Tonight at 7pm – the truth of the Royal Mail Group dispute
Dear Members,
In the last 48 hours there has been a lot of noise. A lot of rumour. A lot of positioning. A lot of drama.
Tonight we cut to the chase. We lay out Royal Mail Groups offer. We update you on negotiations. We will discuss the next steps. We will move forward as one.
We have significantly moved the company. They haven’t moved because of the kindness of their heart. They haven’t moved because they wanted to. They have moved because your vote and your strike action has made them.
Join us via the CWU social media channels or the direct link below at 7pm. And bring every single colleague with you.
We went into this dispute together. We will come out of it together – but only if we continue to stand shoulder to shoulder.
See you tonight at 7pm.
Solidarity,
Dave Ward General Secretary
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
EUREST (EX QUADRANT) PAY CLAIM 2023 – BALLOT RESULT
Reproduced below for the information of Branches is the result of the above ballot, which has been received from Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary:Ballot Papers Issued143Votes for Acceptance 63Votes Against 2Spoils 1
The ballot has therefore resulted in a return of approximately 46% with 97% voting in favour of the agreement.
Branches are requested to ensure that members are made aware of the result of this ballot.
The department has informed Eurest of the result and we understand that arrangements are being put in place for the increased rates of pay and any backdated monies to be paid to members in their April 2023 salaries.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org quoting reference number: 301.12.
Royal Mail Group – Handbrake Safety and Avoiding Vehicle Roll Away Accidents – (SHE Huddle FY23 022 Rollaways) & RMG/CWU Joint Driver Safety Communication Campaign:
Background and Raising Awareness
See attached RMG SHE Huddle FY23 022 Vehicle Rollaways and supporting Driver Safety Communication Campaign materials which is being issued week commencing 10 April to all fleet operational units for briefing and communication to all drivers.
This follows the ongoing problems with van rollaway incidents and the profound dangers of injury, death and serious substantial damage to Royal Mail vehicles and third party vehicles and property.
This Safety SHE Huddle, accompanied with a reminder to deliver the briefing to drivers in the RMG SHE Calendar along with a poster and ‘HIT’ leaflet/vehicle seat drop will be launched week commencing 10 April and messages via unit plasma screens will be shared on the content on demand screens.
The campaign, briefing, posters, leaflets and plasma screen messages reinforce the ‘mandatory controls’ required when parking Royal Mail Group and Parcelforce fleet vehicles, to eliminate vehicle roll-away incidents.
RMG Vehicle Rollaway Numbers:
2014 – 200
2015 – 116
2016 – 155
2017 – 127
2018 – 145
2019 – 109
2020 – 163
2021 – 135
All drivers must adopt the safety standards to prevent vehicle rollaway incidents which can and have caused very serious injuries and even fatalities, involving other companies fleet vehicles and drivers.
In many rollaway accidents, investigations into the cause have found that drivers generally do apply the handbrake in most cases but it’s not always fully applied and the drivers don’t leave the vehicle in gear or turn the wheels as an added safety precaution. If the driver makes an error applying the handbrake, if the handbrake is not fully applied or the handbrake fails, the vehicle can then roll away. There have been a worrying number of vehicle rollaways.
This Safety Huddle plus multi-media communications is to raise awareness of all drivers, urging them to follow the ‘HIT’ Acronym ‘Handbrake On, Vehicle in Gear, Turn The Wheels’ when parking their vans and lorries. A slight incline or even just an uneven road surface can be enough to start a vehicle moving. It’s important that the ‘HIT’ safety controls are ALWAYS applied, even on level ground to develop good practice and good, safe driving habits.
Case Studies
Drivers can additionally place themselves at risk of prosecution by the Police for serious motoring offences action if they ignore and fail to comply with safety control instructions and Road Traffic Act law.
Case 1:
At Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court Van driver 48-year-old Anthony Smith pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment and was disqualified from driving for 12 months after Smith failed to apply the parking brake and his vehicle rolled away killing a nearby road worker who was unable to get out of the way and was trapped and crushed between the two vehicles. He sustained major head injuries and died at the scene.
