospitals.

According to HSE statistics released earlier this month on Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, And Lung Cancer in Britain, asbestos-related deaths have now climbed to over 5,000 each year. In 2020, there was 2,544 Mesothelioma deaths in total, with a similar number of Lung Cancer deaths linked to past exposures to asbestos.

Nurses and teachers are now 3 to 5 times more likely to develop Mesothelioma than the general UK population, while pupils are up to 10 times more likely to be exposed than teachers.

One of the most basic problems is that the HSE doesn’t actually know how many buildings in Great Britain contain asbestos, where it is, what condition it is in, or how it is being managed. Consequently, the HSE cannot regulate for the safe management of asbestos.

The Government/HSE response was equally negative about the potential of a National Asbestos Database for improving this position. It suggested that a new central register would require significant resources merely to duplicate existing information and undermine the requirement on duty holders to manage asbestos – whilst providing no clear indicator to the public that the risk of asbestos has been mitigated. This misrepresents the purpose of a proposed National Asbestos Database, which could:

• Help collate data taken from asbestos surveys on the location and condition of asbestos in non-domestic buildings – which the HSE is currently unable to do.
• Establish an evidence base for challenging the HSE’s assumption that the current policy of leaving asbestos in-situ is the safest option.

Industry bodies are now in the process of collating survey data from accredited asbestos consultants. Even in its raw form, this significant data sample reveals that there are many more buildings than the 300,000 which the HSE believe contain asbestos, and that the condition of this asbestos is poor – with over 70% of asbestos materials reported to be damaged. Re-inspection survey data confirms that much of this is not being addressed over 12 months later. Evidence that the policy of duty holders and management in-situ is not working.

The Asbestos Testing and Consultancy (ATAC) and the National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants (NORAC) – the recognised trade bodies for UKAS accredited inspection and survey organisations expressed their disappointed with the response provided by the Government to the Work and Pensions committee. It was apparent to the two asbestos surveying trade bodies that what was being presented to the committee by Government and the HSE was not what they were seeing on the ground. The two organisations’ collective memberships have provided data on almost 750,000 asbestos items that were inspected between October 2021 and March 2022 and based on criteria determined by the HSE, almost 70% of these items were damaged. ATAC/NORAC added that they fail to understand why the Government has chosen to reject calls for a national database in addition to mandatory accreditation for asbestos surveyors as this would highlight the full extent of the problem facing the UK, one which has been ignored for decades. The Government responded positively following the 74 deaths that tragically occurred at Grenfell Tower with the establishment of a dedicated regulator, yet with almost 100 deaths occurring weekly as a result of past asbestos exposure and little understanding on the long term consequences of low level exposure, the Government chooses to ignore the recommendations of the Works and Pensions committee.

Mesothelioma UK – National asbestos-related cancer charity – expressed their disappointment with the Government response and invited those Government decision makers to come and spend a day with one of their nurses or to attend a patient support group and explain why the Government has made a choice to not prevent future generations dying of Mesothelioma. It’s the asbestos that must go, not more people.

The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) condemned the Government response and stated that the stark reality is that the UK has Europe’s biggest problem with asbestos, and the UK needs a proper strategy to deal with it. Things will get worse as buildings and building elements near the end of their lives decay, and more work is done by tradespeople that could disturb asbestos in order to meet climate change goals. Nurses, teachers and people in social housing are going to die from hideous, but avoidable diseases. People have a right to know about the poisons in their homes and work-places. Setting a goal which means that only one more generation of children goes to school with the risk of asbestos exposure and the last unnecessary death will only be a century away, does not seem overly ambitious.

