RMG Guidance Social Distancing – Parcel Sorting Machine (PSM)

Branches and representatives will be aware that LTB 155/20 provided Royal Mail guidance in relation to changes to working practices to accommodate social distancing in the Mail Centre environment.

In addition to the above further clarification has been developed by Royal Mail in regard to social distancing on the Parcel Sorting Machine (PSM). A copy of the guidance document (Annex A) and slides (Annex B) that have been received by the department are attached for information. Colleagues should note that the attached relate to operational activities and do not cover Engineering processes or tasks.

For absolute clarity the attached documentation has been produced by the business. The documents do however seek to address some of the issues that have been raised by the department, following representations from the field in respect of how social distancing can be applied and maintained on the PSM.

The department will continue to monitor the processes and will raise with the business any issues that are identified to clarify or revise, in order to improve where necessary.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org quoting reference 014.14

Yours sincerely

Davie Robertson 

Assistant Secretary

20LTB201

Annex A – PSM Social Distancing – Operational Guidance 02_04_20

Annex B – Social Distancing PSM 3 Slides

PPE and Social Distancing – CWU Online Support

CWU representatives at all levels have worked tirelessly in making sure our members have access to PPE in the workplace and that social distancing measures are in place. This has been against a background of employers and managers not always acting as quickly as they should have and in some cases failing to prioritise the health and safety of our members. To this end, we want to thank again our local representatives and branches, who in very difficult circumstances have been outstanding in dealing with our members’ concerns.

To further support the members and the work our representatives have been doing, we have now developed a simple webpage where members can log their PPE/social distancing issues. From there, we will send the queries to branches locally to be picked up. This work will be supplemented as necessary through the union’s structures.

This web page is another advancement of our digital support for members and will operate for all CWU constituencies and every company we have members in. It will ensure the whole union is as visible as possible to our members in systematically logging and tackling these difficult issues during the Coronavirus pandemic. We want to reassure all representatives that this approach is designed to support and not replace the great work that is already taking place.

The web page can be seen here www.cwu.org/ppe and we would encourage branches to give this the widest possible publication.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward
General Secretary

Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (P)

Andy Kerr
Deputy General Secretary (T&FS)

LTB 200/20 – PPE and Social Distancing – CWU Online Support

CBRE – NOTICE OF FURLOUGHING

The CWU have been advised by CBRE, that as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak they intend to implement the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, known as furloughing. 

They advise that given the local and global constraints on normal business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, their clients are adjusting their activities and, in some cases, closing sites, resulting in a reduction in workload for those sites and organisations. At the same time, some of their clients are stepping up their operations and require continuing or increased services. The job retention scheme is now being implemented as they state they need to make immediate cost savings, in order to protect the future health of the business.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme involves placing employees on a period of leave – “furlough”. The Government’s scheme will cover 80% of your normal pay, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. CBRE have confirmed that they will top up the remainder of the 20% of salary. This may be reviewed moving forward. This amount is subject to deductions for tax and national insurance in the normal way. 

We realise this is a very worrying and uncertain time for our CBRE members and their families but we want to assure you that we are working closely with CBRE throughout and will keep you fully informed throughout. 

Key points:

• Wages of furloughed employees will be subject to income tax and national insurance as usual. Employees will also pay automatic enrolment contributions on qualifying earnings, unless they have chosen to opt out. Wages include basic pay plus all contractual pay components.
• It is at CBRE’s discretion whether to place an employee on furlough.
• The scheme is in place for 3 months, from 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020.
• The government may revisit the scheme in May 2020 (and could extend it).
• Employees placed on furlough can be redeployed if an opportunity arises, but their furlough leave would officially stop at that point. They can also be placed on furlough again within the three-month period. Furlough periods cannot be less than three weeks.
• Teams doing the same work may be rotated on and off furlough to ensure fairness. Team rotation could be on a month on/month off basis.
• Furlough Leave will initially run until 31 May 2020 but could be extended.
• Annual leave during the Furlough period and will be paid in the usual way for leave (i.e. contractual holiday pay).
• During furlough, CBRE will continually review the situation – it may be that they can offer work. In this situation, furlough Leave will stop and employees will return to work (on usual salary). Furlough Leave will not generally be less than 3 weeks and employees can be rotated on and off furlough Leave.
• Furloughed employees are expected to remain available for work and contactable by the company during this period, in the event that any work, including any suitable alternative work, becomes available at short notice.
• Furloughed employees will need to sign a Furlough Agreement.

