Communication Workers Union
Dave Joyce National Health & Safety Officer
150 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1RX
Tel: 020 8971 7365/7308 E-Mail: djoyce@cwu.org

Our Reference: E1/DJ/lmp

5 November 2020

To All ASRs

Dear Colleagues,

Re: RMG – Introduction of ‘Mandatory’ Face Masks From Monday 9 November:

This is just a quick update as Royal Mail have jumped the gun and have issued a
communication which you will all no doubt hear about today which follows a national
management briefing held by Shaun Davis Director SHE and Rachel Boon RMG Head
of Health yesterday.

Discussions on this subject have been taking place over the last two weeks and last
Friday Royal Mail Group informed the CWU of their intention, requesting CWU support
which was considered on Monday.

CWU/HQ is supporting the initiative having considered the current Covid-19 situation
across the UK and we agreed on joint communications. However a Royal Mail
communication was produced and issued at 6pm last night ahead of the agreed joint
comms for which a strong complaint has been made.

Never the less, from next Monday ‘Mandatory Masks’ are being introduced by RMG
for all indoor work.

The CWU is supporting this decision, subject to ongoing discussions, for a number of
very important reasons;

v The Virus infection rate continues to rise,
v The high daily number of new cases being recorded,
v Hospital admissions and death numbers increasing,
v A huge 125% increase in workplace outbreaks (TUC),
v 33,000 Christmas Casuals/Agency Workers about to join the RM/PFWW workforce,
v Local and Regional restrictions being imposed across large parts of the country,
v A second national lockdown starts this week,
v The risk of a flu pandemic alongside the Virus,
v The number of weekly coronavirus deaths is at its highest figure since early June,
a 46 per cent increase on the previous week,
v The number of patients admitted to hospital has jumped by more than 60 per cent
in 10 days,
v Hospitals Patients needing a ventilator has also increased by nearly 51 per cent,
v A third of UK workers are worried about catching coronavirus in their workplace.

I have stressed to RMG that the ‘Mandatory Masks’ measure is not an end in itself and
does not replace other preventative, risk control measures and must be seen as one of
the steps to safer working and a ‘Covid-19 Secure workplace’.

Mandatory Masks is one important component to a five-pronged, fully committed drive
that’s now needed with both RMG and CWU on board: –
Ø Improving Hygiene,
Ø Face Coverings,
Ø Social Distancing(2M),
Ø Improved Cleaning (premises and vehicles),
I also want to add
Ø ‘Workforce Testing’ (Weekly).

The Masks are not a substitute for Social Distancing(2M), Increased/Improved Cleaning,
Improved Hygiene standards.

I’m keen to get a workplace weekly testing regime implemented and have formally put
Forward a proposal to Royal Mail Group to consider the introduction of Workplace
Weekly Covid-19 testing which I think would improve safety, reduce transmissions
and infection rate plus give a huge reassurance to the workforce at this tough time as
the nation enters lockdown 2.

A number of associated issues have been raised by us for further discussion and those
talks will take place over the next couple of days. These items include;

v Masks per person not to be limited and to be changed frequently,
v Masks not compulsory whilst working outside,
v Visors to be provided,
v CWU ASRs and Managers and SHE Team to work together spot checking/
inspecting Social Distancing compliance and Covid-Secure compliance,
v Mask Wearing Compliance process to match the RMG/CWU PPE National
Agreement 3-step process,
v A robust ‘exceptions process’ – This includes (but is not limited to): staff with
underlying medical conditions, asthma, COPD etc, those with physical or
mental illness or impairment, or disability, those who by wearing a mask
would cause severe distress,
v Exemption cards to be produced,
v Exception for staff when seated to eat or drink in staff mess rooms, rest rooms,
restaurants or cafes. Putting the face covering back on once finished eating or
drinking,
v clear guidance on the type and suitability of particular face coverings,
v Facilities for Mask disposal
v Arrangements for those who rely on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions
to communicate

I will keep you all updated.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce | National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Member TUC Union Health and Safety Specialists Committee
Email djoyce@cwu.org | Direct line 020 8971 7365
Communication Workers Union, The communications union
Headquarters 150 The Broadway | Wimbledon | SW19 1RX
T 020 8971 7200 | F 02089717300 | http://www.cwu.org | @CWUNews

Campaign to Save ULF (England) – Template Letter

You will recall LTBs 492/20 and 505/20. Also, further to our recent CWU Live session relating to
this issue, we would be grateful if Regions and Branches could make a coordinated effort to bring
the attached template letters to the attention of ULR networks and individual learners.

