A Statement by the CWU on an Emergency Measures Response to the Escalating Coronavirus Pandemic, Maintaining a National Postal Network and Saving Lives.

The CWU believe that the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic is creating unprecedented challenges for our members, the public we serve and across UK society as a whole. Given the escalating infection rates and increasing emergency measures being taken in response to the spread of the Coronavirus we believe that decisive action is now required to keep our members and the general public safe.
Royal Mail Group is now considered a key service to serve and link our communities through the crisis, however like all other organisations still operating it now requires its own emergency measures to perform its vital role whilst also being focused on ensuring it minimises the risk to its employees and wider public in regards to increased contagion. Our absolute priority now must be to secure and maintain essential services to the country, while reducing risk and saving lives.
The CWU believe that following measures should now be adopted:
➢ Royal Mail Group cannot operate during this time from a commercial perspective, all efforts now should be on maintaining a national network by prioritising essential work only and maximising the safety of its employees.

➢ Royal Mail Group and the CWU should lobby Government and the Regulator to adjust standards and obligations to deliver 1st & 2nd Class USO mail and parcels only with relaxed ‘next day’ criteria to enable the measures below.

➢ Publicity should then be given to the fact that they RMG are now an arm of Government and the state in respect of maintaining a vital national postal service during this crisis and are not functioning as commercial operation but a national vital service.

➢ All employees should only be compelled to work alternate days, or 3 days per week thereby cutting in half the amount of people in any operational unit on any one day, this is to enable strict social distancing and total equipment cleansing prior to each day are carried out.

➢ All PPE must be in place or the operation will be suspended. No CWU member or member of the public should be placed at risk due to a lack of essential equipment.

➢ Workload should be prioritised to secure deliveries of essential medical supplies to Hospitals, Doctors, Health Centres, Pharmacies, USO mail and priority parcels.

➢ The CWU recognise the differences in operational arrangements and product specifications across Royal Mail Group. Specific revised operational arrangements should be confirmed for deliveries across Royal Mail, Parcelforce and RMSS/Relay to ensure the above principles. Options could include alternating route coverage while ensuring connection of essential goods or urgent medical supplies.

➢ Other than Government or NHS advice literature, in Royal Mail, D2D contracts should be suspended until after the crisis.

➢ Every effort should now be made to secure the testing of RMG employees to identify and respond to high risk in all units.

➢ Everyone over 65 should only be at work if they are happy to do so and if not should be placed on Special Leave with full pay for the duration of the absence

➢ All vulnerable/at risk employees as identified by Public Health England advice should all now be on Special Leave with full pay for the duration of the absence

➢ All employees with vulnerable/at risk people at home should be allowed 12wks on Special Leave with full pay

➢ Where someone within the work location has been diagnosed with the virus that building should not be used until the necessary deep clean has taken place before re-opening for business.

➢ These arrangements cease the need for the use of private cars and that contingency should now be removed.

➢ Agency workers should only be used in the event that there is a genuine shortfall in the alternative working daily resourcing and the prioritised delivery of 1st & 2nd Class mail and parcels. (all agency must meet strict vetting criteria)

In the Post Office Network Operations:
➢ All PPE must be in place in each and every workplace (including the Supply Chain operation and vehicles) or the operation will be suspended where this isn’t happening

➢ Transactions & services performed across the entire Post Office network should be reduced to absolute essential items only which support communities and the vulnerable/disadvantaged together with the revised Royal Mail operation

➢ All Post Offices should close at 1pm Monday to Friday and 12.30pm on Saturday

➢ Anyone over 65 should be attending work only if they are comfortable and confident to do so

➢ Employees should only have to work alternative days to enable strict social distancing and total equipment / workstation cleansing prior to each day. This means no more than 3

➢ Social Distancing must operate in each and every Post Office without exception. Where this is not undertaken the service will be closed until this operation can be put in place in order to protect those providing essential Post Office services including Crew and Collection Drivers

TERMS OF REFERENCE BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL AND THE CWU COVERING THE TRIAL OF FINGER SCANNERS FOR INDOOR TASKS AND HIGHER VOLUME DELIVERY OFFICES

Dear Colleagues,

Branches and members will be aware that parcels competition continues to increase with competitors expanding their networks and delivering enhanced customer services. The Outdoor Department has been in discussions with Royal Mail in order to jointly work together to develop and introduce new commercial and operational initiatives as part of the joint growth agenda.

