RMG (SHE) Integrated Audits – Involvement and Consultation with CWU Area & Field Safety Representatives

The purpose of this LTB is to remind all CWU Area Safety Reps (ASRs) and relevant Field Safety Representatives of the need to engage and be fully involved in the Royal Mail Group, Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Integrated Audits process.

As previously communicated to Branches and Safety Reps, most recently in LTB 066/24, the Integrated Audits are an annual activity which covers the majority of operational sites across Royal Mail Group including Parcelforce, Fleet, Customer Experience etc.

The agreed position with RMG is that every ASR and relevant Field Safety Rep covering specific business functions will be invited to every audit across their constituency and should be given notice of audit dates and afforded an invitation to participate.

Royal Mail Group and the CWU have agreed that involvement from our CWU ASRs and relevant Safety Reps can add value to the audits by way of information sharing from previous and separate workplace safety inspections and investigations, as they are likely to visit the workplace more often than the Auditor/SHE Technician.

ASRs and Field Safety Reps’ direct involvement in the Integrated Audits can:

• Support the ‘signposting’ of issues from their previous safety inspections and highlight remedial actions that are outstanding in the workplace and issues that could be overlooked.
• Review the ORAs (Offsite Risk Assessments) and test whether it’s working or not, log any problems that need addressing, assist in dealing with hazards and risks that are encountered locally as well as supporting suitable controls to reduce these risks. Also ensuring that local hazard warnings are up to date, accurate and communicated/displayed.
• Check on any Occupational Health and Wellbeing issues with individuals. This can include work stress risk assessments and ensuring that individuals are aware of the RMG Wellbeing Hub and available services including RMG ‘Help@Hand’, which gives individual employees and their family access to fast, free, wellbeing support and services.
• Make sure that local safety committee meetings are taking place with the Workplace Safety Representative (WSR) and that any agreed actions are being undertaken and have been completed with all onsite alongside confirming that the bi-monthly local inspections are taking place.
• Check to ensure all staff are aware of the yard rules and have received yard awareness training and that the managerial controls are in place.
• Check that the colleagues performing deliveries and collections are aware of the dog attack and attack prevention controls and that necessary actions are being undertaken.
• Check that fire evacuations have been conducted with employees.
• Check the required PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is provided.
• Check to see if there is any faulty equipment on site.
• Check managerial control around daily safety checks.
• Check with new starters to see that their safety training has been completed.

The above is not an exhaustive list and the Integrated Audits offers a further opportunity to engage with WSR and the manager/PiC (Person in Charge) when onsite.  Importantly, the audit can offer additional opportunities to discuss health and safety issues with staff and CWU members in the workplace/location to secure extra feedback from individuals on safety issues, risks, hazards and any need for follow up inspections including investigations at customers’ premises for members who work on delivery and collections.

The audits are delivered by the RMG SHE Team and the audits will assess the level of safety and health compliance with key instructions, policies and legal/regulatory requirements as detailed within the SHE MS (Safety, Health, Environment Management System), Security, Compliance and Ethics policies.  The Integrated Audit will be conducted onsite and compliance will be assessed through a combination of:

• Data analysis and validation
• Document review
• Discussion and observation

All locations/workplaces will receive an audit notification email at least 2 weeks before the audit takes place but, in some cases, a longer notice period will be given.  The average audit should require 1 or 2 days onsite.  The relevant ASR and Field Safety Rep will receive the invite email at the same time as the location manager/PiC and if the audit can’t be accommodated, it will be rearranged, again, allowing 2 weeks’ notice.

Initial onsite feedback will be given to the location managers and then an ‘Action Plan’ will be issued via email to the unit.  Location/workplace managers/PiCs will be required to monitor and close down actions.  Actions must be completed by the required date as set out in the Action Plan.  Update reports on the audit actions will be given to the joint health and safety committee relevant to the location, where there can be a discussion on progress.

