International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD), Sunday 28 April 2024 – TUC List of events:

Every year more workers are killed and injured at work than in wars. Most are injured, disabled or killed in tragic ‘accidents’ or by industrial diseases. These events and incidents occur because employers decided that workers’ safety and wellbeing just wasn’t that important a priority.

International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) on Sunday 28 April commemorates those workers.

We are calling upon CWU Branches, Regions, Reps and Members to please support local WMD events and come together to remember those who have lost their lives to work, been injured or disabled and to renew our trade union commitment to fight for the safety and health of the living and make workplaces and working methods safer.

CWU 2024 International Workers Day Poster

See attached.

TUC List of WMD Local Events

The TUC has published the details of a list of local events across England and Wales in the following towns and cities:

• Barking (Essex),
• Barnsley,
• Barrow,
• Bexhill (Sussex),
• Bolton (2 Events),
• Birmingham,
• Cardiff,
• Carlisle,
• Chelmsford (Essex), * (Dave Joyce Speaker – See attached)
• Corby,
• Crewe,
• Coventry.
• Gateshead,
• Glossop,
• Hartlepool (2 events),
• Hebden Bridge
• Ivybridge
• Leytonstone (London),
• Liverpool (2 Events),
• Manchester (2 Events)
• Milton Keynes,
• Oldham,
• Preston,
• Portsmouth,
• Rochester (Kent),
• Rochdale,
• St Helens,
• Salford,
• Solihull,
• Sunderland,
• Stockport,
• Stratford (London),
• Wolverhampton,
• Waltham Forest (London),

The details, times and directions are at this link;

https://www.tuc.org.uk/international-workers-memorial-day-events

Scottish TUC List of Local Events

The STUC has published the details of a list of local events across Scotland in the following towns and cities:

• Irvine,
• Aberdeen (3 Events),
• Alloa,
• Bathgate,
• Greenock,
• Inverness,
• Kirkwall,
• Stirling,
• Alexandria,
• Clydebank,
• Falkirk,
• Glasgow,
• Kilmarnock,
• Kirkcaldy,
• Bonnyrigg,
• Coatbridge,
• Dundee,
• Edinburgh,
• Forfar,
• Hamilton,
• Paisley,
• Renfrew.

The details, times and directions are at this link;

https://www.stuc.org.uk/about-iwmd/

Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) WMD Event

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) will mark International Workers’ Memorial Day with a wreath laying ceremony on Thursday 25 April at 1.00pm at the IWMD Commemorative Tree in the grounds of Parliament Buildings, just before the security hut as you come down from the main car park, Stormont Estate, Stormont Ct, Belfast BT4 3LP. Further details; Tel: 02890 246898Email: info@ictuni.net

Note:

The lists above are not exhaustive and many more events will take place on WMD which are not listed. Therefore, please make enquiries with local Trades Councils and other Trade Unions, Local Authorities, Hazards and other Campaign organisations to find out if they are organising an event that hasn’t been added to the lists and which Branches and Reps can support.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 133/24 – International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD), Sunday 28 April 2024 – TUC List of events

Att: Chelmsford International Workers Memorial Day 2024

Att: Workers Memorial Day Poster

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UPDATE ON IDS TAKEOVER BID

The news of a takeover bid for Royal Mail Group (IDS) by Daniel Kretinsky is another very significant moment.

It is now clear the bid, made by Kretinsky-owned EP Group, was put to the Royal Mail Board on 9th April and subsequently rejected on 11th April.

The Royal Mail Board have labelled the offer as ‘opportunistic’, while the bidders point to the lack of progress in several areas in the company and a willingness to engage with all stakeholders, including the CWU.

The truth is handing over the ownership of one of the UK’s most important institutions to a foreign equity investor cannot be right. The vulnerability of Royal Mail Group to this type of bid is a clear demonstration of how privatisation has failed. However, we must be equally clear that the direction of the current Royal Mail board remains unacceptable.

Royal Mail needs a new ownership and governance model that builds a postal service for the workers and customers- not one solely focused on shareholder payouts, driving down the service and the terms and conditions of postal workers.