In line with the above, the current environment requires Royal Mail’s operation to be responsive and efficient in order to fend off increasing competition and protect the USO, while also increasing the potential for growth and embracing new products and services.

Branches will recall that when PDAs were deployed, finger scanner accessories were also deployed for Mail Centres and Regional Distribution Centres, recognising the benefit that could be achieved from not holding the PDA to undertake a large volume of scans whilst sorting. Tracked volumes have grown at double digit percentage levels each year since the launch and this in turn has increased the number of parcels being handled and scanned in delivery offices. This is especially pronounced in units which handle Tracked Returns for retailers.

Accordingly, we have agreed with Royal Mail to jointly trial the use of finger scanner accessories (paired to the existing PDAs) in a number of large receiving Delivery Offices. This is to confirm whether there is a beneficial case for their use on a more widespread basis, and to also inform when a tipping point might occur in terms of the volume of parcels and whether or not this is appropriate for all parcel sizes, or more specific to particular volumetric formats. The trial will aid the decision as to whether and where to deploy these devices more widely in delivery units in the future.

The expectation is that the equipment will be deployed for around 2-3 months in total, and will start to be deployed in the agreed list of units within the attached TOR in the next few weeks. Post deployment, the equipment may be removed from the pilot locations and relocated elsewhere in the business where it may contribute to greater benefit, or remain in the pilot hubs. This will be subject to review.

The department believes that the TOR contains all the necessary safeguards, whilst clearly defining that there is full involvement of the CWU and staff within the trial, and the necessary training and support along with appropriate SSOW. In addition, any operational changes required to facilitate the trial arrangements will be subject to the IR Framework.

The trial will be overseen by the national parties and will be formally reviewed by the signatories of the TOR, with local Managers and CWU feeding into this process.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department, reference 540, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mick Kavanagh

CWU (Acting) Assistant Secretary

LTB 165.18 – Terms of Reference RM CWU Covering the Trial of Finger Scanners for Indoor Tasks and Higher Volume Delivery Offices

180312 TOR_Finger Scanners in High Volume DOs

RE: CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 – SICK PAY AND POLICY UPDATE

Over the last few weeks, we have been in negotiations with Royal Mail on attendance issues linked to the Coronavirus Covid-19. On 9th March 2020 we wrote to Royal Mail wanting to discuss the challenges Coronavirus Covid-19 would bring and to ensure our members were looked after. Following a meeting on 13th March 2020, paid sick leave for members with less than 12 months service and discounting absences for Coronavirus within the attendance procedure were implemented on 16th March 2020. This was reported in LTB 127/20.

When LTB 127/20 was published, there was a maximum of 14 days self-isolating, Royal Mail’s policy was based on this with a review date of 31st March 2020. Within a few days of the LTB being published this changed, as over the weekend of 20th March 2020 the Government introduced the self-isolation for vulnerable people, which is 12 weeks self-isolation. Members in the most vulnerable groups have been sent letters to this effect, so they can supply the letter to their employer. Once this letter is provided, this will cover you for the period of 12 weeks.

Due to this announcement, we wrote to Royal Mail on 23rd March requesting the review be brought forward as we now potentially have members who are on half/no pay, or could potentially go onto half/no pay if they had to self-isolate for 12 weeks and there is no way this could be covered by annual leave. We have made the point most members would not be able to afford to be on half pay/unpaid for 12 weeks for an absence they would not normally have taken, and therefore they could be forced to take risks by coming into work as they cannot afford to stay off.

Royal Mail stated they were not going to bring forward the review from 31st March 2020, however would take on board our concerns.

Any member who has a letter from the NHS or a Doctor’s letter stating they are in the vulnerable category will be paid in line with the pay policy. This is 6 months full pay

and 6 months half pay over a rolling 4 year period. RMPFS will follow their own pay policy.

We believe as the Government are instructing members to take time off to go into social-isolation/social-distancing, exceptionally, any absence where members are forced into being absent should be paid full pay and not be penalised due to having had serious illnesses in the past e.g. Cancer.

Taking absence at this time, is not a choice a lot of people would have opted for. As this is a life saving measure which has been enforced on our vulnerable members, Royal Mail should pay full pay for anyone who has to follow Government advice due to being in the Vulnerable Persons category.

