ANDY KERR FUNERAL – BROADCAST DETAILS

We are aware many of you are planning to travel to Scotland to pay your respects in person and celebrate the life of Andy Kerr.  We have been completely overwhelmed by the messages of solidarity from across our movement for one of our own.

We know so many more of you cannot make the journey.  With this in mind we are sharing below the details of the online broadcast of Andy’s funeral, which will take place at midday on Wednesday 25th September.

https://www.wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view

Webcast Login PIN 808-6958

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary                                           

Karen Rose
Deputy General Secretary (T&FS)

24LTB317 ANDY KERR FUNERAL – BROADCAST DETAILS

CWU MOTIONS TO THIS YEAR’S LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE – WINTER FUEL ALLOWANCE

The purpose of this LTB is to provide Branches with advanced copies of the motions we have submitted to the forthcoming Labour Party Conference and to explain these in the context of the imminent Political Fund ballot.

Winter Fuel Allowance – Retired Members’ Letter

As part of this, you will also find attached a copy of a letter that has gone to all retired members setting out the position the Union is taking in opposing the Government’s decision to means test the Winter Fuel Allowance.  Please ensure this letter is also circulated to representatives and our members in the workplace.

Motion on the Economy and Winter Fuel Allowance

The first motion deals with the Labour Government’s current approach to the financial challenges facing the country and what they should be doing to ensure working class people and pensioners do not pay the price for the major problems created by the previous Government.  This motion also calls for a reversal of means testing for the Winter Fuel Allowance.

On this particular motion, given the wider interest from other trade unions and local constituency party members, this will ultimately form part of a bigger composite motion.  However, we are confident the final composite will include all the key points we are making. 

The Future of Royal Mail

The second motion calls for the Government to urgently intervene in the Royal Mail takeover bid, the USO and the need to facilitate a new ownership/business model to secure the future of the company.  A separate LTB and workplace communication will also be distributed to bring the attention of the terms of this motion to our postal members.

Political Fund Ballot
The issues outlined in this LTB and attached documentation further demonstrates why we must urge our members to Vote Yes in the forthcoming Political Fund ballot.

We simply cannot allow our employers and big business to be the only political voice on the fundamental issues that affect our members both in and outside of work.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary

24LTB315 CWU MOTIONS TO THIS YEARS LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE WINTER FUEL ALLOWANCE

08180 – CWU ACTION ON THE WINTER FUEL ALLOWANCE – a4

LP Motion – An Economy for the Future CWU Labour Conference Motion 24 final

LP Motion – Critical UK Infrastructure- The Future of Royal Mail Labour Conference Motion 24 final

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NATIONAL YOUNG WORKERS EDUCATION EVENT, 27^th –  29^thSEPTEMBER 2024, CARDIFF

The purpose of this LTB is to remind all branches about the upcoming  National Young Workers Education Event which will take place over the weekend of Friday 27th September through to Sunday 29^th September in Cardiff.

We have previously written to all branches to encourage you to send delegates along and we would like to take the opportunity to remind branches that this is an important part of the work of the National Young Workers Committee and a crucial mechanism for us to introduce new and young members into the life of the CWU.

The event has been restructured this year to ensure delegates are getting the most from their time away and that as a union we are fulfilling out role in educating our young members and putting them in a position to become dedicated reps and activists that our union needs going into the future.

More information on the arrangements and how to sign your members up can be found below.

Please note: the closing date for registrations is now Wednesday 25^thSeptember at 12noon

Venue

The venue for the event during the day will be held at The Holiday Inn, Castle Street, Cardiff.  Hotel accommodation has been arranged at the same venue which is within walking distance of Cardiff Station.

Event Format

This year’s event is has been slightly reformatted to encourage a more themed approach to topics and has an extended agenda to include a day to focus on industrial matters. This ‘industrial day’ is in essence a reworking of the Branch Young Worker Officers Forum’s which has previously been a stand-alone event.  The day will involve a series of industrial panels giving young members the chance to engage with officers who deal with workplace issues affecting them.

