CAPITA TVL: MEMBERS ENDORSE 2020 PAY AGREEMENT

Further to LTB 060/21 dated 18th February 2021. I am pleased to advise Branches that our TVL members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the 2020 pay agreement covering Bristol, Darwen and the Field. The ballot result is as follows:YES VOTES28096%NO VOTES134%TURNOUT*45%

*Spoilt ballot papers – 2

Matthew Vallance, Managing Director, Customer Management Division, has been notified of the ballot result and we expect confirmation that arrears of pay backdated to 1st January 2020 and the pay increase will be made with March salaries. I have also written directly to our TVL members, informing them of the result.

    2020 PAY AGREEMENT – KEY FEATURES

• 2% Pay Increase: A 12 month pensionable pay increase of a minimum of 2% from 1st January 2020 for all members including special dispensation for four London based Enquiry Officers who earn over £28k inclusive of London Weighting

• Annual Leave: 1 extra day’s annual leave from 1st January 2021 (taking total leave to 28 days) for all members with over 5 years’ service meaning 536 people will immediately receive an extra day’s leave this year. This aspect of the agreement will benefit everyone in time

• Next pay review date – 1st January 2021.

My thanks go to members and Reps for their patience & support whilst the negotiations have taken place to reach the agreement on Pay 2020. We plan to submit our 2021 pay claim once we have seen the Capita Annual Report & Accounts which we are expecting to be published this month.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB 106/21 – Capita TVL – Members Endorse 2020 Pay Agreement

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Royal Mail Group – New Integrated Audits – Audit Team Consultation With CWU Area Health & Safety Representatives (ASRs):

Following the imminent Royal Mail Group re-organisation, with effect from the 29^th March 2021 the:

• Safety Health and Environment Management System (SHEMS) Audit,
• Operational Assurance visits and
• Security and Compliance Assurance Audits

will be combined into a single ‘Compliance and Sustainability Integrated Audit’.

These audits will be delivered by the new ‘Integrated Audit Team’ and all units will be audited once a year.

These new audits will assess the level of compliance with key policies and legal/regulatory requirements as detailed within the SHEMS (Safety, Health, Environment Management System), Security, Compliance and Ethics policies.

The Integrated Audit will be conducted on site and compliance will be assessed through a combination of:

• data analysis and validation;
• document review; and
• discussion and observation.

A full list of evidence requirements will be available on the SHE Management System. NB: An auditor will review electronic records (where available) from various systems, there will be no need to print out paper hard copies.

All units will receive an audit notification e-mail at least 5 working days prior to the audit taking place. The average audit should require 1 day on site. The relevant Trade Union Area Safety Representative (ASR) will be copied into the e-mail circulation. The auditor will then contact the unit manager to agree the exact date and time of the visit. The ASR can then contact either the unit manager or the auditor to confirm the arrangements in order to be consulted and give input.

Initial onsite feedback will be given to the unit managers and then an Action Plan will be issued via e-mail to the unit within five working days. Unit managers will be required to monitor and close out actions. Actions must be completed by the required date as set out in the Action Plan. Update reports on the audit actions will be given to the joint health and safety committee relevant to the Unit.

The audit will be transparent with an overall percentage score given for each audit. Audit results will be shared with ASRs by e-mail. Any issues and Audit Action Plan progress can be discussed at joint health and safety committee meetings at a Unit or Regional level basis.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 105/21 – Royal Mail Group – New Integrated Audits – Audit Team Consultation With CWU Area Health & Safety Representatives (ASRs)

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Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic – PPE and Face Masks – Presentation By Dave Joyce National Health, Safety & Environment Officer on 4 March 2021 at the CWU ‘Reasonable Adjustments & PPE/Pandemic Webinar’ Organised by the CWU Equality, Education & Development Department

At the request of a number of participants in the recent CWU ‘Reasonable Adjustments & PPE/Pandemic Webinar’ organised by the CWU Equality, Education & Development Department, please find attached a copy of the PowerPoint presentation slides which covered:

• The pandemic timeline
• PPE shortages, costs and spend
• CWU strategy for tackling Covid-19 in the workplace
• Workforce testing and vaccination priority for CWU members
• Methods of virus spread – aerosols, droplets & contact
• Masks – they are effective and they work
• Masks reduce and work as a control for airborne transmission
• BMJ Report by Nicholas R Jones & others – indoor risks, space, number of people, ventilation, time exposed

