Post Office Chairman’s Strategic Review – Attack on Crown Network and CWU Members’ Jobs

Branches and our Post Office members will be aware of the significant number of press and media articles that started to appear on Tuesday evening regarding the Chairman’s Strategic Review and their plans to close or franchise all of the remaining 115 Crowns. It is clear these reports were deliberately leaked and timed prior to Nigel Railton, Interim Chair’s announcement on the first stage of the outcomes of his Strategic Review.

The Union has still not been provided with a copy of the Strategic Review document and recommendations to Government and tellingly, Post Office failed to consult with the CWU at any point prior to the Board endorsing the Strategic Review / Transformation Plan.  As a key stakeholder, representing the majority of employees, the attitude displayed by the Interim Chair in bypassing the CWU is unacceptable – we have made this very clear to him.

Clearly, the Union needed to respond to the press leak and in particular, Post Office’s apparent plans to decimate the Crown Office Network and cut over 1000 jobs. The CWU Press Release is linked below:

CWU slam Post Office closure announcements.

We secured interviews with BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, BBC Radio 5, ITV and Sky News. This has once again led to major criticism of Post Office management’s actions. Additionally, Gareth Thomas, Business & Trade Minister made a statement to the House of Commons which led to a debate with concerns being expressed by a number of MPs relating to the potential loss of their Crown Offices.  The link to the debate is:

House of Commons – Post Office Statement – BBC iPlayer

Nigel Railton, when delivering his communication to staff on Wednesday, focused on his “vision for the future” which was primarily about securing better remuneration for Postmasters.  At no point did he say that the Crowns would have no part in the future and that 1,000 people would lose their jobs as a consequence. This was despite the fact that he would have undoubtedly known about all of the press activity arising from the leak. This is yet another damning indication at the lack of integrity Post Office displays at the most senior level.

The CWU has been at the forefront of campaigning for a significantly enhanced remuneration package for Postmasters and indeed we have, at every opportunity, highlighted the fact that Postmasters deliver a great service to their communities and are significantly undervalued by Post Office. We therefore totally support the need for Postmasters to be much better rewarded; however, this must not come at the expense of over 1,000 loyal and professional employees working in Crown Offices losing their jobs. This smacks of the same lack of vision and lack of honesty that we have seen from Post Office management for so long and throughout the Horizon scandal.

The money Post Office squandered on firms of lawyers could have been used to give everybody a better deal.  The ill-conceived attack on the Crown Office network has led to our members quite rightly feeling they are associated victims of Horizon due to the disgraceful waste of monies which should have been invested in the Post Office Network overall, including Crowns, as well as improving Postmaster pay.

We are meeting with Gareth Thomas, on Monday and will obviously raise our serious concerns around these latest developments.  Our members, both directly employed and Postmasters, deserve to have job security and fair remuneration for the long-term future.

The CWU will be developing an industrial and political campaign that will deliver a better future for our Post Office members and we will ensure you are a key part of that work, and your voice is heard.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary                                         

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)  

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

24LTB360 – Post Office Chairmans Strategic Review Attack on Crown Network and CWU Members Jobs

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The Future of Unionline

All Branches will be aware through previous reports that CWU had been involved in a long running dispute with the GMB on the future of Unionline.  This was a direct result of the GMB reneging on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was previously agreed to address historic funding imbalances in Unionline and money owed to the CWU from the operation of the company.

Following lengthy discussions, we are pleased to announce that we have now reached a legally binding agreement with the GMB, the salient points of which are as follows:

• All key commitments contained in the original MOU have been restored.
• An independent financial advisor has found all of the CWU’s assessment of the financial calculations involved to be correct.
• The GMB have now transferred the outstanding monies due to the CWU under the original Memorandum of Understanding to Unionline for onward transmission to the CWU.
• The GMB have agreed to fund the historic funding imbalance and restore the process in the original MOU for funding the ongoing running costs of Unionline.
• CWU and GMB have agreed a clear process to jointly review the effectiveness of Unionline and maximise both parties’ options for the future.

We believe that the agreement also now gives us the opportunity to develop and finalise how we restructure our own Legal Services Department as part of the changes required to secure the future of the CWU.

