POST OFFICE: COVID PANDEMIC MEASURES – JOINT STATEMENT

Branches are advised that Post Office, CWU and Unite are continuing to work together to ensure that all Post Office workplaces are as Covid-secure as possible.

Following the announcement from the Government regarding the easing of COVID restrictions and in order to proceed with caution to ensure a safe working environment, we have jointly reviewed the ways of working and safety measures in the workplace and have agreed:

• The wearing of face coverings will remain and social distancing will continue within all workplaces
• Customers will continue to be encouraged to wear face coverings and social distance on the public side of the counter
• Post Office will continue to stock and have available on request the Lateral Flow Tests for all Post Office workers
• Despite regulations being different in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, guidance for Post Office workers remains the same for the four countries.

The following Joint Statement has been agreed:

JOINT STATEMENT POST OFFICE, CWU AND UNITE

COVID 19 Update

Following the announcement from the Government regarding the lifting of COVID restrictions we wanted to provide you all with an update. The Post Office, CWU and Unite are continuing to work together to ensure we prioritise making the workplace as Covid-secure as possible.  

Whilst the Government have stated that face coverings no longer need to be worn indoors, we still need to ensure that the Health, Safety and Wellbeing of colleagues is still our number one priority. 

It is important we take a safe and cautious approach and avoid risk and complacency as restrictions are eased, therefore the use of relevant PPE and social distancing remains compulsory to help protect one another. Posters will shortly be displayed in branch strongly encouraging customers to continue to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing also. 

We also need to be mindful that the regulations are different in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which is why our guidance remains the same. 

We will of course carefully monitor all related developments from Government and communicate these accordingly.  

Colleagues should carry on following good practices such as keeping hands clean and ensure that social distancing is adhered to in spaces such as small meeting/rest rooms.  This will help us to reduce the likelihood of colleagues being asked to self-isolate due to close contact with a colleague who tests positive. Lateral flow test kits are also still available, and we would encourage you to still use these. Control measures as per the current risk assessments should also continue.

If you are unsure or need further clarification on the above, please speak to your manager or union rep who will advise you.  You can also find further details on the Hub Coronavirus microsite.

Russell Hancock                        Phil Savage                                               Andy Furey

Supply Chain Director              Unite the Union                                            CWU Assistant Secretary

Post Office                                                               

Steve Blampied

Head of DMB Network

Post Office

Further developments will be communicated as and when they occur.Finally I would like to thank Lynn Simpson Postal Executive member who has continued to engage with management on all Covid-19 related issues, including the associated Joint Statement.

Andy Furey

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 299/21 – Post Office – Covid Pandemic Measures – Joint Statement

View Online

TRIAL OF PARCEL COLLECT “BRING MY LABEL” TERMS OF REFERENCE

As Branches are aware, Royal Mail faces an increasingly competitive landscape both in the letters and parcels market. The future success of Royal Mail is dependent upon the ability to offer customers products that meet current and future needs, excellent customer and quality of service, and value for money. Royal Mail and CWU are jointly committed to securing this objective by working together to understand and achieve industry leading performance in all aspects of delivery and collection.

Having launched the Parcel Collect product in October 2020 Royal Mail is seeking to grow the product through service improvements.  One of the areas that we jointly want to look at is the provision of labels for customers purchasing Parcel Collect so that it is accessible to customers who do not have a home printer.  Parcelforce already offers this service but it is not widely available in the market, so will be an attractive proposition.

Royal Mail & the CWU are seeking to conduct to test this capability in 4 Delivery Offices: Bath, Cheltenham, Doncaster and Newton Mearns.

These offices were selected because they have had a steady demand for the Parcel Collect service, have experienced few service failures, and to have a North-South geographical split to also include an office in Scotland. The trial will run from 2^ndAugust until 29^th January inclusive.

The trial will not be a fully scalable solution, as this would require further investment in technology, so it will be based on our Indoor Delivery colleagues having access to the RM Click and Drop Admin Portal to print off labels, rather than this being automatically downloaded each day onto one of the Delivery Office systems.

Aims

The aim of the trial is to test the market appetite for a parcel collection service where we bring the label to the customer, negating the requirement for a home printer.  We also need the feedback of both our Indoor and Outdoor colleagues to understand:

• What parts of the design work well?
• What could be improved upon?
• What equipment/technical improvements would be required if we wanted to roll this out Nationally?

