USO Reform – National Joint Statements/Updated Communication

Further to LTB 098/25 regarding updates to Pay, Section 5 and the USO, in advance of the National Briefing for CWU Representatives and Branches.

As outlined in recent weeks numerous discussions have taken place with the business regarding seeking to provide clarification and resolutions to a number of areas linked to USO pilot activity, as well as additional pre-deployment activity across the remaining circa 1,200 delivery offices.

As a result, we have agreed a number of Joint Statements which are attached and outlined as follows:

National Talks Update

• Confirmation that a full agreement on pay and Section 5 will be sought to be concluded by 30^th
• A full National Agreement on USO will be concluded by 30^th
• Additional protections in that the business have committed to honour the no compulsory redundancy commitment throughout USO implementation and deployment which is expected to conclude in 2028, and provide employee benefits.
• Confirmation that the USO change will only be deployed if a decision has been made by Ofcom and a full National Agreement is in place with the CWU. Both parties will ensure that the issues on attendance patterns will be unlocked by 30^thMay 2025.

USO Pilot Offices

• Includes an update in relation to improving attendance patterns and ensuring that better flexibility is applied against the 7 options within an agreed criteria linked to compliance with safety and working legislation, Saturday coverage, quality of service and the cost basis is the same, which will be reviewed by the National Delivery USO Group.
• In addition, the ability to review reserve level coverage, including where absence rates need to be planned in.
• Ensuring all offices review their resourcing base to establish the status of either surplus staffing and/or the need to increase PT employee hours or recruitment.

USO Work Package – Pre-Deployment Activity

• A jointly agreed 12-part deployment planning process for each delivery office in the lead up to any potential ‘go live’ date and ensuring the status of resourcing/recruitment is reviewed and included in the attached flow charts (Resourcing & Recruitment).
• In line with the agreed process for the 37 pilot offices, a need to complete agreed frame moves in all delivery offices before their scheduled deployment date, to make better use of the space available to be able to sort and store parcels more efficiently.
• In preparation for the proposed changes, validation exercise to gather and better understand information on non-drivers across all delivery offices.
• Agreed process for better strategic involvement across all levels and ensuring the suitable release for CWU representatives as part of planning arrangements, which will be agreed between RODs/General Managers (GMs) and Divisional Reps alongside the OPLs and Area Reps.

Clearly the ongoing Pay, Section 5 and the USO are crucial to both parties and the release of the attached joint statements and wider clarification is intended to assist and give those negotiations the freedom to continue.

Both parties have agreed to hold a joint session with Regional Operational Directors and CWU Divisional Reps next week to run through all of the above and ensure that the same information is cascaded down to all levels of both structures as part of the improving strategic involvement and ways of working.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be referred to the DGS(P) department.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)          

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

Tony Bouch

Assistant Secretary

LTB 102/25 – USO Reform – National Joint Statements Updated Communication

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 1 Joint Update on National Discussions Final 22.05

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 2 Pilots Update FINAL

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 3 USO Resourcing Flowchart Final Appendix1 (May 25)

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 4 Pre-Deployment Planning FINAL

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 5 – 7 Options 1 of 2

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 6 – 7 Options 2 of 2             

LTB 102-25 – Attachment 7 Unit Recruitment Flowchart v.1.2   

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Post Office: Future of the Crown Office Network – Franchising Update

Further to LTB 069/25.  As Branches are aware, on 8^th April Post Office announced the franchising of the remaining 108 Crown Offices, meaning the loss of over 1,000 jobs.

Post Office has today confirmed franchise partners for 56 Crowns and the members concerned were informed via a Teams call earlier this morning.  The three franchise partners announced today are RF Retail Ltd, Universal Office Equipment (UK) Ltd (known as UOE) and ZCO Ltd. The 90-day “staff information and consultation exercise” begins today and closes on 24^thAugust.  We are expecting further announcements in terms of franchise partners for the remaining Crowns in the coming weeks.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Union is opposed to franchising Crown Offices as we believe this will provide an inferior service, there is obviously a requirement to enter into serious negotiations with the aim of agreeing the “measures” associated with potential TUPE and also an improved compensation package via a Settlement Agreement.  Additionally, we need to agree processes for bumping opportunities elsewhere in Post Office.  We have therefore agreed the following Joint Statement:

On 8th April Post Office announced to employees their intention to franchise all remaining Directly Managed Branches.