The template letters are self-explanatory and once completed can be emailed directly to those
people identified within it.

It would be extremely useful for members and representatives to be encouraged to send a copy of
their letters back to Branches, Regions and directly to learn@cwu.org for collation to enable us to
gauge responses.

It has to be acknowledged that the CWU response to the proposed attack on this funding has been
magnificent and noted by the TUC and wider trade union movement. Indeed, the increase in the
petition signatures culminating from our CWU Live session was noticeable. We are very grateful to
all our activists for this.

It is crucial that we continue to lobby MPs regarding this issue and we trust that Regions and
Branches will assist in this latest campaigning initiative.

Any enquiries relating to this LTB can be forwarded to equality&education@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 528/20 – Campaign to Save ULF (England) – Template Letter

Template letter to MP – Generic

Template letter to MP from Learners

POST OFFICE: CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS – JOINT STATEMENT

Further to LTB 514/20 dated 26th October, the following Joint Statement regarding Crown Office opening hours for Christmas and New Year has been published:

JOINT STATEMENT POST OFFICE, CWU AND UNITE
Opening hours for Christmas 2020

We have now confirmed the opening hours for the DMB network for this Christmas and wanted to take this opportunity to communicate this and some other related matters jointly.

Opening HoursDateOpening timeThursday 24th December4pm Closing time25th through to 28th DecemberClosed29th -30th DecemberNormal opening timesThursday 31st December4pm Closing timeFriday 1st JanuaryClosedSaturday 2nd JanuaryNormal opening times apart from ScotlandMonday 4th JanuaryNormal opening times apart from Scotland

Work Time Learning Sessions

To help maintain customer service during the Christmas period, sales meetings on Mondays and WTLL sessions on Tuesdays will be cancelled from 7 December until the New Year. This will allow you to open at 8.30am, but you should still hold a session to brief your team incorporating key Teamtalk messages and prepare your branch for trading.

The only possible exceptions are Tue 8th December for branches in Northern Ireland and Tue 15th December for England, Wales and Scotland branches when December’s Trading Period end accounts need to be completed.

Christmas Eve

• With the primary aim to ensure good customer service, resourcing on Christmas Eve will be organised on the basis of minimal staffing levels. Consequently, Branch Managers will have full discretion to determine a reduced level of colleague attendance. We agree to work on the key principal of having no more colleagues in branch than the manager believes necessary to service our customers on the day whilst taking account of the necessary security required including keys.
• Work will take place at a local level to match colleague attendance to the optimum cover required using opportunities to pay back hours owed and set duty patterns requiring a minimal number of colleagues to work after 12:30.
• Managers will work locally with colleagues to determine who will work in the afternoon of Christmas Eve, utilising as a first priority volunteers where that is possible. Where there are insufficient volunteers, it will be the responsibility of Branch Managers to ensure that colleagues are assigned to duties accordingly to meet the customer requirements up to 16:00.

It is undoubtedly likely to be a busier than normal Christmas period with increased postings of packets and parcels. Thank you for all your efforts during this challenging time, your hard work and commitment to providing excellent customer service is very much appreciated.Steve Blampied

Head of Directly Managed Branch NetworkPhil Savage

Unite the UnionAndy Furey

CWU Assistant Secretary

Branches and Representatives are urged to bring this LTB and associated Joint Statement to the attention of our members working in Crown Offices. Reps are encouraged to engage with Area Managers to ensure Christmas Eve arrangements described in the Joint Statement are applied in all Crowns. If difficulties are encountered these should be escalated.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB 527/20 – Post Office – Christmas Opening Hours – Joint Statement

Handheld Body Temperature Scanners For Pandemic Fever Detection and Screening

CWU/HQ continues to receive enquiries and requests for information regarding the provision of ‘Temperature Scanners’. We have also been made aware of proposals discussed locally regarding the acquisition of this equipment in order that it can be provided for use in various Mail Centres, Delivery Offices, RDCs, Hubs and Depots during the current pandemic where there are current Coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreaks/clusters of cases amongst the workforce and especially in light of the high level of agency workers (33,000) being taken on by Royal Mail over the Christmas peak pressure period.

