Branches will be aware of the policy adopted at General Conference 2010 to present the Ken McKenzie Award for Lifelong Learning, which is presented to a Union Learning Representative (ULR) or group of ULRs who have made a significant contribution to Lifelong Learning within the CWU. The award is presented each year at our CWU ULR National Networking Event. This year will follow tradition and be part of the agenda at this year’s event scheduled to be held in Leicester on 3rd November 2026.
I am now inviting applications for the 2026 Annual Ken McKenzie award for Lifelong Learning. The award will be made in recognition of exceptional achievements and contributions to lifelong learning and training by a CWU ULR or a group of CWU ULRs.
Nominations can be made by Branches, RELTSCs or Regional Official, via letter or email to my department.
Nominations should include a précis of the nominated ULR or group of ULRs endeavours and achievements and sent to:
Michelle Simpson, Equality, Education & Development, CWU, 150 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 1RX or email equality&education@cwu.org
The closing date for nominations will be FRIDAY 16th OCTOBER 2026.
Any queries relating to this LTB should be addressed to me via the Equality, Education & Development at equality&education@cwu.org
Yours sincerely,
Kate Hudson Head of Equality, Education & Development
Union Learning Representative’s Networking Event – 3rd November 2026
The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches that this year’s Union Learning Representative’s (ULR) Networking Event will take place on Tuesday 3rd November 2026 at:
The Grand Hotel Leicester
73 Granby Street
Leicester
LE1 6ES
Branches will be aware that ULR legislation provides for networking with other ULRs and organisations that deliver education and training opportunities to our members and representatives.
The event will start with registration between 09.00 and 09.30 and will conclude no later than 17.00. Please note that lunch will be provided.
A final agenda will be issued in due course but will include:
Keynote speakers
Practical activities and workshops to support learning in the workplace
Sharing of best practice in lifelong learning
And a celebration of your collective achievements!
In the meantime, we would ask that Branches confirm their delegation details and accessibility requirements no later than 2nd October 2026 by emailing equality&education@cwu.org
Please note that Branches are responsible for delegates’ travel and authorised expenditure for this event.
Release
This event should attract paid release for accredited ULRs working for employers where the CWU is recognised. The event is specifically designed to meet the aims of ULR legislation and the ACAS Code of Practice applies.
Accommodation
It is important that Branches book places early at The Grand Hotel Leicester, as they will be holding a number of rooms on a ‘first come, first served’ basis until Friday 2ndOctober 2026, after which time they will be released and the preferential rate will not be available.
Rates: for nights of Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd November 2026
Standard Double Bedrooms @ £115 per night for single occupancy, inclusive of full English breakfast. Full payment is required at the time of booking. All discounted rates are non-transferable and non-cancellable.
Booking arrangements:
Bookings can be made by calling the hotel’s sales office on 0116 257 5528. The office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm. Or by emailing events.thegrand@the-ascott.com
Please quote Block ID 27456425 when calling or emailing.
Parking:
The car park is located behind the hotel and the entrance is on Chatham Street. The post code for the car park is LE1 6PB.
Enquiries
Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the Equality, Education & Development Department by email to equality&education@cwu.org
#CWULearn26
Yours sincerely,
Kate Hudson Head of Equality, Education & Development
The department has been in discussions with Royal Mail concerning a Eurest catering review of all sites, including their plans on phased closure’s. Several meetings on this issue were held and the CWU made it clear that we did not support the proposals which we believe have been designed deliberately to commence the removal of subsidised catering across Royal Mail Group. Whilst recognising changes in customer preferences and reductions in footfall the department did share counter proposals and offered joint working to secure an outcome that is right for both the Eurest employees as well as our Royal Mail members who use the Eurest catering facilities, exactly the same principles that have shaped previous reviews.
