ROYAL MAIL: CHANGE FOR GOOD – JOINT STATEMENT 

Further to LTB 126/26 dated 29^th April 2026.  Branches are advised that there have been a number of changes in the Change for Good (CFG) management team at Royal Mail, and of particular note the HR Director, Performance & Capability, left Royal Mail at the end of June.  This has meant slower progress than we originally anticipated in establishing the Shadow National Steering Committee (SNSC) along with our wider agenda on CFG.

From a positive perspective, we have now agreed the attached Joint Statement under the signatures of Kieran Judd, Chief People Officer and Martin Walsh, DGS(P).  Crucially, the JS contains a strong reference to the ER/IR Reset programme and this is in keeping with the following paragraph from Emergency Motion E1 at this year’s Postal Conference:

“Ensuring that at the heart of the CFG programme is the recognition that the Reset of ER/IR is of paramount importance to improving relationships in the workplace.”

The Joint Statement recognises that people’s behaviour must improve where it is inappropriate and to do this requires coaching, training and of course time, and along with the wider key messages associated with CFG, this will help to ensure that the principles enshrined within the JS are followed by all.  The JS acknowledges that bad behaviour is a factor within some workplaces, but that together we will strive, through educational means, to address legitimate concerns that might have been normalised in times gone by to create workplaces across Royal Mail that are inclusive, welcoming, and safe.

The first meeting of the SNSC is on Thursday 23^rd July and further developments on the wider CFG programme will be communicated as we move forward together with Royal Mail on this important activity, which complements the ER/IR Reset programme.  Branches and Reps are urged to ensure the attached JS is shared widely amongst our members.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh      

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)                                                                   

Andy Furey                    

Assistant Secretary

LTB 202/26 – RM Change for Good – Joint Statement

LTB 202/26 – Change for Good_TRIPARTY STATEMENT_July 2026

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USO Deployment Agreement – Part-Time Employee Scoping Exercise – Next Steps

Dear Colleagues,

Further to LTBs 147/26 and 160/26 regarding the USO Delivery Scoping Exercise, which outlined that all RM employees would have the option to express their interest in the following options:

1. Increasing Part-Time (PT) contracted hours where available at their current office;
2. Increasing PT contracted hours and voluntarily moving to another office where there is a vacancy;
3. Moving to another office on a voluntary basis where there is a vacancy.

As a result, circa 9,000 employees responded to the scoping exercise and the business confirmed that both parties will now jointly use this information to support the people changes within USO reform.

All details of employees wishing to increase PT contracted hours will be supplied to COMs to assist with local planning. This will be used alongside 1-2-1 conversations to ensure all PT colleagues have had the opportunity to share their aspirations before processes are followed to make changes determined by the duty pattern vote and the temporary matching / repick activity.

For employees wishing to voluntarily transfer to another office, the business compared preferences against planned recruitment plans and are able to start conversations with those circa 900 colleagues. These conversations will start immediately, with the process that will be followed involving both the COMs from the current office and the office with the vacancy. The details of the role will be shared with the employee wishing to make the voluntary transfer and then, should they wish to proceed, a formal offer will be sent directly to them. The plan is that voluntary moves will happen within a 28-day period and all employees will be supported if there are any concerns with the process.

In addition, both parties have agreed that the Scoping Exercise will be reopened in the next few weeks to allow employees in delivery to continue sharing their preferences as DM26 progresses through the deployment plan. Likewise, both parties have committed to jointly use our learning from this exercise to work together on reviewing and improving the existing business as usual internal transfer process.

Any enquiries relating to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, email address: Pharacz@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Bouch

Assistant Secretary

LTB 201/26 – USO Agreement – Part Time Employee Scoping Exercise – Next Steps

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Royal Mail Group: Hybrid Working Policy – Decision to Impose Four Day Working in the Workplace

Further to LTB 180/26 dated 22^ndJune.

