Election of Postal Constituency Positions 2019 

• National Executive Council Members (Section 2)

Following the publication of LTB 353/19 dated 11^thJune 2019, notification has been received today (14^thJune 2019) from Gary Clark, Scotland No 2 Branch of the withdrawal of his nomination for Postal Constituency NEC Representative (Section 2).

Accordingly Branches will wish to note the following updated election information:

NOMINATIONS FOR POSTAL CONSTITUENCY – NEC REPRESENTATIVE (SECTION 2)

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237, or email address sdgs@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

19LTB369

Romford Mail Centre – Property Update

Royal Mail have informed the Union of significant developments in relation to negotiations on the extension of the lease arrangements for Romford Mail Centre indicating that they also intended to update employees at the site on the current situation this morning.

Royal Mail indicated that the Romford lease is due for renewal in March 2020 but that during contractual negotiations the landlord has indicated that they wish to develop the site for residential use. Given this, Royal Mail are reviewing options with their legal team and engaging in further discussions with the landlord on the business requirements for the site with the aim of achieving an extension to the lease.

Clearly this announcement will create a great deal of uncertainty for our members at the site and the Union have conveyed to Royal Mail our dismay that the company has allowed a situation to develop where contractual negotiations have taken place so close to the lease break, effectively creating a crisis situation should those negotiations fail to secure an extension to the current lease.

The CWU have also insisted that the business engage in immediate discussions with the Union to explore and develop a full range of options including any legal recourse to secure the integrity of the operation in the long term and most importantly to provide our members with clarity on the ongoing process at every stage and adhere to the robust commitments to job and standard of living security in line with our National agreements.

An initial meeting to discuss and agree next steps will take place on Monday, 17th June 2019 and further updates will be provided following that meeting. 

The Union will ensure that our members at Romford are fully supported throughout this period of uncertainty and we will ensure that the full protections within our National agreements continue to apply in full.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to:

DGSP Department, email: hford@cwu.org quoting reference number: 10020.

Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 722.01.

Outdoor Department, email: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org quoting reference number: 230.03.

PTCS Department, email: khawkins@cwu.org quoting reference number 041.

Terry Pullinger Davie Robertson

Deputy General Secretary (Postal) Assistant Secretary

Mark Baulch Ray Ellis

Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary

LTB 370-19 – Romford MC – Property Update

CHANGE OF STARTING POINT 15^th JUNE – GRENFELL SECOND ANNIVERSARY 

Further to LTB 335/19 please note that there is a new starting point for the March on Saturday 15^thJune which is now Whitehall, opp Downing St, London SW1A 1AA.

The details for the silent walk in North Kensington on the 14^th June are the same. For further information please find attached a flyer and a programme of events for both dates.

We would ask branches to publicise these events to members and any queries on the contents of the LTB should be directed to gsoffice@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

19LTB368 – CHANGE OF STARTING POINT 15th JUNE – GRENFELL SECOND ANNIVERSARY

Route – Final

Anniversary flyer

Anniversary flyer 2

CWU Retired Members Conference – Wednesday 23^rd October 2019

The CWU Retired Members Conference will be held on Wednesday 23^rd October 2019 at the Birmingham CWU Offices, 46-48 Summer Lane, Hockley, Birmingham B19 3TH.

We expect that the timetable for the submission of motions to be sent to Branches in early July.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Chris Tapper either by post to head office or by email to conferences@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

A P Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

19LTB367 – CWU Retired Members Conference – Wednesday 23rd October 2019

ACAS Stress and Anxiety at Work Survey Report 2019: 

ACAS – What They Do

ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is a Crown, non-departmental public body of the government of the United Kingdom. Its purpose is to improve organisations and working life through the promotion and facilitation of strong industrial relations practice. ‘ACAS Workplace Policy’ helps inform and influence the debate on a range of critical employment, industrial and economic issues. ACAS has important relationships with a range of key stakeholders throughout government and across industry and they aim to help shape new policy. They offer balanced analysis of topical issues at work, covering everything which impacts on working lives, including mental health.

Report Background

This short 12 page report is written by Adrian Wakeling and reports on the results of a new survey on workplace stress and anxiety. The views expressed in this ACAS Workplace Report/Policy Paper are those of the author and not the ACAS Council.

Introduction 

In October 2017, the government published its review of mental health and employers, ‘Thriving at work’ produced by Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer (MIND CEO) which set out what they described as a “wholly realistic” vision that by 2027, “employees in all types of employment should have “good work”, which contributes positively to their mental health, our society and our economy”. Achieving this vision of mental health at work, they believe, is based upon having the right tools, raising awareness and building confidence.

In September 2018, ACAS published a ‘Framework for Positive Mental Health at Work’ which reflects both the “core” and “enhanced mental health standards” set out in the Stevenson/Farmer review. This includes the importance of “good working conditions”, “effective people management”, and “open conversations about mental health”. It is ACAS’s experience that delivering complex and cultural changes requires an approach built on the engagement of all workplace players. The ACAS framework reflects this with its emphasis on making mental health a shared responsibility, involving employers, managers and individuals.

Against this backdrop of a high-level vision for mental health, ACAS commissioned a YouGov poll to find out more about individuals’ current experience of mental wellbeing at work, specifically what are the causes and reactions to stress and anxiety in the workplace.

Prevalence, causes and solutions 

The ACAS survey found that two-thirds (66%) of employees have felt stressed and/or anxious about work in the last 12 months. This reflects findings of several other recent surveys, such as those carried out by BITC, CIPD and ‘Simplyhealth’ which states that 37% of organisations have seen an increase in stress-related absence, and nearly three-fifths an increase in the number of mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression.

