UKHSA Partial Solar Eclipse – General Risk Prevention advice 

Dear Colleagues,

The UKHSA UK Health Security Agency – GOV.UK has issued health prevention advice for Wednesday 12 August 2026, this is when a partial solar eclipse will be visible across much of the UK.

How to watch the solar eclipse safely this summer – UK Health Security Agency

This event will cover the widest area of the UK since the 1999 Solar Eclipse.

Following the 1999 total solar eclipse, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists reported 70 cases of people reporting vision loss within 2 days of the event.

Serious eye problems such as solar retinopathy can occur and although in mild situations vision can recover over time without medication, in extreme cases this can lead to irreversible eye damage or eyesight loss.

There is wide public health guidance available, aimed at encouraging safe viewing of this partial eclipse event.

12 August 2026 partial solar eclipse | Royal Observatory Greenwich

Moorfields Eye Hospital surgeon gives tips on staying safe during the solar eclipse

If you choose to observe the eclipse, it is important that all the following precautions are followed without exception.

Before the Eclipse

Obtain certified eclipse viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard.

Inspect eclipse glasses for scratches, tears, punctures, or other damage.

Ensure all participants understand the risks of viewing the Sun without protection.

During the Eclipse

Always wear approved eclipse glasses when looking at the Sun.

Do not use

Ordinary sunglasses

Smoked glass

CDs/DVDs

Camera film

Binoculars without solar filters

Telescopes without solar filters

When Using Optical Equipment

Binoculars, telescopes, cameras, and spotting scopes must be fitted with a special solar filter mounted on the front of the device.

Never look through optical equipment while wearing eclipse glasses alone, as concentrated sunlight can cause severe eye injury.

Emergency Actions

If anyone experiences: blurred vision, blind spots, distorted vision or eye discomfort following the eclipse viewing please seek medical advice from an eye care professional as soon as possible.

Children should be always supervised.

The Royal Observatory be broadcasting a free, safe live feed of the 12th of Augustpartial solar eclipse online.

Partial Solar Eclipse UK Live Stream | 12 August 2026

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 

CWU Health & Safety Policy Assistant at jmcgovern@cwu.org.

LTB 228 26 UKHSA Partial Solar Eclipse – General Risk Prevention advice

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Severe Heat: Weather Warning Issued 11^th August to 14^th August 2026 (parts of the UK)

Further to previous LTBs recently issued covering Severe Heat Weather Warnings and Sun Safety messages, the purpose of this LTB is to confirm that a UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) Heat Health Alert has been issued across parts of the UK.

A UKHSA Amber Alert will be in place for Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South East, London, South West and North West regions from 9am on Tuesday 11^th August to 9pm on Friday 14^th August. The North East will be under a UKHSA Yellow Alert during the same period.

It is also understood that this alert remains under review and may move to a Red Alert during the course of the week.

Accordingly, Branches, Safety Representatives and members are reminded of the details and guidance set out in LTB 182/26, which is attached.

Additionally, the following key messages are also being re-issued:

• Vulnerable Workers

Risk assessments and duty adjustments are required at the point of an UKHSA Yellow Alert and/or MET Office Amber Warning for vulnerable workers with underlying health issues, and including individuals with disability, young person, new or expected mothers and those aged 60 and older.

• Severe Weather Manager Assessment (SWMA)

All managers who have line manager responsibility should undertake a SWMA (Severe Weather Manager Assessment) in the case of UKHSA and/or MET Office Warnings and Alerts. This should include communicating to staff what they need to do during the period of severe heat, alongside keeping a record of what was briefed.

• Personal Judgement – Dynamic Risk Assessment

Under UKHSA Amber and Red Alerts and MET Office Amber and Red Warnings for heat, individual members are able to apply Dynamic Risk Assessments and are empowered to make decisions such as suspending their delivery, collection or duty, to an address, part of their duty, or the whole duty where conditions deteriorate.

Equally, anyone feeling unwell during the course of the day should stop work and return to their unit/office/depot etc.

• Stay Safe in the Sun Message

The Sun Safety core messages are: –

• 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.

