Please see attached December edition of Safe and Well newsletter with contributions from our USRs and field teams on ladder angles and set up, reminder of what not to stick on poles, a cable Near Miss, some good news on Waste with support from a local USR and keeping people on track for Railside working.
Office update includes the latest Let’s Talk about updates, more Winter Wellbeing info and some health and safety basics.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – LTB007/2017 – Safe & Well – December 2016

Attachment 2 – Safe and Well Issue 41 December 2016

Attachment 3 – Openreach Health and Safety Update – Q3 2016

POST OFFICE: CHANGE OF CONTRACTS OF EMPLOYMENT – WEEKLY TO MONTHLY PAY – OPPOSING THE POST OFFICE’S POSITION
Earlier this week the Post Office wrote to all weekly paid members (the majority work in Supply Chain although there are some Counter members who are weekly paid) stating that following a 90 day consultation which concluded on 8th December, a decision had been made to cease weekly pay after 3rd February 2017. The letter to our members (attached to this LTB for information) was not provided by management to the union. To put this issue into context, approximately 1000 members are impacted by the Post Office’s Executive Action.
The Post Office’s assertion that the change to monthly pay is necessitated by the company’s “employer’s duty” to automatically enroll eligible jobholders into a pension scheme is spurious and was therefore strongly rejected last year. The Post Office has consistently been able to use the Zurich Defined Contribution Plan (POPP) for enrolment purposes, and as such we cannot see why this has to change in the future, particularly as Zurich are seemingly able to cater for weekly pay reference periods for Post Office employees. Indeed, they also do the same for the Royal Mail weekly-paid payroll and have done this since auto-enrolment was introduced on 1st November 2012. 
The union had previously made it clear to the Post Office that we did not support the move to cease weekly pay. In light of this week’s development, I have today written to the Post Office HR Director in the strongest possible terms, objecting to the actions of the Post Office.
We do not accept that auto-enrolment is a legitimate reason for ceasing weekly pay. Notwithstanding this, auto-enrolment is not due to commence in the Post Office until May; therefore there is no imperative to cease weekly pay from 3rd February. I have as a consequence formally proposed that this date is at the very least postponed to allow for proper negotiations to be conducted in accordance with the National Collective Engagement & Industrial Relations Framework Agreement, with the aim of reaching an agreed way forward. 
We have advised the Post Office that we have received numerous complaints from members who are totally opposed to monthly pay. Undoubtedly, the move to monthly pay will cause huge financial disruption to members who have made their personal, domestic and financial arrangements on the basis they will continue to be paid weekly. There is also widespread reluctance and skepticism amongst our members to embrace the so called “bridging loan”, whereby 4 week’s pay is provided upfront on the basis that it has to be paid back via a reduced salary over the next 12 months. Bizarrely, the Post Office believes that putting our members in debt for a whole year is an attractive proposition. In essence the Post Office’s proposal as it stands is fundamentally flawed.  
It should be noted the Post Office has advised our members in the correspondence that they need to contact the Post Office either via the HR Service helpline or by email by 5pm on Friday 13th January with any “concerns or queries about the change”. We have told the Post Office in our correspondence that imposing such a short time limit is completely unreasonable.
The Post Office has also stated if members do not respond by this date, the change to monthly pay will automatically come into effect after 3rd February, having been agreed between the individual and the Post Office. Basically, the Post Office is saying if they don’t respond, the assumption will be members have agreed to the change to their contract and monthly pay will apply going forward.
As a consequence of this, we have, with support from our legal experts, drafted a letter for members to use stating they object to monthly pay and wish to retain weekly pay. This “Letter of Objection” has been sent directly to our weekly paid members today by first class post due to the urgency. The wording of the “Letter of Objection” is as follows:
 
Dear Sir/Madam
 
CHANGE TO MY CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT BY MOVING FROM WEEKLY TO MONTHLY PAY
I have received your letter dated 3 January informing me that you propose to change the frequency of my pay from weekly to monthly.
I do not agree to my contract of employment being changed unilaterally and wish to retain weekly pay. If you impose it I shall regard the Post Office as being in breach of my contract of employment, and I reserve my right to commence legal proceedings to remedy the breach and to seek damages for breach of contract.
Please confirm that I will continue to receive weekly pay after 3 February 2017.
 
Yours faithfully
…………………………………………………………..
 
Name: …………………………………………………
 
Workplace: …………………………………………..
 
Payroll number: …………………………………….
 