Attachment: PowerPoint Slide Presentation by Dave Joyce

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 104/21 – PPE and Face Masks – Presentation By Dave Joyce at the CWU Reasonable Adjustments & PPE Pandemic Webinar

Att: Coronavirus-Covid-19 Pandemic PPE Face Masks Presentation Dave Joyce 0…

Att: Doc1

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Dangerous Dogs – Royal Mail Customer On-Line Re-Delivery Requests – Terms & Conditions Tick Box Question Added For Customers Regarding Dog Control During Re-Delivery:

I’m pleased to report to Branches that having raised the above matter with the Royal Mail National Field Operations Director, a CWU suggestion has been acknowledged as a very good idea and the matter has been referred to those concerned within the business. As a result, a change will be made to the Royal Mail customer’s on-line re-delivery request form which will in future, from a date to be determined, include a question/tick-box for customers when they complete the request form for a parcel re-delivery, that if they are a dog owner, they agree that they will keep their dog(s) under control and will ensure the dog(s) is/are secured during the time they open their door for their parcel re-delivery.

I would like to place on record my thanks to Christian Kerr CWU ASR Durham for this suggestion.

Attachment: Confirmation from the RM Field Operations Director.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 103/21 – RMG Customer On-Line Re-Delivery Requests – Terms & Conditions Tick Box Question Added For Customers Regarding Dog Control During Re-Delivery

Att: Document1

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Coronavirus/Covid-19 – Rapid Workforce Testing Pilots Update – Letter To Members and Testing Video:

This is an update further to LTB 54/21 – which updated Branches on the Coronavirus/Covid-19 – Rapid Workforce Testing pilots, Pilot 1 Sheffield CDO, Pilot 2 Birmingham MC & DO and the launch of Pilot 3 across 100 Workplaces (listed in LTB 54/21) in CM, SS, CO, IP and NR postcode areas plus St. Albans DO, commencing 15 March.

Firstly, for your information, Royal Mail HQ and CWU HQ have produced a joint letter to all members (copy attached). The letter which will go out to all employees in Pilots 2 and 3 is designed to encourage maximum support and participation in the Covid-19 Rapid Testing Pilots/trial offices.

Secondly, Royal Mail Group has produced and released their own official video featuring Dr. Corinne Parsons entitled ‘Covid-19 How to Perform a Rapid Self-Test’ which any interested CWU Representative can access and view at this link: https://vimeo.com/519053773/93f13cd040.

The video accurately demonstrates the Lateral Flow Device (LFD) Test Kits being used in Royal Mail Group.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 102/21 – Coronavirus Covid-19 – Rapid Workforce Testing Pilots Update – Letter To Members and Testing Video

Att 1: Hometest Pilot Letter

Att 2: Document1

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Election of: Parcelforce Worldwide Regional Chair – Northern Region – 2021

Further to LTB 071/21 dated 24^th February 2021, at the close of nominations on the 11^th March 2021 the following was received:Vicky TunerLeeds No 1 Amal*ELECTED

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

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

LTB 101/21

Online Equality Event – Friday 26th March, 09:30 to 16:00

I hope you are all enjoying the diverse range of activities that the Equality, Education & Development department have been organising throughout the month of March. Please remember to click on this link for updates and to register for the remaining events.

The conclusion of our programme will see a full days Online Equality Event, which will bring together the work which has taken place throughout the month and includes a session with Dave Ward, General Secretary. We are hoping to make the day as engaging and interactive as possible and in many sessions
there will be an opportunity for Q&A.

A final Agenda for the event will be circulated in due course, all Branch Equality Officers, Regional Equality Leads and any representative’s or members with an interest in Equality are invited to attend.

Please register for the event using the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMud-CtrzkrG9Xdg8djHSs9Xmp5Ck7RR3el

Brief outlines of some of the sessions are set out below.

Show Racism the Red Card – a completely new session has been designed especially for this event and will focus on micro-aggressions and social media racism.

Mental Health Risk Assessments – CWU Representatives will host a session underlining the practical importance of risk assessments.

The changing landscape of International LGBT+ rights – we explore the progress and pitfalls in global LGBT+ rights.

I look forward to seeing you on the day.

