RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) – 30^th June to 6^th July 2025

This week will see the launch of the Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW), which is the joint annual focal point where important messages are communicated to emphasise the ongoing and sadly growing safety risk of dog attacks on CWU members within Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

The first national DAW was held back in 2012, with the key objectives to remind the public to be aware of their legal and moral responsibilities to control their dogs and prevent dog attacks on postal workers who are providing them with a public service.  It also serves as a good opportunity to remind members who perform deliveries and collections in both Royal Mail and Parcelforce to be vigilant, keep safe and take no risks.

At the time of this LTB, it can be reported that RMG have confirmed a total of 2,197 attacks by dogs on postal workers in the year ending 31^st March 2025.  A very slight reduction from the 2,206 reported in the year ending 2024.

RMG/CWU DAW Message to Royal Mail & Parcelforce Customers:

As outlined above, a key objective of Dog Awareness Week is to remind the public to be aware of their legal and moral responsibilities to control their dogs and prevent dog attacks on postal workers.  It is again noteworthy to recall that it was only following a successful campaign by the CWU to ensure that the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and its provisions regarding ‘a dog being dangerously out of control’ was extended to include both public and private places thereby allowing for irresponsible dog owners to be prosecuted under the Act.

Dog owners need to understand the often-devastating impact of dog attacks and take proper measures to ensure their pets pose no threat to delivery postal workers through responsible dog ownership.

The public also needs to be aware that if their dog attacks a postal worker, they will be prosecuted either by the Police, Local Authority or by Royal Mail Group via a private prosecution under the agreement between RMG and the CWU.

RMG/CWU DAW Headline activities 2025

Listed here is a summary of the week’s activities: –

• DAW 2025 Posters (For Customers)

All Royal Mail/Parcelforce sites will have received (4 copies) of the DAW external poster to be displayed at customer-facing points (versions for England, Scotland and Wales).

The poster aims to ask customers to take some simple steps to avoid dog attacks.  This includes never opening the door when a dog is not secured and putting in place a letter cage or external letterbox.

The poster also advises customers that mail deliveries can be suspended if a safe delivery point is not provided and that following changes to the Dangerous Dog Act, owners and/or a person in charge of a dog can be prosecuted if that dog attacks anyone.

• DAW 2025 Poster (Internal)

 All Royal Mail/Parcelforce sites will also have received (2 copies) of an internal AVOID Poster for display (versions for England, Scotland and Wales).

The internal poster aims to emphasise the key Dog Attack AVOID principles of:

• Check if it is not safe, don’t enter.
• Step back from the door.
• If there is a dog behind the door call to the customer to put the dog away.
• Never put fingers through a letterbox.

Attached is a Zip File of these customer and internal posters for DAW 2025 alongside a note confirming that the posters are to be displayed.

• Blue Cross Charity

In line with DAW 2025, an updated poster has been published to highlight the ongoing work with the Blue Cross charity in terms of continuing to raise awareness of the steps dog owners can take to keep delivery workers safe via a free Zoom webinar.

The posters will be made available for internal use and for all Royal Mail/Parcelforce sites to print out and display.  It will be further promoted by RMG through its external webpage for customers.

A copy of this 2025 joint Blue Cross poster is attached.

• RMG WTLL Briefings

Also attached is a copy of the two RMG WTLL Briefings to be issued this week.  As in previous years, one is designed for non-operational delivery roles and another for all those who work within Delivery, Collection and Parcelforce.

This year’s WTLL Briefing for Deliveries, Collections and Parcelforce also invites these employees to complete a short anonymous survey which has been developed by Blue Cross to help establish a ‘better understanding of Postal Worker attitudes and beliefs around dogs’, and to help them provide Royal Mail and the CWU with further and tailored support going forward.

To access this survey by Blue Cross, please use the following link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=oMzBHjnqNEeReeLbEJgyzGldDkFMLutLnKL_Ux3fQk9UNklST0pLMFpCUFpJU0lFNENOVE5FRkFTSCQlQCN0PWcu

• CWU Press Statement

In line with Dog Awareness Week, the union has issued a Press Statement, which is attached.  This Press Statement aims to set out the simple message to the public that dog attacks remain a major safety concern, as statistics show that a third of all dog attacks are on postal workers.

The Press Statement also highlights that 30,000 postal workers have been attacked by dogs in the last decade with approximately 1000 having had a finger or part of a finger bitten off through a letterbox.