For its part, the CWU does not support the franchising of Directly Managed Branches.  

Both parties recognise that although they hold different positions on the future of DMB’s and the Post Office Network – there is a need to enter without prejudice negotiations immediately to explore the potential for an agreement that will support and maximise the available options for CWU members/Post Office employees.

The CWU notes that Post Office will announce the start of a 90-day consultation on Tuesday 27th May.

The list of Crowns affected by today’s announcement is attached for your information and has been shared with our Territorial Reps, who were present on today’s calls.

We have serious reservations about the longevity of the service being provided by these franchise partners as there is no guarantee these businesses will not be vulnerable to closure in the future.  In fact, we have already seen examples whereby Crowns previously franchised to WH Smith have now closed.

We will continue to campaign politically against the franchising programme and Branches should liaise with our Post Office Territorial Representatives who can provide help and support for engaging with MPs and councils etc.

Further developments will be reported as negotiations progress.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward                

General Secretary                          

Martin Walsh           

DGS(P)                           

Andy Furey 

Assistant Secretary

LTB 105/25 – PO – Future of the Crown Office Network – Franchising Update

LTB 105/25 – List of Crown Offices – Franchising Announcement 27th May 2025

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CWU NATIONAL DELEGATIONS – 2025

• TUC Congress 7^th-10^th September 2025, Brighton
• Labour Party Conference (including Labour Party Women’s Conference 27^th September – 1^st October 2025, Liverpool

 Further to LTB 090/25 dated 8^th May 2025 at the close of nominations the following have been received:

TUC 

Postal Constituency

NEC (1 Member)Rob WotherspoonBristol & District Amal*Elected

Lay Members (7 Members at least 2 delegates must be women & at least 1 delegate must be BAME)Tina HolmesLeicestershire*Elected (Woman)Adam AlarakhiaLeicestershireBALLOT REQUIREDSteve CrokeSouth Midlands PostalPaul GillonGlasgow & District AmalSajid ShaikhBirmingham District AmalTony SneddonScotland No 5Lee Starr-ElliottBristol & District AmalTom WalkerNorthern Home Counties Postal

Telecoms & Financial Services Constituency   

NEC (1 Member)Michelle BaileyMidland No 1*Elected

Lay Members (5 Members at least 1 delegate must be a woman & least 1 delegate must be BAME)Moira CahillUTAW, Algus National, Capital, Edinburgh Dundee & Borders, Lincolnshire & South Yorks, Meridian, Mersey, Midland No 1, Mid Wales, The Marches & North Staffs, North East, Northern Ireland Telecoms, Scotland No 1, South Wales, Tyne & Wear Clerical, West Yorkshire, *ElectedDeji OlayinkaUTAW, Algus National, Capital, Edinburgh Dundee & Borders, Lincolnshire & South Yorks, Meridian, Mersey, Midland No 1, Mid Wales, The Marches & North Staffs, North East, Northern Ireland Telecoms, Scotland No 1, South Wales, Tyne & Wear Clerical, West Yorkshire, *ElectedLouise ShortTyne & Wear Clerical, Algus National, Capital, Edinburgh Dundee & Borders, Lincolnshire & South Yorks, Meridian, Mersey, Midland No 1, Mid Wales, The Marches & North Staffs, North East, Northern Ireland Telecoms, Scotland No 1, South Wales, West Yorkshire, UTAW *ElectedTrish VollansWest Yorkshire, Algus National, Capital, Edinburgh Dundee & Borders, Lincolnshire & South Yorks, Meridian, Mersey, Midland No 1, Mid Wales, The Marches & North Staffs, North East, Northern Ireland Telecoms, Scotland No 1, South Wales, Tyne & Wear Clerical, UTAW *Elected