With the current Coronavirus/Covid-19 second wave, regional restrictions and the imminent national lockdown, the concerns to find aids and solutions to the problem are obviously understandable.

As you may suspect, the issue of ‘Temperature Scanners’ has been subject to discussion previously with Royal Mail Group, following similar requests from a number of large offices.

The current position and policy of the Royal Mail Group Central HQ Safety, Health & Environment Team and Occupational Health Team is not to introduce the use of temperature scanners and the CWU supports that position.

The question of RMG employees having temperature checks is featured in the RMG Coronavirus Q&A document which is regularly updated and is circulated additionally via CWU Letters to Branches.

RMG state that they continue to follow the Government/Public Health/DHSC/NHS guidelines and temperature checks have not been mandated or recommended by Government or their official agencies.

If the situation regarding Royal Mail Group changes following a review, Branches will be notified.

The Health, Safety & Environment Department has additionally examined all available information and considered a number of reports from Government as well as medical and scientific sources on the effectiveness of the technology itself which I summarise below.

The companies marketing this equipment claim not surprisingly that their ‘body temperature scanning systems’ provide an effective method and tool in the battle to further prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus among workers and the wider public.

It’s also worth adding that a number of airports decided to trial or deploy ‘Thermal Scanners’ as a solution to help them identify passengers who may have Coronavirus/Covid-19 by detecting people with an elevated temperature as they walk through the airport.

This may be reassuring to people, however, it’s not supported by science or UK Government advice to the airline industry. Nevertheless, a number of airports and airlines use  this equipment despite science making it clear that thermal screening for temperatures is not effective at diagnosing infections.

The most recent UK Government guidance for airlines and airports found that “there is no scientific support for the thermal temperature scanner technology as an effective method to screen people for Coronavirus.”

Multiple scientific studies have found thermal scanners or cameras are ineffective at preventing the spread of Covid-19 and other infections. Experts have concluded that “Temperature is a bad proxy for having the disease and the measuring scanner devices is not very accurate.”

A study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) concluded that thermal scanning at airports detects less than 1 in 5 passengers, arriving on flights, who are infected with the Coronavirus/Covid-19 virus.

A review by the US Communicable Disease Centre, for example, found 268,000 passenger checks at selected US airports led to the discovery of only 14 positive Covid-19 cases.

A study be epidemiologists found that because of the incubation period of Covid-19, thermal scanners were “unlikely to prevent passage of infected travellers into new countries or regions where they may seed local transmission”.

According to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), between 1% and 20% of passengers with a fever will be missed by thermal screening equipment, and between 1% and 25% of passengers could be wrongly reported as having a temperature when they are all clear.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control are advising airports and airlines that thermal screening of passengers has many limitations and that there is little evidence of its effectiveness in detecting Covid-19 cases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that “temperature screening alone may not be very effective”.

The Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases nCoV Working Group found that thermal scanning at airports was of a limited value for preventing the spread of Covid-19.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a technical report for public health authorities in May 2020 that thermal screening is a “high-cost, low-efficiency measure that has many limitations and little evidence of effectiveness in detecting Covid-19 cases”.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s medical advisory group found that temperature screening would miss many of those with early-stage Covid-19 illness, those who are infected but have no symptoms, or have taken medication such as paracetamol to lower their temperature.

This information is being published for the information and assistance of Branches and Reps who may be considering lending their support to the call for introducing the equipment.

Clearly, the CWU needs to be sure that any equipment brought in to use at Royal Mail offices really works and isn’t just there to give the workforce a false sense of security and be nothing other than ‘cosmetic’.

We have expressed our concerns about the increased risk of Covid-19 transmission brought about by an over-reliance of the business on large numbers of casual/agency staff and is something the business needs to think very carefully about in relation to how they maintain ‘Covid Secure’ workplaces when these workers, who the business has no knowledge or background history of, enter the workplace.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 526/20 – Handheld Body Temperature Scanners For Pandemic Fever Detection and Screening

Royal Mail Group – Latest Updated Coronavirus/Covid-19 – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Guidance Document (Version 64)

I attach for your information Version 64 of the Royal Mail Group, Managers’ Coronavirus/Covid-19 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Guidance document, issued by the business on 2 November 2020.