Arrival & Registration

We are asking participants to arrive in Cardiff in time to for their appropriate panel, however they are welcome to attend all panels if they which to hear what is going on in other parts of the Union.  Registration for the main event will take place on Saturday morning and the event will conclude at lunchtime on Sunday 29^th September.  A full agenda will be issued nearer the date.  A flyer with more information is attached for circulation to young members.

Costs and Accommodation

The arrangements for the cost of delegates will be in line with the process that has been used for many years and is reflective of current pricing. The cost for Branches to send a delegate will be £290 and will include two nights bed and breakfast accommodation (as well as buffet lunches on the Saturday and Sunday and dinner on Friday evening).  Please note there will be food and a social event on the Saturday eveningorganised by the Wales Region and their Young Workers.

For more information and to secure a place for the weekend branches should complete the attached form and send to Angela Niven at conferences@cwu.orgas soon as possible so that we can assess the numbers of those attending for meals etc.

Branches must make payment for their delegate(s) attendance by sending a cheque made payable to “CWU” addressed to Angela Niven, SDGS Department at CWU HQ or by bank transfer to the General Fund Account No: 33019822 Sort Code 60-83-01 with ref “YWNEE”.

Any queries regarding this event should be addressed to the Young Workers Coordinator, Kerry Fleck, kfleck@cwu.org or 07704306418

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward 

General Secretary

LTB 313/24 – National Young Workers Event – 27th – 29th September 2024

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Seasonal Variation: Further Confirmation On Recording & Correction of Annual Leave in PSP
(RMG/CWU Business Recovery, Transformation and Growth Agreement – Appendix 1)

Branches and Representatives will recall LTB 212/24 (Letter To Branches) issued on 17^thJune regarding the Confirmation Of Summer Low Period 2024 & The Recording of Annual Leave in PSP (RMG/CWU Business Recovery, Transformation and Growth Agreement – Appendix 1).

This LTB advised that due to changes to the original Seasonal Variation dates to better support the introduction of Network Window in June, there are several weeks up to the end of this year in which the Human Resources PSP system (which records an individual’s annual leave) is not aligned with the new Seasonal Variation periods.

The LTB further confirmed that as before, where there has been an imbalance in booked and taken annual leave during the introduction of Seasonal Variation to that recorded in the PSP system, Royal Mail HR Services will run an exercise retrospectively to ensure the correct annual leave deductions are recorded for all individuals who take leave during the affected weeks.

As means of further clarification, please find attached a Royal Mail message which has today been communicated to all COMs, via their Sign Post to confirm the following: –

HR Pay Services will be completing the credit back to annual leave balances in January 2025. This credit will be visible to managers and OPGs in the PSP system and People App. This will show as “Annual Leave – Adjustment.” 

There is no impact on any employee booking any annual leave before crediting occurs.

To confirm, and as reported in LTB 212/24, local managers do not need to take any action in PSP, as the retrospective correction will be made centrally via HR Pay Services to ensure the correct annual leave deductions are made, to ensure no one will lose any leave balance.

Where there are any local level issues or questions in terms of the application of the above, these should be raised as a matter of priority by the relevant local CWU Reps and COMs to ADR/OPL level for resolution. Any errors in terms of the realignment of employees’ hours will be corrected and Royal Mail commits to do so.

Finally, and for further clarity, the next adjustment under Seasonal Variation this year will be:-

• For the 2024 Christmas period (High Period) which will run from Monday 18^thNovember (week 34) and will end on Sunday 22^nd December (week 38) – 5 weeks.
• Full-timers (including 35-hour contracts) will see a 24 minutes per day variation increase applied before their start time. Part-timers will see a 10 minutes variation before their start time.