Finally, the NEC endorsed the terms of the legally binding agreement and we are confident it represents the best outcome for the CWU in resolving this dispute and we look forward to rebuilding our relationship with the GMB.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be sent to Dave Ward General Secretary jdunn@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary                                                

Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary   

24LTB362 The Future of Unionline (003)

CHRISTMAS PAY UPDATE FOR ROYAL MAIL GROUP MONTHLY PAID STAFF 

Earlier this week we were made aware that Royal Mail Group had issued communications stating that monthly paid employees and all grades in Royal Mail, Parcelforce and RMPFSL would see a change in the December pay date for 2024 from before Christmas to 31^st December 2024.

Royal Mail also wrongly stated this move had been made in consultation with the CWU. This was not the case.

It is true that some members were comfortable with this change given it shortens the gap between December and January salaries but we know many of you will have budgeted your Christmas arrangements already.

Following strong interventions from the union the following has been agreed:

For monthly paid staff the cut-off date for overtime payments to be included in December salaries has been moved from 8^thDecember to 15^th December. All staff who want some or all of their December salaries paid on the 24^th will now have the right to request this.

We are working with the company on the exact details of the process and will communicate with you again once it is resolved.

Whilst we are disappointed that an intervention was required, we are pleased that we have been able to ensure no monthly paid member will be negatively impacted by this change and we now have concrete solutions in place.

We ask that this update is shared with all your monthly paid colleagues.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be referred to the DGSP department.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)           

LTB 361.24 Christmas Pay Update For Royal Mail Group Monthly Paid Staff                    

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Royal Mail Deliveries – Launch of new podcast

Following the election of Tony Bouch as Outdoor Secretary discussions have taken place on how we can build on our engagement and direct communication with reps and members in delivery units.

One part of this strategy is the launch of a new monthly Royal Mail delivery members podcast. We will discuss the key issues for our members and representatives on the ground.

In episode one we talked pay, new entrants terms, USO, later finishes, bringing the membership together, supporting our reps and more.

Given the popularity of podcasts generally we are confident that over time this will become a vital engagement tool for the union.

You can listen to the show on the CWU Spotify or SoundCloud channels or directly via our website via the link below.

Royal Mail Deliveries: Episode 1

We ask all representatives and members to share the link with your colleagues.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Webb
Head of Communications

Tony Bouch
Outdoor Secretary 

24LTB358 Royal Mail Deliveries – Launch of new podcast

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Royal Mail Deliveries – Launch of new podcast

TO ALL POSTAL BRANCHES

Following the election of Tony Bouch as Outdoor Secretary discussions have taken place on how we can build on our engagement and direct communication with reps and members in delivery units.

One part of this strategy is the launch of a new monthly Royal Mail delivery members podcast. We will discuss the key issues for our members and representatives on the ground.

In episode one we talked pay, new entrants terms, USO, later finishes, bringing the membership together, supporting our reps and more.

Given the popularity of podcasts generally we are confident that over time this will become a vital engagement tool for the union.

You can listen to the show on the CWU Spotify or SoundCloud channels or directly via our website via the link below.

Royal Mail Deliveries: Episode 1

We ask all representatives and members to share the link with your colleagues.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Webb
Head of Communications

Tony Bouch
Outdoor Secretary

Your Voice in the Workplace –November 2024 

Please find attached the November Workplace Bulletin.

We will be sending you out a limited print run (approx. 10 per cent of branch membership) of this Edition, which should reach you by next week for distribution to your reps to take into workplaces.

You also have the link to print immediate copies and/or to print off more copies.

It is crucial that branches are distributing the monthly bulletin in every workplace. The purpose is to ensure members are receiving written content from the union directly into their workplaces, so your role in that process is integral.

Thank you for your support and please contact us with your feedback on the Bulletin.

Click to access 08215-your-voice-RMG-issue-9-Nov-2up.pdf

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

Chris Webb
Head of Communications  

24LTB354 Your Voice in the Workplace –November 2024

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Business Recovery Transformation & Growth (BRT&G) Agreement – Para 6.4 – Progress on the Joint Working Group – Attendance

It has been some time since we have reported on the progress of the Attendance Joint Working Group.  The main reason for this is these activities have taken some time to plan and then deploy.

However, what we have been able to do in previous LTB’s is to report on the % rate of absence and the steady progress towards reaching the objective of 5.5% needed, to restore full occupational sick pay.