LABOUR PARTY

Postal Constituency

NEC (1 Member)Alan TateLondon Postal Engineering*Elected

Lay Members (7 Members at least 2 delegates must be women & at least 1 delegate must be BAME)Paul BraithwaiteNorth Lancs & CumbriaBALLOT REQUIREDHuw DaviesLondon PhoenixHugh GaffneyGlasgow & District AmalLee Starr-ElliottBristol & District AmalTom WalkerNorthern Home Counties Postal

Telecoms & Financial Services Constituency   

NEC (1 Member)Graham ColkSouth Wales*Elected

Lay Members (5 Members at least 1 delegate must be a woman & at least 1 delegate must be BAME)Craig AndersonScotland No 1, Algus National, Capital, Edinburgh, Dundee & Borders, Lincolnshire & South Yorks, Meridian, Mersey, Midland No 1, Mid Wales, The Marches & North Staffs, North East, Northern Ireland Telecoms, South Wales, Tyne & Wear Clerical, UTAW, West Yorkshire *ElectedAlex CharilaouUTAW, Algus National, Capital, Edinburgh, Dundee & Borders, Lincolnshire & South Yorks, Meridian, Mersey, Midland No 1, Mid Wales, The Marches & North Staffs, North East, Northern Ireland Telecoms, Scotland No 1, South Wales, Tyne & Wear Clerical, West Yorkshire *ElectedBrian KennyMersey, Algus National, Capital, Edinburgh, Dundee & Borders, Lincolnshire & South Yorks, Meridian, Midland No 1, Mid Wales, The Marches & North Staffs, North East, Northern Ireland Telecoms, Scotland No 1, South Wales, Tyne & Wear Clerical, West Yorkshire, UTAW *ElectedJoyce StevensonScotland No 1, Algus National, Capital, Edinburgh, Dundee & Borders, Lincolnshire & South Yorks, Meridian, Mersey, Midland No 1, Mid Wales, The Marches & North Staffs, North East, Northern Ireland Telecoms, South Wales, Tyne & Wear Clerical, West Yorkshire, UTAW *Elected

The ballot timetable is as follows:

Despatch ballot papers:                 29 May 2025

Ballot closes:                                    19 June 2025 (14:00)

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

25LTB104 – CWU National Delegation – TUC Congress and Labour Party Conference 2025

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ROYAL MAIL: REORGANISED ER CASE MANAGEMENT TEAM 

Further to LTB 077/25 dated 16^th April, and the National Briefing on 21^st May.  Branches will be aware we are currently in negotiations with Royal Mail on a new Disciplinary Agreement to replace the Conduct Code Agreement 2015.

As part of these negotiations, we have raised serious concerns over the role of the ER Function and particular the Independent Case Managers (ICMs) in view of the fact that the same small group of individuals were hearing dismissal appeals repeatedly.  It should be noted that only 8% of appeals against dismissal have been upheld ((based on the most recent stats provided by Royal Mail in March 2025).

We have received the following information from Jo Cartright, Royal Mail HR Service Delivery Director, which provides an update on the reorganisation of the ER Function, including the expansion of the number of managers hearing appeals against dismissal:

As part of our ongoing work to strengthen the Employee Relations (ER) function, we are currently working through a consultation process to make changes to how our ER Case Management team is structured.  

Currently, the team includes two distinct roles:

 Independent Case Managers, who cover all business units and are responsible for:

 Raising Concerns (where Protected Characteristics are involved) and any subsequent appeals

• Second line conduct appeals (e.g. suspended dismissal/dismissal)
• Other dismissal appeals (e.g. Attendance, SOSR, LTBIH)
• Speak Up cases and other similar complaints
• Preparing and participating in Early Conciliation and Employment Tribunal claims, as well as National Appeals Process panels

 People Case Support Managers, who focus on:

 Raising Concerns and first line conduct appeals (e.g. warnings/serious warnings) within Deliveries and Collections

• Handling conduct and grievance cases involving Angard employees
• Supporting other areas in exceptional cases where an independent chair is required

 We are proposing to bring these roles together to form a single, consistent ER Case Manager role. This change will increase our appeal hearing capacity from 18 to a pool of 50 FTEs.  It will also enable greater flexibility to respond to peaks and troughs in case volumes e.g. we will also have a larger pool to hear Raising Concerns cases within deliveries and collections. 