Additionally, the union is clear that it wants to see irresponsible dog owners who fail to control and secure their animals and who allow dog attacks on postal workers prosecuted and handed a sentence that fits the crime.

• Other DAW Messages

A message will be issued via the Royal Mail PDA to all staff advising that over 400 injuries were sustained to fingers last year when pushing mail through the letterbox and reminding all employees not to put their fingers through any letterbox and use the posting peg.  Messages will be repeated daily on the PDA outlining the meaning of AVOID.

RMtv will cover DAW, in particular, the subject of ‘responsible dog ownership and what we can do to avoid attacks.’  This will also include a slot from some CWU ASRs and Professor Carri Westgarth from Liverpool University.

RMG will send out messages to customers about responsible dog ownership through the company’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds.

Alongside these attachments is the ‘Paws for thought’ posters, which were developed with the NPCC (National Police Chiefs Council) back in 2023/2024 and which seeks to offer a more hard-hitting message to the public.

In setting out the above, it is also relevant to highlight current measures in place within Royal Mail to raise awareness with the public.

Royal Mail have launched a new enhancement to the RM App (which went live on 3^rd April), reminding customers to secure their dog before the delivery arrives.  This includes two separate pop-up messages for the customer when an item is scanned as “Ready for Delivery” and a further message when a user first opens the RM App.

Additionally, the Customer Postcards remain available for Delivery units to order throughout the year and which can be sent to customers reminding them of the steps they can take to provide a safe delivery point.  The card has been dual-purpose so customers can also display it in their window, advising anyone delivering to their address that they have a dog and may take a minute to answer the door whilst they secure it away.  These cards have also been translated into Welsh.

More details on these Customer Postcards can be found in LTB 030/25, issued on the 14^th February.

RMG/CWU DAW Message to Postal Workers:

 We are reminding all individuals who perform deliveries and collections across Royal Mail and Parcelforce of the need to remain vigilant, cautious, keep safe and take no risks:

• Be vigilant, keep safe, take no risks and protect yourself at all times.
• Always err on the side of caution.
• Don’t enter properties where dogs are running loose.
• Don’t put fingers through the letterbox (use your Posting Peg).
• Don’t assume a dog won’t bite, as any dog can be aggressive.
• Don’t accept an owner’s word that their dog will not bite.
• Look for the presence of dogs.  Signs on gates, walls and windows, cages in vehicles, toys in gardens.
• Rattle the gate to warn a potential dog of your presence.
• When calling with an item, ask the customer to put their dog away and step well back from the doorstep to maintain a safe distance.  If the customer needs to leave the doorstep to fetch ID or another item, politely ask them to close the door/secure the dog.

Also:-

• Report all dog attack incidents and near misses.
• Remember to report significant dog hazards and inform the manager of any increase in risk/changes.  This needs to be captured on ORA (Offsite Risk Assessment).
• Mark your frame with a yellow dot where there is a significant dog hazard.  Remove any yellow dots on frames no longer appropriate (e.g. the dog no longer resides there).
• Put ‘D’ on the envelope and parcels to remind yourself of known dog hazards when you are out on your route.

Message to Safety Reps:

 As part of the Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week, the support and assistance from WSR and ASRs would be welcomed, including:

• Ensure that sites have displayed all of the Dog Awareness posters and are sending out external posters/leaflets to vets, schools, local community centres and parish councils etc.
• Support Unit Manager delivering Dog WTLLs and SHE Huddles, not just during DAW but all year round.
• Visit workplaces – organise a plan of visits ongoing throughout the year, focusing on dog risks and controls.
• Carry out Inspections/Investigations following dog related incidents.
• Talk to members about the threat of dog attacks.
• Introduce yourself to new starters in the unit, typically they will be most at risk, so speak to them about the principles of AVOID and the dangers posed by dog attacks.

The CWU remains fully committed to promoting National Dog Awareness Week both within the workplace and with the public and we would ask that this LTB and its details are shared widely and are used by Branches, Safety Reps and our Safety Forums to further support the work on seeking to reduce dog attacks and incidents during this week and beyond.

Further updates on DAW 2025 will be issued in due course.