We would’ve hoped to secure a Joint Statement with Royal Mail to report on these activities, but unfortunately the Business is not engaging with us on this particular type of communication.

We have therefore attached to this LTB a formal letter from the Director addressed to the National Officer which we are nonetheless happy to share.

We are also very pleased to report that all members of the working group are working well together, and we are hopeful that our Members and Representatives will soon see tangible benefits from the work and the activities that are taking place.

Please bring this LTB to the attention of our representatives and members, and any queries relating to this agreement should be forwarded to the PTCS Department, email address khay@cwu.org or hmaughan@cwu.org

Bobby Weatherall

Acting Assistant Secretary

LTB 353/24

Att

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Business Recovery, Transformation and Growth Agreement – Workplace Adjustments and Health Passport

We are pleased to report that significant progress has been made by the Attendance Joint Working Group on the development of a workplace adjustment guide and for the first time in Royal Mail a Health Passport, something which is extensively used by other organisations and in particular the NHS.

The workplace adjustment guide will aid and direct Royal Mail Managers to implement reasonable adjustments for our members including carers, disabled members and non-disabled members who may have not met the definition of a disability.  It will also allow for adjustments to be made for disabled members to apply for roles which may have previously been denied them as well being able to remain in work instead of having to leave the Business through ill health.

The Passport is a confidential document which can be uploaded via the “this is me” file in the RM My Peoples App by the individual and this will alert Line Managers automatically so they can engage and support the member.

The Passport can be used to highlight a disability, a neuro-diverse condition or any members caring responsibilities.

We believe it will be welcomed by the wider membership; it is fully in line with the Equality Act 2010, as well as being an important extension of rights to all members who may well be carers and our non-disabled members.

The introduction a passport fulfils a long-standing Conference Policy and Branches should look out for a launch of this initiative in early November.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Bobby Weatherall, Acting Assistant Secretary, email: khay@cwu.org or hmaughan@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Bobby Weatherall

Acting Assistant Secretary

LTB 352/24

Att: PDF_Workplace Adjustments_A Managers Guide (1)

Att: RM health passport (1)

Att: Royal Mail Passport Support Guide (1)

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Raising Concerns Booklet

Please find attached the link which will allow Branches to download the booklet version of the Raising Concerns Agreement and Procedure.

We are very pleased to be able to produce this guide which we hope our branches, representatives and members will find useful.

It is our intention to print and produce the booklet and send a number of copies to Branches.

Please bring this LTB to the attention of our representatives and members, and any queries relating to this agreement should be forwarded to the PTCS Department , email address khay@cwu.org or hmaughan@cwu.org

Bobby Weatherall

Acting Assistant Secretary

08198 – Raising Concerns A5 36pp v1

LTB349

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UPDATE: New Entrants’ Terms and Conditions

In line with LTB 296/24 regarding the reduced subscription rate for joiners on the new terms and conditions from 1^stDecember 2022, the Department has now finalised the introductory rate to be implemented with Royal Mail wages for subscriptions to be deducted from November 2024.

We were aiming to get the new rate set up for October but unfortunately the systems at payroll were required to be updated to reflect the new reduced special rate.  The new introductory rate is now ready to be rolled out and we have created a new DAS form to be completed by ALL joiners in the Postal constituency.  The reason for this is that we have now entered a start date to identify those members joining on the reduced rate as when we get to enhance their terms and conditions, they will no longer qualify for the reduced subscription rate.

Royal Mail have identified any joiners from 1^st December 2022 and will adjust subscription rates in line with the new rates.  There was a new form attached with the new entrants’ data sent on 18^thOctober by Lynn Browne on behalf of the Department however after reviewed the form, we removed “Joined after 1^stDecember 2022”.

We are asking all Branches to start using the attached new form when recruiting members to the union regardless of the terms and conditions they are contracted to.  Can you therefore please ensure that the new membership form is distributed to workplaces and that any other DAS forms are removed as a priority.

If any Branch requires the new DAS forms to be printed, please contact membership in the normal way in order for them to be posted out.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to hford@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh                                                                        

Deputy General Secretary (P)                       

Reissued LTB 347-24 – UPDATE New Entrants’ Terms and Conditions

Attachment – 08145 – rm new entrants pack DAS form 2024 v3

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