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health Asbestos Report – October 2015

Seven years ago the APPG on Occupational Safety and Health published a report which backed the TUC call for asbestos removal when the TUC and CWU demanded immediate action. The all-party group of MPs accused the Government of complacency on the risks of asbestos in buildings and called for an asbestos eradication law. The report entitled ‘The asbestos crisis: why Britain needs a new law’ was published seven years ago this month by the House of Commons Occupational Safety and Health All-Party Parliamentary Group of MPs. The MPs committee said then, 7 years ago, that Government is being “far too complacent about asbestos.” The TUC General Council stated that they were 100 per cent behind the asbestos eradication campaign. If we do nothing, then it is future generations that will pay. We need to act now.  Around 40,000 men and women have died of asbestos related Mesothelioma since the UK asbestos ban in 1999. The Government rejection of the 40-years deadline to eradicate all asbestos from UK buildings which the Unions think is a moderate timescale is appalling.

Conclusion

Everyone should be safe at work. Asbestos exposure at work continues to cause thousands of deaths every year. Asbestos is still with us in workplaces and public buildings across the country. As a result, more than 22 years after the use of asbestos was banned, hundreds of thousands of workers are still put at risk of exposure every day. People are mistaken if they think asbestos is a problem that has already been solved. Asbestos is still very much present, and the risk of exposure is with us every day. There’s no cure for asbestos related diseases but it’s preventable for future generations with the removal of asbestos from all UK buildings. The Government’s blunt rejection of the recommendation firstly from the All-Party Parliamentary Group of MPs on Occupational Safety and Health in 2015 and now in 2022 from the House of Commons DWP Work and Pensions Select Committee of MPs for a dedicated programme for the phased removal of asbestos in public buildings is appalling and a dereliction of their duty to the UK public and working people.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

22LTB422 Government Response to the House of Commons DWP Select Committee’s Asbestos Report and Recommendations

Government Response to Work Pensions Select Committee Report on HSE Approach To Asbestos Management 2022

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Royal Mail Group (SHE) Alert GP SA 2022 001 – DVSA Spot Check Visits To Examine Transport & Distribution Managers & Drivers HGV Fleet Vehicles Pre-Use Safety Checks Compliance and Management of the PMT1 Fault/Defect Reporting Procedure:

What Happens When The DVSA Visit?

The DVSA will attend, usually in the form of a Traffic Examiner (TE) or a Vehicle Examiner (VE). The Traffic Examiner will focus on the vehicles’ documentation and the Vehicle Examiner will look at the vehicle maintenance regime.

This is a wake-up call for all managers as the DVSA examiners will put the system to the test and will miss nothing. If dissatisfied they can issue warnings, they can suspend the Operators ‘O’ License and ground the fleet and they can interview managers under caution and bring criminal prosecutions for failures considered to be offences under the law.

The DVSA Vehicle Examiner will typically inspect the fleet and the maintenance records. They may want to know that all Preventative Maintenance Inspections (PMIs) and MOTs are done on time and to a good standard, and all drivers and manager pre-use checks are carried out and that fault/defects are properly identified and rectified. A Traffic Examiner will typically also want to see tachograph records and evidence that drivers are not committing offences.  Failure to fully co-operate or obstructing a DVSA officer can be a criminal offence.

Background and Description 

Royal Mail Group’s Safety Team have issued RMG SHE Safety Alert GP SA 2022 001 following an announcement earlier this year that the DVSA will be stepping up unannounced Safety Inspection visits to HGV Fleet Operators’ premises and that Royal Mail and Parcelforce Vehicle Operating Centres, Depots and Offices have been included in this programme.

See attached the copy of the SHE Alert issued to all Distribution Managers, Transport Managers, Traffic Office Managers etc., in local and national Fleet Operation functions and bases.

The programme of unannounced DVSA visits have been concentrating on a review of HGV vehicle pre-use checks and management of the PMT1 Fault/Defect reporting and rectification procedure.  As part of Royal Mail’s Operators Licence (‘O’ Licence) obligations, Royal Mail and Parcelforce need a robust, compliant pre-use safety check procedure which includes tyre checks, defect procedure and effective vehicle management.

As a precaution prior to any further unannounced DVSA visits or DVSA roadside vehicle stops, the Royal Mail SHE Team have highlighted the importance of the above procedure and the CWU Health, Safety and Environment Department is reminding all CWU Reps and CWU members/drivers of the importance of their role and obligations to carry out vehicle pre-use checks and to report all vehicle and trailer faults and defects in the correct way.