We will keep pressing Royal Mail on this and other issues which affect our members during this Coronavirus Crisis.

We have also brought up the issues and risks of the current policy highlighted in this LTB to the most senior national managers, therefore our opinion has been highlighted throughout the business.

When I write to Royal Mail, this also covers Parcelforce Members. We are also speaking with Management in RMPFS, who have to date followed Royal Mail’s lead.

Sick pay will be paid in line with each business unit’s sick pay policy.

I have attached a question and answer sheet to this LTB. There is a Facebook live session at 4pm today where I will be giving an update of discussions with the employers and it will also be an opportunity for members to have any questions they want answered on the Attendance Agreement.

All enquiries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed to the PTCS Department, quoting reference 415. Email address: snicholas@cwu.org.

Yours Sincerely,

Carl Maden

Assistant Secretary (Acting).

LTB164

Attachment – Covid-19 Q & A’s

COVID 19 & MAINTAINING CWU OPERATIONS BETWEEN CWU HEADQUARTERS AND THE FIELD

Branches will be aware that the country has been in a state of national emergency for the last week. New Government measures are almost a daily occurrence and CWU HQ is now working remotely, as are many of our field officials.  These factors mean huge challenges to our traditional flow of information, effective representation and response avenues.

Our structure of representation at local, area, divisional, regional and national level is the best that any union could have and its worth has been demonstrated during the early stages of this crisis. It should be recorded that our Representatives at all levels have been outstanding but it is now necessary to complement that excellent work with the implementation of measures to ensure the highest level of information share, effective representation and response.

Whilst we welcome the recognition that the ‘People’s Post’ and our members provide a vital public service (something we have campaigned on both prior to and since privatisation) we absolutely insist that our members are afforded the highest protection whist carrying out that role.

Royal Mail Group has failed to respond quickly enough in regards to providing personal protective equipment, implementing social distancing, two in a van, prioritising what is actually delivered and putting in place measures to support all of our business units and support operations. When the business has responded it has only been after the strongest possible CWU intervention.  We firmly believe that not only do the union and its members have the best knowledge and experience to design appropriate contingencies but that we must also assert ourselves and drive them through.

Against that backdrop and in recognition that the Postal Department and our Representatives at all levels have and will continue to challenge management at all levels whilst being inundated with calls and e-mails regarding members’ concerns, we are putting in place the following support structures which we believe, once bedded in, will avoid duplication and help provide consistent information, policy and representational flow.

Occupational Departments

The various postal occupational departments will continue to function as now and be aligned to all Divisions/Regions/Functions and business units to ensure that a link continues to be provided to meet the requirements of those operational departments. To some extent this will still be dependent on the current discussions with the business, but if we take the Outdoor Department for example, Mark Baulch, Steve Fishwick, Mick Kavanagh, Tony Bouch, Bobby Weatherall and Darren Glebocki (who cover delivery, collection, cleaning in RMPFS and other related matters) will be the CWU HQ conduit for all Divisions and allow the Outdoor Department to liaise with each or indeed all of the Divisions on areas of high importance.

This approach will be replicated across the other operational departments to utilise the experience and knowledge of other Postal Executive members.  For example, Alan Tate for Fleet, Steve Jones for Engineers (including RMPFS Engineers), Lynn Simpson for POL and Andy Hopping for Administration Grades, Capita etc.  Once again Postal Executive members will be able to either cascade information downwards from their department or relay upwards from the field through ensuring regular contact.

Branches will also acknowledge during the current national crisis the vital importance of having an agreed process in place to address the numerous daily concerns relating to health issues, operational matters and contingency arrangements.  In relation to these particular matters Postal Executive members will be able to act as a buffer to the National Officers in terms of responding to the exceptional amount of enquiries coming in.

The Postal Executive has therefore endorsed the following structure and process to be used throughout the crisis.  Whilst this predominantly centres on Divisions, the same criteria will apply to Parcelforce, Engineers, Fleet, Customer Experience etc.

Coronavirus crisis – Postal Executive Divisional Structure 

Postal Executive members will be attached to Divisions as close to the geographical area they are from.  This is listed below.

Postal Executive members will have a daily call with the Divisional Representatives (or respective Field Officials) and compile a report for the National Officers which identifies any issues within a Division/Region/Function or business unit, as well as possible solutions.  These calls will be used to ensure that Divisional Representatives/Senior Field Officials are also operating and utilising an equally structured format when receiving feedback from the Area and Local Representatives.