Case 2:
At Southwark crown court, 52-year-old van driver Larkland May was handed a 32-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work, disqualified from driving for 3 years and ordered to pay £700 costs after he failed to apply the handbrake of his parcel delivery van which rolled away down a slope, crushing and killing two pedestrians as it struck a wall in Pudding Lane, near Monument in London. Both were declared dead at the scene.
The ‘HIT’ Acronym
The attached Safety Alert Communication is being issued to ‘raise the profile of this risk’ to all Royal Mail delivery drivers and to promote ‘HIT’.
Handbrake On
In Gear
Turn the Wheels
SHE Huddle FY23 022 – Key Points And Messages
All drivers should be aware of the mandatory requirement to follow ‘HIT’, every time they park, regardless of whether they are parking on a hill. This is included in Royal Mail training, in the Driving Safe System of Work and is regularly communicated
Handbrake on – apply the handbrake FULLY, pulling it all the way up on the ratchet (click, click, click!).
In Gear (or ‘Park’ mode) – even if the handbrake fails, your van will not move if it is in gear.
Turn Wheels – use the kerb to ‘chock’ your wheels or if there is no kerb present, turn to the place of least danger.
Drivers – DON’T try to stop a rolling vehicle. You are unlikely to be able to and this is the most common way to get injured or even killed.
Always complete your pre-use vehicle checks and report any handbrake defect.
NEVER drive an unroadworthy vehicle.
Familiarise yourself with the vehicle before you depart. If you are driving a new vehicle, make sure you know where the handbrake is and how it operates. Newer vehicles may have electronic park brakes or even automatic park brakes.
Why is this so important? Do we have to talk about this every year?
Whilst progress has been made in recent years, there are still over 100 rollaways every year. These are entirely avoidable events which cause damage to vehicles and property and which have caused serious injury and even death.
If everybody follows ‘HIT’, every time they park their vehicle, there need never be another rollaway again.
If you see a colleague has not applied ‘HIT’, please remind them.
Why does it keep happening? The short answer is because not all drivers apply ‘HIT’ all the time. This can be for several different reasons: (a) Some drivers under-estimate the risk and think that the handbrake is sufficient to secure the vehicle. “It will never happen to me …”. In most cases the handbrake does hold but this builds false confidence and if the driver forgets to apply the handbrake, doesn’t secure it enough, or if the handbrake fails then the vehicle is free to roll away. That’s why this is a mandatory control. (b) Some drivers take short-cuts – there is very little time to be saved by not following ‘HIT’ but Royal Mail telemetry data shows a link between excessive idling and rollaways, and there have been numerous examples of vehicles rolling away whilst left with the door open and the engine running. This is an obvious security risk as well as a safety risk, and drivers rushing in this way are the most likely to forget the handbrake or not apply it fully. (c) Some just forget – there can be a lot going on when parking, especially when making a delivery, and it’s easy to lose concentration especially if you get distracted. It’s obviously important to focus on driving until the vehicle is safely parked up, but by making sure drivers follow ‘HIT’ every time they park they will quickly develop ‘muscle memory’ where they almost do it without thinking. This seriously reduces the chances of an error.
Remember and Think ‘HIT’
The three controls required to fully and safely secure a vehicle so that it doesn’t roll away are:
ALWAYS apply the handbrake firmly – do not press the button when applying the handbrake.
ALWAYS leave the vehicle in a low gear – use first gear if facing uphill or on level ground, and use reverse if facing downhill. Select Park in automatic vehicles.
ALWAYS turn the wheels – if a kerb is present turn away from it when facing uphill, and towards it if downhill. If there is no kerb turn towards the point of least danger (usually the side of the road).
Caution:
If drivers suspect a vehicle handbrake is faulty, a PMT1 Defect Report should be completed, the vehicle must be taken out of service and booked into the Workshop immediately, using the defect/fault report process and not returned to service without expert technical clearance from the RM Fleet Workshops.
Drivers should never try to physically stop a rolling vehicle.
CWU Reps Action
Can all CWU Representatives carry out safety spot checks to ensure that managers have communicated the Safety Huddle message to all staff that drive Royal Mail Group Vehicles please.