Area Safety Reps/Workplace Safety Reps’ Actions

• Ensure Severe Weather Manager Assessments (SWMAs) are undertaken against the UKHSA and/or MET Office Warnings and Alerts and that appropriate “fit for purpose” risk control actions are in place. These assessments should include CWU ASR/WSR involvement and consultation, which is part of the overall SWMA process.
• Where units/locations are unable to agree a safe operational plan and complete the Severe Weather Risk Assessment, this should be escalated to the Regional Operations Directors (or functional equivalents) and CWU Divisional Reps or field official for resolution, and as detailed in the Joint Statement linked to LTB 182/26.
• Ensure all staff are aware and feel able to make personal judgements throughout the day and return to the unit/workplace if at any time they feel unwell due to the heat and intense sunlight.
• Ensure that all vulnerable workers with underlying health issues are individually risk assessed to ensure their health and wellbeing is protected whilst working in the current weather.

Additionally, it is further relevant to remind members 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, and again outlined in LTB 182/26.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be referred to the DGS(P) Department, email address: hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 227.26 – Severe Heat Weather Warning Issued 11th August to 14th August 2026 (Parts of the UK)

LTB 182.26 Red and Amber Alert

LTB 182.26 Att 1 JS – Royal Mail and Communication Workers Union

LTB 182.26 Att 2 SHE Alert FY26 007 Severe Weather Extreme Heat

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Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence [AI] Applications and Data Protection

The purpose of this LTB is to issue important guidance to all CWU Branches in using AI applications when carrying out their trade union functions.

The proliferation of consumer AI products [such as Claude, Gemini, Copilot and ChatGPT etc] has become widespread in recent times, and there is every indication this trend will continue as these applications are often now commonly available on PCs, laptops and mobile phones.

There is no doubt that this development is controversial for many reasons, not least its harmful effects on CWU members where it has been introduced by employers and the labour market generally.

AI applications are promoted on the basis that they can increase efficiency and assist to make tasks less onerous and time consuming, such as by summarising or distilling a substantial document.

So, there may be an inclination to consider their use when confronted with, for example:

• An employer HR Policy
• A tribunal judgment
• An occupational health report
• An employer’s disciplinary or grievance decision
• Lengthy email chains or documents.

These are just a small number of potential uses and there are likely to be other ways that AI may be able to assist with what might be considered laborious tasks – especially so when we all seem to have more to do with less time available.

While trade unions will of course want to innovate and utilise the latest technology in support of their members, it has been well documented that AI search results are notoriously unreliable.  They are prone to ‘hallucinations’ which involves their output being inaccurate, misleading or fabricated, and this should always be taken into account. 

From a data protection standpoint, it is vitally important that we never paste members’ personal data into AI tools.

This is because once this is done, the CWU loses sovereignty over this data. AI applications reserve the right to store all data submitted and furthermore, to use that data to improve the service. They reserve the right to use all data submitted to ‘train’ the application and there is a strong likelihood that it will appear in the public domain and be open to other users of the application.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) says that ‘personal data’ means any information relating to a person who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that person.

Therefore, the scope of ‘personal data’ is very wide and while anonymisation or redaction may offer a solution, a combination of factors, when taken together, could make a person identifiable. For example, by referring to an attendance pattern and a workplace location, we could make a specific person identifiable.

It is even more important in the case of trade union members because a person’s status as a trade union member is considered ‘Special Category Data’, and as such requires a heightened level of privacy, confidentiality and security.

The CWU is obliged, both regulatorily and morally, to treat our members’ data with the utmost caution and security, while at the same time continuing to carry out all the functions that trade unions have always done so well.   Developments in new technology can bring benefits as well as risks, but if we proceed with caution and consideration at all times then we can avoid any potential harm to the union.

If you have any questions or comments on the above, please feel free to contact Denis Lenihan dlenihan@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely 

Bill Taylor  
Head of Research

LTB No.226-26 Branch guidance on AI and data protection

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Branch Chairs Course

The purpose of this LTB is to advise branches that a Branch Chairs course will take place at GFTU Quorn Grange, Loughborough on the 5^th – 7^th October 2026.

The course will cover:

• The role of the Branch Chair
• Meetings terminology
• Chairing a meeting
• Chairing a difficult meeting
• Yearly Plan
• Branch AGMs
• Conference
• Rule 6, Branch rules
• Writing motions
• Complaints and dispute resolution
• Action planning

Applications should be made in the usual manor via the OLS Membership system. The cut off for the course is Monday 7^thSeptember.

