ROYAL MAIL: PFSL PAY & PENSIONS CAMPAIGN – CONSULTATIVE BALLOT OF PFSL MEMBERS

Further to LTB 236/26 and the National Briefing on 9^th September.

Members’ Private Email Addresses Required

As highlighted at last week’s National Briefing, it is imperative that Branches provide PFSL members’ private email addresses to Lisa Parrett – lparrett@cwu.org by close of play on Wednesday 23^rd September.  We need to bring this activity to a successful conclusion to enable us to undertake the Consultative Ballot.  Branches are therefore urged to give this matter the focus it needs.

CWU Dedicated Web Page for PFSL Members

Our Comms Department has developed a dedicated web page for our PFSL members which can be accessed via: https://www.cwu.org/campaign/pfsl(QR code here). It would be very helpful if Branches could send photos of both Cleaning and Engineering members indicating their support for the campaign and the requirement for the Real Living Wage and/or Pension Fairness.  If these could be sent to Hayley Moffat – hmoffat@cwu.orgthey can be uploaded to the dedicated web page.

CWU HQ Email Address for PFSL Members

We also now have a dedicated email address for PFSL members to send us questions or enquiries – pay-pensioncampaign-pfsl@cwu.org  Branches should share this email address with PFSL members, and our team will monitor the inbox and respond accordingly.

Communication – Engagement with PFSL Members

Lastly, attached is a communication designed to assist Branches in engaging with our PFSL members.  Please encourage members to vote YES & YES in the forthcoming consultative ballot to enable us to return to negotiations with the strong voice of our members behind us.  The plan in terms of next steps is to work up a Ballot Timetable which will enable us to move into the next phase of the campaign.  Further developments will be reported including the ballot timetable once known.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary 

Attachment 1: LTB245.26 RM – PFSL Pay & Pensions Campaign

Attachment 2: Attachment to LTB245.26 – PFSL Comms                                 

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Capita TVL Pay 2026 – Formal Trade Dispute 

Following the overwhelming 97% vote by the Capita TVL members to reject the pay offer, we endeavoured to reopen negotiations with senior management to see if progress could be made towards an agreement we could recommend to our TVL members. Unfortunately, Capita have rebuffed this position and declared there is no more funding available to increase the pay offer.

As a consequence, the Postal Executive met for a special meeting and made the formal decision to ballot our TVL members for Industrial Action. The decision of the Postal Executive was fully supported yesterday when we met with our TVL representatives. Following this we notified Capita of our policy, and it was made clear that they have provoked this situation by their refusal to enter into meaningful negotiations. To put this matter into context for our lowest paid members in Bristol & Darwen the offer the members have rejected would have given them an insulting £13.16 per hour versus the Real Living Wage of £13.45. The Postal Executive believes this position to be intolerable.

The ballot timetable is currently under consideration and is being worked up in conjunction with our organising team. We will of course undertake a campaign aimed at ensuring our members deliver a good outcome in the ballot which will include the 2 questions for both Strike Action and Action Short of a Strike.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey 

Assistant Secretary 

Attachment: LTB 244/ 26 Capita TVL Pay 2026 – Formal Trade Dispute

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World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 – Thursday 10^th September

 Advisory note – This LTB contains information about suicide and suicide prevention.

Dear Colleagues,

Thursday 10th September marks World Suicide Prevention Day. It takes place globally each year to raise awareness of suicide, reduce stigma, and encourage action on suicide prevention. The theme spanning 2024, 2025, and 2026 is ‘changing the narrative on suicide’. It’s about moving from a culture of silence towards one of understanding and support.

This is the first World Suicide Prevention Day since the publication of BS 30480 Suicide and the Workplace, the first national workplace suicide prevention standard.  The CWU took part fully in the pre-consultation process before the publication of BS 30480.

What Makes BS 30480 Different?

BS 30480 presents a holistic, systems-based approach to suicide prevention. It recognises that suicide is rarely the result of one factor, instead, it’s a complex interplay between personal, workplace, relationship, and societal pressures. For branches looking at their own training and support development needs, reviewing the BS 30480 standard in full is recommended as an essential first step. BS 30480 Download.

It provides a clear framework for what good looks like. The publication of BS 30480 has been seen by many organisations as a milestone for workplace wellbeing Breaking the Silence.

The CWU is continually striving to be a ‘suicide safer’ organisation. Each suicide has far-reaching social, emotional and economic consequences and deeply affects individuals and communities worldwide. In recognising the above triennial theme, the CWU is in its third year of ’30 for 30’ training, whereby at least 30 Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAiders) will be trained in 30 days for World Suicide Prevention month. As Part of our Mental Health Strategy Programme, CWU newly trained MHFAiders are also now encouraged to pursue the Royal Society of Public Health Qualification RSPH Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid.

Discussions between branches and regions are now encouraged to explore if the 2027 programme of CWU MHFA training is something you may wish to consider. The current CWU MHFA England training includes a session on crisis training for suicide first aid, exploring suicide language and warning signs for suicide.

Working with others

The CWU has recently worked with a suicide prevention organisation called 5asideCHESS, who use the simple motto, “Your 1st Move is Hello”.

What is 5asideCHESS?