It is looking likely that this proposal will be implemented and as such we are starting a selection assessment process which will ensure that those individuals who progress into the new ER Case Manager role have the required skills and abilities, including to hear dismissal appeals. These individuals will then be given full support, training, and development to ensure our high standards are met and upheld. Anyone who is not successful will be supported through redeployment. 

We welcome the above development, especially as we have raised concerns around the same individuals hearing dismissal appeals repeatedly and developing a level of cynicism. Our expectation is that this is a step in the right direction from the current position and we would hope this reorganisation will lead to a significantly fairer process in terms of appeal hearings.  We will be closely monitoring the statistics on appeal outcomes moving forward.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary       

Bobby Weatherall
Acting Assistant Secretary

Attachment 1: 25LTB101 – Royal Mail Reorganised ER Case Management Team

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USO Reform – National Joint Statements/Updated Communication

Further to LTB 098/25 regarding updates to Pay, Section 5 and the USO, in advance of the National Briefing for CWU Representatives and Branches.

As outlined in recent weeks numerous discussions have taken place with the business regarding seeking to provide clarification and resolutions to a number of areas linked to USO pilot activity, as well as additional pre-deployment activity across the remaining circa 1,200 delivery offices.

As a result, we have agreed a number of Joint Statements which are attached and outlined as follows:

National Talks Update

• Confirmation that a full agreement on pay and Section 5 will be sought to be concluded by 30^th
• A full National Agreement on USO will be concluded by 30^th
• Additional protections in that the business have committed to honour the no compulsory redundancy commitment throughout USO implementation and deployment which is expected to conclude in 2028, and provide employee benefits.
• Confirmation that the USO change will only be deployed if a decision has been made by Ofcom and a full National Agreement is in place with the CWU. Both parties will ensure that the issues on attendance patterns will be unlockedby 30^thMay 2025.

USO Pilot Offices

• Includes an update in relation to improving attendance patterns and ensuring that better flexibility is applied against the 7 options within an agreed criteria linked to compliance with safety and working legislation, Saturday coverage, quality of service and the cost basis is the same, which will be reviewed by the National Delivery USO Group.
• In addition, the ability to review reserve level coverage, including where absence rates need to be planned in.
• Ensuring all offices review their resourcing base to establish the status of either surplus staffing and/or the need to increase PT employee hours or recruitment.

USO Work Package – Pre-Deployment Activity

• A jointly agreed 12-part deployment planning process for each delivery office in the lead up to any potential ‘go live’ date and ensuring the status of resourcing/recruitment is reviewed and included in the attached flow charts (Resourcing & Recruitment).
• In line with the agreed process for the 37 pilot offices, a need to complete agreed frame moves in all delivery offices before their scheduled deployment date, to make better use of the space available to be able to sort and store parcels more efficiently.
• In preparation for the proposed changes, validation exercise to gather and better understand information on non-drivers across all delivery offices.
• Agreed process for better strategic involvement across all levels and ensuring the suitable release for CWU representatives as part of planning arrangements, which will be agreed between RODs/General Managers (GMs) and Divisional Reps alongside the OPLs and Area Reps.

Clearly the ongoing Pay, Section 5 and the USO are crucial to both parties and the release of the attached joint statements and wider clarification is intended to assist and give those negotiations the freedom to continue.

Both parties have agreed to hold a joint session with Regional Operational Directors and CWU Divisional Reps next week to run through all of the above and ensure that the same information is cascaded down to all levels of both structures as part of the improving strategic involvement and ways of working.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be referred to the DGS(P) department.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)          

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

Tony Bouch

Assistant Secretary

LTB 102/25 – USO Reform – National Joint Statements Updated Communication

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 1 Joint Update on National Discussions Final 22.05

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 2 Pilots Update FINAL

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 3 USO Resourcing Flowchart Final Appendix1 (May 25)

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 4 Pre-Deployment Planning FINAL

LTB102/25 – Attachment 5 – 7 Options 1 of 2

LTB 102/25 – Attachment 6 – 7 Options 2 of 2                          

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Update on Royal Mail Group pay, new entrants terms, sick pay, USO, VR’s and more | 5pm TODAY.