Eligibility 

Furlough applies to employees who started continuous employment on OR before 28 February 2020 and have little or no work to do due to the current pandemic. This can include:

• Site closure and role where home working not possible
• Reduction in work and role not needed
• Changes to working patterns that employee cannot facilitate
• Vulnerable groups that cannot home work (over 70; under 70 with underlying health conditions; pregnant)
• Care of dependants (school closure) and home working not possible
• Employee unable to come to work for another reason (e.g. health anxiety) associated with the Coronavirus and is on unpaid leave (which started after 28 Feb 2020)

Furlough does not apply to employees on sick leave, although once employees return from sick leave, they can be furloughed.

CBRE have confirmed that they will be seeking to furlough those who have an NHS letter requiring them to isolate, vulnerable employees including those with a known past history of an illness which could be fatal if they contract the virus, those who are at home with someone who is shielding and those who have caring responsibilities.

If members believe that they should have been furloughed and their circumstances are as described above, they need to raise their request to their line manager in the first instance.   

Please find attached a copy of the company Q&A which will hopefully answer the majority of your questions.

We are currently awaiting a copy of the company comms and confirmation of final numbers of furloughing at this stage. We will keep you updated accordingly.

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Yours sincerely,

Tracey Fussey

NEC member, Chair of CBRE National Team

On behalf of Brendan O’Brien National Officer  

LTB 199/20

Q&A

DAVE WALTON – EX BRANCH SECRETARY, NATIONAL AUDITOR, SUB DIVISIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

It is with great sadness that I write to Branches to inform you that Dave Walton ex CWU National Auditor, Leeds Amalgamated Branch Secretary and Sub Divisional Representative, passed away suddenly over the weekend.

Dave had taken early retirement a few years ago and during his long career he led the Leeds Amal Branch for many years and was very well known and respected throughout the CWU. He had also been elected on many occasions as one of our National Auditors. 

Dave was union through and through and made an enormous contribution in supporting representatives, members and our work in the wider movement.  I know I speak on behalf of his many friends and the whole union in saying he will be sorely missed.

Our thoughts at this time are with Dave’s wife Karen, his son Aidan, his daughter Sarah and the family.  We will convey to them our deepest sympathy and condolences on behalf of the CWU.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the gsoffice@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward                                                               

General Secretary 

LTB 198/20

Guidance for Professional Drivers – NHS Voluntary Work

Branches will be aware that the Government recently sought volunteers to assist the NHS during the current Coronavirus crisis. Following this request, the department received a number of enquiries from representatives seeking clarity on the implications for Professional Driver members should they wish to volunteer to drive for the NHS.

The department immediately sought clarification from Royal Mail in relation to Professional Driver Grades who wish to volunteer and any necessary processes which our members would need to follow in these circumstances. The business indicated at that time that they had not formulated a position but committed to do so to enable our members to perform their Royal Mail duties and provide the opportunity to support the NHS where desired, while remaining legally compliant with driver regulations.

Discussions have focused on enabling a situation where Royal Mail Professional Drivers can volunteer to offer their services by driving a NHS owned/hired vehicle to transport medical supplies, organs, blood, equipment or personnel only. It is imperative however that the performance of voluntary work does not adversely affect the availability of driving resource in Royal Mail, ensures that the that the risk of driver fatigue is not increased and that compliance with Drivers Hours and Working Time regulations is maintained and recorded.

A guidance document has now been compiled which is attached for the information of Branches (Annex A). The guidance document contains links which are only accessible via the RM intranet site and as such the corresponding documents are also attached for your ease of reference (Appendices 1 to 4).

It should be noted that while all of these documents have been produced by Royal Mail, the department has been able to review and influence the final versions. The department believes that the attached process is robust, will provide welcome clarification and enable those members who wish to support the NHS to do so.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org quoting reference 014.14

Yours sincerely

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

20LTB196

Annex A – Guidance Document – 10.04.20

Appendix 1 – NHS Voluntary Driving Declaration – 10.04.20

Appendix 2 – Forecast_Planner Example – 10.04.20

Appendix 3 – GUIDANCE FOR PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS – NHS VOLUNTARY DRIVING -10.04.20

Appendix 4 – GUIDANCE FOR MANAGERS – PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS WHO REQUEST TO UNDERTAKE NHS VOLUNTEER DRIVING – 10.04.20

POST OFFICE: EASTER SATURDAY – CROWN OFFICES

Branches are advised we wrote to the Post Office on 3rd April to propose that the Crown Office Network should be closed on Easter Saturday. The letter is attached for your information.