IMPORTANT: Whilst the driver is responsible for the condition of the vehicle when in use and conducting daily walk-around checks, transport managers also have an obligation to ensure vehicles are roadworthy.

Impact and Accident/Injury Risks 

Completion of vehicle pre-use checks (by both drivers and managers) is fundamental to the operation of a safe fleet. Defective or un-roadworthy vehicles significantly increase the risk of accidents, collisions and subsequent casualties.

Key PiC/Transport/Distribution/Unit Managers Actions, Messages, Learning Points

• Failure to adequately manage vehicle pre-use checks, fault reports and inspections can result in suspension of the Royal Mail/Parcelforce ‘O’ Licence meaning that vehicles are ‘grounded’. Individual ‘O’ Licence holders may be subject to investigation by the Traffic Commissioner and may be prevented from managing fleet operations and can be prosecuted.
• Every Royal Mail driver duty has a time allowance built-in for drivers to complete pre-use checks, which must be recorded in vehicle logbooks. The detail of required checks are covered in the vehicle logbook.
• This is a mandatory requirement, and it is the driver’s responsibility to complete and record those checks.
• Managers have a responsibility to ensure that vehicle checks take place, this is achieved by:

1)   Ensuring all duties have adequate time built in for checks to be completed.

2)   Ensuring all drivers have been trained to complete and record vehicle checks, and to report defects.

3)   Completing observations to visibly monitor completion of checks – these can be incorporated into First Class Safety Conversations and recorded as ‘vehicle checks fully and effectively completed’.

4)   Completing Manager’s Vehicle Checks – a minimum of 20% of the fleet must be checked by a manager each week. Managers should check logbooks to ensure vehicle checks are recorded by all drivers who used the vehicles. Managers must also complete their own vehicle check – this is not expected to identify any       faults, but to ensure that drivers complete adequate checks. The Manager’s Check must also be recorded in the vehicle logbook.

• Where defects are identified, they must be reported to the workshop using the PMT1 fault report process.
• Un-roadworthy vehicles with faults and defects must not be operated and taken out on the road.
• Brief and display the content of the Safety Alert to all HGV Drivers – re-fresh the message and remind drivers periodically (including agency drivers).
• Incorporate the key messages and learning points into ‘First Class Safety Conversations’.

CWU ASR/WSR Action:

Please ensure that this Safety Alert is communicated/reminded and brought to the attention of all HGV member drivers and that all appropriate managers are reminded of their obligations and the need to ensure that all drivers get the message (including agency drivers) and that they deploy the above actions including manager’s vehicle pre-use checks.

Attachment: 

• Royal Mail Group (SHE) Alert GP SA 2022 001 – DVSA Spot Check Visits To Examine Transport & Distribution Managers & Drivers HGV Fleet Vehicles Pre-Use Safety Checks Compliance and Management of the PMT1 Fault/Defect Reporting Procedure:

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

22LTB420 RMG (SHE) Alert GP SA 2022 001 – DVSA Spot Check Visits To Examine Vehicles Pre-Use Safety Checks

GP SA 2022 001- HGV Manager Vehicle Checks

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2022 DISPUTES RELATING TO ROYAL MAIL GROUP PAY AND BREAKING THE “PATHWAY TO CHANGE” AND ASSOCIATED NATIONAL AGREEMENTS AND PROTECTIONS

The purpose of this LTB is to inform Branches and Representatives that the department has today served the statutory notice of discontinuous strike action to RMG.

The strike will cover all duties and scheduled attendance commencing between the period at or after 04:00 on Tuesday 8th November 2022 and before 04:00 on Wednesday 9th November 2022and will involve all CWU Grades at Parcel Super-hub/Regional Distribution Centres, Royal Mail International, Warrington Rail Terminal, Parcelforce Worldwide Processing (Coventry/Chorley/Hatfield) including all Network Vehicle Operating Centres (VOCs) and Fleet sites based within these sites and any stand-alone Network VOCs. The industrial action will be discontinuous.