If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact courseadmin@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

26LTB 223 – Branch Chairs Course

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Ken McKenzie Award for Lifelong Learning 2026 

Branches will be aware of the policy adopted at General Conference 2010 to present the Ken McKenzie Award for Lifelong Learning, which is presented to a Union Learning Representative (ULR) or group of ULRs who have made a significant contribution to Lifelong Learning within the CWU. The award is presented each year at our CWU ULR National Networking Event. This year will follow tradition and be part of the agenda at this year’s event scheduled to be held in Leicester on 3^rd November 2026.

I am now inviting applications for the 2026 Annual Ken McKenzie award for Lifelong Learning. The award will be made in recognition of exceptional achievements and contributions to lifelong learning and training by a CWU ULR or a group of CWU ULRs.

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

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

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

The closing date for nominations will be FRIDAY 16^th OCTOBER 2026.

Any queries relating to this LTB should be addressed to me via the Equality, Education & Development at equality&education@cwu.org  

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

26LTB 225 – Ken McKenzie Award for Lifelong Learning 2026

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Union Learning Representative’s Networking Event – 3^rd November 2026

The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches that this year’s Union Learning Representative’s (ULR) Networking Event will take place on Tuesday 3^rd November 2026 at:

The Grand Hotel Leicester

73 Granby Street

Leicester

LE1 6ES

Branches will be aware that ULR legislation provides for networking with other ULRs and organisations that deliver education and training opportunities to our members and representatives.

The event will start with registration between 09.00 and 09.30 and will conclude no later than 17.00. Please note that lunch will be provided.

A final agenda will be issued in due course but will include:

• Keynote speakers
• Practical activities and workshops to support learning in the workplace
• Sharing of best practice in lifelong learning
• And a celebration of your collective achievements!

In the meantime, we would ask that Branches confirm their delegation details and accessibility requirements no later than 2nd October 2026 by emailing equality&education@cwu.org

Please note that Branches are responsible for delegates’ travel and authorised expenditure for this event.

Release 

This event should attract paid release for accredited ULRs working for employers where the CWU is recognised. The event is specifically designed to meet the aims of ULR legislation and the ACAS Code of Practice applies.

Accommodation 

It is important that Branches book places early at The Grand Hotel Leicester, as they will be holding a number of rooms on a ‘first come, first served’ basis until Friday 2^ndOctober 2026, after which time they will be released and the preferential rate will not be available.

Rates: for nights of Monday 2^nd and Tuesday 3^rd November 2026

Standard Double Bedrooms @ £115 per night for single occupancy, inclusive of full English breakfast. Full payment is required at the time of booking. All discounted rates are non-transferable and non-cancellable.

Booking arrangements:

Bookings can be made by calling the hotel’s sales office on 0116 257 5528. The office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm. Or by emailing events.thegrand@the-ascott.com

Please quote Block ID 27456425 when calling or emailing.

Parking: 

The car park is located behind the hotel and the entrance is on Chatham Street. The post code for the car park is LE1 6PB.

Enquiries 

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the Equality, Education & Development Department by email to equality&education@cwu.org  

#CWULearn26

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

26LTB 224 – Union Learning Reps Networking Event

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Urgent Update – Eurest Catering Review

The department has been in discussions with Royal Mail concerning a Eurest catering review of all sites, including their plans on phased closure’s. Several meetings on this issue were held and the CWU made it clear that we did not support the proposals which we believe have been designed deliberately to commence the removal of subsidised catering across Royal Mail Group. Whilst recognising changes in customer preferences and reductions in footfall the department did share counter proposals and offered joint working to secure an outcome that is right for both the Eurest employees as well as our Royal Mail members who use the Eurest catering facilities, exactly the same principles that have shaped previous reviews.

Unfortunately, the business informed us on 19^th June 2026 that they were progressing with their original plan, at which point a national DRP was registered, against what we viewed as an entirely unacceptable proposal. During the period of the DRP the CWU continued to meet with Royal Mail and separately with Eurest to scope potential solutions. At a meeting on the 15^th July 2026 following those discussions with Eurest we offered to jointly produce an alternative plan which attempted to meet the £1.6m reduction in subsidy Royal Mail believe their plan would deliver whilst maintaining service at a greater number of sites.