SHE Dispute Resolution Process – Lines of Contact Postal Department

Branches and Representatives will recall LTB 031/25, which confirmed the core areas of responsibility for Health and Safety matters within the Postal Department following the decisions at last year’s Annual Conference concerning the former Health, Safety and Environment Department.

Since then, we have continued to receive enquiries, in particular, from our Area Safety Reps concerning the application of the SHE Dispute Resolution Process and lines of national escalation.

The purpose of this LTB is to confirm that the SHE Dispute Process remains unchanged currently, but that escalation to national level should be directed and addressed to the following relevant Officers/Departments at CWU headquarters, with any cross-functional or across-department matters being directed to the DGS (Postal) Department in the first instance:Areas of Responsibility and SHE Dispute Escalation LineRelevant Officer/Department at CWU HQDelivery

CollectionsTony Bouch 

Assistant Secretary 

Email: tbouch@cwu.orgParcelforce

Logistics

Distribution

Processing (including Mail Centre engineers)

International

EurestDavie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

Email: drobertson@cwu.orgPOL

Capita

Admin

MDEC & Customer Experience

HR

Finance, Stamps & CollectablesAndy Furey

Assistant Secretary

Email: afurey@cwu.orgFleet

Engineering

RMPFSLBobby Weatherall

Assistant Secretary (Act) 

Email: bweatherall@cwu.org

Any H&S workplace matters which are cross-functional or across the outlined areas of responsibility should in the first instance be directed to the DGS (Postal) Department.

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal) 

Email: mwalsh@cwu.org

In setting out the above, it can be reported that we remain in talks with Royal Mail on seeking to update the current SHE Dispute Resolution Process to reflect these changes in the CWU national roles on Safety. Additionally, we are seeking to further amend the SHE Dispute process to include a new tier of escalation at ROD & Divisional Reps level, which is aimed at seeking to speed up dispute resolutions and further embed safety compliance without the need for national referral.

In the meantime, and until we can confirm and communicate any agreed changes to the SHE Dispute Resolution Process, it is hoped that this clarification on the lines of escalation to national level is helpful.

Finally, and for ease of reference, please find attached the following documents: –

SHE Committee and Dispute Resolution Guidance Document v3.0

SHE Dispute Resolution Record Template v1.1

SHE Dispute Resolution Flowchart v5.0

Any enquiries to this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) department.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 100/25 – SHE Dispute Resolution Process – Lines of Contact Postal Department

LTB 100/25 – Att 1 SHE-Committee-and-Dispute-Reolution-Guidance-Doc v3.0

LTB 100/25 – Att 2 SHE Dispute Resolution Record Template (SHEI 2.3)(Appendix 6) v1.1

LTB 100/25 – Att 3 SHE Dispute Resolution Flowchart (SHEI 2.3) (Appendix 2) (v 5.0)

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Update on Pay, Section 5 and the USO and what to expect at the National Briefing on Wednesday 21^st & Thursday 22^nd May 2025

Over the last three weeks Royal Mail and the CWU have been in intensive and complex negotiations covering commitments contained within the agreement with EP Group.

These cover:

1.A long term pay deal.

2.The pathway to equalisation of new entrants’ pay, terms and conditions including a first step within three months of the takeover.

3.Reducing reliance on agency which will create more jobs and opportunities for part timers to increase their hours.

4.Reviewing overtime and scheduled attendance rates.

5.Introducing a performance incentive scheme which is payable based on local targets.

6.Improvements in sick pay.

7.Introducing new ways of working which includes a new more supportive approach to My Performance.

We have made progress on a number of these issues over the last three weeks. These negotiations are challenging when set against the financial position of the company, but we are determined to reach an agreement that resets Royal Mail and gives it a platform to grow, as well as ending the chaos culture in units across the UK.

Over the last three weeks the CWU negotiators have rejected three separate pay offers, all of which were above inflation.

We also have a plan in place for new entrants to reduce the working week and introduce paid meal reliefs. Further discussions are taking place on other parts of the equalisation pathway.

Alongside reaching agreement on all of the above, we are in negotiations on the future of the Universal Service Obligation – something that is crucial to both the future of the company and long-term job security.