The strike will cover all duties and scheduled attendance commencing between the period at or after 04:00 on Wednesday 9th November 2022 and before 04:00 on Thursday 10th November 2022 and will involve all CWU Grades at Mail Centres (including Processing, Engineers, Area Distribution, Collections, Fleet, Administration and Revenue Protection members), National Returns Centre, Air Hubs, Distribution Hubs, Walk Bundling Centres, Customer Experience, Admin/HR Services, and Manual Data Entry Centres – including all Network VOCs based at these sites. The industrial action will be discontinuous.

The strike will cover all duties and scheduled attendance commencing between the period at or after 04:00 on Thursday 10th November 2022 and before 04:00 on Friday 11th November 2022 and will involve all CWU Grades at Delivery Offices, Mail Processing Units, Sub Postal Delivery Offices and Collection Hubs tagged to Delivery Offices. All Parcelforce Worldwide Depots (including Administration grades), Royal Mail Specialist Services (Relay) workplaces and stand-alone Fleet units. The industrial action will be discontinuous.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey
Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 421.22 2022 DISPUTES RELATING TO ROYAL MAIL GROUP PAY AND BREAKING THE “PATHWAY TO CHANGE” AND ASSOCIATED NATIONAL AGREEMENTS AND PROTECTIONS

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ROYAL MAIL GROUP NATIONAL DISPUTES – UPDATE

Further to LTB 418/22, following an invitation from ACAS, we can now confirm that the CWU and Royal Mail have agreed to engage with ACAS facilitation in an attempt to resolve our current disputes on pay and change.

Below is a Joint Statement that has been agreed by all parties.

                      ACAS Facilitation: Pay and Change Disputes

Following an invitation from ACAS, Royal Mail and CWU have agreed to jointly engage with ACAS facilitation in an attempt to resolve the current disputes on Pay and Change. There is a commitment on both sides to reach a resolution however we all acknowledge there are significant difficulties to overcome.

An opening session will now take place on Tuesday 25^thOctober with the objective to reach an agreed approach for further facilitated talks.

We can also confirm that there is no requirement on the union to stand down strike action as part of the ACAS process and the strike on Tuesday 25^th Octoberwill go ahead as planned.

The spirit, strength and resolve of our members was once again on display last Thursday and it’s crucial that picket line activity is again very active tomorrow, whilst observing the legal code of practice.

Further information will be provides to Branches, Reps and members in due course.  In the meantime, please ensure this update is circulated in all workplaces.  Any enquiries on the above should be addressed to the General Secretary/Andy Furey, Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal) at hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward                                                Andy Furey
General Secretary                                 Acting Deputy General Secretary (P)

22LTB419 ROYAL MAIL GROUP NATIONAL DISPUTES UPDATE

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IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR ROYAL MAIL GROUP MEMBERS.

STRIKE TOMORROW IS ON AND ACAS MEETING TO TAKE PLACE. KEEP THE PRESSURE ON.

Further to LTB 418/22, following an invitation from ACAS, we can now confirm that the CWU and Royal Mail have agreed to engage with ACAS facilitation in an attempt to resolve our current disputes on pay and change.

Below is a Joint Statement that has been agreed by all parties.

ACAS Facilitation: Pay and Change Disputes

Following an invitation from ACAS, Royal Mail and CWU have agreed to jointly engage with ACAS facilitation in an attempt to resolve the current disputes on Pay and Change. There is a commitment on both sides to reach a resolution however we all acknowledge there are significant difficulties to overcome.

An opening session will now take place on Tuesday 25th October with the objective to reach an agreed approach for further facilitated talks.

We can also confirm that there is no requirement on the union to stand down strike action as part of the ACAS process and the strike on Tuesday 25th October will go ahead as planned.

The spirit, strength and resolve of our members was once again on display last Thursday and it’s crucial that picket line activity is again very active tomorrow, whilst observing the legal code of practice.

Dave Ward
Andy Furey

StandByYourPost

UPDATE ON NATIONAL DISPUTES

Further to LTB 415/22, which contained an exchange of correspondence with the CEO Simon Thompson, please see our response to his letter of the 19^th October.