Date: ……………………………….. January 2017
 
In order to ensure all members are fully aware of their entitlement to object to this change of contract, hard copies of the “Letter of Objection” have also been sent directly to each Supply Chain workplace for the attention of the Unit Representative in sufficient numbers for distribution to all impacted members and us attached for your information. Furthermore our Sector Representatives for Crown Offices have also been asked to contact individually all members in the Crown network (approximately 250) who are on weekly pay to provide the necessary advice and guidance. 
It is irrefutable our members have a contractual right to weekly pay and the Post Office does not have a unilateral right to vary that. It follows if the Post Office were to impose the change to monthly pay the Post Office will be in breach of their contracts of employment.  
This matter will be the subject of discussion at the statutory Postal Executive meeting next week and further developments will be reported.
Any queries in relation to this LTB should be directed to Lea Sheridan on 020 8971 7361 or lsheridan@cwu.org.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary
 
 
 
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 005/17 – POST OFFICE: CHANGE OF CONTRACTS OF EMPLOYMENT – WEEKLY TO MONTHLY PAY – OPPOSING THE POST OFFICE’S POSITION

Attachment 1: Annex 1

Attachment 2: Annex 2

National Terms of Reference – Royal Mail Application Digitalising Something for You Cards and Redelivery Trial
 
Dear Colleagues
Branches and Representatives will be aware of the number of projects relating to delivery related trial activity as Royal Mail bid to compete in the Parcels market, and improve the service provision for customers by improving the final mile experience for the customer through digital/mobile applications.
As a result we have agreed to trial a process to digitalise the customer journey for P739 (Something for You Cards) and Re-delivery. The trial will run from 23rd January to 18th February 2017 inclusive and be undertaken at Kingston upon Thames & Surbiton, Newbury, Peckham, Glasgow 13 & 14, Chester, Ringwood and Chesterfield Delivery Offices.
The trial will take place in the following manner and explore:
The trial will utilise Royal Mail Group Employees in place of the receiving customer as “participants” to test the process and gather learning.

The trial will have an impact on Customer Service Points. There is no change to the delivery process.

Participants that have an item undelivered with a barcode will automatically receive an email with an electronic version of the P739 attached. The e739 is triggered by the unable to deliver scan.

The Participant on visiting the Customer Service Point will show the electronic P739 on their mobile phone and provide identification as per the standard operating procedure in order to collect their item.

The Trial will also include digitalisation of the re-delivery process. Participants will be able to request a redelivery via the Royal Mail Application which will appear on CLEO/SPS for action.

We have agreed that Colleagues working in Customer Service Points and Workplace Coaches within the selected trial delivery offices will be invited to input to training, communication and support aids to inform further expansion. 
A joint formal review will take place at the end of February 2017 by RM and CWU Nationally taking full account of all experiences and the feedback gathered in the trial units jointly from CWU/RM. Any wider roll out beyond the trial units will not be introduced without further joint discussion and national agreement.
Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 530
Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org
 
Yours Sincerely,
 
Mark Baulch  
CWU A/Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 755/17 – National Terms of Reference – Royal Mail Application Digitalising Something for You Cards and Redelivery Trial

UPDATE: JOINT COMMUNICATION ROYAL MAIL AND CWU REGARDING THE JOINT REVIEW OF ACTIVITY VALUE ANALYSIS (AVA) IN PROCESSING AND ADMIN
 
Dear Colleagues
Branches and representatives will be aware that LTB 724/16 was circulated on 15th December 2016 in order to communicate details in relation to the Terms of Reference between Royal Mail and the CWU Covering the Joint Review of Activity Value Analysis (AVA).
In line with the above mentioned terms of reference discussions and meetings with the business have continued to take place in order to develop and formalise the Joint Working Group approach that is to be adopted for the AVA activity.
To ensure that all parties are kept fully informed in respect of the activity that is to take place it has been jointly agreed to circulate the attached communication.
We believe that the attached is self-explanatory and provides clarification as to how the various strands involved in the activity will be progressed. If however you should require any assistance please use the contact details for Mahmood Ali or Ian Ward, Postal Executive Members, that are provided or contact the relevant department.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to the relevant Officer:
Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 052
or
Andy Furey, Assistant Secretary, email: lsheridan@cwu.org quoting reference number 900.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Davie Robertson Andy Furey  
Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary  
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 003/17 UPDATE: JOINT COMMUNICATION ROYAL MAIL AND CWU REGARDING THE JOINT REVIEW OF ACTIVITY VALUE ANALYSIS (AVA) IN PROCESSING AND ADMIN