Any queries in relation to this LTB should be directed to equality&education@cwu.org

Your sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 099/21 – Equality Online Event

Virtual Classroom Course Programme (April – July 2021)

Please see below a further programme of online (virtual classroom) courses.  Courses identified as “in-house” are being delivered informally via zoom and therefore will not result in accreditation.

The remainder will be run through our Further Education partners in the devolved nations.

The Neurodiversity, Women’s and BAME Leadership courses will be delivered in-house and applicants from all of the UK devolved nations will attend together.

We will be reviewing this programme whilst it is being delivered to consider further provision in this way during the period of the pandemic.

Courses in EnglandDateCourseCut-off dateApril 5^thBank HolidayApril 6^thMandatory Fair & Equal (1 Day)26^th FebruaryApril 12^th – 16^thIntermediate Health & Safety Part 126^th FebruaryApril 19^th – 23^rdPostal Agreements & Procedures5^th MarchApril 26^th – 30^thIntroduction to Health & Safety Part 112^th  MarchMay 3^rdBank HolidayMay 10^th -14^thAdvanced Skills 126^th  MarchMay 17^th – 21^stEqual Rights Part 12^nd AprilMay 24^th – 28^thEssential Skills Part 19^th  AprilMay 31^stBank HolidayJune 7^th – 11^thPostal Agreements & Procedures23^rd  AprilJune 7^th – 11thUnion Learning Reps 123^rd  AprilJune 16^th – 18^thMental Health Awareness30^th  AprilJune 28^th – 29^thBAME Leadership Part 1 (in-house, 2 days)14^th  MayJune 29^th – 30^thNeurodiversity (in-house, 2 days)14^th  MayJune 30^th – July 1^stWomen’s Leadership (in-house, 2 days)14^th  MayJuly 5^th – 9^thEssential Skills Part 221^st MayJuly 12^th – 16^thIntermediate H&S Part 228^th MayJuly 13^thMandatory Fair & Equal (1 Day)28^th MayJuly 19^th – 23^rdIntroduction to Health & Safety Part 24^th JuneJuly 26^th – 30^thAdvanced Skills 211^th June

Courses in Northern IrelandDateCourse (all “in-house”)Cut-off dateApril 5^thBank HolidayApril 6^thMandatory Fair & Equal (1 Day)26^th FebruaryApril 19^th – 23^rdPostal Agreements & Procedures5^th MarchApril 26^th – 30^thIntroduction to Health & Safety Part 112^th  MarchMay 3^rdBank HolidayMay 24^th – 28^thEssential Skills Part 19^th  AprilMay 31^stBank HolidayJune 16^th – 18^thMental Health Awareness30^th  AprilJune 28^th – 29^thBAME Leadership Part 1 (2 days)14^th  MayJune 29^th – 30^thNeurodiversity (2 days)14^th  MayJune 30^th – July 1^stWomen’s Leadership (2 days)14^th  MayJuly 5^th – 9^thEssential Skills Part 221^st MayJuly 19^th – 23^rdIntroduction to Health & Safety Part 24^th June

Courses in ScotlandDateCourseCut-off dateApril 23^rdMandatory Fair & Equal5^th MarchApril 26^th – 30thEssential Skills Part 1 (rescheduled)ClosedMay 10^th – 15^thPostal Agreement & Procedures (rescheduled)ClosedMay 17^th – 21^stEqual Rights Part 12^nd AprilJune 7^th – 11^thUnion Learning Reps 123^rd  AprilJune 14^th – 18^thEssential Skills Part 230^th  AprilJune 21^st – 25^thEssential Skills Part 27^th MayJune 28^th – 29^thBAME Leadership Part 1 (in-house, 2 days)14^th  MayJune 30^th – July 1^stWomen’s Leadership (in-house, 2 days)14^th  MayJune 29^th – 30^thNeurodiversity (in-house, 2 days)14^th  May