It is fully recognised that Royal Mail’s unilateral decision to impose four-day working in the workplaces is highly unpopular amongst some of our Admin members and this has been demonstrated by the level of correspondence received from Branches and directly from members in the last couple of weeks.  Without exception, the complaints centre on the domestic upheaval being created by management, which we believe to be utterly unnecessary, as there wasn’t a problem with the current arrangements.

The purpose of this LTB is for Reps and Branches to share this information with members who have raised objections to the actions of Royal Mail.  For the avoidance of any doubt, the Union put forward a robust argument to Royal Mail, making it abundantly clear that their actions would be very badly received by our Admin members. Unfortunately, RM were not prepared to listen to our arguments, even though they fully understood that their actions would be extremely contentious with our Admin members who have worked hybrid arrangements for many years now.

To put this matter into perspective, the Union does not have a Collective Agreement in relation to hybrid working, with the vast majority of these arrangements being introduced as a result of the pandemic in 2020/21.  It is however recognised that some members worked from home prior to this, with the full support of their managers.  Senior management’s attitude in regard to this matter is to hide behind the contract of employment, which stipulates that members are required to attend a place of work and additionally, management argue that the hybrid working arrangements were always discretionary.

In the absence of a Collective Agreement surrounding these matters, RM is proceeding as planned, although management have confirmed there is a degree of flexibility around the introduction date as it is recognised that childcare arrangements will have already been made by our members for the school summer holidays.

Members are advised that if the changes to the hybrid arrangements are problematic for them personally, they should consider applying for Flexible Working Arrangements (RM’s Working Arrangements Policy attached) via their line manager and seek support from their local CWU Representative if required.  There is also an appeals process if the request is rejected by the manager.  Also, I can see no good reason why members should not be able to lodge a Raising Concern if it is felt that local management are being unreasonable in their rejection of Flexible Working Arrangements.

In essence, despite the union’s best endeavours, Royal Mail has made an executive decision to move from three days in the office to four, and this decision was conveyed in a wider business communication from Alistair Cochrane, CEO.  It needs to be emphasised that we did challenge the rationale behind this change and it is disappointing that Royal Mail has not been prepared to listen to our legitimate concerns and is pressing ahead regardless of the frustrations felt by many of our members.  In these circumstances, the advice above should be considered and actioned where appropriate.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary 

Attachment 1: LTB200.26 RM Group – Hybrid Working Policy – Four Day Working in the Workplace

Attachment 2: Att. to LTB200.26 – RM Working Arrangements Procedure

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ROYAL MAIL: FINANCIAL WELLBEING; SALARY ADVANCE

Royal Mail is today launching a new facility for monthly paid employees that allows for salary advances, which may be welcomed by some members when facing temporary financial difficulties.  All monies advanced will be paid back via payroll at the next salary; therefore essentially this is simply an advance of salary and is not linked to a Salary Sacrifice product, which would be paid back via instalments, and it doesn’t have an impact on the minimum wage.  Disappointingly, we have been informed the new product is not available for RMPFSL employees.

Branches and Reps are advised that there has been no meaningful engagement on this matter, and Royal Mail simply appraised us of their planned actions and as such did not seek our formal agreement.  However, it would be fair to say that this employee benefit may enable our members to avoid the high cost of payday loans, unapproved overdrafts with excessive bank charges and of course unscrupulous loan sharks.  As many members live hand to mouth and won’t have any savings to fall back on, this facility is welcomed.

There is a small transaction fee of £1.69 for accessing this product, and practically, the employee checks their eligibility via the new “Salary Finance” App and can access up to 50% of what they’ve earned in the last month.  The monies are usually available within minutes. The attached slides and “Your Wellbeing” publicity materials that can also be accessed via the Robin App or through My Bundle+ provide further details.

The example given by management as to a potential need for an urgent salary advance was an employee’s boiler packing up and with it the cost of calling out a service engineer and of course the cost of replacement parts, which can’t wait until the next pay date in the depths of winter.