Royal Mail have expressed their desire to reach an agreement, and we will continue with negotiations next week. Our aim is to reach an overall agreement by the time the transaction completes on 30^th May 2025. We are meeting Royal Mail again in Manchester on Tuesday 20^th May.

We fully recognise the urgency of delivering an agreement – in terms of bringing stability to workplaces, but we also know our members need and deserve a pay rise. We must balance this against reaching the right agreement for you. We will provide further updates and host engagement sessions with members in the coming weeks.

National Briefing 21^st and 22^nd May 2025

At the National Briefing it is our intention to fully update you on all aspects of the current negotiations.

The National Briefing on Wednesday 21^stMay will commence at 10am and will be held in the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel (International Suite). Address below.

Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel

Portland Street
Manchester
M1 4PH

The agenda for the 2 days is below:

1. Dave Ward (CWU General Secretary) EP – Agreement/Update.
2. Martin Walsh (CWU Deputy General Secretary – Postal) – Opening Remarks.
3. Royal Mail Presentation – Alistair Cochrane (Chief Operating Officer)

Jamie Stephenson (Operations Transformation Director)

4. The reset in both Industrial and Employee Relations
   a. HR Summit
   b.Transforming Industrial Relations
   c. Reset of Employee Relations
   d. New IR Framework
   e. Working Together
   f. Next Steps
5. Pay – Long Term Pay Deal
6. New Career Path
7.  New Entrants
8.  Pay Simplification
9.  Reducing Reliance on Agency
10.  New Performance Incentive Scheme
11.  New Ways of Working/My Performance
12.  Review of Scheduled Attendance and Overtime Rates
13.  Sick Pay Arrangements
14. New agreed Voluntary Redundancy Terms
15.  Developing a Growth Strategy
16.  USO and the link to the agreement
17.  Next Steps
18.  Pension Information
19.  Membership Recruitment Strategy

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGSP Department.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

Mick Kavanagh

Postal Executive Chair

LTB 98/25 – Update on Pay, Section 5 and the USO and what to expect at the National Briefing on Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd May 2025

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Mental Health Awareness Week – 12^th -18th May 2025 on the Theme Of ‘Community’ 

Being part of a safe, positive community is vital to our mental health and wellbeing. We thrive when we have strong connections with other people and supportive communities remind us, we are not alone. In line with this year’s theme, several colleagues from the CWU mental Health First Aiders network have shared a selection of ‘1-minute’ readsunder the title of ‘My Mental Health and me’. These are shared as an attachment to this LTB to try and help assist people wanting to access support and to also to try and break down stigma. These ‘1-minute’ reads are a ‘community’ share and suitable for workplace notice boards and a reminder that one person’s story could become someone’s hope.

Stigma and Workplace Culture

Findings from a recent MHFA England mental health statistics workplace report

Key workplace mental health statistics for 2024 · MHFA England

Identified that-

35% of employees said they had experienced discrimination or stigma in the workplace due to poor mental health.

47% of employees believe that an open dialogue about mental health would significantly improve their wellbeing at work.

45% feel uncomfortable discussing mental health concerns with their manager, fearing negative repercussions.

Stigma therefore remains a significant challenge and support networks remain vital in overcoming the many mental health challenges caused by stigma.

The CWU have Trained over 500 accredited Mental Health First Aiders since 2019 and Signposting CWU members to approved support services does form part of CWU MHFAider training. An A-Z list of endorsed organisations that have supported CWU colleagues in various aspects of their Mental Health & wellbeing needs can be viewed by clicking on the link below. The organisations listed are only those that have been endorsed by CWU service users, the A-Z list is non-exhaustive and is a ‘Live’ signposting webpage that is updated twice yearly, we encourage anyone who has received beneficial Mental Health support form an organisation to make us aware, just so that we can add to our endorsed list of support services available.

The organisations listed can be local or national.

CWU Mental Health – Signpost Support Services

Challenging employers to really become more “disability confident” when it comes to Mental Health Disability remains very high on our CWU agenda. Through feedback from our Mental Health First Aiders network, we have established that around 90% of mental health reasonable adjustment agreements can often be implemented cost free. This is a percentage measurement against over 250 mental health disability risk assessments completed in the last 5 years with CWU support. Employers of course fall under a positive duty under the 2010 Equality Act, to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace to alleviate or remove any disadvantage suffered by a disabled worker when compared against a non-disabled worker. This includes anyone suffering from a long-term mental health disability or impairment.