Unfortunately, the business informed us on 19th June 2026 that they were progressing with their original plan, at which point a national DRP was registered, against what we viewed as an entirely unacceptable proposal. During the period of the DRP the CWU continued to meet with Royal Mail and separately with Eurest to scope potential solutions. At a meeting on the 15th July 2026 following those discussions with Eurest we offered to jointly produce an alternative plan which attempted to meet the £1.6m reduction in subsidy Royal Mail believe their plan would deliver whilst maintaining service at a greater number of sites.
To allow Royal Mail to consider the proposal the DRP was extended until the 2nd August 2026 however at a meeting on Friday 31st July, Royal Mail confirmed their intention to write to the CWU indicating that the DRP has been exhausted, that they reject any alternative solution and that they intend to progress unilateral deployment of their initial proposal. The unagreed changes to be implemented by Royal Mail include a plan for Mail Centres which is based on arbitrary sales targets set by Royal Mail which they know bear absolutely no relation to reality and which trigger predetermined outcomes based on sales.
The details are highlighted below
All Delivery Office Canteens to close
All units taking less than £100k per year will lose attended service and move to a vending only provision This will lead to 5 Mail Centre Canteen Closures.
All units currently taking more than £100k but less than £200K will move to a single “attended” service, expected in most cases to be breakfast. At some sites this will result in the loss of 2-3 services. All remaining attended services will be M-F only with no provision on a Saturday this activity impacts 22 canteens across the Mail Centres and RDC’s.
Once the service has been closed within the identified units the business will provide vending only facilities going forward. Vending is not subsidised by Royal Mail and in our view cannot be described as a catering service.
The letter confirming the DRP has now concluded was received on Thursday 5thAugust and confirms the intention to progress this activity without agreement, attached for Information is the detailed list of the impacted units covered by the business rationale as identified above.
In our view, these changes will eventually lead to the closure of many if not all the above catering facilities as the reduction of the service available to members will inevitably reduce takings and bring them below the thresholds highlighted above which have been arbitrarily set with no rationale or data to support them. Royal Mail have indicated that they are working on a service reduction plan for the remaining sites.
What this plan amounts to is the commencement of the phased removal of an acknowledged employee benefit which has been available to members in Royal Mail Group for decades. At a time when Royal Mail’s direct competitors, operating similar “out of town” plants see subsidised catering as an invaluable benefit in recruiting and retaining employees, Royal Mail sadly appear to see subsidised catering as an unwelcome legacy cost which should be removed.
To instigate this unagreed action at a time when Admin members are being brought back to the office and on the eve of a joint reset of Industrial and Employee relations is extremely disappointing. This process including the DRP has in our view been disingenuous from the start, the business has not at any time genuinely considered our counter proposals or offers of working together to achieve savings via a different outcome. For our Eurest members, the initial program will create a surplus of around 40 roles and into a potential redundancy situation and for other members reductions in hours are likely as the service diminishes.
We have notified Royal Mail that the CWU cannot agree their proposals, and while the formal National DRP is now exhausted the matter has been escalated to the most senior levels of the company. While we would anticipate that further meetings may take place our focus must now also be on supporting units or Branches in Royal Mail affected by the changes. Where locally the members wish to oppose a closure or service reduction, we are willing to discuss all options available.
The department will also now engage with Eurest to progress discussions on people’s issues resulting from the decisions Royal Mail have taken to ensure that we can mitigate as much as possible the impact of the forced changes to service provision.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: jrodrigues@cwu.org or jmansell@cwu.org quoting reference LTB 220/26.
FORMER NEC AND POSTAL EXECUTIVE MEMBER – BILL STEEL
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our friend and colleague Bill Steel following a long and courageous battle against a serious illness.
Bill joined the old GPO and one of our predecessor unions, the POEU, in 1976. He held his first union position as a committee member of the Edinburgh Motor Transport Branch in 1977. He went on to hold numerous positions within the union including Branch Secretary, a role he held for 24 years until 2003.
In 1992 Bill also become a Technical Services Divisional Representative, a position he held for 11 years.