The CWU will be campaigning publicly and politically to deliver this change of direction for Royal Mail. The Labour Party has already committed to a comprehensive regulatory review of the sector and to exploring new models of corporate governance for Royal Mail. We have subsequently engaged the Labour Party and will meet formally with them in the coming weeks to develop their position and seriously explore the alternatives to the current model. We will also remind Labour of their official Conference policy to renationalise Royal Mail.

In addition, we will be writing to the Government to express our concerns and seek assurances regarding any interventions they may make, given that scrutiny is clearly required for a takeover bid of this nature.

We have also made contact with Royal Mail at the most senior level.

We are seeking assurances from all concerned stakeholders in this process, regardless of the ownership of the company. Aside from the obvious assurance of the security of postal workers’ jobs, another reassurance we are seeking is that the pension surplus, related to the new pension system being introduced in June, will not be taken by the company or any stakeholder and instead, will be used to invest in the service and workforce. We will continue to meet with the company and relevant stakeholders to ensure any outcome provides the best possible future for postal workers.

By law, EP Group now has until the 15th of May to launch a formal offer or withdraw from the process. We will keep members updated with any developments related to this matter.

We recognise this is another challenging moment and one that follows on from a huge dispute with the employer and a continually difficult workplace environment. That being said, this must also be seen as an opportunity for the voice of postal workers to be heard. We now have the Ofcom report on the future of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) and the takeover bid raising awareness of the challenges facing the UK’s postal service and the workforce.

We can assure members that in an election year, we will maximise every opportunity possible to apply pressure to all political parties and the employer on the future of Royal Mail.

Finally, we will be holding a live session with CWU members on this matter in the next couple of weeks. We will confirm the date and time shortly.

Dave Ward
General Secretary

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

DO NOT REPLY 🛑

CWU ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024

Branches are reminded that credentials and voting cards and any further Standing Order Reports will be available to pick up from the registration desk in the Windsor Hall Foyer at the Bournemouth International Centre from 3.00pm – 6.00pm on Saturday 20^thApril 2024.

Hard copies of the Restructuring agenda will be available for collection for branch delegations on Saturday.   Rules agenda and Postal Agendas will be available for collection on Sunday.  Branches will need to print copies if they require additional copies.

Branches are also reminded that speakers cards that have not been sent in will need to be brought to the conference for them to be uploaded on the system prior to the conference.

Branches will wish to know that we are holding a New Delegates Briefing which will be held in the Windsor Hall from 6pm on Saturday 20^th April for anyone that has never been to conference before.

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to Angela Niven or sent to aniven@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

LTB 135/24 – CWU ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024

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CWU 2025 Diary 

We are now taking orders for CWU 2025 diaries. Please find attached diary order form.

We continue to offer branches personalised diaries at no extra cost. Branches can personalise an area on the front cover of the CWU pocket diary and also have the option to have a personalised page (printed on one side only) which will be inserted near the front of the pocket diary.

The CWU pocket diary is priced at £2.00 and the A5 desk diary is priced at £4.00. We continue to offer branches bulk discount but only on non personalised pocket diaries on orders of 1,000 or more for £1.50 per diary.

Please note bulk discount does not apply to personalised orders.

Branches ordering unaltered diaries should return their completed order form by no later than Friday 20^th September.

Personalised branch diary orders only

Branch personalised diary orders must be returned by no later than Friday 17th May. On receipt of your order form, you will be emailed the appropriate template(s), ensure to include your email address as this is where your template(s) will be sent with further information.

Complete your template(s) as soon as possible and note the return deadline is Friday 7th June.Due to strict deadlines any orders or proofs received after the dates provided may not be processed.

If you would like to use the content from your 2024 diary template(s) and there are no changes, please let me know.

Orders will be based on the following: 

Minimum order to personalise front cover: 250 units
Minimum order to insert page: 500 units
Minimum order to personalise front cover and insert page: 500 units

All completed order forms and enquiries on this LTB should be sent to Marcia Murray by email mmurray@cwu.org

The diaries will be dispatched from w/c Monday 23^rd September 2024.