The audit will be transparent and shared with the relevant ASR and Safety Reps by email.  The audit file will remain with the manager onsite to ensure that the correct version of the file is maintained.  Any issues and Audit Action Plan progress can be discussed at joint health and safety committee meetings at the workplace/location or at Regional level.

Attached below is the link to 11.1 SHE Management System Audit:

11.1 SHE Management System Audit

Also attached is the Integrated Audit (version 7.1) and guidance in Excel File format.

ASR/Relevant Safety Reps Action:

• All ASRs and relevant Field Safety Reps are asked to give these Integrated Audits priority and ensure they attend and input into the process.
• These Integrated Audits are not and should not be seen as a replacement for the regular safety inspections required.
• The end date for this year’s Integrated Audits cycle is 31^stMarch 2026.

In setting out the above, Royal Mail have confirmed that Safety Technicians will and do share the workplace safety audit dates with both the CWU and Unite/CMA Safety Reps so they can be in attendance and engaged.  However, if any issues or concerns arise in terms of providing such audit dates at least 2 weeks in advance or the ability to be fully involved in line with the agreed and joint position between RMG and the CWU, these should, in the first instance, be raised directly with the relevant SHE Technician or the Field Safety Team.  Where issues remain, these should be referred to the DGS(P) Department directly.

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

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)   

LTB 149/25 – RMG (SHE) Integrated Audits – Involvement and Consultation with CWU Area & Field Safety Representatives

Attachment to LTB 149/25

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EUREST (EX QUADRANT) PAY SETTLEMENT 2025 

The annual Pay Review Date for our Ex-Quadrant members in Eurest was 1^st April and the department has been in discussions with Compass Group/ Eurest on achieving a settlement for some months.

It was anticipated the discussions this year could prove extremely difficult, especially against the backdrop of another significant rise to the National Living Wage (NLW), which is relevant with regard to our National C Grade members. The rise in the NLW this year (6.7%) far outstripped all inflation measures and again, made reaching a uniform agreement for all grades extremely challenging.

After a number of meetings with Compass Group/Eurest between 8^thMarch and 7^8th July 2025 a negotiators agreement has now been reached with the employer on pay for all CWU grades in Compass Group/Eurest, which has been endorsed by the Postal Executive.

1. 77p increase to each hourly rate of pay for all grades thus maintaining the 9p differential to NLW for the National C grades, a priority issue during the negotiations.
2. The retention of the £1 premium (O/T) rate for all grades as per current arrangements for hours worked over and above 37.5. I.E.  Overtime is paid at £1 per hour more than the standard hourly rate.
3. No change to Night duty allowance rates or rules.

On basic pay the above process is in line with 2024’s pay agreement and does apply a uniform monetary pay uplift for all Grades across the three Pay Ranges. It also ensures that the previous commitment to maintain the Premium overtime hourly rate at £1 above basic pay rate.

The uniform uplift in pay rates results in varying percentage pay rises depending on the starting point but all are well in excess of inflation. Rises range between 4.4% for Inner London A Grade and 6.7% for National C Grade employees. In the latter case although the full 6.7% increase would not have been required to honour the NLW, we have been successful in ensuring that the full uplift was achieved to ensure that we maintain the buffer between C Grade pay and the NLW. C Grade employees are by far the majority grade within the Eurest structure.

Given the timescales, we were unable to complete a ballot in time to affect any rises in August Salaries.   As such, for our National C Grade members their basic pay was increased to meet the National Living Wage in April Salaries. Remaining increases for the National C Grade and all increases for all other Grades will be applied following the outcome of the ballot and backdated in full to 1^st April 2025.

The ballot timetable will be:

Papers Dispatched: Monday 21^st July 2025

Closing Date and result: Monday 11^thAugust 2025

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: jrodrigues@cwu.org quoting reference LTB 148/25.