At the commencement of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak, Royal Mail Group established a ‘Business Pandemic Team’ which includes all national heads of department and this team meets regularly to review the situation across Royal Mail Group and to issue update Questions and Answers information communications to all managers, which is cascaded throughout the business.

The Coronavirus Guidance, version 64 Q&A document has been shared with the Union’s Health, Safety & Environment Department and is hereby circulated for information and reference purposes for CWU Health and Safety and Branch IR Reps.

The Q&A documents are circulated to all RMG managers and are also available to access through a link on the Royal Mail Group ‘Intranet’, in the ‘Managers Update Messages’ section.

Please note that changes and additions from the previous version are highlighted in ‘Yellow’.

Please also note that these Q & A documents are ‘Royal Mail Group’ documents and the contents are not agreed with the CWU. On page 4 reference is made to Royal Mail’s decision to re-introduce ‘shared vans’ on a voluntary basis, subject to identified exclusions. This has not been agreed with the CWU and the Union remains opposed to such a policy change at this present time. Please refer to LTB 489/20.

The Health, Safety & Environment Department continues in dialogue with the Royal Mail Group Safety Health & Environment Team to raise questions, additions and amendments to the Q&A document.

Any enquiries to this LTB or feedback on the RMG Q&A document should be directed to Dave Joyce CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer.

Attachment:

Coronavirus Guidance Questions and Answers V64.

Contents List:

1. HEALTH

1. Prevention
2. Self-isolation, testing and reporting
3. Cleaning and consumables
4. Travel
5. Support and advice
6. POLICY 

1. General guidance
2. Travel/and annual holiday
3. Caring for dependants
4. Sick pay
5. Attendance process
6. Vulnerable employees
7. POST & PARCELS 

1. General Ops advice
2. NHS testing kits
3. Operational processes and reporting changes
4. Delivering and collecting from customers
5. Fleet and vehicles

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 524/20 – Royal Mail Group – Latest Updated Coronavirus Covid-19 – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Guidance Document (Version 64)

Coronavirus Guidance Questions and Answers v64_ (002)

Peter Millbank, CWU for Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solutions Ltd National Representative and Chair of London Postal Engineering Branch

It is with deep sadness that we have to inform Branches of the very sudden death of Peter Millbank, CWU RMP&FS National Rep and Chair of London Postal Engineering Branch.

Peter was a CWU Rep in Romec BSM for many years having also worked on the Post Office Railway before that.  In 2012 he became the CWU Romec Regional Rep and he took on the national role in 2019.

On behalf of the CWU I would like to convey our deepest sympathies and condolences to Peter’s family and many friends within the union at this very sad time. 

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward

General Secretary

LTB 523/20 – Peter Millbank, CWU for Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solutions Ltd National Representative and Chair of London Postal Engineering Branch

CWU Consolidated Accounts 2019

Please find attached a copy of the final and signed CWU Consolidated Accounts for the financial year 2019.

Accordingly Branches are now invited to forward questions to the attached CWU Consolidated Accounts 2019 to arrive by no later than 12:00 hours on 16^th November 2020.

Please note all questions should be sent to the email address sdgs@cwu.org.  Please note, any emails sent to any other email address will not receive a response and will not be included in the published questions and answers.

Any other queries on this LTB should also be addressed to sdgs@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

LTB 521/20

2019 CWU Consolidated Accounts

Royal Mail Group Vehicle ‘Touchpoints’ Cleaning Poster and Communication To All Managers (Coronavirus/Covid-19 Safety Precautions)

Royal Mail Group has issued an updated, jointly agreed ‘Vehicle Touchpoints’ Cleaning Poster and communication to all office managers where Royal Mail, Parcelforce and RMSS Fleet vehicles are operated. The vehicle touchpoints poster has been updated to reinforce the requirement for all drivers to wipe down vehicles before and after use.  This is a requirement regardless of whether the vehicles are shared or not.

The poster has been agreed by the Royal Mail Group National Road Safety Manager.

There is also now a requirement to record ‘touchpoints cleaned’ in the vehicle log book to provide a record that this has taken place.