Negotiations with Royal Mail Group concluded last night without agreement.
The company advised the union that the Directors who have been leading negotiations are no longer available and that the Board will be meeting today to determine their next steps.
There has been progress in several areas and the union made it clear last night that we are willing to continue negotiations today and tomorrow to finalise an agreement. This offer has been reiterated to the company this morning.
We will be consulting with the union’s Postal Executive later today, taking stock of the situation and considering all available options with regards to our next steps.
The company have published selected aspects of their latest offer directly to employees and claim that the main sticking point is new entrants terms and conditions. This is not true. We have seen these actions throughout this dispute from the employer and we know you will not be fazed.
We will engage with all CWU members on the status of the whole talks, explaining exactly where the differences are, including the unacceptable pressures deliberately being placed on our members through imposed revisions that are failing quality of service and USO compliance.
Further information will be sent out in due course.
Negotiations with Royal Mail Group concluded last night without agreement.
The company advised the union that the Directors who have been leading negotiations are no longer available and that the Board will be meeting today to determine their next steps.
There has been progress in several areas and the union made it clear last night that we are willing to continue negotiations today and tomorrow to finalise an agreement. This offer has been reiterated to the company this morning.
We will be consulting with the union’s Postal Executive later today, taking stock of the situation and considering all available options with regards to our next steps.
The company have published selected aspects of their latest offer directly to employees and claim that the main sticking point is new entrants terms and conditions. This is not true. We have seen these actions throughout this dispute from the employer and we know you will not be phased.
We will engage with all CWU members on the status of the whole talks, explaining exactly where the differences are, including the unacceptable pressures deliberately being placed on our members through imposed revisions that are failing quality of service and USO compliance.
Further information will be sent out in due course.
Thank you for your continued support.
Dave Ward General Secretary
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
Average Pay on Annual Leave in Royal Mail Group (Holiday Pay) – Update
Further to LTB 263/22 circulated to Branches and Representatives on 24thJune 2022, the long-term IT system solution for payments was introduced on 2nd 3rd July 2022. RMG have also been testing the development of PSP to include LGV drivers and PFSL into the system solution. The business had anticipated this being ready for April 2023 but are yet to complete the required changes. A meeting regarding this aspect is in the process of being arranged although this is likely to be after Easter.
2023/24 Overtime Holiday Pay
A number of enquiries have been received regarding the ‘periods’ that will be used to assess holiday pay for members from the start of the new financial year.
Branches and Representatives will be aware that for weekly paid members the assessment is now based on the regularity of overtime over the six RM financial periods prior to the financial period in which holiday is taken. For monthly paid members, assessing the regularity of overtime over the six calendar months prior to the calendar month in which holiday is taken.
Royal Mail Group have confirmed that for weekly paid employees the ‘periods’ for the financial year 2023-2024 (broadly equivalent to months) to be used to assess the eligibility for overtime holiday payments, when employees take leave are:
Period 1 27th March 2023 – 30thApril 2023
Period 2 1st May 2023 – 28th May 2023
Period 3 29th May 2023 – 25thJune 2023
Period 4 26th June 2023 – 30thJuly 2023
Period 5 31st July 2023 – 27thAugust 2023
Period 6 28th August 2023 – 24thSeptember 2023
Period 7 25th September 2023 – 29th October 2023
Period 8 30th October 2023 – 26thNovember 2023
Period 9 27th November 2023 – 24th December 2023 (‘P9 Pass’)
Period 10 25th December 2023 – 28th January 2024
Period 11 29th January 2024 – 25thFebruary 2024
Period 12 26th February 2024 – 31st March 2024
The assessment for monthly paid members will continue to use calendar months.
Branches and Representatives should note that RMG intend to place the dates on the ‘Employee App’ over the next few days.
Yours sincerely,
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
The union have been advised the contract that Rivus Group (formally BT Fleet) has with BT is to expire at the end of September. Rivus said that agreement could not be reached on what BT and its new provider Holmans, wished to contract to Rivus. There will be no BT work carried out by Rivus from 30th September 2023.