The Trial will include the following measures, expanded details of which can be found in the Terms of Reference:

• Any significant difficulties during the course of the trial which prevent us from offering the service in one or all of the Postcode Areas, areas can be “switched off” individually on the Portal (in the event of a force majeure or any other disruption).
• RM & CWU will jointly take feedback from our frontline colleagues throughout the trial and also by means of a survey at the end of it the outputs of which will be shared and communicated within the trial sites.
• End of trial survey for customers  
• An Industrial Engineer will conduct a method study comparing the current process and the proof of concept trial process in order to establish the workload task time.
• Training 
• Involvement 
• Any operational changes required to facilitate the trial arrangements will be progressed in line with the IR Framework.
• Review throughout and at the end of the trial 

The Postal Executive Committee endorsed the Trial and associated Terms of Reference, with communication as early as possible being our aim to give the trial areas as much time as possible to prepare.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 230.03, email address: njones@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

 Mark Baulch                                                                                              

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 297/21 – TRIAL OF PARCEL COLLECT “BRING MY LABEL” TERMS OF REFERENCE

Attachment: TOR RM and CWU Parcel Collect (Bring My Label) Trial V1

View Online

ROYAL MAIL: PATHWAY TO CHANGE AGREEMENT – DELIVERING THE SHORTER WORKING WEEK FOR LA GRADES IN OPERATIONS

Branches are advised that we have now concluded all of our Pathway to Change Shorter Working Week Agreements for Business Units/Corporate Centre/Group for our Admin members.  These include:

• Address Management Unit
• Customer Experience
• Downstream Access
• Finance Services
• HR Strategy & Services
• MDEC
• National Returns Centre
• Special Events, Assets & Peak Planning
• Stamps & Collectibles

In respect of LAs designated to Operations and therefore attached to Mail centres or Delivery Offices, the National Agreement reached means these members are aligned to the OPGs and therefore should receive the Shorter Working Week benefit simultaneously to the uniform grades in their workplace.  This includes those LAs working in Revenue Protection.

If there is any questions over these arrangements, please do not hesitate to contact me via Lea Sheridan lsheridan@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

LTB 296/21 – Royal Mail – Pathway to Change Agreement – Delivering the SWW for LA Grades in Operations

View Online

ROYAL MAIL: PATHWAY TO CHANGE AGREEMENT: DELIVERING THE SHORTER WORKING WEEK IN STAMPS & COLLECTIBLES

I am pleased to advise Branches and our members working in the Stamps & Collectibles unit in Tallents House, Edinburgh that following discussions with management, an agreement has been reached with regards to delivering the Shorter Working Week from Monday 26^th July.

The following Joint Statement outlines our agreed position:

Pathway to Change Agreement – Delivering the Shorter Working Week and Improving our Customer Offer

The Stamps & Collectibles team in Customer Experience and CWU are working together to develop mutual interest solutions and a new culture, which is at the core of the commitments contained in our National agreements, including the Key Principles Framework Agreement (Pathway to Change).

We’ll be reducing your working week by one hour and we expect this to be achieved through 12-minute alterations to duty start times. Work is already underway to implement this reduction by Monday 26th July. Part time employees will benefit from a commensurate increase in their hourly pay rate from the same date. Due to payroll cut off dates any changes in pay will be reflected in August salaries (backdated to 26th July). We expect HR PSP system changes to be live from mid-August for full time employees.

To enable the Shorter Working Week, recognising changing customer demand and the need for timely despatch of orders, we’ve agreed that following a joint review, a new set of attendance patterns will be deployed by Monday 20th September. This activity is important in delivering the broader Royal Mail plan of providing an improved service to customers.

Change of any kind takes time to fully discuss and agree, and we’re committed to driving transformation that benefits both the customer and you. We’ll enable your Reps, and the working group in Tallents House to propose and discuss new attendance pattern options. This could mean that some of the work you complete, or your hours of attendance may change in the future, please be assured that all decisions will be made together in a measured and pragmatic way. Changes in shift could unlock opportunities for alternative duty patterns and fewer attendance days across the week. As a business we must continue to change and adapt; and we believe this plan will strike a good balance between improving your Terms and Conditions and focussing on our customers’ changing needs.

Gerry will ensure updates you are kept informed as our discussions progress.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication helping deliver for our customers every day.