The re-issue of the updated ‘Vehicle Touchpoints’ Cleaning Poster and communication to all office managers to monitor the cleaning and ensure its carried out is a welcomed development and is obviously a reaction to the recent enforcement action taken against Royal Mail on vehicle cleaning standard failures by the HSE, as reported in LTB 517/20 issued on 28 October 2020.

Managers have also been advised that when completing ‘SMAT’s’, they should include a check of the vehicle log book and record any observations in the ‘Hygiene Factors Section’ of their ‘SMAT’ report (see note below).

Would all CWU Workplace Safety Reps please regularly check that ‘touchpoint cleaning’ of vehicles is undertaken at their office and if not please report it to both the office manager and to the Branch Area Health and Safety Rep.

Would all Area Health and Safety Reps please carry out health and safety inspection spot checks on this activity and where it is not carried out, please immediately record and report the fact urgently to Operational Management and the RMG Safety Health and Environment Team in order that remedial action can be taken.

NOTE:

SMAT = ‘Safety Management Audit Training’ template/form is a management document and process, completed by managers/PiCs (Person in Control) to enforce safety standards and safe systems of work. The aim of SMAT is to change safe working behaviours and improve health and safety in order to reduce injuries at work through safety and health observations, constructive feedback and coaching conversations with employees. (SMAT Templates are not for use by CWU Health and Safety Reps).

The number of SMATs required to be completed by managers varies from function to function but typically operations managers are targeted to complete a SMAT once a week and non-operational managers once a month. (See attached example copy of ‘SMAT’ template/forms for delivery managers (onsite, yard and offsite) – Note: ‘SMAT’ form contents vary according to the operation/function in which they are used).

Attachments:

• Vehicle Touch Points Cleaning Poster
• ‘SMAT’ Forms (Delivery – On Site, Yard, Off Site)

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 520/20 – RMG Vehicle Touchpoints Cleaning Poster and Communication To All Managers (Coronavirus Covid-19 Safety Precautions)

Cleaning Touchpoints Poster v3

SHE Guidance (SMAT) 2019 (v 1.1)

SMAT template Offsite – Delivery (June 2020)

SMAT template Onsite – Delivery (June 2020)

SMAT template Yard – Delivery (June 2020)

JOINT STATEMENT – PARCELFORCE WORLDWIDE – AUTUMN PRESSURE PLAN FOR RESOURCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 2020 – RESOURCING PLAN

Branches and representatives will be aware that over a number of years the department has agreed Autumn Pressure arrangements for the coverage of Parcelforce Customer Service provision. In recent years these have included the outsourcing of workload to a third party to take pressure off of our depot based operations. Discussions have taken place again this year.

While the expectation this year is that peak will increase demand the business believe that a number of factors mean that this workload can be handled in-house this year. Despite the effects of Covid, Parcelforce Quality of Service has been broadly maintained which has meant that the trend towards a reduction in call numbers has continued. In addition, the Covid crisis has led to a significant rise in first time deliveries, which when married to a far higher percentage of Customer Service activity happening on line through the self-service system, Parcelforce believe that the expected call volumes can be absorbed without the need to outsource work.

The revised plan utilises the current call centre sites, which have capacity for additional agency resource while maintaining social distancing as many of our members are currently home working. In addition, the calls will be routed through 4 individual depots (Basingstoke, Bristol, Manchester and Solent) which again have capacity for additional staff.

While the plan is designed to take pressure off of the depots Branches will note that within the depots the plan will not adversely affect earnings opportunities with access to Overtime/Scheduled Attendance and the opportunity for part time staff to increase their hours in line with the normal peak arrangements.

Local discussions at all sites will agree the required resourcing arrangements using all resourcing options and we have ensured that there is a fast track referral to the Regional Operation Manager and Regional Organiser to assist in reaching agreement should that be required.

Given that this is a new process for this year the arrangements will continue to be reviewed Nationally during the peak period to ensure that workload is manageable and service is maintained.

The agreed Joint Statement is attached for your information and appropriate engagement should now take place between local Parcelforce Representatives and Managers in order to ensure adequate cover is put in place to cover the Autumn Pressure/Christmas period.

Branches are requested to ensure that the Joint Statement is brought to the attention of our Parcelforce Representatives and members.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to: Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org quoting reference 134.02.

Yours sincerely

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

LTB 518/20

Attachment 1 – JS PFW Peak Customer Service Plan 29.10.20