Going forward, it will be necessary for us to understand the ongoing take-up of salary advances, and I will engage with Royal Mail for them to provide us with statistics and to undertake a trend analysis to see which grades avail themselves of this facility.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

Attachment 1: LTB198.26 RM – Financial Wellbeing – Salary Advance

Attachment 2: 1. Slides – Salary Advance; CWU briefing – 7 July

Attachment 3: 2. Your Wellbeing – Salary Finance Overview_2026_July – Final

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RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) – 6^th July to 12^th July 2026 (RMG Dog Attack Statistics, CWU Members’ Handout & Carousel Slides)

Dear Colleagues,

Further to LTB 184/26 and 191/26 issued over the past few weeks covering the Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW), which is the joint annual event where important messages are communicated to emphasise the ongoing safety risk of dog attacks within Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

Whilst this year’s DAW has now drawn to a close, please find below the following materials, which are being issued to continue to highlight the key messages around Dog Awareness throughout the year.

Dog Attacks – Statistics 2025 to 2026

Attached to this LTB is an Excel File which provides dog attack information by postcode areas across the UK, covering the years of (March) 2013/14 up to the latest figures for (March) 2025/26. The file highlights fluctuation in reported attacks by postcode areas over the past thirteen years.

Whilst recognising all of the joint RMG and CWU ongoing work and activity aimed at dog attack prevention, and the slight reduction in overall dog attacks this year, where reported attacks fell to 2,019 compared to the 2,197 dog attacks last year. The facts remain that dog attacks continue to be a major safety hazard and concern for all our members in RMG and across all areas of the UK.

CWU Members’ Handout 

Also attached is a CWU members’ handout, which serves as an opportunity to remind all members who perform deliveries and collections in both Royal Mail and Parcelforce of wider and all-year-round Dog Awareness messages.

This member’s handout, in both Word and PDF formats, will allow for relevant Branch and Area Safety Representatives (ASRs) contact details to be added.

CWU Carousel Slides

The final attachment is a Zip File of some further CWU carousel slides, 4 in total, which were issued via the CWU Communication Department on social media platforms and linked to this year’s Dog Awareness Week. These slides are being shared for onward use by Branches and Safety Reps, and to again support Dog Awareness as an all-year-round message.

In closing, it is right to place on record our thanks and appreciation to all our Reps, Branches and Safety Forums for their continuing work undertaken not just during Dog Awareness Week, but throughout the year, and in this vital area of seeking to reduce dog attacks and incidents on our members within Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

Any enquiries to this LTB should be referred to the DGS(P) Department email address: Hford@cwu.org/ACorbett@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 199-26 – RMG DAW Dog Attack Statistics, CWU Members’ Handout, Carousel Slides

Dog Attacks – Statistics 2025 to 2026 Postcode – by no. of incidents

Dog Awareness – CWU Members Handout July_26

Dog Awareness – CWU Members Handout July_26

08753 dog awareness 4

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BRANCH BEST PRACTICE FOR THE NOMINATION PROCESS TO BE CONDUCTED FOR FIELD OFFICIAL ELECTIONS

Branches will recall the Branch ballot procedures circulated in LTB 230/25 on 24 October 2025. Whilst Branch Officers and Committees shall establish rules governing the conduct of elections, this documentation provided clarification in certain areas.

Given the number of elections being held each year the number of complaints and issues arising remains minimal, however an issue has come to light in terms of the nomination process for Field Official elections. This relates to the nationally advertised window for nominations and the completion of the Branch process within the allotted timescale.

This matter was considered by the NEC at a meeting on 24 June 2026 and to provide uniformity in this area, as well as clear guidance to Branches, the attached (below) best practice process was endorsed, to be adopted going forward.