Susan Howlett                                                                  Andy Furey

CE Director                                                                       CWU Assistant Secretary

As Branches will note, as a consequence of reaching an agreement for delivering the hour off the working week, we have agreed that a duty revision in the Unit will take place with a planned introduction of Monday 20th September.  Our local Reps, working in tandem with a Joint Working Group will report back to Andy Hopping, Postal Executive member on a regular basis to ensure the revision will be delivered on time.  In this regard, it should be noted there is no headcount reduction proposed and the revision solely relates to attendance times, which management are keen to align to the enhanced customer service offer

Finally, I wish to extend my thanks to Andy Hopping for his support in helping to bring this matter to a positive conclusion.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

LTB 295/21 – Royal Mail – Pathway to Change Agreement – Delivering the SWW Week in Stamps and Collectibles

View Online

POST OFFICE: THE FUTURE OF THE CROWN NETWORK – JOINT STATEMENT

The purpose of this LTB is to update branches on positive progress we have made in recent discussions with Post Office on the future of the Crown network and to publicise the attached Joint Statement that we have now agreed and which has been endorsed by the Postal Executive.

As branches will know there are currently 114 Crown offices, down from 373 in 2012, after successive closure and franchise programmes have been carried out by Post Office.  Over the past year, while our members working in Crown offices have provided a vital service as “key workers” in keeping the service running, we have been working with both the Government and Post Office to try to agree a fresh approach and a new strategy to try to secure the future of the network.  This has been particularly important as income across the network has sharply declined over this period.

Meetings have been held with Government Ministers and Post Office management, including the CEO Nick Read, and we have put forward a number of new proposals for improving the financial position of Crown offices that we want to work on.  We have also been in discussion with local and devolved governments about opportunities for providing new services and new ways they can support local branches.

As a result of this work, we have agreed a Joint Statement which sets out a commitment from Post Office to a period of talks over the next six months until the end of this year, to:

• jointly explore alternatives to franchising including new ways of growing revenues and reducing costs
• and exploring the possibility for entirely new operating models that can continue to provide job security for our members.

To facilitate this dialogue, Post Office has committed to a fresh moratorium on further closures/franchising, which will run until at least 31^st December 2021.

Alongside this, we have agreed to a limited VR exercise under MTSF, for a maximum of 120 Crown office staff, to immediately improve the financial position of the network, which has unfortunately seen a fall of more than 25% in income over the past year compared to pre-pandemic levels.  Further detailed communications on this exercise will be provided to members working in Crown offices via Andy Furey, Assistant Secretary.

While the Joint Statement is a commitment to talks and there is a lot of work we still need to undertake to try to reach a long-term agreement, we believe this is a significant and positive development given that Post Office has unilaterally pursued a closure and franchise programme without meaningfully engaging with the union for a number of years.  The Joint Statement represents a clear shift in this position and it provides a period of stability for our members and an important opportunity for us to make the case for an alternative approach.  We will need to shift our focus and attention to build on this and we will shortly be undertaking work with our Regional Secretaries to pursue opportunities with local and devolved Governments.

Further developments and progress on talks will be reported in due course. Any queries on industrial issues related to this LTB should be directed to the C&CH department at lsheridan@cwu.org and any queries on the union’s political engagement on this should be directed to the General Secretary’s office at jdunn@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward                         
General Secretary         

Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (P)

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB 286/21 – Post Office – The Future of the Crown Network – Joint Statement

Attachment: Joint Statement

View Online

Average Pay on Annual Leave (Holiday Pay) in Royal Mail Group – Branch Ballot Result and Next Steps

Further to LTB 243/21 circulated on 15^th June 2021, Branches and Representatives will be aware that the Branch ballot for the proposed Agreement for Average Pay on Annual Leave (Holiday Pay) in Royal Mail Group closed at 12:00 hours today.  The results are as follows:

Ballot papers issued                                         100

Ballot papers returned                                      76

Total possible votes                                          111, 806

In favour of the proposed agreement:               98,653 votes

Against the proposed agreement:                     3,798 votes

The Postal Executive recommendation has therefore been agreed and the proposed Agreement has been accepted.  The business will be informed accordingly.

Further to the Reps Brief that was circulated to Representatives and Branches on 22^nd June 2021 and the Frequently Asked Questions document communicated on 25^thJune 2021 that both listed the broad monthly dates for the first interim qualifying period, it has now been confirmed that the dates in the second qualifying period for the interim payment calculations are:

27^th September 2021 to 31^st October (Period 7)

1^st November to 28^th November (Period 8)

29^th November to 26^th December (Period 9)

27^th December to 30^th January (Period 10)

31^st January 2021 to 27^th February 2022 (Period 11)

28^th February to 27^th March 2022 (Period 12)

Additionally, Branches will be aware of the issue that was raised in relation to pre-scheduled overtime hours being paid at scheduled attendance rate throughout the peak Christmas period.  This topic has proven to be extremely complex and national talks have continued in order to seek an agreed resolution for how those hours are factored into the qualification process of the back pay calculation and the qualifying periods going forward.