Yours sincerely,

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

LTB 148.25 – EUREST (EX QUADRANT) PAY SETTLEMENT 2025

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Crown Office Network – Preference Exercise, TUPE, Bumping & Redeployment Plus Enhanced Financial Terms for Leaving PO Employment 

Branches with PO members are advised that the Preference Exercise undertaken amongst the members in the 72 Crowns previously announced with Franchise partners closed last night. The headlines are as follows; the vast majority of our members have indicated they wish to take a financial package via a Settlement Agreement with only 9 members interested in transferring to the new franchise partners via TUPE.

Running in parallel to the Crown Preference Exercise described above, was a further one specifically for our Admin & Supply Chain members for the purposes of “Bumping”. I am able to report that over 60 Crown Office members responded to the Preference Exercise stating they wished to retain PO employment by redeploying into these functions. Thankfully we also had a similar number of Admin & Supply Chain members returning Preference forms saying they wish to leave PO employment which could enable a bump to take place. Accordingly, Mole Meade Postal Executive member and myself are meeting management tomorrow with the purpose of identifying suitable matches for bumping so that job offers can be made to our Crown members seeking to retain employment in the PO. This is an important activity as it will help Crown members move into new roles within Post Office whilst enabling some of our members in Admin & Supply Chain to leave the PO with a financial package.

In line with the Joint Statement as contained in LTB 105/25 of the 27^thMay 2025, we have also been in negotiations to enhance the financial terms for Crown members (known as Special Severance terms) for those not wanting to TUPE. The starting point for this is the MTSF terms with a minimum of 6 months’ pay and a maximum of 2 years as laid out in the Ready Reckoner.

The following enhancements have been secured and confirmed:

• To qualify for the full 104 weeks compensation 17 years’ service is now required irrespective of age. This compares favourably with MTSF which is 28 years
• Rounding up of both years of service and years in age for the purposes of the Ready Reckoner calculation. For example, this means some with 12 years and 40 days service will be rounded up to 13 years whilst at the same time the age of the person will also be rounded up to their next birthday. This provides for additional weeks compensation.
• For both Full and Part time members, the financial package will be based on actual hours worked (inclusive of all overtime performed) over the most recent 3-month reference period. This ensures all extra hours worked are included in the calculation.
• The full 3% pay rise from 1st April 2025 will apply to the basic pay used in the calculation.
• Members aged 55+ who were members of the RMPP on 31^stMarch 2017 will receive a cash compensation of 104 weeks’ pay regardless of age and length of service.

In closing, Branches will see at Appendix A the provisional dates for the closure of 76 Crowns where a Franchise partner has been announced. These dates have been shared with our members today. In this regard the Territorial Reps are fully supporting all members and are regularly visiting the Crowns to ensure a good presence and profile at this important time. The Reps will of course answer all questions from members and provide necessary support. In this regard, Mole Meade and myself are meeting regularly with the Reps to discuss developments as they occur and any issues of concern that arise from members.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey 

Assistant Secretary 

LTB 147/25 – Crown Office Network – Preference Exercise

Attachment: Appendix A

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CWU Reps Hi-Vis Vests – Join the Union

Following on from the success of our CWU reps’ polo shirts, we are pleased to offer Branches the opportunity to purchase CWU reps hi-vis vests. 

The vests, which can be seen in the attached images clearly identify our reps in the workplace and the design includes a QR code which will take perspective members directly to the join CWU page. 

The vests cost £9 each and can be printed in a wide variation of sizes. 

Branches wishing to order should email Marcia Murray mmurray@cwu.org by no later than Friday 8th August with:

1. The number of vests you wish to order
2. The sizes you wish to order

Once we have the full UK wide numbers in place we will contact Branches to organise payment and delivery. 

Increasing the unions visibility in every workplace is a key part of our new recruitment strategy and we encourage all Branches to place an order. 