Rivus have advised the union that the terms offered were not commercially viable and from what we know, could have resulted in a serious threat to the Ts & Cs of our Rivus members.
The union is of course extremely disappointed that agreement could not be reached but have been advised by Rivus that they are confident of filling the capacity that BT will leave behind. They have also advised us that they will continue to recruit into current vacancies and investment will continue in terms of training, warranty and equipment.
As branches will know, BT has embarked on a cost-cutting exercise that in some places borders on being self-destructive and branches will be surprised to learn that the new provider has no garage network of its own. It relies on spare garage capacity in the industry to fulfil its contracts, so only time will tell if they can fulfil their contractual commitments to BT let alone stand it up by the end of September. We can only assume that they are confident of doing so.
Rivus has advised the union that the lease with BT that they have on the Rivus garages is to 2030 and separate from the service contract and Rivus has no intention of relinquishing it because they intend to fill the freed-up capacity with new work which they advise they are already in discussions.
Rivus have also said that BT has not criticised the level or quality of the service that Rivus has provided. This is reflected in the fact that they wanted to continue to use Rivus through their new supplier, on service, maintenance and repair (SMR) work. The contract on offer however was not commercially viable.
The 2023 Pay negotiations with Rivus will continue and this announcement will have no impact on the union’s approach to these negotiations and we are advised that Rivus is of the same view.
Rivus have always said that their aim was not to rely in one major contract to sustain its future and believed that in the long term such an approach was not sustainable. Their aim now is to continue to seek work in the large corporate and the public sector markets as they do now, but also to ensure that they grow in diverse and sustainable way. The recent winning of the Metropolitan Police contract is evidence of this approach and the freeing-up of garage capacity will they say, enable to them to continue with their diverse growth strategy.
The CWU is under no illusions; Rivus is going to face a challenging time over the next few months but their approach to the ending of the BT contract, could have been a lot different and a greater and immediate threat to our members.
Further LTBs will be circulated in due course between now and September.
DEFERMENT OF CWU NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ELECTIONS 2023:
CWU National Executive Committee & Industrial Executives
CWU National Officers
CWU Regional Secretaries
Postal & Telecoms Standing Orders Committee
Retired Members Committee
Young Workers Committee
Branches will recall that LTB 016/23 dated 17th January 2023 set out the rationale and reasoning behind the NEC decision to defer the CWU General, Rules and Industrial Conferences until October this year.
Additionally, the NEC also agreed to defer the Elections of any National Representative positions that were scheduled to be conducted in January to March 2023 until after the CWU Conference(s) have been held in October 2023, and the purpose of this LTB is to provide formal notification of this decision.
The primary reason for the deferment of both of the Conference and the National Elections was so that the NEC could conduct a complete review of the relevant National Structures of the union. Unfortunately it has not been possible to conduct this work due to involvement of the NEC and Senior Officers in attempting to find a resolution to the current National disputes. Following the conclusion of the review it will then be the intention of the NEC to submit any required rule changes, etc. to the relevant rules of the union governing the composition and structures of the CWU Organisation.
Due to the above structural review taking place the NEC have also decided to defer the elections of the Regional Secretaries, Postal & Telecoms Standing Orders Committees, Retired Members Committee and Young Workers Committee, again until after the CWU Conference has been held in October 2023.
Branches will be provided with further details regarding the timetables for the above elections at a later date.
Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237, or email address sdgs@cwu.org.
IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR CWU MEMBERS IN ROYAL MAIL GROUP
Today, the CWU has written to the Royal Mail Group Board ahead of their meeting tomorrow making it clear that if they do not change course, we will serve notice for strike action. They must step back from their relentless attacks in the workplace and reach a national agreement with the CWU.
This is a hugely significant moment – the stakes have never been higher. We therefore want to tackle some of the most important issues in this communication.
ROYAL MAIL FINANCIAL POSITION
You will have seen reports in several media outlets that Royal Mail Group are ‘threatening’ to put the business into administration if they cannot reach agreement with the CWU. Most articles deal with the political and economic barriers to such a move, and it should be noted that the company haven’t given any statement on the record about the potential for going into administration.