Our position was that this small gesture of goodwill from the Post Office would demonstrate to our members that Senior Directors fully appreciate the hard work our members are undertaking in these extremely hazardous times. I put it to the Post Office that our members needed a long bank holiday weekend off to recharge the batteries and spend some well-deserved quality time with their families, away from the risk on the front line.

The policy to pursue closure on Easter Saturday was arrived at following consultation with our Representatives who felt strongly this was a fair and reasonable request in light of this national crisis and would simply be the right thing for the Post Office to do.

The non service day for Crowns on Easter Saturday in most cases would mean a loss of just 3.5 hours of customer serving time. Disappointingly, I received a response from the Post Office late yesterday (also attached) stating:

“…we cannot agree to closing branches on Easter Saturday”.

The reason given as – extra traffic would be driven into the Crowns on Tuesday 14th April, making social distancing more difficult.

We shared the Post Office’s position on social media last night and our members’ reaction has been one of disappointment and the general feeling was how out of touch Post Office management are. Indeed, the perception of our members is that the Post Office Directors have sent a clear message to its front line key workers providing a vital service that profit comes before people.

Ireland – An Post to give Workers Easter Saturday Off

Clearly the British Post Office is not as progressive as An Post in Ireland who have given workers Easter Saturday off. Evidently Debbie Byrne, Managing Director of An Post Retail, has a greater understanding of the extreme pressures Post Office workers are under as she stated the following which was reported in the Irish Post newspaper:

“Postmasters and Post Office staff have put in a massive effort in recent weeks to look after customers and ensure continuity of postal, financial and welfare payment services while having the necessary physical distancing measures in place.

“I want to thank them most wholeheartedly for all their efforts in keeping the network of 950 post offices open, providing vital services and a welcoming smile to communities across the country.

“They are due a well-earned break over the Easter bank holiday so we can resume services on the front-line next Tuesday.”

The full article from the Irish Post can be accessed HERE

As a consequence of the above development, I have written to Nick Read, CEO (letter attached) to urge him to reconsider the Post Office’s decision to reject our proposal. I await his response.

Crown Office Staffing Agreement (COSA) – Bank Holiday Credits

The usual arrangements for bank holiday credits apply in line with COSA (Paragraph 5.3 – attached). The key points within the relevant section are as follows:

“All colleagues (full and part time) due to work on a bank holiday will take the day off and regardless of the number of hours they were scheduled to work, they will not be required to make up any shortfall nor claim any balance of hours….”

“Full and Part Time colleagues with only one rest day whose scheduled day off coincides with a bank holiday have the choice of two options:-

A day in lieu that can either be added to the annual leave card or moved to another convenient time (such as the following week) if operationally possible.

Or

Overtime can be claimed at normal rate – this will be 1/5th of the weekly contractual hours.”

Post Office management have confirmed that the above arrangement will apply without exception.

Branches and Representatives are urged to bring this LTB to the attention of our members.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary20LTB194 – Post Office Easter Saturday – Crown Offices

Attachment 1 – Letter to Lee Kelly – Easter Saturday
Attachment 2 – Response to Andy Furey – Easter Saturday
Attachment 3 – Letter to Nick Read – Easter Saturday – Non Service Day
Attachment 4 – Bank Holiday Credits

Coronavirus COVID 19 Testing Kits – Health and Safety and SSOWs – Ongoing RM/CWU National Review

As detailed in LTB 161/20 and LTB 166/20 Branches will be aware the government has announced that Royal Mail will have a role in the distribution of Coronavirus testing kits to NHS and Social Care frontline staff currently in isolation and will be exclusively responsible for the collection of these kits.

Whilst the CWU welcomes the government’s decision to entrust this crucial task to the Royal Mail network, the priority of the CWU Health and Safety Department is the health, safety and wellbeing of our members, the workforce. Appropriate consultation and discussions have been taking place at a senior level with the business. The Health and Safety SAC1 has previously been circulated in LTB 166/20.