Attaching ment 1: Update 003/17 Update – AVA Joint Communication- 04.01.17

Royal Mail Pension Consultation
Further to LTBs 390/2016 and 479/2016, I write to inform Branches that I believe the long anticipated Royal Mail consultation on their proposed closure of the RMPP DB scheme is imminent.
Colleagues will recall that the business wrote to all RMPP scheme members in June 2016 confirming their belief that the scheme cannot remain open to future accrual beyond March 2018. In order that the Company meets its responsibilities and obligations under the current regulatory and pension rules the decision on closure has to be made by March 2017.
To ensure the Company meets its obligations under pension rules, Royal Mail are required to undertake a 60 day consultation on their proposal to close the scheme. The Company therefore has no choice but to commence the consultation process so that a final decision can be in place by this year’s March deadline. 
Royal Mail are also duty bound to ensure that the consultation is carried out in good faith, taking all responses into account and that the language of the consultation will not make employees feel that the proposals are fait accompli regardless of their views.
CWU Position
Branches will be aware that news of the pending consultation and the potential closure of the scheme were leaked to the press way before the Company wrote to the scheme’s members in June 2016. This act formed part of the much wider held suspicion that Royal Mail are moving away from the mutual interest commitments enshrined in our current National Agreements in favour of short term profits and shareholder appeasement.
As a consequence of these suspicions and the widely held view of activists that the Company were changing direction and moving away from the spirit of our agreements, a CWU Policy Forum was convened in March 2016 where Branches and the union’s Senior Field Officials set out the key objectives required to restore confidence that management are still committed to the spirit and intent of our Agreements.

There is no doubt that Branches and Representatives of all positions and the wider membership, are fully aware that our industry has never been under so much pressure with issues such as competition, regulation and new technology all intensifying at pace. The move on pensions, the desire to trial and use new technology which will impact on jobs and duty design and the incessant efficiency drive, dictates that the time is now right for us to negotiate a new Agreement with Royal Mail.
The key ‘Pillars of Security’ we need in order to restore our confidence in cooperation going forward are;
 An agreed solution to the pension situation which ensures that the pension promise and the principle of a ‘wage and dignity in retirement’ is in place for all our members in both the DB and DC schemes.
 An agreed commitment to and a timescale for a reduction in the current full-time 39hr week to 35hr gross.
 That the commitments and legally binding provisions of our current Agreements are reaffirmed and extended.
 That a new Pipeline/Workplan is agreed in line with our policies which reverses the trend for later and later delivery start times and enables Royal Mail to maximise the potential of our core USO delivery, offering to deliver new growth opportunities right across the day from 7am onwards.
Against that backdrop it needs to be understood that whilst pursuing our policies to secure and reach Agreement is our priority, the Postal Executive will not hesitate to enact our policy to ballot for industrial action if Royal Mail fail to reach Agreement with us or announce Executive Action on the closure of the DB pension scheme, the introduction of new technology or cost cutting efficiency initiatives that undermine both our current National Agreements and/or the terms and conditions of any CWU Grades within Royal Mail Group.
Clearly it is essential that Branches commence briefing their members on the content of this LTB with immediate effect. Equally, the Postal Department will, in conjunction with the CWU’s Communications Department, commence designing and developing communication strategies to ensure that our members fully understand both the policies and the direction we are taking in their interests.
Yours sincerely

Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)  
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 001/17 Royal Mail Pension Consultation

Health, Safety & Environment Department LTB’s Digest for 2016:
As in previous years the Health, Safety & Environment Dept are circulating, for the particular attention of Safety Representatives, a digest list of LTB’s issued by the Health, Safety & Environment Department for 2016. 
I attach for your information a digest list of LTB’s issued by the Health, Safety & Environment Department during 2016 which the department issues annually as a reference document. 
Copies of all back-number LTBs are available for downloading via the CWU Website or on request directly from the Health, Safety & Environment Department. 
Copies of minutes of the NEC HS&E Committee are also available on request. 
Yours sincerely

 
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
 
 
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 002/17 Health, Safety & Environment Department LTB’s Digest for 2016

LTB Digest 2016

AIR NETWORK REVIEW – PHASE 5 PROPOSAL REMOVAL OF SKYNET 14 (NEWCASTLE EMA – NEWCASTLE), SKYNET 6 (NEWCASTLE – STANSTED) AND SKYNET 7 (STANSTED – NEWCASTLE) 
 
Dear Colleagues
Branches and representatives will be aware that LTB 767/14, Joint Statement on Revision of Air Network Services, communicated the details of the process that would be adopted in relation to review activity.
The business presented their initial proposals in relation to the Phase 5 activity in Summer of 2016. These proposals highlighted a number of concerns for the CWU and for the first time indicated that Delivery Arrival times would be impacted, which was out with the Joint Statement agreed in 2014.
Extensive cross departmental discussions have therefore been taking place with the business in order to address the areas of concern. Those discussions have culminated in the attached Joint Statement being agreed and endorsed by the Postal Executive, which now enables the Phase 5 review activity to commence.
Branches will note that the attached Joint Statement confirms the necessary safeguards and agreed actions to mitigate the impact on the Delivery Function and formalises the commencement of the formal Air Network process agreed in 2014, a copy of which is also attached for your ease of reference.
Branches will also note that the attached joint statement establishes that in effect the formal Air Network Review process commences from this point and discussions will be progressed in line with the established Working Group approach, including the full involvement of representatives from the affected sites.
Following discussions, in line with the agreed Air Network Review process the Air Network Working Group will be required to agree a formal recommendation to the NLSG on deployment and until that point the company will not serve notice on existing arrangements with the Air Service supplier.
In commencing the process both departments recognise that significant challenges remain in relation to the proposal. However, we believe that we are now in a position where the discussions can commence in line with the terms of the Air Network Review and the attached Joint Statement.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to:
Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, quoting reference: 211.08.
Email Address: shayman@cwu.org
or
Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference: 535. 
Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org
 