The ACAS report found that feeling stressed and/or anxious about work is more common in younger employees (76% under the age of 35) than older workers (54% aged 55 and over),

and at a time when the UK’s culture of long working hours seems to be dominating the headlines, the causes of stress identified in the ACAS survey are very familiar, with workload (60%), the way people are managed (42%) and balancing work and home life (35%) the chief culprits.

Key findings 

• Two-thirds of employees (66%) have felt stressed and/or anxious about work in the last 12 months, with particular variation by age – 76% for those under the age of 35, compared to 54% for those aged 55 and over.
• Less than 1-in-10 (8%) say their organisation is ‘very good’ at preventing employees from feeling stressed and/or anxious about work.
• The most commonly cited cause of stress and/or anxiety for employees is their workload (60%), followed by the way they are managed (42%) and balancing home and work life (35%).
• Employees who feel stressed tend to take time out to manage it, such as having a cup of tea or going for a walk (41%). More than a quarter (28%) don’t do anything, and the same proportion use annual leave, with far fewer (15%) opting to take sick leave.
• A third (33%) of employees think that ‘a reduced workload’ would help with feeling less stressed and/or anxious, followed by ‘better flexible working opportunities’ (26%) and ‘more clarity around what is required from me for my job role’ (23%).
• Less than half (43%) of employees would talk to their manager in the event of being stressed and/or anxious at work, and more than one-in-five (22%) would not talk to anyone at work.
• A large majority (72%) of employees think that it is a manager’s role to recognise and address stress and anxiety in the workplace; 60% said the same of an individual themselves; 31% think their colleagues; and 28% said HR.

*A copy of the report is attached.

ACAS Mental Health Framework
The ACAS mental health framework has been designed to support and enable employers, employees and line managers to create a thriving, healthy and productive workplace. The ‘Framework for Positive Mental Health at Work’ was published in September 2018. This, in their words, reflects both the “core” and “enhanced mental health standards” set out in the Stevenson/Farmer review. This includes the importance of “good working conditions”, “effective people management”, and “open conversations about mental health”. It is ACAS’s experience that delivering complex and cultural changes requires an approach built on the engagement of all workplace players. The ACAS framework aims to reflect this with its emphasis on making mental health a shared responsibility, involving employers, managers and individuals.

*A copy of the Framework is attached.

ACAS Guidance Links

• Mental health in the workplace
• Promoting positive mental health in the workplace
• Managing anxiety in the workplace
• Dealing with stress in the workplace
• Free e-learning on mental health awareness for employers

[Note: The Stevenson/Farmer ‘Thriving At Work Report’ is published in LTB 107/18 and the BITC Mental Health at Work Survey Report is published in LTB 412/18.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

19LTB365 ACAS Stress and Anxiety at Work Survey Report 2019

Acas-framework-for-positive-mental-health-at-work

Stress_and_anxiety_at_work_personal_or_cultural

Joint Statement On the Realignment of Depot Customer Service Resource

No.361/2019 

12th June 2019 

For the Immediate Attention of All:

Postal Branches

PFW Regional Organisers

PFW Representatives

Dear Colleagues

JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN PARCELFORCE WORLDWIDE AND THE CWU ON THE REALIGNMENT OF DEPOT CUSTOMER SERVICE RESOURCE

Branches and representatives will be aware that in line with the commitments contained in the Parcelforce Annex of the Four Pillars agreement, review activity has been taking place under the Terms of Reference between Parcelforce Worldwide and the CWU for Customer Service Activity Across All Teams 2018/19 (LTB 345/18 refers). 

Initial review activity in line with the aforementioned Terms of Reference has already resulted in a Joint Statement being agreed in 2018 for a framework to enable the reintroduction of the Mystery Shopper and Call Coaching.

In addition to the above, analysis has been taking place via the Table of Success Customer Service Joint Working Group (CSJWG) in relation to the realignment of Customer Service resource to provide a more professional and effective customer experience. The recommendation that has been provided by the CSJWG has indicated that it would be beneficial to have dedicated teams of Customer Service advisors and admin staff in depots.

Discussions have therefore been taking place with the business in relation to a Joint Statement to facilitate the realignment of activity, which has now been concluded and endorsed by the Postal Executive, a copy of which is attached for your information (Appendix A).

Branches and representatives will note that the attached document provides a defined list of responsibilities for each role and that a comprehensive, dedicated training package has been developed for Customer Service teams which will be delivered jointly.

Colleagues will of course be aware that Motion 96 reproduced below, was debated and carried at Annual Conference 2019:

Motion 96: This Conference instructs the Postal Executive to secure an agreement with Parcelforce that protects the job security of our admin CSP grades within our Depots. 

This Conference agrees that the current proposals submitted by the business are not in the long term best interest of our Depot admin members and threatens the ethos of the CSP uni-grade (every member of staff can do any job for which they have been trained to do), by attempting to pigeon hole members into definitive roles.

The Postal Executive is therefore tasked to negotiate an agreement that offers the appropriate training to all admin grades which will lead to a more professional workforce within our Depot admin units.

The programme that has been developed and agreed in relation to the review activity will provide training for 334 advisors, which we believe is a major achievement in respect of the conference policy that was adopted.

The CSJWG will review the activity jointly in November 2019 to ensure that the realignment continues to support the forecasted levels of customer call demand going forward.

In addition to the Joint Statement a copy of the WTLL which is due to be briefed imminently, is also attached for information (Appendix B).

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

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

LTB 361-19 – JS Realignment of Depot Customer Service Resource

JS ON THE REALIGNMENT OF DEPOT CUSTOMER SERVICE RESOURCE

Appendix A – Roles and Responsibilities

Appendix B – WTLL for CS Review June 2019