Promoting the Recovery model.

What we know is that with the right type of support is given-

• People can & do recover from poor mental health
• Each person’s recovery is different.
• Recovery is more about overcoming the challenges of poor mental health rather than achieving an absence of symptoms.

Being part of a safe, positive community can also prove vital to help with the recovery and maintenance of our own mental health and wellbeing.

Talking about mental health at work

A Key message for mental Health Awareness Week 2025 –

Anyone can be a Mental Health Advocate. 

The Samaritans have provided some tips for talking to people struggling with their mental health at work: The SHUSH technique, developed by the Samaritans, is designed to help people become better listeners. Listening, when done actively and attentively, can provide a lifeline for someone who feels unheard or alone.

1. Show you care
   Give the person your full attention by setting aside distractions. Nonverbal cues like eye contact and an open posture convey that you’re fully present.
2. Have patience
   Allow the conversation to unfold naturally. Silence is okay—it can give someone the time and space to articulate their thoughts and feelings.
3. Use open questions
   Encourage the person to share more by asking questions like, “How are you feeling about that?” or “What’s been on your mind lately?”
4. Say it back
   Reflect and paraphrase what they’ve said to show understanding. For example, “It sounds like you’ve been feeling really overwhelmed lately.”
5. Hold back on advice
   Focus on listening without immediately trying to fix the problem. Sometimes, simply feeling heard is enough to make a difference.

Why Listening Matters

Research consistently highlights the importance of human connection in promoting mental health and wellbeing. By practicing active listening, you’re creating a safe and supportive space where someone feels valued and understood.

Workplace resources for Mental Health Awareness week 2025

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 resources | Mates in Mind

Resources for Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 | Mental Health Foundation

MHAW campaign poster

Webinars can be a very useful source of information during Mental Health Awareness Week, several selected free online webinars are available via the links shown below.

Building communities: The vital role of MHFAider networks Tickets, Tue 13 May 2025 at 13:00 | Eventbrite

A guide to navigating neurodiversity & mental health in the workplace Tickets, Thu, May 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite

MRSpride Webinar: Mental Health Awareness Week – 12 May 2025 | Events

Mental Health Awareness Week: Smartphones, Sleep and Mental Health Q & A Tickets, Tue, May 13, 2025 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

This LTB is shared on behalf of CWU Central Services.

If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact- Jamie McGovern, FRSPH MIIAI at jmcgovern@cwu.org.

Yours Sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary

LTB 092 25 – Mental Health Awareness week 2025LTB 092 25 – Mental Health Awareness week 2025

mental health awareness week blogs ‘1 minute reads’

listening-tips-posterlistening-tips-poster

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Large Parcel Migration Between Royal Mail and Parcelforce – Update

Branches will recall the concept of utilising the synergies between Royal Mail and Parcelforce on progressing towards a Single Parcel Network for Large Parcels, as outlined in Section 5 of The Business Recovery Transformation & Growth Agreement (BRT&G). To aid this, Pilot activity has been undertaken with F4+ volume transferred directly from the Midland Superhub to the PFW Coventry Hub and via two MCs Preston and Manchester. To date, these trials have proven successful.

The Building the Future project, documented via LTB 040/25, provides Parcelforce the required IT capabilities to enable interoperability of parcels between the RM and PFW networks. This is alongside other initiatives, including First Mile Integration starting with PFW POL Collections transferring into RM, covered in LTB 076/25.

The plan is to migrate up to 14m format 4 and above (F4+) parcels from RM to PFW in financial year 2025/2026. This represents c13% of all RM’s F4+ total annual parcel volumes and 1.2% of all RM’s annual parcel volumes. The breakdown of how these items will migrate is as follows:

• 3m (F4+) items via high volume (HV) direct injection customers;
• 1m (T48, F4+) items via one of our Parcel Hubs;
• 6m (T48, F4+) items via 31 of our Outward Mail Centre (OMC) Operations (including all existing Donor sites).