Kind regards

Chris Webb

Head of Communications

Dave Ward

General Secretary

LTB 146/25 – CWU Reps Hi-Vis Vests – Join the Union

Attachment – Image 1 – CWU Reps Hi-Vis Vests 

Attachment – Image 2 – CWU Reps Hi-Vis Vests

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Royal Mail Group Members – WhatsApp Channel

In recent months we have been trialling a new WhatsApp channel to share information with our Royal Mail Group members. Even with limited promotion we already have over 4,000 subscribers to the channel, which is excellent. 

We are now moving to formally launch the channel as a long-term communications platform and we ask all Branches to undertake the following actions:

1. Sign up to the channel yourselves as senior officials.
2. Make sure all local representatives are signed up. 
3. Share the link with members in Royal Mail Group via all means possible, including social media, email, text and WhatsApp. 

The link to our new channel is below and it takes you directly to where you need to be to subscribe:

https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz0X5sKQuJQcyrJyk1D

This channel is for Royal Mail Group members only. The Communications Department will launch new channels for other areas of the union in due course. 

Yours sincerely, 

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

Chris Webb

Head of Communications

LTB 145/25 – Royal Mail Group Members – WhatsApp Channel

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WRITTEN BRIEFING ON USO CHANGES 

As you will be aware from LTB 141/25, this morning Ofcom announced changes to the specification of the postal Universal Service Obligation (USO).  Alongside continuing negotiations on a separate USO national agreement, we are also engaging with MPs and other politicians across the country to ensure they support our call for Ofcom and the Government to fairly regulate the postal and logistics sector.  Please see the attached briefing which we have distributed to all MPs.

This briefing should be distributed to all local reps and can be used when briefing members. 

If you have any questions or need any further information please contact the General Secretary’s Office, Dawn Lynch on dlynch@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely                          

Dave Ward       

General Secretary                                                                                  

Martin Walsh 

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)   

LTB 143/25 – WRITTEN BRIEFING ON USO CHANGES

Attachment: Briefing for MPs

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TUC HEALTH & SAFETY UPDATES & HEAT GUIDANCETUC Health & Safety updates & heat guidance

TUC week of action  

Next week: 14th – 20th July, the TUC are inviting union health and safety reps to inspect their workplace temperatures during a week of action. The TUC have been providing free thermometers to trade union safety representatives. A total of 65 CWU Health and Safety Reps have received these free TUC thermometers so far. It is currently predicted that the UK could be hit with another heatwave starting as soon as 12^th July.

Heatwaves are defined by the Met Office as periods of at least three consecutive days in which a temperature threshold is met or exceeded.

What is a heatwave? – Met Office

Heat periods are defined by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as at least one day with an amber heat-health alert in at least one region and/or the mean central England temperature being at least 20°C.

The CWU have recently been fully supporting the TUC’s call for a specific legal maximum temperature for indoor work of 30°C, or 27°C for strenuous work, and have been attending meetings with the TUC, HSE and other trade unions to discuss much needed changes to the Workplace Health Safety & Welfare Regulations of 1992 regarding working temperature and HSE risk guidance.

New and updated working temperature risk guidance is urgently needed, especially given that the Health and Safety Executive say 4,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year because of outdoor work. Heat illness is a risk that many workers are not fully aware of.

The CWU guide attached to this LTB explains heat illness in more detail and includes embedded QR codes which directly link to NHS and World Health Organisation hot weather guidance.

While red and amber weather alerts naturally grab attention due to increased media coverage, yellow alerts are still significant. They signal that the weather could have a real impact, especially on those who are more vulnerable and may be at increased risk in extreme heat due to age, or underlying health conditions. Colleagues who are pregnant or colleagues taking certain medications will also be at increased risk. For example, tricyclic antidepressants (e.g. Amitriptyline, Nortriptyline), and SSRIs (e.g. Sertraline, Fluoxetine), can interfere with the body’s thermoregulation, they can reduce a person’s ability to sweat, which is essential for cooling down in hot weather.