To allow Royal Mail to consider the proposal the DRP was extended until the 2^nd August 2026 however at a meeting on Friday 31^st July, Royal Mail confirmed their intention to write to the CWU indicating that the DRP has been exhausted, that they reject any alternative solution and that they intend to progress unilateral deployment of their initial proposal. The unagreed changes to be implemented by Royal Mail include a plan for Mail Centres which is based on arbitrary sales targets set by Royal Mail which they know bear absolutely no relation to reality and which trigger predetermined outcomes based on sales.

The details are highlighted below

• All Delivery Office Canteens to close
• All units taking less than £100k per year will lose attended service and move to a vending only provision This will lead to 5 Mail Centre Canteen Closures.
• All units currently taking more than £100k but less than £200K will move to a single “attended” service, expected in most cases to be breakfast. At some sites this will result in the loss of 2-3 services. All remaining attended services will be M-F only with no provision on a Saturday this activity impacts 22 canteens across the Mail Centres and RDC’s.

Once the service has been closed within the identified units the business will provide vending only facilities going forward. Vending is not subsidised by Royal Mail and in our view cannot be described as a catering service.

The letter confirming the DRP has now concluded was received on Thursday 5^thAugust and confirms the intention to progress this activity without agreement, attached for Information is the detailed list of the impacted units covered by the business rationale as identified above.

In our view, these changes will eventually lead to the closure of many if not all the above catering facilities as the reduction of the service available to members will inevitably reduce takings and bring them below the thresholds highlighted above which have been arbitrarily set with no rationale or data to support them. Royal Mail have indicated that they are working on a service reduction plan for the remaining sites.

What this plan amounts to is the commencement of the phased removal of an acknowledged employee benefit which has been available to members in Royal Mail Group for decades. At a time when Royal Mail’s direct competitors, operating similar “out of town” plants see subsidised catering as an invaluable benefit in recruiting and retaining employees, Royal Mail sadly appear to see subsidised catering as an unwelcome legacy cost which should be removed.

To instigate this unagreed action at a time when Admin members are being brought back to the office and on the eve of a joint reset of Industrial and Employee relations is extremely disappointing. This process including the DRP has in our view been disingenuous from the start, the business has not at any time genuinely considered our counter proposals or offers of working together to achieve savings via a different outcome. For our Eurest members, the initial program will create a surplus of around 40 roles and into a potential redundancy situation and for other members reductions in hours are likely as the service diminishes.

We have notified Royal Mail that the CWU cannot agree their proposals, and while the formal National DRP is now exhausted the matter has been escalated to the most senior levels of the company. While we would anticipate that further meetings may take place our focus must now also be on supporting units or Branches in Royal Mail affected by the changes. Where locally the members wish to oppose a closure or service reduction, we are willing to discuss all options available.

The department will also now engage with Eurest to progress discussions on people’s issues resulting from the decisions Royal Mail have taken to ensure that we can mitigate as much as possible the impact of the forced changes to service provision.

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 220/26.

Yours sincerely,

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

LTB 220-26 – Urgent Update Eurest Catering Review

Eurest Units Impacted

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FORMER NEC AND POSTAL EXECUTIVE MEMBER – BILL STEEL 

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our friend and colleague Bill Steel following a long and courageous battle against a serious illness.

Bill joined the old GPO and one of our predecessor unions, the POEU, in 1976.  He held his first union position as a committee member of the Edinburgh Motor Transport Branch in 1977.  He went on to hold numerous positions within the union including Branch Secretary, a role he held for 24 years until 2003.

In 1992 Bill also become a Technical Services Divisional Representative, a position he held for 11 years.

Bill was elected to the National Executive Council in 2002 and to the Postal Executive Council in 2007 and served until his retirement in 2015.  He subsequently became a very well-deserved recipient of the CWU’s National Honorary Membership award and Gold Badge.

Bill will be sorely missed by all those who knew him and will be remembered as a great trade unionist who stood up for his members with passion and determination.  He was never afraid to put forward his views, gaining a strong reputation amongst his peers as someone who would always ‘tell it as it is’, offering support, advice and solutions to the National Officers he worked with.