Any enquiries to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, email address: Pharacz@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Mark Baulch
CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB310-24 Seasonal Variation Further Confirmation On Recording & Correction of Annual Leave in PSP

Change of Seasons impact on AL within PSP Autumn 2024

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ELECTION OF: 

• CWU National Executive Council
• CWU Industrial Executives
• CWU Assistant Secretaries TFS (2 Positions)
• Assistant Secretary Postal Outdoor

Further to LTB 253/24 dated 17^th July 2024, which contained advanced notification of the timetable for the NEC and Industrial Executive elections.   The NEC met on 5 September 2024 and have now agreed the final list of CWU National Officers elections that will run concurrently with the NEC elections.

The NEC also approved the regulations for the above elections which are attached to this LTB for your information.  In addition to the regulations and due to the revised size and composition of the NEC, a supplementary document containing the election arrangements and guidance has also been produced to assist branches and candidates in the forthcoming elections.

Branches should be aware that the regulations for the above elections contain important information including the arrangements for the dispatch and return of nomination forms.   Branches are therefore advised to review the regulations in order to make themselves familiar with these changes.

For ease of reference the details of the National Representative positions to be elected in 2024 are set out below.

CWU NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL & INDUSTRIAL EXECUTIVES 

1)     NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

The NEC shall comprise 24 members:

a)    President and Vice President, but their inclusion shall not increase the numbers from their originating Constituencies.

b)    10 lay members elected biennially by and from the Postal Constituency and 1 of whom shall be the Chair of the Postal Constituency.    All of whom shall automatically be members of the Postal Industrial Executive. At least 2 lay members must be women. At least 1 lay member must be BAME.

c)     7 lay members elected biennially by and from the Telecom and Financial Services Constituency and 1 of whom shall be the Chair of the TFS Constituency. All of whom shall automatically  be members of the Telecoms and Financial Services Industrial Executive. At least 2 lay members must be women. At least 1 lay member must be BAME.

d)    2 lay Young Workers members elected biennially who must be 29 or under at the time of the election. 1 of whom will be elected by and from the Postal Constituency and 1 of whom shall  be elected by and from the Telecoms and Financial Services Constituency.

e)     1 lay Retired Member elected biennially by all members of the retired

The Retired Members NEC representative shall not be entitled to vote on issues that are Financial, Rule, Constitutional or issues that could be considered to have an industrial context        except where they apply only to Retired Members.

f)     4 lay Equality members elected biennially by all members of union except the Retired Members for each of the following equality strands;

Women

LGBT+

BAME

Disability

Please note that the NEC members listed in categories d), e) and  f)  are members of the NEC only and are not automatically members of their respective Industrial Executives. 

2)     CWU INDUSTRIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES

Postal Executive (PE)

The PE shall consist of 14 lay members elected biennially by and taken from the Postal Constituency and 1 of whom shall be the Postal Constituency Chair, 10 shall be the NEC Postal    Constituency Representatives, 4 shall be elected by and from the Postal Constituency;

 3)     TELECOMS & FINANCIAL SERVICES CONSTITUENCY INDUSTRIAL EXECUTIVE POSITIONS

The T&FSE shall consist of 15 lay members elected biennially by and taken from members of the Telecoms and Financial Services Constituency.

The composition of the T&FS Executive is as follows:

a)    7 NEC members as set in Rule 8.1.3 (c) elected by and from all members in the Telecoms and Financial Services Constituency

b) 1 member elected by and taken from members in Santander UK, Santander Global Technology

c) 1 member elected by and taken from members in Virgin Media O₂ (VMO₂)

d) 1 member elected by and taken from members in the Technology Sector (UTAW)

e) 1 member elected by and from all members in the Telecom and Financial Services Constituency and who must be aged 29 or under at the time of the election

f) 4 members elected by and taken from all other members in T&FS constituency.

CWU ASSISTANT SECRETARIES TELECOMS & FINANCIAL SERVICES – (2 POSITIONS)

In respect of the elections for two TFS Assistant Secretary positions to be elected in 2024, following discussions with the DGS TFS and after consultation with the TFSE, the NEC have agreed that in the  AS election process i.e. where AS are specifically elected to a position which primarily only deals with certain business units etc, is now not fit for purpose especially at a time when an extensive review is being conducted of AS positions in the TFS department.