Any enquiries to this LTB should be referred to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)      

LTB 127-25 – RMG-CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) – 30th June to 6th July 2025

Attachment 1 – DAW posters_2025_v4

Attachment 2 – Blue Cross Protecting your Postie poster 25

Attachment 3 – SHE Huddle FY25 023 Dog Awareness Week Non-Ops Colleagues

Attachment 4 – SHE WTLL FY25 011 – Dog Awareness Week

Attachment 5 – CWU DAW press release 2025 final

Attachment 6 – Paws for thought poster CWU-NPCC-RM-PFWW

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DOG AWARENESS WEEK: POSTIES MAKE UP HUGE NUMBERS OF DOG ATTACKS, UNION WARNS

Postal workers have sent a message to the public that dog attacks remain a major safety concern, as statistics show that a third of all dog attacks are on postal workers.

A recent research report shared to the Communication Workers Union – the union for Britain’s postal workers – which analysed civil claims in England and Wales from 2017 to 2024 showed that of the 842 reported dog bite incident claims, postal delivery workers accounted for 32.4% of all victims.

The most common context for bites from the report is being from when delivery workers enter the front of a property (22.4%).

This is on top of already existing statistics that 30,000 of postal workers have been attacked by dogs in the last decade – and approximately 1000 have had a finger or part of a finger bitten off through a letterbox.

The message was sent by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) – the union for Britain’s postal workers – at the start of Dog Awareness Week, which starts today (30^th June 2025).

In the past 12 months, police statistics have registered a significant spike in the number of dog attacks, with the Mirror reporting in April 2025 that 87 dog attacks happen every day.

This upward trend is only a growing risk to the safety and wellbeing of postal workers who serve the country’s 32 million addresses on a daily basis.

As a result, the CWU wants to see irresponsible dog owners who fail to control and secure their animals – and who allow dog attacks on postal workers – prosecuted and handed a sentence that fits the crime.

The CWU is currently working with many police forces, local authorities and council environmental health teams to tackle irresponsible dog ownership.

But the union also educates where possible and have developed new working partnerships with the Welsh Assembly, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Pet Education Partnership (PEP) to ensure that community education plays a key part in reducing dog attacks.

This includes ‘Paws for Thought’, an education webinar with the PEP that sees the CWU engaging with eight leading animal welfare charities.

ENDS

For press information, research and statistics requests, details on ‘Paws for Thought’ or comment requests, please contact CWU Press Officer Marcus Barnett at mbarnett@cwu.org. 

POLICY FORUMS CLARIFICATION

During our recent Restructuring Briefings, we have had a number of Branches questioning the mechanism for how Industrial Policy Forums can be called.

There is already a current rule, 8.1.7, which states that a Policy Forum can be called by the NEC or “at the request of Branches representing not less than 40% of the membership”.

In the interest of ensuring there is no confusion and reassuring Branches of their rights to call Policy Forums as we move to biennial Conferences, the NEC has clarified and agreed that in subsequent guidelines to be published on Policy Forums, we will apply this rule to the Industrial Policy Forums. Therefore, Branches constituting 40% of the membership of either constituency can call an Industrial Policy Forum.

The subsequent guidelines will also denote how different collective bargaining units/businesses can call Policy Forums related to their collective bargaining unit/business. The principle that only those branches within the collective bargaining units/businesses can call a policy forum related to that collective bargaining units/business shall be upheld. This was agreed by the NEC at yesterday’s meeting, before the Conference.

Now that we have clarified this, Branches will have all the necessary information for making decisions at this Conference. The full guidelines for all Policy Forums will be published no later than the end of September 2025.

If you have any further questions or need any further information, please contact the General Secretary’s department at dlynch@cwu.org.

Yours Sincerely,

Dave Ward
General Secretary

25LTB126 – POLICY FORUMS CLARIFICATION                                       

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Sun Safety RMG Communication Issued 23^rd June

Further to LTB 120/25 issued to Branches on 20^th June, which sought to provide Branches and our Safety Reps with the necessary communication materials and reaffirm the application of the Royal Mail Group Severe Weather Risk Assessment process as temperatures increase during the summer months.

This week, the Royal Mail Group SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) Team issued a WTLL Briefing on Sun Safety, attached, which highlights the following key messages:

• Cover Up – The most effective barrier
• Protect your head – Wear a wide brimmed hat
• Use sunscreen – Factor 30 or higher and reapply
• Seek shade – Take breaks in the shade
• Stay hydrated – Drink regularly and avoid caffeine
• Skin safe – Check for any changes

Additionally, this SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) WTLL has referred to the Health Passport, which was launched in November 2024, and as part of this Sun Safety communication, Royal Mail has highlighted the particular need to support individuals with health conditions and who may be at increased risk when working in extreme heat.