Following constructive consultation and dialogue with the RMG Central SHE Team and the RMG Dangerous Goods Advisor the attached documentation provides more details on the process and safety arrangements drawn up. Functional Safe Systems of Work (SSOW) have now been drawn up:

COVID-19 Test Kit SSOW Deliveries and Collections

COVID-19 Test Kit SSOW Processing

These are comprehensive documents focusing on the safety of the workforce.

There will be ongoing RM/CWU review at national level, including a weekly conference to ensure oversight of the COVID-19 Testing Kits. To this end, the CWU Health and Safety Department requests Branch ASRs monitor arrangements in their Branch areas and localities, feeding back queries and questions to the CWU Health and Safety Department. These queries and questions will be logged with the RMG Dangerous Goods Advisor and will be discussed as part of the ongoing national review.

Yours sincerely

Ray Ellis
Acting National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

20LTB193 Coronavirus COVID 19 Testing Kits – Health and Safety and SSOWs – Ongoing RM CWU National Review

COVID 19 Test Kit SSOW Deliveries and Collections

COVID 19 Test Kit SSOW Processing

RIVUS FLEET SOLUTIONS WORKSHOPS – JOB RETENTION SCHEME “FURLOUGH”

The CWU has been advised by Rivas Fleet Solutions that the COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant impact on the organisation in terms of work. They have therefore notified us that they are going to implement the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which allows them to retain employees until the crisis has passed.

We realise this is a very worrying and uncertain time for you and your families but we want to assure you that we are working closely with Rivus throughout and will keep you fully informed. 

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme involves placing employees on a period of leave – “furlough”. The Government’s scheme will cover 80% of your normal pay, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. We have requested that Rivus top up the remaining 20% of your salary of which they have agreed to do so. This amount is subject to deductions for tax and national insurance in the normal way. The company will be reviewing the terms of the top up payment on a 3 weekly basis and have advised that if the financial situation in the future changes they may have to change these arrangements.

The Government funded scheme will also fund the minimum auto-enrolment contribution of your pension, this is 3%. The company will be topping up your pension therefore the pension contribution you currently receive will not be impacted.

We have been keen to ensure that furloughing is dealt with through volunteers in the first instance and are pleased that Rivus also share this view. If selection is required, this will be based upon agreed criteria to ensure transparency and fairness and the CWU will be fully involved in this process. Furloughing will be rotated over 3 week periods if required. 

If furloughed, you will need to agree to accept a variation to your terms and conditions. The minimum furlough will last is for three weeks; however, this can be shortened or lengthened depending on the operational demands of the business. 

You will remain employed throughout your period of furlough, under your contract of employment and your continuity of employment is not affected. Annual leave will continue to accrue in the normal way. Your continuity of employment is unaffected during the furlough period.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is initially set to run until the end of May 2020 (as declared by the government), but will be extended if necessary. Rivus are keeping the situation under review and have assured us that they will keep us fully updated. Rivus have initially confirmed that 133 employees from the workshops and SEV will be furloughed.

As a condition of being accepted for furlough you must provide Rivus with a mobile or landline number so they can remain in contact with you. 

Government guidelines regarding furloughing may change from time to time; we will of course ensure that any change is reflected accordingly by Rivus.    

Please find attached a set of Questions & Answers which will hopefully deal with the majority of queries you may have. Please note, moving forward these may be updated in line with government guidance or with additional questions. 

We would like to take the opportunity to thank all members and branches for their patience and assistance through these challenging times.  

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any queries.

Kind Regards

Allan Eldred

National Officer

192.2020

JRS-FAQs-070420-V2

EASTER BANK HOLIDAY

Easter Saturday, 11^th April 2020 – Non-Service Day

Further to LTB 185/20 circulated on 6^th April, please find attached the response the union has received from Sally Ashford, Chief HR Officer at RMG.  Colleagues will note that unfortunately the business has declined to action the CWU’s proposal on the grounds that seeking to declare a non-service day at this time would not be consistent with the company’s objectives. Obviously this response is disappointing, especially in light of the additional pressures that many postal workers have faced during this difficult time and the fact that having the Saturday off would have allowed them a much needed break with their families.

Bank Holiday Policy

Colleagues will also note that in response to my letter of 8^th April (attached) the company has confirmed that the current bank holiday policy in respect of overtime payments and Lieu Days has not been changed and should therefore be applied without any difficulty.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)             

LTB 191. 20 Easter Bank Holiday

LTB 191.20 Attachment 1

LTB 191.20 Attachment 2