Accordingly, it has been agreed that due to the nature of the workload and AS responsibilities within the T&FS department, and on the basis that employers are constantly undergoing change plus now having recognition in 28 companies (which will almost certainly continue to grow in number), it now makes sense to amend the previous election process for the T&FS Assistant Secretary (AS) positions.

Therefore, for the purposes of ongoing elections, each Assistant Secretary TFS position will simply be identified as having responsibility for recognised companies in the T&FS constituency.    Nominations for these positions will be called for on this basis.

In the event that there are only two candidates for these positions then they will be deemed to be elected to the AS positions. If there are more than two candidates nominated, then an election will be conducted and the two receiving the highest number of votes will be elected.

CWU ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSTAL OUTDOOR

The above Postal Assistant Secretary is currently responsible for the following companies:

Royal Mail UK Delivery Staff, RMPFS and Royal Mail Collection Drivers

The responsibilities of all CWU Assistant Secretaries shall be to carry out and discharge under the direction of the GS such Union duties as they may be deemed required to perform.

The timetable for all of the above elections, as previously notified in LTB 253/24 is as follows:

Election Timetable:

Nominations Open:              19 September 2024

Nominations Close:              10 October 2024  (14:00)

Accept Nomination:             15 October 2024 (14:00)

(TFSE NEC/IE positions only)

Despatch ballot material:   30 October 2024  

Close of ballot:                       20 November 2024 (first post)

Result:                                      21 November 2024

*Please note that ballot papers will be sent to all eligible members who are included in the membership register maintained by the union as at 30 September 2024.  Therefore any changes of address, etc. will need to have been received at CWU HQ prior to this date.

Branches will also wish to note that the independent scrutineer appointed by the union to oversee the election arrangements is Civica Election Services.

The Election Regulations stipulate that a copy of the regulations for these elections must be distributed to all branches in advance of the nomination process.  A copy of the Election Regulations is therefore attached and I would be grateful if you could ensure that these are brought to the attention of the members of your branch.

The regulations will also be published on the CWU website and a copy will be issued to all candidates nominated to stand in the Election(s).

Further information regarding the nomination arrangements will be sent to branches in due course. However Branches are reminded that in order for nominations for the above positions to be valid then they will need to be submitted on the appropriate CWU HQ issued nomination forms.

Elections Prize Draws 

Branches are reminded that in order to protect the integrity of these very important national elections and more importantly, ensure that the union is legally compliant with the relevant legislation covering such elections, that election prize draws should not be conducted under any circumstances unless written authorisation has been given by the Senior Deputy General Secretary.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Senior Deputy General Secretary Department, CWU HQ, for the attention of Dave Wilshire on 0208 971 7368, or email: dwilshire@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

LTB 309/24 – Election-of-NEC-IE-AS-TFS-2-Positions-and-AS-Postal-Outdoor

Att: NEC-Regulations-and-Candidates-Guidelines-2024

Att: NEC-and-IE-Election-Arrangements

Att: AS-Election-Regulations-and-Candidates-Guidelines

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POLITICAL FUND BALLOT- INFORMATION FOR REPS AND BRANCHES

All branches have been advised that the CWU’S Political Fund Ballot opens on 24^thSeptember and closes on the 15^th of October, with counting taking place on the 16^th of October.

The purpose of this LTB is to follow up on the Zoom briefing held with branches earlier this week, where we committed to sending out an advance copy of the mailing to all individual members, which details how the ballot works and how the political fund allows us to campaign, as well as recapping some of our political work from the past few years. This is attached.

We have also attached an advance copy of the leaflet that will be included in the ballot paper envelope. This leaflet sets out ten reasons why members should vote yes to retain our political fund.

It is essential that branches forward these materials to all representatives and that engagement takes place with our members before and during the ballot process.

It has never been more important for us to retain our political fund, given the challenges facing our members both in and outside the workplace.

