Parcelforce Dental Benefits Update
The department has been notified by Parcelforce of a change to the dental benefit for Parcelforce employees. Branches will be aware that as part of their terms and conditions Parcelforce members enjoy some healthcare benefits including subsidised dental cover. This cover along with Benenden Health care and Eye care are negotiated benefits and remain an entitlement and an integral element of terms and conditions.
Parcelforce recently informed the department that they have decided to change the dental care service provider and as part of this activity, they reviewed how often PFW employees used the dental care service. The business have formed a view that usage of the Dental care by employees had reduced, and whilst they accept and recognise that dental care is still an employee entitlement, going forward they intend to ask employees to opt into the service each year. Parcelforce did not seek CWU agreement and the union does not support this change which we view as entirely unnecessary and based solely on cost reduction.
However, we are aware that Parcelforce members have received a letter detailing the change to the Dental Care benefit which has caused some confusion, in particular the relation to references to Salary Sacrifice. For the avoidance of doubt the base Dental care entitlement is funded by the business and is not subject to Salary Sacrifice, which only applies to optional extended cover packages.
The change means that Parcelforce will no longer automatically enroll employees for the funded Dental benefit unless they opt into the provision on an annual basis. As such members will now need to opt in annually to register for the business funded benefit.
The Dental benefit is an agreed element of terms and conditions for Parcelforce members and in Royal Mail Group is unique to Parcelforce. The business have confirmed they will continue to fund the base benefit, however, to ensure members maintain their individual access to the business funded benefit for the next 12 months, they must opt in by 5pm on March 27th 2026, via My Bundle+
How to apply for your 2026/27 Insurance:
- Go to My Bundle+ – use the QR code at the bottom of this email to visit “Your Benefits” page on Robin and follow the link to My Bundle+
- From the My Bundle+ homepage, select the insurance you want under “My Benefits” in this case it is Dental Cover
- This takes you through to Dental Insurance where you need to select Funded by Employer level of Cover, click on Radiant 1, then click continue and confirm declaration to maintain the funded Dental benefit.
Members who wish to add additional family or select a higher level of cover you can continue to do so, however the facility to do this through Salary Sacrifice has been removed in line with the policies RMG have deployed due to legislative changes on the use of Salary Sacrifice and the impacts on the minimum wage. As such should members wish to take up or renew this additional cover they can review and select one of the other options, the cost for these is displayed. To be clear the business will not fund any additional costs. On selecting one of the additional options, members will be directed to the providers website where alternative payment options for the additional cover can be set up.
This is an unwelcome development, and it is imperative that our Parcelforce members are aware of the requirement to opt in and ensure that they secure the benefit for the coming year. We do believe the funded Dental benefit remains a valuable asset for Parcelforce members and we actively encourage all Parcelforce members to opt in to the Funded by Employer section, whether you believe you will need to access this or not. Any member not opting in by 5pm on March 27th 2026 will lose access to this benefit for the next 12 months.
Branches are asked to ensure that the contents of this LTB are brought to the immediate attention of our members across Parcelforce.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: jrodrigues@cwu.org or jmansell@cwu.org quoting reference LTB 070/26.
Yours sincerely,
Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 
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