Bill was elected to the National Executive Council in 2002 and to the Postal Executive Council in 2007 and served until his retirement in 2015. He subsequently became a very well-deserved recipient of the CWU’s National Honorary Membership award and Gold Badge.
Bill will be sorely missed by all those who knew him and will be remembered as a great trade unionist who stood up for his members with passion and determination. He was never afraid to put forward his views, gaining a strong reputation amongst his peers as someone who would always ‘tell it as it is’, offering support, advice and solutions to the National Officers he worked with.
On a personal note, I will always remember Bill for his friendship, great sense of humour and the sound advice he offered in difficult moments. On behalf of the whole of the CWU we offer our sincere condolences to Bill’s wife, Diana and all the family.
We will advise branches on the details of his funeral in due course. RIP Bill.
This week, Royal Mail Group have made available two new workplace-based posters on Sun Safety for issuing across Royal Mail and Parcelforce as we continue to face hotter and more extreme heat conditions during this summer period.
These posters are designed to offer short and practical advice in terms of ‘things you can do to cool someone down’ and also highlight symptoms and early warning signs linked to possible Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke.
Additionally, RMG will be seeking to further highlight the ‘staying hydrated’ Sun Safety message by promoting the ‘Refill Return App’ via PDAs. This Refill Return App connects users to places like cafes, restaurants and shops, etc., that offer free refills of water.
A copy of these two new workplace-based posters, alongside a screenshot of the Refill Return App are attached.
In setting out the above, it is useful to repeat the core Sun Safety messages of:
Cover Up– The most effective barrier.
Protect your head– Wear a wide brimmed hat.
Use sunscreen– Factor 30 or higher and reapply.
Seek shade– Take breaks in the shade.
Stay hydrated– Drink regularly and avoid caffeine.
Skin safe– Check for any changes.
The final attachments are the CWU posters ‘Heat Guidance – Medication’, which highlights that individual members who take medication can be at increased risk of heat-related illness, and the ‘Heat Illness Guide’, which explains how heat illness can happen.
Area Safety Reps (ASRs) and Workplace Safety Reps Actions:
Area and Workplace Safety Representatives are reminded to:
Work with Operational Managers and SHE Team Management to raise awareness about Sun Safety amongst all members who work outdoors across Royal Mail Group.
Ensure that Sun Safety posters are displayed in the workplace.
Ensure that the RMG Severe Weather Guidance is followed and that SWMAs (Severe Weather Managers Assessments) are carried out as necessary and against MET Office Warnings and UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) Alerts.
Ensure that individuals who may be at increased risk in extreme heat due to age, underlying health conditions, who take certain medications, and new or expectant mothers are aware that new or further duty adjustments may be needed to support them in the event of a UKHSA ‘Yellow Heat Alert’ (and/or higher Alerts and MET Office Heat Warnings). These duty adjustments need to be made with the individual’s agreement and recorded on the Health Passport and relevant Risk Assessment Form.
Where Branches and Safety Reps require any additional information on the above, or for any other enquiries in relation to this LTB, these should be referred to the DGS(P) Department, email: ACorbett@cwu.org or HFord@cwu.org.
Royal Mail: PFSL Pay Negotiations 2026 – Impasse Reached
Further to LTBs 0144/26 dated 8th May.Despite expressing our optimism that we could reach an Agreement after a couple more meetings with PFSL, unfortunately due to factors beyond our control, negotiations have come to an abrupt halt, and disappointingly management have consistently failed to respond in any meaningful way to our formal pay claim. I do of course understand that members will be frustrated by the lack of progress, especially as all other CWU grades and business units across RMG have already received the pay increase from 1st April 2026. Accordingly, I wish to offer my appreciation to both PFSL members and Reps alike for their patience in this important matter. I also wish to reassure everyone that this matter has been pursued as a priority by the union and we have endeavoured to move matters along in line with our Conference policies.