The CWU acknowledges the serious state of the company’s finances, but the word of the employer is not enough. As such, we have requested independent access to their grounds for this claim. The truth is the senior managers who led us into the crisis have no right to lead us out of it.
Let us be clear – the CWU are a responsible union. It is our members who are the backbone of a once great company. We want an agreement, but it must be the agreement our members deserve, not one that is forced on you and gives you less security as a result of gross mismanagement at the highest possible level.
CURRENT STATE OF PLAY
Firstly, we have made progress in several areas – this is because of your outstanding support. But we are not in a position where we could recommend an agreement to our membership. The company has moved on some issues that are core to the dispute including on job security, later starts/finishes, performance management, and an optimised parcels network. But the fundamental problem remains: senior management’s obsession with its ‘our business to run’ mantra and removing the voice of postal workers in changes that will affect them.
Some members are saying ‘all the change has already happened’ – but nothing could be further from the truth. This document sets out a future that, if unchecked, will see Royal Mail Group turned into just another Uber-style gig economy employer. If we don’t win this dispute, this will be your future.
Pay: the offer on the table is not enough. Royal Mail Group have made a three-year offer, but it includes no further money to cover last year and no back pay. We will table a fresh proposal on pay to Royal Mail Group this week.
Network / Later starts: Royal Mail are pursuing a policy of demanding later starts / finishes well beyond where we believe they need to be and although there has been significant movement from their original proposals it is still not enough.
New Entrants: the company have indicated they are willing to look at a different approach to the imposed new entrants’ terms and conditions. However, this remains completely inadequate. We remain very concerned about this not just for new workers coming into the industry, but because it will undoubtedly lead to further attacks on the pay, jobs, and conditions of our existing members.
Sick Pay / Attendance Standards / Ill Health Retirement: The company’s position on all the issues related to absence and ill health remain unacceptable to the union. The union is preparing a fresh proposal on these issues.
Indoor Method Change: Royal Mail want trials on reducing the levels of indoor prep but even before those trials take place, they want the CWU to sign up to circa 20-25 minutes of indoor time being removed from every delivery duty on a daily basis. How can you sign up to the outcome of a trial before it has even taken place?
Owner Drivers: Royal Mail Group has started to move on the issue of owner drivers in Parcelforce and Royal Mail from their ‘best and final’ offer but are still refusing to give the commitments that we require to protect your future and ensure the company does not become another gig economy employer.
REVISIONS
The current revisions programme is a national embarrassment for the company. USO failures are rife, and the service is being sacrificed to kid the financial powers that savings are being made.
But you need to know that Royal Mail plans to commence yet another round of revisions imminently with the continued threat of imposition and even more unachievable targets.
We must once and for all change this approach as part of a new agreement or what you see and feel in the workplace right now is what you will see and feel for years to come. Any agreement must also give you the right locally to revise some of the disastrous plans managers have already implemented.
CONDUCT CASES
Hundreds of CWU members and representatives have been conducted on trumped up and coordinated charges in recent months. Some have already been disgracefully dismissed.
Ask yourself one question – is this the way that a company wanting to reach an agreement would behave?
We came into this dispute together. We will come out of it together. Any agreement must safeguard members and representatives who have been unfairly and disgracefully treated during this period. We don’t just need an independent review of all conduct issues to protect our members – we need it to expose the shameful actions of managers at the most senior level.
SUMMARY
The Royal Mail Group Board meet tomorrow, and they must choose between ending the disastrous approach that has alienated its own workforce which means reaching an agreement that is in the interests or our members, customers and company – or they continue along the path that will destroy the company.
Our members are under more pressure than ever, and we know many of you will be worried about the current situation. We hope that this update assures you we are striking the right balance between working to end the dispute but also refusing to let you pay the price for gross mismanagement.
Later this week we bring you video updates and a live briefing. We will also launch plans to embark on a series of gate meetings in every office in the UK.
Your resolve has moved the employer. Your continued backing will deliver the agreement you deserve.
In solidarity,
Dave Ward General Secretary
Andy Furey Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
Click the link below to view and download the document
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 