Courses in WalesDateCourseCut-off dateApril 5^thBank HolidayApril 6^thMandatory Fair & Equal (1 Day)26^th FebruaryApril 12^th – 16^thIntermediate Health & Safety Part 126^th FebruaryApril 19^th – 23^rdPostal Agreements & Procedures5^th MarchApril 26^th – 30^thIntroduction to H&S Part 112^th  MarchMay 3^rdBank HolidayMay 10^th -14^thAdvanced Skills 126^th  MarchMay 17^th – 21^stEqual Rights Part 12^nd AprilMay 24^th – 28^thEssential Skills Part 19^th  AprilMay 31^stBank HolidayJune 7^th – 11^thPostal Agreements & Procedures23^rd  AprilJune 7^th – 11thUnion Learning Reps 123^rd  AprilJune 16^th – 18^thMental Health Awareness30^th  AprilJune 28^th – 29^thBAME Leadership Part 1 (in-house, 2 days)14^th  MayJune 29^th – 30^thNeurodiversity (in-house, 2 days)14^th  MayJune 30^th – July 1^stWomen’s Leadership (in-house, 2 days)14^th  MayJuly 5^th – 9^thEssential Skills Part 221^st MayJuly 12^th – 16^thIntermediate Health & Safety Part 228^th MayJuly 19^th – 23^rdIntroduction to Health & Safety Part 24^th JuneJuly 26^th – 30^thAdvanced Skills 211^th June

Application Process

Authorised applications must be received by the cut-off dates. Please see the attached video guide for Branch Secretaries on how to apply for courses.

IT, Infrastructure and learning differences

Having tested online delivery of both accredited and unaccredited courses, it is crucial that the student is set up appropriately and in good time before the training commences. The learner must preferably have access to a good PC / laptop.  Tablets can be used but have some limitation in our experience.  Attending training courses using a mobile phone will not be allowed.

There must be a stable internet connection from where the learning is taking place. Colleges will also be in contact before the course to advise of any additional requirements.

We would appreciate Branches assistance in ensuring any applicants are prepared in line with the above points.  If any representatives encounter difficulties getting set up with IT equipment in preparation for course attendance, they should advise their Branch Secretary, Union Learning Rep or the Equality, Education & Development Department as soon as possible.

Additionally, upon application; please ensure that we are aware in good time of any adjustments that may need to be arranged such as issues relating to dyslexia or sight / hearing differences.

Release & Notice

Paid release should normally apply where the union is recognised and / or in line with any existing agreements and protocols.

Please forward any enquiries relating to this LTB to courseadmin@cwu.org  in the first instance.

Finally, we are sure that Branches appreciate that this is a particularly challenging time for all concerned, including our partner providers and therefore we acknowledge and thank you in advance for your patience with this approach.

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

21LTB046 – Virtual Classroom Course Programme – April July 2021

ELECTION OF CWU REGIONAL SECRETARIES – 2021

Nominations are invited for the positions of CWU Regional Secretary for the following regions:EasternMidlandNorth EastNorthern IrelandNorth WestScotlandSouth EastSouth WestWales & the MarchesLondon

Candidates must be nominated by their own branch at a properly constituted branch meeting.  Where there is more than one candidate for each position there will be an individual member ballot of the whole membership of the respective region, and ballots will be conducted in accordance with the attached election guidelines.

Nomination Forms are attached to this LTB and should be returned to: Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary by email to elections@cwu.org by no later than 14:00 on 31 March 2021.

Any ballots required will be conducted in accordance with the attached election guidelines.

Additional Election Information 

During the Covid-19 pandemic it is not possible to conduct elections in exactly the same way as we have done previously and therefore the arrangements have been specifically structured to firstly ensure that the democratic principles on which the CWU is founded upon and that election process is conducted in a fair and equitable way.

Specifically our objective is to ensure even during the current Covid 19 pandemic that members of the union, via the branch nomination process, are given the opportunity to put themselves forward as a candidate. These guiding principles have been included in the revised arrangements a summary of which is set out below.

Election Timetable 

It is necessary for the election timetable to be longer than normal to allow branches sufficient time to seek nominations from their members and to then subsequently agree on which candidates(s) they intend to nominate for election and, once the list of candidates is known to then decide which candidate(s) will receive the branch vote.

Nomination Process

In respect of seeking nominations branches will need to put in place a robust system and use all reasonable methods at their disposal to publish suitable notification throughout the branch area giving members the opportunity to submit their name for nomination to the position should they choose to do so.  Following this the branch would need to put in place arrangements to hold a membership meeting to decide which candidate(s) will receive the branch nomination.

On the basis that no face to face member meetings are currently allowed then this would need to be conducted via a suitable video conference platform such as Zoom or Skype, etc. that provides the opportunity for large numbers of members to take part if required.

Additionally branches will need to allow for members who do not have video conference capability to join the meeting by phone again if they choose to do so.

The timeline for the meeting would need to be agreed in advance and notification provided to members at least 7 days prior to the meeting taking place.