A key point to make when engaging members is that, whatever their personal political views are, we cannot allow businesses and major institutions to be the only organisations to have a voice in politics. We must also make clear that our political fund is frequently used beyond the Labour Party and supports regional and local community initiatives, campaigns and projects.

Furthermore, we must make the point that members already have the individual right to opt in or out of the political fund and voting to continue having a political fund will not change this. Having to ballot to hold a political fund is part of a wide range of Tory anti-union laws that are designed to restrict the trade union movement from having any political voice.

Finally, we will be writing to our retired members and sending an LTB to branches setting out the union’s position on the Winter Fuel Allowance issue. The union has made clear, we do not support Labour’s decision, and we will be submitting a motion to the forthcoming Labour Party Conference which addresses this, as well as a motion on the future of Royal Mail.

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

Yours Sincerely,

Dave Ward
General Secretary                                         

24LTB307 – POLITICAL FUND BALLOT – INFORMATION FOR REPS AND BRANCHES    

Politcal Fund Ballot home mailing

10 Reasons to Vote YES in the Political Fund Ballot

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Ken McKenzie Award for Lifelong Learning 2024 

Branches will be aware of the policy adopted at General Conference 2010 to present the Ken McKenzie Award for Lifelong Learning, which is presented to a Union Learning Representative (ULR) or group of ULRs who have made a significant contribution to Lifelong Learning within the CWU.

The award is presented each year at our CWU ULR National Networking Event and will be part of the agenda at this year’s event scheduled to be held in Newcastle over two days on the 30^thand 31^st October 2024.

Therefore, I am now inviting applications for the 2024 Annual Ken McKenzie award for Lifelong Learning.

Nominations can be made by Branches, Regional Learning Committees or Regional Committees via letter or email to my department.

Nominations should include a summary of the nominated ULR or group of ULRs endeavours and achievements and sent to:

Michelle Simpson, Equality, Education & Development, CWU, 150 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 1RX or email equality&education@cwu.org  

The closing date for nominations will be FRIDAY 11^th OCTOBER 2024.

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 306/24 – Ken McKenzie Award for Lifelong Learning 2024

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Royal Mail Group – The Collective Plan 

Further to LTB 282/24 dated 23rd August.

As previously reported, there are two key attributes to the new Collective Plan that if members wish to activate in time for the commencement of the scheme on the 7^th October, will need to be done by this Friday 13th September. This date is required in order for payroll to process the necessary arrangements.

Specifically, this applies to both the Lump Sum Booster and Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC’s) which can be activated via the People App.

Lump Sum Booster: Members can pay an extra 1% of pensionable pay into the guaranteed lump sum and Royal Mail will match this 1% making an extra 2% going into your lump sum. There is also an extra benefit as you will get tax relief on your 1% by paying via Pension Salary Exchange (PSE).

Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC’s): Members can also pay AVC’s into the scheme and this will also be subject to tax relief by paying via Pension Salary Exchange (PSE). It should be noted, if members are currently paying an AVC into another Royal Mail pension scheme, this will stop once The Collective Plan is introduced. Members will therefore need to restart the AVC for The Collective Plan.

We are pleased to report that over 20,000 people have already registered to pay the 1% Lump Sum Booster and very nearly 4,000 AVC’s have been applied via the People App. We fully expect these numbers to continue to rise, however to make this happen in time for the commencement of the scheme, applications must be logged on the People App by this Friday. Members can of course apply after this date; it just means these attributes will start at a later date.

A helpful slide that amplifies these benefits has been produced by Royal Mail and is attached.

Branches are encouraged to bring these benefits to the attention of our members and to remind them that to activate either of these attributes in time for the commencement of the scheme will need to be done by this Friday via the People App. More information on The Collective Plan can be found at http://www.myroyalmail.com/collective-plan

Your sincerely,

Martin Walsh         

Deputy General Secretary (P)                                                             

Andy Furey 

Assistant Secretary

Attachment 1: LTB 304/24 – Royal Mail Group – The Collective Plan

Attachment 2: Attachment to LTB 304/24

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