To put this impasse into perspective, the following is a timeline of prime activities and engagement.
3rd March – Pay claim originally submitted to Neil Chaplain, Managing Director, Engineering as reported in LTB 067/26
22nd May – the last time we met with Neil Chaplain and his team for pay negotiations (the meeting ended without a formal offer being made)
26th May – comprehensive letter from myself to Neil Chaplain elaborating upon the position adopted by our negotiating team in the meeting above, specifically this related to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and our Conference policies, particularly the issue of pensions and the fact that the majority of our PFSL members do not enjoy the benefits of being in the Collective Plan.
To be clear, the blatant inertia from PFSL management has been challenged at every step along the way and a series of letters have been sent to Neil Chaplain chasing him for a substantial reply to my representations as contained in the letter of 26th May. Over two months have now elapsed since this correspondence and yet PFSL are either unable or unwilling to formally respond.
I am sure our PFSL members, like our negotiating team, will be frustrated by this situation. Frankly, our PFSL members deserve to be treated much better by RMG management and it is unacceptable that four months on from the pay review date management haven’t tabled a formal pay offer. This position is unsustainable. I have therefore today sent a further letter in the strongest possible terms to Neil Chaplain pointing out the persistent failures of PFSL in not engaging in a serious negotiation. This correspondence has been copied to Kieran Judd, Chief People Officer, to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation. Unfortunately, due to management’s annual leave we are unlikely to recommence pay negotiations until later this month. This means that our members will not receive any arrears of pay (backdated to 1st April 2026) until September’s salaries at the earliest, and in all probability, October is more realistic as any Agreement would have to go through our normal democratic process, including a consultative ballot of PFSL members.
Branches and Reps are reminded that we are fully committed to pursuing all Conference policies, particularly those surrounding the Collective Plan as the current pension arrangements across PFSL are derisory and as such our members in PFSL are undoubtedly second-class citizens in respect of pension benefits received from RMG. This area in particular has been exposed in the talks that have taken place thus far, and has featured predominantly within my correspondence to management, as this is a critical area where we obviously need to make progress.
The Postal Executive has been kept abreast of the prevailing situation and is far from impressed by the attitude of PFSL management and I also met with our Senior Reps across the cleaning and engineering functions last Monday 27th July to explain in more detail the obstacles we are encountering to making progress.
In closing, I wish to reiterate that I am grateful for the patience and resilience of our PFSL members, who are being treated very shabbily by management. This is unacceptable to the Postal Executive and if required this matter will be escalated to higher authorities beyond PFSL management. For the avoidance of doubt we are determined to get a fair and equitable outcome for our PFSL members and we won’t be accepting a mediocre offer just because of the time that has elapsed – this is a tactic that management deploy on occasion. Therefore, even if it takes more time to get the right outcome, this will be the necessary approach adopted by the Postal Executive.
Further developments will be reported as appropriate.
CWU Young Workers Conference – Wednesday 21st October 2026
The CWU Young Workers Conference will be held on Wednesday 21st October 2026at the Mechanics Institute, 103 Princess Street, Manchester M1 6DD.
Each Regional Young Workers Sub Committee will be entitled to submit ONEmotion to the Conference Agenda.
Each Branch will be entitled to submit ONEmotion to the Conference Agenda.
The National Young Workers Committee will be entitled to submit THREE motions to the Conference Agenda.
Motions should be submitted electronically to conferences@cwu.org using the template attached.
Motion forms must be returned by noon onMonday 21st September 2026. Any Motions received after this date will not be accepted. All sections of the form must be completed.
Branches, Regional Young Workers Sub Committees and the National Young Workers Committee are reminded that the Standing Orders Committee will not alter or amend any of the motions submitted therefore it is important that motion authors read the attached guidance notes carefully and motions are checked before they are submitted. The SOC will offer advice on motions and should be contacted prior to the closing date and submission of motions should submitting bodies wish to do so.