Despite some progress being made, there is still no agreement regarding this matter and further updates will be provided to Branches in relation to this aspect as soon as possible.

In terms of those members who have a holiday pay claim registered at the Employment Tribunal, the Department are in discussions with Tony Rupa and Legal Services to confirm the process for sending an individual letter containing a ‘Confirmation of Instruction’ form as well as the details for the reply to be sent. This letter will initially be sent to those within England and Wales with registered claims, followed by members in Scotland and Northern Ireland and any payment of arrears of holiday pay (back pay) under the national agreement are conditional upon the member withdrawing their Employment Tribunal. As advised in LTB 245/21 issued on 17^thJune 2021, the Union will not provide legal support and assistance to the remainder.

I closing I would again like to thank all Branches and Representatives for the work they have completed to ensure that an acceptable national agreement has been concluded as well as those members who have pursued individual claims.  I would also like to thank Branches for taking part in the democratic process to ensure the agreement has been endorsed.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 294/21 – Average Pay on Annual Leave (Holiday Pay) in Royal Mail Group Branch Ballot Result and next steps

View Online

CWU Submission to Ofcom Review of Postal Regulation – Call for Inputs

The CWU has made the attached submission to Ofcom on its Review of Postal Regulation – Call for inputs. 

In March this year Ofcom launched an extensive review of postal regulation to ensure that it keeps pace with market changes and remains fit for purpose.  The review will continue for approximately one year, and will determine Ofcom’s overall approach to postal regulation for the five years from 2022 to 2027.  The Call for inputs represents the first phase of this process and there are no policy proposals from Ofcom at this stage. 

The CWU’s submission emphasises the importance of securing the universal postal service through growth and innovation rather than cost cutting.  It calls for adjustments to postal regulation to meet the evolving needs of postal users, including an extension of parcel delivery to six days under the universal service obligation (USO). 

The submission also underlines the CWU’s concerns about labour market exploitation and environmental standards in the postal market, and the need for regulation to support better corporate social responsibility across the sector.  We argue that Royal Mail’s commitments to invest in decent labour and environmental standards must not be treated as cost inefficient in comparison with low cost postal competitors.  We urge Ofcom to take a lead in addressing these issues, and to push for more powers and duties in this area if necessary.

The CWU’s submission has been drawn up in close collaboration with the General Secretary’s Department and the Postal Department, and was endorsed by the NEC in June.  In preparing the document, the CWU held meetings with Royal Mail to explore the potential impact of regulation on the business and to identify areas of common interest. 

It is welcome that the CWU and Royal Mail are aligned in many of our priorities for postal regulation, especially around the need for regulation to support the universal postal service and to fully recognise the efficiency improvements that Royal Mail has delivered with the cooperation of its workforce.  Royal Mail has also called on Ofcom to address social and environmental issues in the postal sector.  It is also helpful that the Post Office has contributed to the review and is aligned with the CWU on some key issues, in particular the importance of safeguarding the universal service.

Ofcom will consider the responses to its ‘Call for inputs’ before publishing a full consultation on the future regulation of postal services later this year.  The CWU will also engage with this next stage of the process and will keep Branches updated accordingly.  The review will then conclude in 2022. 

The CWU’s submission has been published on Ofcom’s website alongside other responses to this consultation, including those from Royal Mail and the Post Office, at the following link:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/postal-regulation-review

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the Head of Research (email: btaylor@cwu.org).

Yours sincerely

Bill Taylor

Head of Research

Bill Taylor

LTB 293/21 – CWU submission to Ofcom Review of Postal Regulation – CFI

Attachment – CWU Response to Ofcom Royal Mail Regulatory Review CFI 20 May 2021

View Online

Pathway to Change – Dispute Resolution Procedure and Amended Achieving Agreement Form

Further to LTB 199/21 circulated on 13^th May 2021, this correspondence is to advise Branches and Representatives that there has been a further amendment agreed with Royal Mail to the introductory section of the Achieving Agreement Form.

Branches will see from the attached that an additional bullet point as a key message has been added under Reaching Local Agreement Principles.  This relates to identifying whether a national agreement(s) is relevant to the disagreement and then making reference to the relevant part(s).