Colleagues are reminded that workers are protected under Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, allowing them to remove themselves from situations where they reasonably believe there is a serious and imminent danger. This protection is limited to specific immediate risks to safety however and not general discomfort. If prevailing circumstances do represent a real risk of “serious and imminent danger” colleagues should aim to seek immediate advice from their local CWU representatives before using rights under Section 44 and speak urgently to your line manager/employer. Protection under Section 44 is an individual choice and not a collective choice, although representations can be made for whole groups of workers where higher UK temperatures and specific hot weather risks are more prevalent.

For pregnant workers specific health and safety requirements relating to new and expectant mothers at work are mainly contained in Regulations 16 to 18 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work (MHSW) Regulations 1999.  If any risk cannot be removed employers must take the following actions:

• Action 1– Temporarily adjust her working conditions and/or hours of work; or if that is not possible,
• Action 2– Offer her suitable alternative work (at the same rate of pay) if available, or if that is not feasible,
• Action 3– Suspend her from work on paid leave for as long as necessary, to protect her health and safety, and that of her child.

TUC new resource books

An updated version of the Safety Reps ‘brown book’ which contains the regulations, codes of practice and guidance from the Safety Reps and Safety Committees’ Regulations 1977 is now available to pre-order from the TUC. This new book has been redesigned for easier navigation and comprehension, making it a more practical resource for trade union safety representatives.  The new edition incorporates both the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees’ Regulations 1977 and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996, ensuring comprehensive guidance on worker consultation. Single copies cost £7 and are available from tuceducation@tuc.org.uk.

The brown book provides the legal backing that union safety representatives need to confidently address health and safety issues in the workplace. It is indeed the essential tool for Safety Reps and the updated version is designed to equip every representative with the knowledge and evidence necessary to effectively perform their role.

The TUC hazards book version 7 is now also available to pre order from the TUC, the book is currently in print and will be a popular and valuable book for branches and regions to order, this book is the 5-year updated version and available as a single copy for £25 or with discounts for larger orders above 6 copies: Hazards at Work 7th Edition – Coming Soon!/ Pre order | TUC

Both TUC publications detailed above are seen as valuable resources for CWU Reps and branches.

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.

LTB 142/25 – TUC week of action and Heat illness guide

Attachment: CWU Heat Illness Guide

Attachment: CWU Be Sun Smart

Attachment: Checklist For Safety Reps – Heat Inspections (Word document download)

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OFCOM ANNOUNCEMENT – USO REFORM 

All branches will be aware that earlier today Ofcom has announced the outcome of their latest consultation is that Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation will be reformed as follows:

• First Class items and all parcels will continue to be delivered every day, Monday to Saturday (RMG will continue to deliver parcels on a Sunday).
• Non First Class letter items will be delivered every other weekday, Monday to Friday (not on Saturdays).
• For First Class mail, the target will be moved from 93% of mail delivered next-day to 90% and for Second Class the target will be moved from 98.5% delivered within three days to 95%. Ofcom are also introducing new ‘back-stop’ targets, where 99% of mail must be delivered no more than two days late.

The CWU recognises that Royal Mail now operates in a permanently changed world of communications and that these reforms are necessary to build a sustainable future for employees and the business, alongside enabling investment in new growth areas and delivering major improvements to quality of service. 

Now that Ofcom have confirmed these changes, how and when they are implemented will now be subject to negotiations with the company, in line with the rebuilding Royal Mail part 1 and 2 agreements.

Branches are also aware that the Union has highlighted our concerns over the problems that our members have experienced in the pilot sites with Royal Mail’s current approach. Therefore, we have made it clear that the evidence of the pilots demonstrates that Ofcom’s and Royal Mail’s targeted savings are totally unrealistic and will not be achieved at the levels stated. 

Ultimately the financial savings that will arise from these changes will depend on the ability of our members to have an achievable daily workload and the need for Royal Mail to finally step up and deliver on the new quality of service targets that have been set by Ofcom.  Making both of the above points a reality will be integral to any agreement that the CWU reaches with the company and is also the only way that Royal Mail can be successful in the future.