They first put their ‘Battling Suicide Bus’ on the road in 2018 and it is now covered in several hundred messages, each written by people who have lost loved ones to suicide. It’s all too easy to quote statistics of lives lost, but every one of these messages on the Bus represents someone’s heartbreaking personal story. Battling Suicide Bus – 5asideCHESS

They are currently looking for three committed, enthusiastic and self-motivated people to be part the crew for the 2026 battling suicide bus tour of the UK. For further details of this opportunity, or to enquire about a workplace visit you can use the contact us link shown below.

Contact us 5asideCHESS

It remains hugely important that organisations and trade unions understand the important factors affecting mental ill health by being ready to:

• Identify the signs and symptoms for a range of mental health conditions.
• Provide immediate Mental Health First Aid to someone experiencing a mental health issue or crisis.
• Listen non-judgmentally and hold supportive conversations.
• Signpost people to professional help.

Downloadable Resource

The following links have World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 materials for workplace use:

World Suicide Prevention Day | Campaigns | Samaritans

World Suicide Prevention Day – Mental Health UK

World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 – Every Life Matters

World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 – Mental Health First Aid England

Learning resource

For any untrained person the thought of identifying risk and intervening can be a daunting prospect. The learning and upskilling resources below can help to aid any needed conversation:

How to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts | Samaritans

Concerned about someone? – Shining a Light on Suicide

Funded training courses | Papyrus

Free online suicide awareness training from the Zero Suicide Alliance

Please remember talking about feelings doesn’t have to be scary, there is always hope, clicking on the following link can take you to your nearest support service:

Mental Health Support Network provided by Chasing the Stigma | Hub of hope

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 243/26 – WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY 2026

Launch of the mandatory electronic version of the Member Application Pack 

The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches and Branch Legal and Medical Secretaries of the availability of the electronic version of the Employment Cases Member Consultation Pack (attached below) as discussed at the quarterly Branch liaison meetings between Branches and the Legal Services Department.

Delegates to this year’s annual conference may recall that a printed version of the pack was made available at the CWU Annual Conference for feedback and was also shared and discussed at the recent training sessions for Legal and Medical Secretaries. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

The consultation pack was developed by the Legal Services Department with the aim of improving the consultation experience for both members and Branch Legal and Medical Secretaries.

Also attached is a PDF version providing Branches with the option to make hardcopies if needed. Following receipt of this email, Branches are expected to use this for any membership consultation where support with any potential Employment Tribunal claim is being sought.

Any enquiries in relation to this email should be sent to swillis@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Ian Taylor

Head of Legal Services

LTB 241/26 – LAUNCH OF THE MANDATORY ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE MEMBER APPLICATION PACK

08654 – Employment Cases Members pack digital – v6 (003)

08654 – Employment Cases Members pack – v6 Final

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Capita TVL: 97% Yes Vote in Consultative Ballot to Reject the Pay Offer

Further to LTB 207/26 dated 24^th July.  Branches are advised that the Postal Executive recently endorsed a consultative ballot of our Capita TVL members with the aim of achieving a Yes vote in favour of rejecting the current (inadequate) pay offer.

I can now report that our TVL members have voted overwhelmingly in support of rejecting the offer.  The results are as follows:Yes29897%No103%Turnout30869%   

 The Rejected Pay Offer is:

• Our lowest paid members on the TVL Contract – those in Bristol and Darwen, who were on just £12.66 per hour with the previous pay agreement (increased to the legal minimum of £12.71 from 1^st April) – have been offered a meagre 50p per hour pay increase taking them to just £13.16 per hour (this is just 44p when you take into account the increase to the legal minimum). Crucially, £13.16 (the rejected offer) is significantly less than the Real Living Wage (RLW) hourly pay rate of £13.45.

• For our Field members, the highest paid TVL employees, the rejected pay offer is 3.5%. With fuel prices high once again, and having risen earlier this year, our Visiting Officers and Field workers are struggling with the additional costs of travelling, which is necessary due to the nature of the job. Also, 3.5% doesn’t recognise the difficult job members do which includes regularly facing abuse and potentially physical harm.  Capita is taking the Field members for granted just because they are on better pay than those members working in Darwen and Bristol.

Next Steps

I have today written to Capita Senior Management, to inform them of the ballot result and to invite them to enter into urgent negotiations with the aim of reaching an Agreement that recognises the real worth of our members’ contributions.  We have also advised Acas of the ballot result, as Capita had previously contacted them when the negotiations first broke down.

We have also arranged a meeting with our Senior TVL Reps to discuss next steps.  This is planned for Thursday 10^thSeptember to allow Capita the opportunity to respond to the invitation referred to above.

If Capita doesn’t listen to the strong voice of our members and improve the pay offer, we will need to prepare for the possibility of holding a further ballot, this time for Industrial Action.  Strike action would obviously be a last resort and would only be called if Capita continues to refuse to move from the current position.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

LTB 242/26 – Capita TVL 97% Yes Vote in Consultative Ballot to Reject the Pay Offer

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FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR TOM GAFFNEY

I am writing to advise on the funeral arrangements for Tom Gaffney, former UCW Executive Council Member and Chair.

The service will be at 11am on Wednesday 9^th September at:

West Road Crematorium

West Road,
Fenham,
Newcastle Upon Tyne

NE5 2JL

Our thoughts and condolences continue to be with Tom’s wife Sheridan and his family.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

GENERAL SECRETARY

LTB 240/26 – FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR TOM GAFFNEY

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