This point had initially been identified as part of the joint review work and recommendations that were originally completed as part of the joint commitment under Section Six of the Four Pillars Agreement but had been reviewed again following the endorsement of the Pathway to Change Agreement.  Due to the timing of the review, it was not possible to include this additional point in the previous Achieving Agreement Form.

The business are also communicating this further change through their channels and confirming to their managers that the attached Achieving Agreement Form will now be the version in use.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 292/21 – Pathway to Change – Dispute Resolution Procedure and Amended Achieving Agreement Form

Attachment to LTB 292-21 Achieving Local Agreement Template July 21v2

View Online

On the BBC’s Decision to End the Free TV Licence Fee ‘Grace Period’ for Over 75s.


The National Pensioners’ Convention is concerned to learn that the BBC will end its ‘licence fee grace period’ for over-75s on 31 July with 260,000 pensioners still yet to pay.

The right to a free TV licence for that age group ended last August for all, except those in receipt of the Pension Credit benefit. We understand that the BBC will issue letters urging those still to pay to do so as soon as possible – and that there will be “customer care visits” to pensioners’ homes this autumn.

The NPC has always believed that the free TV licence for over 75s is a government responsibility – an entitlement to compensate for the low state pension – and that Prime Minister Boris Johnson should take back its administration. 

Commenting on the BBC announcement of the end of the grace period, Jan Shortt, NPC General Secretary said:

“We are disappointed to hear that at the end of July the BBC have decided to end the period of grace for those over 75s who still need to pay their TV licence fee.

“This was always somewhat inevitable given the government’s inability to engage with organisations like the NPC to ensure that the responsibility for the funding of the free TV licence goes back to where it belongs – with them. 

“Social welfare is not the prerogative of the BBC – it is the absolute, unequivocal duty of the government to maintain universal pensioner entitlements like the TV licence, the bus pass and winter fuel allowance. 

“The NPC is worried that among those still to pay their licence fee, will be frail and vulnerable people who simply cannot afford it, or who don’t know or understand how to pay – especially with many still frightened to go out, even after their Covid-19 vaccinations. It is concerning that this age group of people could find themselves being put through the stressful court process. 

“‘Customer care’ visits must be undertaken with extreme care and understanding. We urge the government to step in and stop all of this from happening. 

“With pensioner poverty increasing, the NPC has always been concerned that those who are just above the Pension Credit threshold will potentially fall into poverty. Already, these are the individuals making daily choices about the priorities on which they spend their money. Having to find money for a TV licence is just one more call on their limited resources. 

“Pensioner poverty will not be resolved by Pension Credit alone. The NPC campaigns for a decent state pension for all set at 70% of the National Living Wage and uprated by the triple lock on an annual basis. This is affordable in a society that is still one of the wealthiest countries in the economically developed world.”

NPC Statement on end of Covid-19 Restrictions.

PM says we will see more deaths
NPC asks ‘have we not had too many already?’

Many older and vulnerable people will be afraid to go out after July 19th ‘free-for-all’
The UK’s biggest campaigning organisation for older people is concerned that the easing of Covid-19 restrictions on July 19th could make many fearful about going out again.
The National Pensioners’ Convention says while we all long for a return to normality, the new Health Secretary Sajid Javid’s statement that we could have up to 100,000 new cases of Coronavirus per day by summer is frightening.
The NPC also fears the 50 deaths a day being projected by many health experts due to the ending of restrictions, are once again likely to be among our oldest and most vulnerable.
Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the NPC commented: “The Prime Minister has already said that infections will rise, and that we will see more deaths – have we not had too many already?
“We urge the government to give clear guidance on keeping safe, including the wearing of masks in public places and on public transport for the good of everyone.”
She added: “Many older people are concerned and worried about the message from the government on ending lockdown. The ‘free-for-all’ depicted in the information from government sources is making older people (and potentially others in society) anxious about going out into crowds and being targeted because they are either wearing a mask or not.
“Those of us who are happy with the new freedoms must respect people who have good reasons to want to be part of society again but feel the need to still take precautions. Their fears should be understood and respected.’
Jan added: “It seems this government cannot be clear on any question of safety for the population with the expectation that everyone will take responsibility for themselves.
There are many areas of concern for the NPC, none more so than the safety of those older people who may need to travel on buses or trains, venture into crowded shops and walk down crowded streets.
“The fact that second vaccinations are rising is only one part of keeping the infections at bay. Other protections, like wearing a face mask, washing your hands and respecting a bit of social distancing are still needed.”