Any enquiries should be addressed to dwilshire@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

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BRANCH BEST PRACTICE FOR THE NOMINATION PROCESS TO BE CONDUCTED FOR FIELD OFFICIAL ELECTIONS

Listed below are the steps Branches must adopt when the Branch nomination process is held for Field Official elections:

• An LTB will be circulated from CWUHQ advising of the opening and closing dates for nomination from Branches.
• Without undue delay branches are then to hold a properly constituted Branch meeting within these dates to agree the nomination(s) to be put forward to CWUHQ by the closing date for nominations advertised in the LTB.
• A time and date for the properly constituted Branch meeting is to be agreed between the Branch Secretary and Chair, or their deputies where either are on leave etc.
• A notice of the meeting should be advertised reasonably in advance to the appropriate membership through all the normal Branch communication channels.
• The meeting notice must state the business of the meeting in terms of the elections being held and state that nominations are being sought, as well as making clear the meeting will agree the number of nominations to be put forward by the Branch and who is nominated.
• The meeting notice must also stipulate the closing time and date for nominations and make it clear that after this time and date no further nominations will be accepted.
• The meeting will agree how many nominations will be put forward from the Branch. This may be all the nominations received, or a limited number.
• If the decision is taken to put forward less nominations from the Branch than the number of forms considered, a vote will be held at the meeting by a show of hands to determine the names that will be sent to CWUHQ.
• Prior to the vote being held each candidate will be allowed to speak for a maximum of three minutes in support of their nomination.
• The result of the vote will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting together with the name(s) of those who have been nominated for the position(s).
• Nomination forms for the Branch nominee(s) will not be signed by the relevant Branch Officials until after the meeting has concluded.

The provisions above apply equally to Section Committee meetings where the election relates only to Section members and in advance, the Branch Committee has taken a decision for the Section to deal with the election nominations independently. In such cases the Sectional decision must come back to the Branch Committee for ratification.

LTB 197/26 – BRANCH BEST PRACTICE FOR THE NOMINATION PROCESS TO BE CONDUCTED FOR FIELD OFFICIAL ELECTIONS

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National Equality Event – Wednesday 23^rd and Thursday 24^th September 2026

We are pleased to confirm that this year’s National Equality Event will take place as follows:

Date:               Wednesday 23^rd and Thursday 24^th September 2026

Venue:            The Grand Hotel Leicester
                        73 Granby Street
                        Leicester
                        LE1 6ES

Times:            The event will start with registration on the 23^rd September between 12:00 and 13:00 and will finish no later than 16:00 on the 24^thSeptember.

Given the nature of the event, Branches are asked to give priority in the first instance to representatives who have responsibility for roles linked to equality, however, our industrial representatives are also very welcome to join us.

Please note that Branches are responsible for delegates’ travel and authorised expenditure for this event.

The agenda will be shared nearer the day but in the meantime, we would ask that Branches confirm their delegation details and any accessibility requirements no later than 7^th September by emailing equality&education@cwu.org

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 21^st August 2026.

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 emailing events.thegrand@the-ascott.com

Please quote Block ID 27452625 when calling or emailing

Accommodation rates: (Rates for nights of Tuesday 22^nd and Wednesday 23^rd September 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.

Rooms will be held at this rate until Friday 21^st August 2026 after which time they will be released and the preferential rate will not be available.

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. 

We look forward to seeing you in Leicester.

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 196/26 – National Equality Event 23rd 24th September 2026

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ROYAL MAIL: WINDING UP THE RMDCP SCHEME – TRANSFER OF MEMBER ASSETS TO LEGAL AND GENERAL MASTERTRUST IN JULY 2026 

Further to LTB 115/26 dated 20^th April 2026. Branches and Representatives are reminded that the Royal Mail Defined Contribution Plan (RMDCP) is winding up, with all savings/assets invested moving from Scottish Widows to the Legal & General Mastertrust from July 2026.