Motions will only be accepted if sent to the above email address.
As with previous Conferences, the agenda will be structured in such a way as to maximise debate and participation by delegates. There will be 2 sections to the agenda, one for motions
which would require the National Young Workers Committee to work with the NEC to progress, and one for motions that in the view of the Standing Orders Committee are of an industrial nature which would require the National Young Workers Committee to work with the Industrial executives to progress.
As there are no General or Industrial conferences scheduled in 2027 there will be no requirement to select any motions to go forward to the next General or Industrial Conferences.
Delegates
Branches can register delegates and visitors by no later than Friday 9th Octoberby completing the link below.
Branch delegate entitlement to this Conference as agreed by the NEC is as follows:Number of Young MembersDelegate
entitlement1-2491250-4992500 and above3
Branches can register delegates and visitors by no later than Friday 9th Octoberby completing the link below.
In order that we can cater for any delegate with accessibility needs such as seating, etc., it is important that you advise us on the registration form of the name of the delegate(s) and the particular requirement by return but no later than Friday 9thOctober 2026.
Any queries regarding the registration process should be directed to Kerry Fleck kfleck@cwu.org
Regional Young Workers sub committee Leads shall attend Young Workers Annual Conference in an ex-officio capacity with the right to speak and move motions on behalf of their Regional Young Workers Sub Committee but not to vote. Funding for Regional Young Workers Sub Committee Leads to attend Young Workers Conference shall be from the General Fund.
Branches, Regional Young Workers Sub Committees and the National Young Workers Committee are also reminded that only Branch delegates may move motions standing in the name of their Branch or Regional Sub Committee. Members of the National Young Workers Committee may only speak on behalf of the National Young Workers Committee and not their Branch or Regional Young Workers Sub Committee.
Branches are urged to make every effort to ensure that their delegation comprises members who are either 30 and under as of November or who are serving Branch Young Workers. The expectation is that voting delegates aged over 30 will be present on an exceptional basis.
Election of Delegates to General Conference
As there is no General Conference scheduled in 2027 there is no requirement at this conference to elect delegates to the next General Conference
ROYAL MAIL GROUP: NEW ENTRANTS – CONTRACTS OF EMPLOYMENT
Branches will be aware that Paragraph 3.2 of the agreement for the Equalisation of New Entrants’ Pay, Terms, Conditions, and specifically the third bullet point, commits both the CWU and Royal Mail Group to review the contracts of employment for New Entrants as part of the relationship reset. For the avoidance of doubt, the review includes the contracts for New Entrant OPGs and those in Engineering, Fleet and HR Services. Andy Furey, Assistant Secretary, and Lee Wenban, Postal Executive member, are leading on this important matter on behalf of the Postal Executive.
We are able to report that an initial exploratory meeting has been held with management and this meeting was constructive, with a good alignment on the task that we have set ourselves, although there is a recognition that these matters are both substantial and complex. As a consequence, further analysis is being undertaken as there have been a number of changes to contractual matters, such as the introduction of the Collective Plan from 7thOctober 2024 that have in fact rendered clauses within the New Entrant contract to be effectively out of date. Another example of this is reference to Scottish Widows for the RMDCP, which is in the process of winding up, with the transfer to Legal and General Mastertrust. In essence, this means that a detailed solution needs to be identified and worked up to make the contracts of employment fit for purpose for New Entrants and this activity will undoubtedly be time consuming.
Branches will also be aware that the agreement committed both parties to concluding the review by 1st September 2026. Unfortunately, with planned annual leave from both ourselves and management, this date is unlikely to be met. We have, however, agreed that further meetings will be held as soon as practical, and dates are being identified to ensure that we build momentum into the talks and make progress towards an agreed position. Further developments in this regard will be reported.