Kind regards,

Marcia Murray
Communications Department

24LTB134 CWU 2025 Diary

DIARY-ORDER-FORM(3)

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CWU REPS POLO SHIRTS

We are now in a position to take orders from branches for our new CWU Reps polo shirts.

The garments are available in both navy and CWU pink. They are also available in both men’s and women’s fits.

We would actively encourage branches to purchase these tops for representatives across your branch areas.

Each top has an embroidered CWU Reps logo and a QR code which directs people straight to the Join CWU web page. We believe this makes it very simple for reps to assist prospective members in joining the CWU, alongside increasing the visibility of the union.

The final cost of each top will be dependent on the size of the overall order we submit to the suppliers. We are expecting the cost to fall between £10-12 per top.

Branches wishing to order the polo shirts should email Marcia Murray mmurray@cwu.org – setting out the size of your orders, size and fit requirements and colour preferences.

We ask that branches do this before the close of play on Friday 10th May. We will then submit the final order to our suppliers. Once the first major order is out of the way, we will set up an ongoing process.

Images of the tops can be found via this link https://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rep-T.png

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward
General Secretary

Chris Webb
Head of Communications

24LTB132 CWU REPS POLO SHIRTS

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CWU Conference – Social Media 

The purpose of this LTB is to inform branches that the official hashtag for annual conference this year will be #CWU24

We would encourage branches to use #CWU24 on your social media posts so we can share as much content as possible on the national channels.

The communications department will also be producing daily web reports, videos and our new weekly show will air on Thursday as usual.

The conference proceedings will be live-streamed on Sunday and Monday as per normal. Further details of this will be shared via social media in the coming days.

Finally, several members of the communications department will be in attendance at Conference and we will be available to discuss enhancing your communications strategies locally.

Kind regards,

Chris Webb
Head of Communications

24LTB130 CWU Conference – Social Media 

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POSTAL INDUSTRY CONFERENCE 2024 – POLICY

Please find attached the Postal Executive’s Policy for Postal Industry Conference 2024.

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

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 129.24 Postal Industry Conference 2024 – Policy

Attachment to LTB 129.24 Postal Conference 2024 – Policy

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Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solution Limited (RMPFSL) – Pay Claim 2024

The purpose of this LTB (Letter To Branches) is to update Branches, Representatives and members alike concerning our Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solution Limited (RMPFSL) Pay Claim for 2024, as well as confirming the impact in terms of National Living Wage uplift from April of this year for our cleaning grades.

Firstly, Branches will be aware that the government announced an increase to the National Living Wage from £10.90 to £11.44 per hour effective from 1^st April 2024. RMPFSL have confirmed that this legislative rate change will impact on all our national static and multi-site cleaning grades, who will receive this increase from April onwards.

Whilst this is clearly welcome news for the relevant members, it does not address the union’s pay claim. Disappointingly, RMPFSL have still not formally replied to the CWU on this matter, despite our pay claim being tabled back in December of last year and outlined in LTB 342/23. To confirm, as with previous years, we have set out our claim to cover 3 sections:

• Generic – Pay and Terms & Conditions, which cover all grades;
• Engineering and Generic Admin grades;
• Cleaning grades.

Indeed, this remains somewhat of a concerning development, as RMPFSL have now failed to respond to our claim for approximately five months, however further meetings are now scheduled for week commencing 29^th April.

We will of course update Branches and members accordingly in due course. Any enquiries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed to the PTCS Department, quoting reference number 320, email: hmaughan@cwu.org or the Outdoor Department, quoting reference number 120.12, email: Pharacz@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Bobby Weatherall                                         

Acting Assistant Secretary

Mark Baulch

Assistant Secretary

LTB 128/24 – Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solution Limited (RMPFSL) – Pay Claim 2024

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Subject: ‘Change for Good – Behavioural Reset – Launch of Royal Mails Business Standards 

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing issues with the IT system at Union Headquarters, we have been unable to report to Branches on this Royal Mail initiative.