Importantly, the SHE WTLL Briefing invites members to approach their managers to highlight any such concerns linked to individual health conditions: ‘This is so you can plan for any duty adjustments required in the event of a severe weather warning for heat.’

Details on the Business Recovery, Transformation and Growth Agreement – Workplace Adjustments and Health Passport are set out in LTB 352/24, issued on the 6^th November with supplementary information set out in LTB 025/25, issued on the 5^th February.

The Briefing also confirms that water bottles and the RM Unisex Explorer Hat (RP08 wide brimmed hat) are available for members on outdoor duties via the Uniform Ordering Portal under Summer Accessories.  Alongside this, RMG have also confirmed that a Sun Safety App Message has been issued, the details of which are also attached.

ERRATA of details in LTB 120/25:

Following the issuing of LTB 120/25, Royal Mail has written to CWU Headquarters to advise that the Royal Mail Group Severe Weather Risk Assessment (SWRA) has been changed, in particular, those details set out in the extracts for actions in the case of a MET Office Weather ‘Yellow Warning’, ‘Amber Warning’ and ‘Red Warning’.

Attached is a copy of the current version of Royal Mail Group SWRA (which can also be downloaded from Royal Mail’s SHE SharePoint site):

To confirm, in the case of an ‘Amber Warning’ and ‘Red Warning’, managers/PiCs (Person in Charge) must: ‘You must complete the severe weather assessment and confirm which duty adjustments (and any other controls) you have implemented for the warning duration.’

In the case of a ‘Yellow Warning’, the managers/PiCs must: ‘If you have any individual who are at increased risk in extreme heat, you must make duty adjustments if appropriate i.e. following discussion of OHS advice (for warning duration) and complete the severe weather assessment.’ 

However, from a CWU perspective, we hold the very clear view that Severe Weather Risk Assessment should be undertaken in the case of a MET Office Weather ‘Yellow Warning’, noting that Royal Mail has listed this as ‘optional’ in the Severe Weather Risk Assessment process.  This, alongside some other points of difference between RMG and the CWU on the application of the SWRA, are now subject to further national level representation.

In outlining the above, it is relevant to summarise the following advice: –

• Ensure that individuals who may be at increased risk in extreme heat due to age, underlying health conditions or certain medications, speak to their manager to discuss whether any duty adjustments are required in the event of a MET Office ‘Yellow Warning’ (and before an ‘Amber Warning’ as previously communicated in LTB 120/25). These duty adjustments need to be made with the individual’s agreement and recorded on the Health Passport or Severe Weather Duty Adjustment Form.
• For individuals covered under the Equality Act and with a known disability, a required duty adjustment needs to be undertaken in line with and recorded on the Disability Risk Assessment Form.
• Colleagues who are pregnant also face an increased risk when working in extreme heat and should equally approach their manager. There is a separate Risk Assessment for these individuals.
• The use of the Health Passport should supplement and accompany the need to also undertake the relevant Risk Assessment. The use of the Health Passport does not replace the direct need to also undertake specific individual Risk Assessments.
• For members who require these measures, it is vitally important that they also seek CWU support and assistance.

Area Safety Reps (ASRs) and Workplace Safety Reps Actions:

Area and Workplace Safety Representatives are again reminded to: –

• Work with Operational Managers and SHE Team Management to raise awareness about Sun Safety amongst all members who work outdoor across Royal Mail Group.
• Ensure that Severe Weather Risk Assessments are carried out. This should start now, if not already underway, with all managers/PiCs (Person in Charge) familiarising themselves with the Severe Weather Risk Assessment process in order to ensure that they are prepared for high summer temperatures.
• Ensure that individuals who may be at increased risk in extreme heat due to age, underlying health conditions or certain medications and colleagues who are pregnant are aware that new or further duty adjustments may be needed to support them and that this should happen in the event of a MET Office ‘Yellow Warning’ (or higher warning) for heat. These duty adjustments need to be made with the individual’s agreement and recorded on the Health Passport and relevant Risk Assessment Form.

Where, despite representation made in the first instance, there remain failures and non-compliance in terms of this, these should be reported to senior management, recorded on health and safety inspections, raised at health and safety committees, and, as necessary, escalated through the SHE Disputes Resolution process.