Update – Transfer Progressing as Planned

The transfer to L&G is progressing as intended and is now in the asset transition stage of the project. The assets and member data will be transferred in three tranches with the final tranche transferring in late July.  Further information on the transfer can be found by accessing: www.legalandgeneral.com/rmdcp

Welcome letters from L&G will be sent, also in three tranches, by the end of August, with tranche 1 including those members closest to retirement. The welcome letter will contain a QR code, making it easy for members to download the L&G app and access their account to check their pension value, view and update personal details, manage pension investments, access documents and update their beneficiaries.

We continue to engage with the scheme operators and will make any necessary representations as and when issues or concerns occur.  That said, it would appear the transfer and the transition are proceeding as planned and previously communicated so everything seems to be on track which provides us with a high degree of confidence regarding this change.

If you have any queries relating to this LTB please contact snicholas@cwu.org or hmaughan@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary 

LTB195.26 Royal Mail -Winding up the RMDCP Scheme – Transfer of Member Assets to Legal and General Masterust in July 2026

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THE CRISIS IN GAZA – CWU/CWUHA APPEAL – UPDATE

Further to LTB 135/25, we are updating Branches and Regions on the CWU/CWUHA National Gaza Appeal. To date, the appeal has raised over £20,000 from branches, CWU Head Office, and CWU Humanitarian Aid.

We are pleased to confirm that, since the launch, CWUHA has formalised a partnership with UK-Med and looks forward to this collaboration directly supporting the people of Gaza.

Attached is a report from CWUHA outlining the use of funds and providing further details about the partnership with UK-Med.

Finally, we would ask and encourage those branches who have not yet donated to now consider supporting the appeal.

Donations should be sent to:

CWU Humanitarian Aid
Unity Bank
S/C: 60-83-01
Acc No: 20031169
Ref: Gaza Appeal

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Carl Webb at cawebb@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
GENERAL SECRETARY

26LTB194 THE CRISIS IN GAZA CWU CWUHA APPEAL UPDATE

The Crisis in Gaza – Special Report

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Election of National Representative Positions – 2026

•  CWU Retired Members Committee (2026-2028)

 The NEC has agreed the 2026 election arrangements for the National positions listed above.

Accordingly, please find attached the Nomination Form and Regulations.

Nomination

Although Branches can nominate as many candidates as they wish, candidates must have the nomination of their own Branch.

Nominations must have been approved by a properly constituted Branch Meeting.

Dispatch and Return of Nomination Forms to CWU HQ

Nomination forms will be sent to branches electronically (attached to this LTB) and branches should return completed nomination forms to elections@cwu.org

Nomination forms will need to be returned by the advertised closing date to be included in the list of candidates

Dispatch and Return of Ballot Papers

The respective constituency based ballot papers will be sent by email direct to branches at the email address which we hold on file.  Branches should return the completed ballot papers by email to the advertised CWU election email address elections@cwu.org   Notification will be sent to branches confirming receipt of the ballot paper.  It will be the responsibility of the branch to ensure that the ballot papers are returned to the correct email address.

To be included in the ballot, ballot papers will need to be returned by the advertised closing date and time and be received to the advertised email address.

Election Timetable and Term of Office

The elections timetable for the above will be as follows:

• Nominations Open : 9 July 2026
• Nominations Close : 30 July (14.00)
• Despatch Ballot Papers : 6 August 2026
• Ballot Closes: 27 August 2026 (14.00)

Branches will wish to note that the term of office for the 2026 Retired Members Committee will run from 28 August 2026 for a 2 year period.

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be sent by email to lparrett@cwu.org or by telephone on 0208 971 7222.

Yours sincerely,

D Ward
General Secretary

LTB 193/26 – Election of National Representative Positions – CWU Retired Members Committee (2026-2028)

Attachment 1 – RMC Election Regulations 2026

Attachment 2 – RMC-Biographical-and-Consent-Form

Attachment 3 – RMC-Nomination-Form

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