We are confident that our recent agreements will allow us to fix these issues and ensure that USO change can now be delivered in a more pragmatic way with additional benefits for employees, customers and the company.

We can also go into these negotiations knowing that we have secured important commitments on job security that guarantees no compulsory redundancies will arise from USO Reform. 

Finally, we have attached our press release issued earlier today which also makes the point that the Government now need to intervene and change the way that Ofcom regulates the post and logistics sector, to ensure there is a level playing field with our competitors.  We know that the new owners are also committed to this objective and the union will now make the case politically for regulatory reform and we look forward to working with the new owners to achieve this. 

Please ensure that this LTB is distributed into all workplaces as soon as possible.

Any enquiries regarding Ofcom’s announcement should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office, Dawn Lynch on dlynch@cwu.org and enquiries on the negotiation with Royal Mail and the operational aspects of this change should be addressed to Deputy General Secretary (Postal) Department, Hayley Ford on hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward                     

General Secretary                                     

Martin Walsh 

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)   

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PRESS RELEASE

CWU RESPONSE TO OFCOM ANNOUNCEMENT ON ROYAL MAIL UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION

Responding to today’s announcement, CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said “The CWU understands the reasons for today’s announcement and accepts the need for change to the specification of the Universal Service Obligation (USO). The sustainability of the universal postal service is our utmost priority and we have long called for reforms that benefit both customers and postal workers, in order to secure the long-term future of Royal Mail.

However, Royal Mail has been trialling these changes in delivery offices across the country and there are clear problems on the ground. These changes are not a ‘one-stop solution’ for the problems in the postal service- the real culprit behind these issues is Royal Mail’s inability to properly recruit and retain staff, which has led to workloads piling up in delivery offices and vital letters being left behind. The new owners of Royal Mail must ensure that the culture of mismanagement and inferior pay and conditions for new staff does not continue under their leadership. In addition, we need to see the Government intervene with Ofcom, who have failed in their duty as a regulator, and ensure that there is a level-playing field when it comes to regulating parcel courier giants like Amazon.

It is in the interest of customers and postal workers that these changes are implemented in the right way and the CWU must be at the heart of this. We will continue working with both the new owners of Royal Mail and the Government to ensure that we are all able to benefit from a reliable and sustainable postal service for generations to come.

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LTB 141/25 – OFCOM ANNOUNCEMENT USO REFORM

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NATIONAL YOUNG WORKERS EDUCATION EVENT, 29^th – 31^stAUGUST QUORN GRANGE HOTEL 

The purpose of this LTB is to invite and encourage Branches to send delegates to this year’s National Young Workers Education Event which will take place over the weekend of Friday, 29^th through to Sunday, 31st August in Quorn.

The venue for the event during the day will be held at GFTU Quorn Grange Hotel, Quorn. Hotel accommodation has been arranged at the same venue and in nearby hotels.

Event Format 

As with the approach taken last year this event now combines our Branch Young Worker Officer Forum alongside our National Education Event into a Young Workers Education weekend. An outline agenda is attached and a full agenda will be issued nearer the date.

Arrival & Registration 

We are asking participants to arrive in Quorn on Friday, 29^th August in time for their appropriate panel, see outline agenda, however they are welcome to attend all panels if they wish 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 1.30pm on Sunday, 31^st August.

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 £300 and will include two nights’ accommodation and all meals.

Please note the social event on the Saturday evening includes an educational performance ‘Battle Lines’ from The Banner Theatre which has been sponsored by the CWU Regions.

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.org as 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 07704 306418.

Yours sincerely                                  

Dave Ward                                                                 

General Secretary                                                     

LTB 140/25 – NATIONAL YOUNG WORKERS EVENT 29TH – 30TH AUGUST QUORN GRANGE HOTEL       

Attachment: National Education Weekend 2025 – Poster and Info 
            
Attachment – Application Form – Word Document Download             

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