Where Branches and Safety Reps require any additional information on the above, or for any other enquiries in relation to this LTB, these should be referred to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)     

LTB 125-25 – Sun Safety RMG Communication – Issued 23rd June

Attachment 1 – SHE WTLL FY25 010 – Sun Safety

Attachment 2 – RM Sun Safety App Message

Attachment 3 – Severe Weather Guidance

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USO Pilot Office Update – CWU Report

Dear Colleagues,

Further to LTB 123/25 issued on Tuesday 24^th June, confirming that the CWU would be providing a full written update on the status of all pilot offices, which has been compiled with the assistance of our representatives across the UK.

You can access our 1^st Bulletin on the USO Pilots, which has been published on the CWU website via the link below. I hope you will find it useful and informative.

Click to access Update-on-the-USO-Pilot-Units-bulletin-1.pdf

Given the scale of the change and that all 37 pilot offices are continually learning from the activity and making changes via the PIR process, we will aim to issue these on a regular basis, in addition to any other updates circulated via the union’s regular channels.

Thank you to everyone taking part in the pilots and to the Reps involved for all their efforts into this activity.

Finally, in publishing the written update today I wanted to share a reminder of the CWU live show tonight at 5pm, which you can watch via the link below:

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

Yours sincerely,

Tony Bouch

Assistant Secretary

LTB 124/25 – USO Pilot Office Update – CWU Report

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EP GROUP/ROYAL MAIL NEGOTIATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF THE USO – ENGAGING CWU MEMBERS AND REPRESENTATIVES

Following recent updates on the negotiations with EP Group/Royal Mail and the recent joint statement on the future of the USO we wanted to set out a range of communication plans where we will update CWU representatives and members on these issues.

USO  

• On Wednesday 25th June we will be issuing a full written update on the status of all pilot offices. This has been compiled with the assistance of our representatives across the UK.
• We will be meeting OFCOM during the course of this week to give further feedback on the USO pilots.
• On Thursday 26th June at 5pmNational Officer Tony Bouch will be joined live with CWU reps from pilot offices across the UK. You can watch the show via this link https://www.youtube.com/live/HqHW4RHmoeM?si=MhyB_YDj7C2Gy8Pk
• Following a visit to Hexham Delivery Office we have released this film covering members reactions to the USO trial and EP takeover https://youtu.be/lhqVPuDElbw?si=B5VY75XsFWXqcGIU

EP GROUP/ROYAL MAIL NEGOTIATIONS

• At the close of the Special Conference on Sunday 29th Junewe will hold an in person briefing for all postal delegates in attendance. We are also investigating whether it is possible to widen participation in this event by providing a virtual link for the event.
• By Monday 30th June at the latest we will provide CWU members with a full update on the status of negotiations with the employer.

We are fully aware of the intensity and urgency of the current situation – CWU members need a proper pay rise, new entrants deserve pay, terms and conditions parity and we must end the chaos culture and take serious steps towards repairing the damage done by the previous Royal Mail Board and senior management team.

To do this EP Group must honour the commitments made in the EP/CWU agreement of December 2024 and demonstrate to every postal worker that they are different and they want to rebuild Royal Mail together. The coming days and weeks will be a crucial test of this.

Yours sincerely                        

Dave Ward                  

General Secretary                                                                        

Martin Walsh 

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)   

LTB 123/25 – EP GROUP – ROYAL MAIL GROUP NEGOTIATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF THE USO – ENGAGING CWU MEMBERS AND REPRESENTATIVES 

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ROYAL MAIL: DRUGS & ALCOHOL – FOR-CAUSE TESTING PILOT

Further to LTB 078/25 dated 16^thApril.  Branches are reminded that the Postal Executive agreed to extend the Drugs & Alcohol For-Cause Testing Pilot (for drivers only and excluding Parcelforce) until Friday 5^thSeptember and also to extend the geographical boundaries. The Terms of Reference (ToR) previously agreed with Royal Mail was extended to include South Central, South East and Northern Ireland ROD areas from the following dates:

• Monday 9^th June – South East
• Monday 16^th June – South Central
• Monday 23^rd June – Northern Ireland

The extension means the Pilot is now running in six ROD areas in total, including Wales, Anglia and South West.

We are pleased to report that at the time of writing there have been no further for-cause tests instigated since the most recent extensions.  Only two tests have been called for in total in the 23 weeks since the initial Pilot in Wales began on 13^th January, both of which had a negative outcome.  We will continue to monitor the progress of the Pilot and further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey       

Assistant Secretary                                             

Davie Robertson          

Assistant Secretary                                                    

Tony Bouch

Assistant Secretary          

LTB 121/25 – Royal Mail Drugs & Alcohol – For-Cause Testing Pilot

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