Please ensure this response is circulated to Representatives and members in all workplaces.  We will keep you updated on developments, including with ACAS.

Any enquiries on the above should be addressed to General Secretary at jdunn@cwu.org and Andy Furey, Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal) at hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward                                                          Andy Furey
General Secretary                                           Acting Deputy General Secretary (P)

Mark Baulch                                   Carl Maden                                      Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary                     Assistant Secretary                      Assistant Secretary

22LTB418 Update on National Disputes21.10.22 Simon Thompson RMG

21.10.22 Simon Thompson RMG

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TUC Lobby- Letter to Branches

Many of you will have seen the shambolic events unfold after the appointment of Liz Truss as Prime Minister last month. Her plans for the new budget to cut taxes for the wealthiest in this country, whilst leaving working people struggling through the cost-of-living crisis are a disgrace. However, the Conservatives have now managed to make things worse by cutting their energy support plan and causing further market chaos.

The voice of working people in Parliament is now more important than ever. That is why we are supporting the TUC’s Parliamentary Lobby on Wednesday the 2nd of November from 2-6pm.

The Lobby will engage hundreds of trade union members with MPs from across the political spectrum, in short meetings on issues raised as part of the We Demand Better campaign. The CWU wholeheartedly supports the campaign and wishes to get as many of our members involved as possible.

Some of the demands of the campaign are as follows:

1. A £15 minimum wage as soon as possible
2. A real pay rise for public sector workers
3. New union bargaining rights for whole industries – protect the right to strike
4. Ban zero hours contracts and stop fire and rehire
5. Cut bills and nationalise energy retail
6. Hike universal credit and pensions now
7. Raise women’s incomes and stop workplace racism

How it works

The Lobby will take place in Westminster, with members gathering in the Central Hall and addressing MPs by region and constituency. You will likely have a meeting with other members or members from other trade unions, where you can discuss the demands of the campaign and the issues facing our workplaces and industries.

If you wish to meet your MP on these issues, you must register with the TUC here by Tuesday the 25th of October.

The TUC will contact you and help you book a meeting with your MP and make the most of the meeting. They will make sure you have all the information you need. There will also be several CWU representatives and staff on the day, located at the CWU stand in Central Hall, to help direct you once you arrive for your meeting.

Following the Lobby, there will also be a rally at Central Hall from 6pm-8pm, where General Secretary Dave Ward will be speaking alongside other trade union speakers.

We encourage every member who is able to travel to London on the 2nd of November to register to attend. Please contact your branch for details on covering travel and expenses.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at jdunn@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary                                             

E1 – EMERGENCY MOTION

Congress condemns Royal Mail’s recent disgraceful actions in announcing on Friday 14^th October up to 10,000 redundancies by August 2023.

This comes after the company posted record profits in May 2022 of £758 million, paid £400 million to shareholders and walked away from a Modernisation Agreement without any explanation.

The recent announcement is part of a wider jobs and asset stripping business plan that will lead to the breakup of Royal Mail, the end of the Universal Service and a wholesale levelling down agenda on postal workers jobs, pay, terms and conditions.

The plan is about turning Royal Mail into a gig-economy parcel courier, managing existing employees out of the business and replacing these with self-employed owner drivers and new starters on 20% less pay and 3 hour increase in the working week.

Congress resolves:

1. To call upon the Royal Mail Board to immediately abandon their planned job losses and work and agree with the union an alternative business plan in the interest of the workers, customers and the company.
2. To call on the Government to intervene immediately to protect the Universal Service and widen their current investigation into a takeover bid by VESA (a private equity investment group based in Luxembourg), to now include an immediate inquiry into the actions of the CEO and Royal Mail Group Board.
3. That the General Council will work with the CWU and all unions who wish to defend this public service and save the Universal Service Obligation.