Election of National Representative Positions – 2026
CWU Retired Members Committee
Further to LTB 193/26 dated 7th July 2026, at the close of nominations on the 30th July at 14.00 the following were received:
2 Retired members living in WalesThomas HughesShropshire & Mid Wales, South East No 5*Elected
2 Retired members living in Northern IrelandLawrence HustonNorthern Ireland Telecoms, Plymouth & East Cornwall*ElectedMichael McAlindenNorthern Ireland West, Northern Ireland Telecoms,*Elected
2 Retired members living in ScotlandWilliam JohnstonScotland No 2*ElectedJames StewartGlasgow & District Amal, Plymouth & East Cornwall, South East No 5*Elected
6 Retired members living in England – (Ballot Required) *John FarnanEastern No 6, South Central Postal, Northern Ireland Telecoms, Plymouth & East Cornwall, South East No 5Mick GoldsmithEastern No 5, Eastern No 6, South East No 5Daniel McGouganLeeds No 1 AmalBrendan O’BrienMidland No 1, South East No 5Sean RyanEast London Postal, Eastern No 6, Northern Ireland Telecoms Plymouth & East Cornwall,John SkeltonManchester CombinedKenneth WardPlymouth & East Cornwall, Eastern No 6, Northern Ireland Telecoms, South East No 5, Western Counties
The timetable for the ballot is as follows:
Despatch Ballot Papers : 6thAugust 2026
Ballot Closes: 27thAugust 2026 (14.00)
Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be sent by email to lparrett@cwu.org or by telephone on 0208 971 7222
Over the last few weeks since the National Agreement was endorsed, we have been working with Royal Mail on how to launch the much needed Reset of Employee and Industrial Relations.
You will have seen that the Royal Mail CEO, Alistair Cochrane wrote to all employees to express his support for the Reset of both Employee and Industrial Relations (copy attached). Alistair Cochrane, Kieran Judd (Chief People Officer), Jamie Stephenson (Chief Operations Officer), Andrew Smith (Head of Industrial Relations), James Brockbank (Industrial Relations Director), Rachael Batty (Industrial Relations Director) and Fiona Hamilton (Industrial Relations Director) attended a Postal Executive Meeting to discuss how to move forward a genuine Reset across all of Royal Mail Group and in every workplace.
The idea of the Reset was first agreed in the CWU and EP Agreement, which stated the following: “Underpinning every part of this agreement is a recognition and belief from both parties that the only way to rebuild trust in Royal Mail Group is for a fresh start in the way the business is run, at all levels and in every workplace. The agreement signifies a complete reset in Employee and Industrial Relations and is about putting customers and postal workers at the heart of everything we do.”
The recent national agreement allowed us to move forward and agree the initial programme for the Reset, which is attached.
There will be a formal launch event in September for all Senior Directors and Managers along with the Postal Executive and Senior Field Officials, which will, as part of the structure, show how this is cascaded to every level and in every workplace. Royal Mail have appointed Fiona Hamilton as their lead on Reset.
The programme includes the following initiatives:
A Joint Royal Mail/CWU Working Time Listening and Learning session to be delivered in every workplace supporting the Reset; this will be overseen centrally to ensure this takes place.
An independent survey of employees to test how the Reset is working.
Each Unit/Area will be jointly assessed as either Red, Amber or Green on how Employee and Industrial Relations are currently working. The assessment will be used to support and improve all units which are red or amber.
The Joint Working Group for the CWU comprises of Andy Furey, Rob Wotherspoon, Alan Tate, Luke Elgar and Steve Halliwell. They are working on a range of issues to support the Reset including how we improve those units with poor Employee and Industrial Relations.
This is possibly the biggest Reset of Employee and Industrial Relations that Royal Mail and the CWU have launched since the Lord Sawyer Review in the 1990s and it is therefore important that we all support the Reset activity and programme over the next few weeks and months.
We will provide further updates on the Reset as it progresses.
Any enquiries relating to the content of this LTB should be referred to the Postal Department at hford@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Walsh Andy Furey Deputy General Secretary (Postal) Assistant Secretary
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 