While some T24 F4+ items may be included in Customer Direct Injection volumes to meet the operational model, at this stage only T48 F4+ items can migrate from the current Royal Mail Network.

The operational plan is based on:

• Day A: Collection, Outward Processing / Loading and Conveyance to PFW overnight;
• Day B: PFW Processing and Conveyance to PFW Depots;
• Day C: PFW Deliver items.

In RM on outward, Collection Hubs and Outward Mail Centres (OMCs) will segregate T48 F4+ items, conducting a scanning process and loose load items onto PFW trailers. These trailers are then sent to PFW Coventry National Hub (CNH) overnight for processing on the day shift and once migrated to PFW these items remain in the PFW network through to final delivery.

Whilst the current pilot has worked well, there will be continued learnings to manage. Therefore, it has been agreed the migration of Large Parcels will be via a phased roll-out plan, which includes three distinct pilot phases identified as follows:

• Phase 1: Pilot activity including 6 OMCs and 1 Parcel Hub by end of May 2025;
• Phase 2: Continued roll-out at a further 8 OMCs by end of June 2025;
• Phase 3: Completion of all migration by no later than end of August 2025.

It is agreed that phasing the roll out will enable joint tracking of all pilot activity and assessments of any lessons learnt, which will be further incorporated into the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Large Parcel Migration. This JWG is made up of RM, PFW and CWU representation. The roll-out also provides PFW with a natural ramp-up of additional volumes with an intent to complete the full migration before we reach the Peak pressure period in 2025.

The Pilot activity has highlighted some concerns from Mail Centres, which are currently donor sites to the Super Hubs, and from Deliveries on the impact to the DPR Routes. Many of the concerns raised were down to misinformation from managers. These have been covered off and are highlighted below:

• Limited workload impact on OMC operations due to requirement to segregate, scan and loose load trailer(s) destined for PFW;
• Fourteen of the OMCs are already donor sites to both Midlands and Northwest Super Hubs, which will mean that the F4+ T48 items will be diverted to PFW instead of the respective Super Hubs. There is no intention, as part of this project, for donor sites to redirect compensatory volume to the Super Hubs;
• Network implications are being incorporated into the annual Network Review and will include adjustments to current schedules based on volume and the introduction of direct services from the OMCs to the PFW Coventry Hub;
• IMCs will see an impact on all Inward Operations with a minor reduction of workload;
• Mail Centre realignment is planned for late June 2025 and will incorporate the workload impact into a revised model week calculation;
• Delivery functions (DPR and Core) will see on average c35 less items per day per delivery office. Consequently, DPR route structures will be reviewed in line with the reduction in volume and subsequent stops per hour impact. As such. it is not intended to activate DPR volume moving to core delivery routes from this project within 2025;
• PFW Processing and Depot Night Shift Operations will be reviewed to align resource to accommodate increased volume.

In addition to the above points, the business has shared with both departments the breakdown of volumes per Mail Centre and DPR Office and the overall impact in Delivery is on average circa 1 less DPR route per office. Therefore, this will be managed in line with National Agreements and ensuring the reduction of agency / casual use will be achieved in the first instance. This information will be supplied to CWU representatives via internal memos in due course.

We have now agreed words with the business on this activity and these are attached along with associated data covering the future roll out of the sites, Flowchart covering the migration and the SOPs. 

As highlighted, the activity will be monitored through the Large Parcel Migration Joint Working Group. Both departments agreed a national launch call with the business, which has taken place today. Please find attached the slides used today along with WTLL materials, which will be used to ensure that the criteria are fully understood and deployed consistently, ensuring that connectivity and quality of service is maintained. 

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: jrodrigues@cwu.org or Tony Bouch, Assistant Secretary, email: Pharacz@cwu.org. 

Yours sincerely, 

Davie Robertson                                                                           Tony Bouch

Assistant Secretary                                                                               Assistant Secretary

LTB 091-25 – Large Parcel Migration Update

Flowchart Draft v1.1

Joint Launch Call Slides v1

PFW Single Large Parcel Network – National Deployment 240425 (1)

PFW-P4 Migration DRAFT SOP v1.3

Trial deployment _Large_Parcel_Migration_

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