Once a week, Postal Executive members will hold a conference call for all Branches within the Division to relay and receive key updates.  This will ensure Branches know that the whole of the union structure is working together to ensure the safety of members is paramount and that consistent, viable operational solutions/CWU Policy Positions, are in place.

Branches will be urged to compile a weekly tracker for all units/shifts.  An example template is attached to this LTB. Branches should note that this captures the number of people self-isolating or off sick, whether social distancing is being strictly applied, whether the rules around shared vans are being applied, if hand sanitiser and PPE etc. have been issued, if resourcing issues at each unit are being dealt with and whether all other operational issues and contingency planning are being applied etc.

To support regular contact between these structures we have deployed to our Postal Executive and Senior Field Officials an extensive external communications package which will be active from Monday 30^thMarch 2020.  As this structure evolves it will enable a regular 2-way information share which will ensure that our responses in respect of social media updates and policy positions are relevant to every workplace, all members and Reps, equally it will enable us to identify any units which need support or assistance.

Postal Executive members may have already been in touch to start developing this structure and we would encourage everyone to work with us and help us deploy and evolve this initiative to ensure that we maximise its potential during these unprecedented times.ParcelforceKatrina QuirkeEngineeringSteve JonesFleetAlan TatePOL Lynn SimpsonLondonMartin WalshScotland & Northern IrelandBobby WeatherallMidlandsMick KavanaghAngliaDarren GlebockiSouth EastShelley BanburySouth Wales/South WestTony BouchNorth Wales/North WestMahmood AliNorth EastSteve HalliwellSouth CentralMole MeadePostal Executive Chair MattersJane LoftusDGSP DepartmentDave Wilshire

In closing I wish to thank you again on behalf of the Officers and Postal Executive members for the excellent work you are doing and urge you all to take care.

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)      

20LTB162 COVID 19 & MAINTAINING CWU OPERATIONS BETWEEN CWU HEADQUARTERS AND THE FIELD

20LTB162 Attachment 1 – Copy of COVID_Checklist Template

RM reply on D2D issue.

Message to frontline delivery colleagues.

• Thank you for all of your efforts in adapting to the new challenges we are facing daily due to the current Coronavirus outbreak. Because of the levels of absence, we are now experiencing we need to think of ways to protect our services and our people.
• We are modifying how we deliver “Door to Door” from now. We have listened to feedback from you and our customers and considered this in the changes we are making. It is important we keep the Door to Door option for our customers, as well as ensure we can deliver high priority Government or authority mailings.
• The new approach is:
o Prep all Door to Door on Monday to give an many chances to deliver the D2D with addressed mail in the week.
o Only take Door to Door items with you to an address where you are delivering addressed letters or larger letters to save time outdoors. We call this “warm calling”.
o If no addressed items today, leave the Door to Door in the frame and repeat the “warm calling” process the next day.
o Where you have 2 delivery points per slot, if there is an addressed item for either address deliver both Door to Door items. If not you can roll the Door to Door over to the next day.
o If by Friday (or Saturday) you have not delivered the Door to Door with an addressed item and don’t have time to deliver then as an exception during Coronavirus outbreak we can roll any residue into the second week. If not complete by Saturday of week 1, report it as “late” and deliver early the next week with addressed items and any new Door to Door for that week.
• Any Priority postings (eg more urgent) will be identified and communicated to you by your manager.
• Managers can access more information in this link
• We will keep the process under review and advise any further changes.

The “link” will connect to the following information:

Modified guidance for Managers for Delivery of Door to Door during Coronavirus outbreak:

• Unaddressed Advertising Mail (Door to Door) is still an effective channel for advertisers but also a unique way to get universal messages (for example from Health Authorities and Local councils, or National Government Agencies) to every household, especially those who are hard to reach through other media. It is therefore important that we keep the Door to Door channel open and effective.
• In order to make best use of our outdoor capacity, and to minimise the number of visits to customers doorsteps we should aim to deliver Door to Door to each address on a day when they have addressed items being delivered we will be moving to “warm calling”.
• To get the most from this approach we should prep all the D2D on a Monday (or if we experience delays in the supply chain the day after it arrives) to give ourselves the most chances to have an addressed item for each address over the week.
• Each day you can clear down your frame, leaving any delivery points who only have Door to Door. To support this with warm calling we will consider a frame clear of all addressed mail to be a “clear frame”.
• Where you have 2 delivery points to a prep frame slot then you should deliver both addresses on the same day, even if one does not have an addressed item. If there is no addressed item for either address then you can hold over both D2D items. This helps to prevent confusion later in the week over which address has received the D2D item already.
• Any items where there has not been an addressed item by Friday (or Saturday) where you don’t have time to deliver them under current circumstances can exceptionally be held for delivery early the next week, these should be recorded as delivered “late” on Door to Door reports and must be delivered before the end of the second week.
• If there are any Government or other D2D mailings with different arrangements (eg more urgency) then these will be communicated separately. For example there may be official or universal messages which need to be delivered over a 2,3 or 6 day window and these must be delivered to specification and cannot be rolled into a second week. Clear instruction will need to be provided to frontline colleagues on how long we have to deliver these items. If you have a shorter timescale item it makes sense to deliver any other D2D with that item in that week to save additional visits to Delivery Points.
• It is possible that you may receive leaflets which are for an event which has been cancelled due to not being compliant with social distancing. Please check your items before they are distributed to the preparation frames. If you discover leaflets for cancelled events the unit manager should contact: the Door to Door team preferably on 0345 266 0858, or via doortodoor@royalmail.com.
• You can start warm calling from tomorrow. All new D2D should all be prepped from Monday.
• For reporting ‘Late delivery’, a new temporary question has now been added to the Door to Door SharePoint reporting site, for unit managers to report volumes of Door to Door that have been carried into a second delivery week.
• Because the situation is moving quickly we will keep this approach under review in the coming days and weeks.

Kind Regards, Kev

Kevin Thompson MBA

Delivery Director
Royal Mail

🚨A message to Delivery members 🚨

I want members to be aware that we have written to the company this weekend seeking urgent action on;

• The lack of PPE in workplaces
• The mixed implementation of social distancing rules
• An end to the delivery of retailers D2D products during this crisis
• Making it clear to the public not to approach postal workers on their rounds or on the doorstep

I have also made it very clear the consequences to our members both in terms of welfare and morale are massive and we will not tolerate this continuing.

I will share any responses with members as I receive them and I will give a full update on the delivery Facebook live session at 4pm this Tuesday.

Mark Baulch
Assistant Secretary

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1260431704159666&id=361210270748485?sfnsn=scwspwa&d=w&vh=e&extid=uAG6uZH81TGAJxGc&d=w&vh=e

Royal Mail Group Attendance Procedure

In the last few weeks we have been in negotiations with Royal Mail on attendance issues linked to the Coronavirus.

(9th March 2020 we wrote – RM responded 12th March, we met on 13th March and implemented 16th March. – At this point, Maximum isolation period 14 days).

(Over the weekend of 20th March 2020, Government announce vulnerable people need to self-isolate for 12 weeks. Again we wrote to RM on 23rd March, requesting the review be brought forward due to this change. Royal Mail were not prepared to move the review date forward.)

We took the initiative and wrote to Royal Mail requesting:

·       Members with less than 12 months service will get paid sick leave for Coronavirus Covid-19 sick absence

·       Any sick absence due to Coronavirus Covid-19 absences to be discounted from the Attendance Procedure

·       Members who are on half / no pay – get full pay for Coronavirus Covid-19 sick absence.

·       Where members have to take time off to look after dependents – Paid Special Leave.
 
·       We have secured:

• Full pay for members isolating with coronavirus symptoms – including those who have worked for RM for under a year
• Full pay for members falling into the vulnerable category (as defined by receiving government letter) for 12 weeks isolation
• Coronavirus sickness absence to be discounted from the attendance agreement.
   
  We are in disagreement over:
• Royal Mail do not want to offer pay to those who isolate due to vulnerable person being part of their household
• Royal Mail do not want to offer FULL pay to Members who  are on half / no pay having exhausted sick pay due to being ill previously.
   
  To be absolutely clear we are not in agreement with Royal Mail on these issues and will press them again ‪tomorrow morning‬. I will be able to update members ‪at 4pm tomorrow‬ (Monday) on our Facebook Live Q&A.
   
  Carl Maden
  
Acting Assistant Secretary