Return of Nomination Forms to CWU HQ

Nomination forms will be sent to branches electronically via an LTB and it will be our intention to set up a specific dedicated election email address (elections@cwu.org) where branches should return completed nomination forms by email.

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

The revised system will avoid the necessity to return forms in the post system which of course may be subject to delay during the current Covid-19 crisis.

Dispatch and Return of Voting Papers

The voting papers will be sent direct to member’s home addresses by the appointed independent scrutineer. In the ballot the relevant members will be sent a ballot pack containing the voting paper, biographical details, election statement and a return envelope. Members will also be given the choice to vote online via a specific website set up and administered by the appointed independent scrutineer. Members will need to return their ballot paper by the advertised closing time and date in order for their vote to be counted.

Branch Voting Recommendations

Clearly we are in unique and challenging times and whilst branches would normally arrange mandating meetings to decide which candidates to vote for in the respective elections we do not believe that this is either practical or necessary during the current crisis.  Therefore, on this occasion this decision can be made by the Branch Committee and the decision subsequently notified to members of their branch accordingly.

Election Timetable and Term of Office 

The election timetable for the above elections will be as follows:

Nominations Open:                 10 March 2021

Nominations Close:                 31 March 2021 (14:00)

Ballot opens:                              6 April 2021

Ballot closes:                              27 April 2021 (First Post)

The term of Office for the above positions will commence from May 2021 for a period of 2 years.

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

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

21LTB097

Regional Secretary Nomination Forms 2021

Regional Secretary Election Guidelines 2021

PENSIONS: RMSPS – MEMBERS’ WEBSITE ADMINISTERED BY CAPITA

Branches are advised that last year we were approached by the Cabinet Office with the aim of raising awareness of the existence of the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme (RMSPS) website and portal administered by Capita. It was evident that the website was under-utilised as only 6% of scheme members had registered for an online account. We responded positively to the Cabinet Office and were very happy to work with them to promote the website as it is vitally important our Royal Mail and Post Office scheme members are able to plan and prepare effectively for retirement by knowing how to access their pension information.

Cabinet Office Representatives together with our Communications Department have produced various materials promoting the RMSPS website including a Podcast featuring Alan Pickering, who has been the Chair of the governance group of the RMSPS since its inception, and myself which can be accessed via the following link:

Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme by CWU The U Word (soundcloud.com)

My thanks go to Amie Retallick, Deputy Head of Communications for her efforts in producing the Podcast and also the associated members’ comms which will be supplemented by a feature in the forthcoming publication of The Voice.

Poor Accessibility to Capita’s Website – Technical Issues Being Addressed

On Wednesday 3rd March we advised all members via email, WhatsApp and various social media platforms how to follow the 7 steps in the attached document to sign up to the online portal which can be found at https://www.royalmailsps.co.uk/

Unfortunately it quickly became clear there were some serious technical issues regarding members accessing the RMSPS website. Members have been quick to advise us of the significant problems they have encountered when trying to navigate around the web page and we thank Branches, Reps and members for alerting us to these problems. In this regard, please be assured we have shared all enquiries received directly with the Cabinet Office who in turn met with Capita yesterday with the aim of resolving these issues as soon as possible.

We are obviously disappointed with this position and have expressed our view to the Cabinet Office, who fully understand. Indeed it is regrettable our members have had this poor experience. However, had we not promoted the RMSPS website we wouldn’t have been aware of these issues and therefore we now have real evidence that the website needs to be overhauled by Capita to make it more user friendly and fit for purpose.

We fully recognise there is a high degree of frustration around this matter, with members heavily criticising, via social media, the poor technical experience when trying to access the website. Thankfully, due to the feedback received, this has galvanised Capita via the Cabinet Office to rectify this situation. I wish to stress these problems are not of the making of the Union and indeed this has only come to light as a consequence of us proactively raising the profile of the website and the important information that should be readily accessible to our members.

It would be appreciated if Branches could respond to member enquiries by providing them with this LTB which should also be shared as widely as possible to provide both our Royal Mail and Post Office members in the RMSPS scheme with the reassurance and comfort that urgent steps are being taken to rectify these website problems. Hopefully this matter will be resolved in the coming days.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

Attachment 1: 21LTB095 Pensions – RMSPS – Members’ Website Administered by Capita

Attachment to 21LTB095 – RMSPS – Online Portal