Dave Ward                                               Karen Rose
GENERAL SECRETARY                           PRESIDENT

22LTB416 TUC Lobby- Letter to Branches

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2022 DISPUTES RELATING TO ROYAL MAIL GROUP PAY AND BREAKING THE “PATHWAY TO CHANGE” AND ASSOCIATED NATIONAL AGREEMENTS AND PROTECTIONS

The purpose of this LTB is to inform Branches and Representatives that the department has today served the statutory notice of discontinuous strike action to RMG.

The strike will cover all duties and scheduled attendance commencing between the period at or after 04:00 on Wednesday 2^nd November 2022 and before 04:00 on Thursday 3^rd November 2022 and will involve all CWU Grades at Parcel Super-hub/Regional Distribution Centres, Royal Mail International, Warrington Rail Terminal, Parcelforce Worldwide Processing (Coventry/Chorley/Hatfield) including all Network Vehicle Operating Centres (VOCs) and Fleet sites based within these sites and any stand-alone Network VOCs. The industrial action will be discontinuous.

The strike will cover all duties and scheduled attendance commencing between the period at or after 04:00 on Thursday 3^rd November 2022 and before 04:00 on Friday 4^th November 2022 and will involve all CWU Grades at Mail Centres (including Processing, Engineers, Area Distribution, Collections, Fleet, Administration and Revenue Protection members), National Returns Centre, Air Hubs, Distribution Hubs, Walk Bundling Centres, Customer Experience, Admin/HR Services and Manual Data Entry Centres – including all Network VOCs based at these sites. The industrial action will be discontinuous.

The strike will cover all duties and scheduled attendance commencing between the period at or after 04:00 on Friday 4^th November 2022 and before 04:00 on Saturday 5^th November 2022 and will involve all CWU Grades at Delivery Offices, Mail Processing Units, Sub Postal Delivery Offices and Collection Hubs tagged to Delivery Offices, all Parcelforce Worldwide Depots (including Administration grades), Royal Mail Specialist Services (Relay) workplaces and stand-alone Fleet units. The industrial action will be discontinuous.

The Postal Department is working on a FAQ document and Branches/Representatives will be contacted in due course with further clarification on the above.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey
Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)                           

LTB 414.22 2022 DISPUTES RELATING TO ROYAL MAIL GROUP PAY AND BREAKING THE “PATHWAY TO CHANGE” AND ASSOCIATED NATIONAL AGREEMENTS AND PROTECTIONS

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CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING OUR NATIONAL DISPUTES

Just as we were holding a live zoom session with our representatives, Simon Thompson CEO sent a letter to the General Secretary at exactly the same time as he published it on his Workplace channel.  This was in response to a letter I sent him yesterday.

Please see attached my letter to Simon Thompson so that you have the full picture relating to this exchange of correspondence.

The CWU negotiating team met Royal Mail on Monday and were encouraged when the company indicated that they might be up for a different approach.  The purpose of my letter to Simon Thompson, who absented from the meeting, was to establish whether he supported the position of his team.

We met with the Chief Conciliator from ACAS yesterday and her deputy and set out our position in our disputes.  We told them that we were prepared to engage in serious negotiations with Royal Mail, providing the ground rules were established and agreed.  This would need to include no expectation for the CWU to stand down any strike action.

Any ACAS discussion will continue exactly in line with the letter that we wrote to Royal Mail on the 7^th October, previously circulated to Branches and Reps in LTB 400/22.

Regrettably, Simon Thompson’s behavior has shown once again that he is seeking to sabotage any prospect of serious talks and is not genuine about reaching an agreement with the union.

Finally, the union will not be discussing functional talks on Royal Mail’s Agenda for Change, until we have dealt with the fundamental issues about the company’s Business Plan and the unacceptable job losses, including the threat of compulsory redundancies, announced last Friday.

We believe that the CEO absenting himself from any future negotiations is a sign that his position as head of the company is now untenable.

Any enquiries should be sent to the GS/(A) DGS (P) Departments jdunn@cwu.org/hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward – General Secretary  

Andy Furey – Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

22LTB415 CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING OUR NATIONAL DISPUTES

18.10.22 Simon Thompson RMG

CWU – 19 10 22 FINAL

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