Royal Mail have embarked on a project called change for good and it is Royal Mail’s attempt to re-engage and re-connect with the workforce and to begin a behavioural re-set following the dispute in 2022/2023

It should be said, the CWU were not asked to agree this initiative and as such we have informed the Business of our concerns and why we are unable to endorse this particular project.

Having said this, as a general principle we do welcome initiatives which attempt to improve and redress the Bullying and Harassment culture which currently exists within the Business. We do have some serious concerns that not everyone in the Business shares the same desire to achieve the cultural change which is so desperately needed.

We also believe, given the increased pressures being applied on our members in regards to workload and the Network Review at the moment, the timing of this initiative could have been better and we have counselled the Business on the potential of a negative response from our members. Similarly, Royal Mail have chosen this time and this project as a vehicle to launch the 2024 version of the Business standards, which of course they often do at various times.

However, on this occasion they have decided to change the way in which they communicate these Standards. In previous years they have either posted the Business Standards booklet to employees home addresses or used work time listening and learning sessions in order to inform Employees of any updates or changes, but this year they have placed the booklet on the Royal Mail Peoples app and then requested that all Employees read these and also do attest that they will abide by the standards contained in the document.

We have written to Royal Mail to voice our concerns with this change and we need to make sure all our members are aware of the possible repercussions of signing to say they will abide by the standards.

We are not in a position to advise members not to sign as this could put members in a difficult position. However, members will be asked to sign to they understand the contents of the booklet. This is purely business policy as it is in many other UK businesses. 

We have attached to this LTB the Business standards booklet along with the WTLL change for good presentation for information purposes as well as the response we have sent the Business in regards to the attestation.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Bobby Weatherall, Acting Assistant Secretary, email: hmaughan@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Bobby Weatherall 

Acting Assistant Secretary

LTB 126 – Subject Change for Good – Behavioural Reset – Launch of Royal Mails Business Standards

Chnage for good WTLL

Our Business Standards_Feb2024

Behavioural Reset CWU Briefing

Email to Kieran Hallan

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Network Window Exception Appeal Process

Branches and Representatives will be aware of the commitments in the BRT&G (Business Recovery, Transformation & Growth) Agreement regarding Network Window and the ongoing discussions with Royal Mail to try to conclude an agreed approach in relation to the Exceptions Process.

Unfortunately, these discussions have been very difficult and this process has been further hindered and delayed due to the IT issues within CWU Headquarters, which has meant that previous drafts covering the Exceptions Process became time expired.

However, we have now subsequently concentrated on agreeing a set of words concerning an Appeals Process under Network Window, which has now been endorsed by the Postal Executive and is attached.

This Appeal Process confirms that the following key approach will apply to ensure that the Line Manager’s decisions are fair and justified and that employee has been treated in line with the general principles set out, alongside legal obligations:

• Employees can raise an appeal to the initial outcome given. Employees will have to set out their rationale for an appeal and submit it to their Line Manager within 5 working days from the initial outcome given. 
• For changes up to 30 minutes appeals will be submitted and reviewed using a paper-based template. CWU representatives will be able to support their appeal by adding their written comments to the employee’s rationale and/or helping them construct their written appeal as appropriate.
• For changes 31 minutes and over, appeals can be heard via Microsoft Teams as an alternative option for those who choose this. Individuals choosing this method to appeal can be accompanied by a nominated trade union representative or friend. In order to ensure that appeals are completed by the 26^th April 2024.

In setting out this Appeal Process, we are very aware of the timelines and the delay in this matter. Indeed, it was our aim to have concluded an overall approach and set of words that cover the full Exceptions Process, but this has not been possible due to the reasons outlined above. However, we are equally aware, based on information now shared by Royal Mail, that there is circa 750 members who have appealed against their exception’s decision, therefore we believe that finalising this Joint Guidance was necessary and will support our members and Reps in the process.

Any enquiries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed to the Outdoor Department, quoting reference number 580, email: Pharacz@cwu.org or Processing, Logistics, Parcelforce, International & Eurest Department, quoting reference number 054.06, email: sbanbury@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch
Assistant Secretary                                                         

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary 

LTB 127/24 Network Window Exception Appeal Process

Joint Exception Appeal Process for Delivery and Collections

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