Yours sincerely  
 
 
Davie Robertson Mark Baulch  
CWU Assistant Secretary CWU Assistant Secretary – Outdoor  
 
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 756/16 – AIR NETWORK REVIEW

Attachment 1 – Joint Statement – Newcastle Air Review

ACCRINGTON DELIVERY OFFICE – DISPUTE
Dear Colleagues,
Further to LTB 740/16 I am pleased to report that following discussions between Royal Mail and CWU head office yesterday, members at Accrington Delivery Office voted to attend work at a gate meeting called by the East Lancs Amal Branch this morning.
Royal Mail have in effect confirmed that the remaining issue from the Flashpoint Report of 24th August concerning the management of the office will be resolved in the New Year.
The Accrington members have received tremendous support from Branches all around the country and there is no doubt that the solidarity shown has helped to bring the dispute to a successful resolution. The key factor was of course the unity, determination and discipline of the Accrington members.
All enquiries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed to the PTCS Department, quoting reference 412.
Email address: djeffery@cwu.org
Yours Sincerely,
 
 
RAY ELLIS
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
Email Attachments – Click to download
· LTB 753/16 – ACCRINGTON DELIVERY OFFICE – DISPUTE

MANAGERS’ UPDATE: RECOGNISING GOOD ATTENDANCE
Dear Colleagues,
I attach a document issued by Royal Mail to its managers entitled “Recognising good attendance” dated 16th December, received at head office from representatives in the field on 19th December.
Contrary to the claim in the document the CWU was not briefed on the scheme nor was the union consulted on the attached document. The union was informed that Royal Mail intended to run an incentive scheme in the form of a prize draw. Last Friday, clearly after the attached brief had been drawn up and after copies of the December edition of The Courier which contains details of the scheme had gone to print, we were advised that the business intended to brief employees this week – no details of the scheme were shared.
The union is opposed to any scheme which encourages members to attend work when they are not well enough to do so, or penalises people for being ill. We believe the scheme is an ill thought out, knee jerk return to the policies of a decade ago. It is extremely disappointing that the business has reverted to an unimaginative and self-defeating approach to the management of attendance which seeks to bypass the union.
According to “The Courier” the intention is to “reinforce the message that our people have a vital part to play every day in delivering a great service to our customers”. Our members don’t need patronising messages of this kind, particularly at this time of year. Whatever the intention of the scheme, in reality, it will act as a further signal to managers that they must “get tough” on sickness absence.
Over the last 18 months the union has received an increasing number of reports from all parts of Royal Mail of aggressive and bullying misapplication of the Attendance Procedure – in particular:
 
Abuse of contact strategy

Routine issue of stage reviews regardless of circumstances

Threatened or actual stoppage of pay for alleged “non-cooperation”

Counting absences arising from accidents on duty or disability

Sacking people with an underlying health condition – in some cases when they were attending work regularly

 
Despite this return to the sort of management behaviours in evidence before the introduction of the 2013 Attendance agreement, the level of sickness absence has continued to increase. The union has called for a joint and root and branch analysis of the underlying causes of this increase, which has taken place over the same period in which the number of reported bullying and harassment cases has increased by 52% and significant concerns about reasonable workload and aggressive management have been reported by staff in the company’s “Big Conversation” employee opinion exercise. Royal Mail has agreed to meet to discuss this in January. The union will positively engage to improve workplace morale and address some of the issues which we believe are driving the increase in sickness absence. This half-baked panic measure will not help. Branches should ensure that the Grievance Procedure and Industrial Relations Framework are used if managers abuse the contact strategy (the terms of which were jointly summarised by CWU and Royal Mail in LTB 691/2016) or if any of the other aggressive management behaviours and breaches of the Attendance Procedure listed in the bullet points above are encountered.
All enquiries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed to the PTCS Department, quoting reference 415.
Yours Sincerely,
RAY ELLIS
ASSISTANT SECRETARY 
 
Attachment can be found in the attached LTB.
Email Attachments – Click to download
· LTB 751/16 – Managers’ Update: Recognising Good Attendance