On a personal note, I will always remember Bill for his friendship, great sense of humour and the sound advice he offered in difficult moments.  On behalf of the whole of the CWU we offer our sincere condolences to Bill’s wife, Diana and all the family.

We will advise branches on the details of his funeral in due course. RIP Bill.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
GENERAL SECRETARY

26LTB219 FORMER NEC AND POSTAL EXECUTIVE MEMBER BILL STEEL

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Royal Mail: PFSL Pay Negotiations 2026 – Impasse Reached 

Further to LTBs 0144/26 dated 8^th May.Despite expressing our optimism that we could reach an Agreement after a couple more meetings with PFSL, unfortunately due to factors beyond our control, negotiations have come to an abrupt halt, and disappointingly management have consistently failed to respond in any meaningful way to our formal pay claim.  I do of course understand that members will be frustrated by the lack of progress, especially as all other CWU grades and business units across RMG have already received the pay increase from 1^st April 2026.  Accordingly, I wish to offer my appreciation to both PFSL members and Reps alike for their patience in this important matter.  I also wish to reassure everyone that this matter has been pursued as a priority by the union and we have endeavoured to move matters along in line with our Conference policies.

To put this impasse into perspective, the following is a timeline of prime activities and engagement.

• 3^rd March – Pay claim originally submitted to Neil Chaplain, Managing Director, Engineering as reported in LTB 067/26
• 22^nd May – the last time we met with Neil Chaplain and his team for pay negotiations (the meeting ended without a formal offer being made)
• 26^th May – comprehensive letter from myself to Neil Chaplain elaborating upon the position adopted by our negotiating team in the meeting above, specifically this related to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and our Conference policies, particularly the issue of pensions and the fact that the majority of our PFSL members do not enjoy the benefits of being in the Collective Plan.

To be clear, the blatant inertia from PFSL management has been challenged at every step along the way and a series of letters have been sent to Neil Chaplain chasing him for a substantial reply to my representations as contained in the letter of 26^th May.  Over two months have now elapsed since this correspondence and yet PFSL are either unable or unwilling to formally respond.

I am sure our PFSL members, like our negotiating team, will be frustrated by this situation.  Frankly, our PFSL members deserve to be treated much better by RMG management and it is unacceptable that four months on from the pay review date management haven’t tabled a formal pay offer.  This position is unsustainable.  I have therefore today sent a further letter in the strongest possible terms to Neil Chaplain pointing out the persistent failures of PFSL in not engaging in a serious negotiation.  This correspondence has been copied to Kieran Judd, Chief People Officer, to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation.  Unfortunately, due to management’s annual leave we are unlikely to recommence pay negotiations until later this month.  This means that our members will not receive any arrears of pay (backdated to 1^st April 2026) until September’s salaries at the earliest, and in all probability, October is more realistic as any Agreement would have to go through our normal democratic process, including a consultative ballot of PFSL members.

Branches and Reps are reminded that we are fully committed to pursuing all Conference policies, particularly those surrounding the Collective Plan as the current pension arrangements across PFSL are derisory and as such our members in PFSL are undoubtedly second-class citizens in respect of pension benefits received from RMG.  This area in particular has been exposed in the talks that have taken place thus far, and has featured predominantly within my correspondence to management, as this is a critical area where we obviously need to make progress.

The Postal Executive has been kept abreast of the prevailing situation and is far from impressed by the attitude of PFSL management and I also met with our Senior Reps across the cleaning and engineering functions last Monday 27^th July to explain in more detail the obstacles we are encountering to making progress.

In closing, I wish to reiterate that I am grateful for the patience and resilience of our PFSL members, who are being treated very shabbily by management.  This is unacceptable to the Postal Executive and if required this matter will be escalated to higher authorities beyond PFSL management.  For the avoidance of doubt we are determined to get a fair and equitable outcome for our PFSL members and we won’t be accepting a mediocre offer just because of the time that has elapsed – this is a tactic that management deploy on occasion.  Therefore, even if it takes more time to get the right outcome, this will be the necessary approach adopted by the Postal Executive.

Further developments will be reported as appropriate.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB217.26 Royal Mail PFSL Pay Negotiations 2026 – Impasse Reached

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