Workplace Adjustments and Health Passport

Branches will recall LTB 352/24 Business Recovery, Transformation and Growth Agreement – Workplace Adjustments and Health Passportadvising that members can complete applications for Workplace Adjustments via the My People App. The app will then alert their manager that an application has been made in this way.  This approach is quicker and more beneficial to individuals if they have this access.  The online application removes a lot of the barriers of approaching their manager. The manager is then duty bound to address this application and can no longer simply ‘say no’.

It has however been brought to the attention of the Department that the process remains confusing and some members have not been able to navigate their way through Apps on their mobile or PDA.  This is disappointing as the new process was introduced to help all members apply for reasonable adjustments to be made that avoided the often-difficult conversation with their manager, including successive managers passing through any such positions.  The process also includes carers, disabled and non-disabled members who have not met the definition of a disability who nonetheless still require assistance for other reasons and will therefore aid and direct managers to implement reasonable adjustments rather than having to leave the business through Ill-Health.

Members who do not have online access will be able to complete a physical copy that can be used to make the same application. This will be assisted by your Line Manager.

For clarity, the online process for Branches and members to follow is;

1. Access the My People App and click on the My Personal Detailswhere you will be directed to a further screen.
2. Members should then select the This is Me
3. Members will then be prompted to complete their memorable phrase before being able to continue with their application.

For ease of access, please find attached a screen shot of the process which is also contained in the Passport Guide Word Document that Branches may wish to file for future reference.

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

Bobby Weatherall

Acting Assistant Secretary

LTB 025/24

Att_

View Online

CWU NATIONAL WELFARE FUND

Please find below the branch breakdown of CWU National Welfare Fund donations that were made in 2024.BRANCHREASONAMOUNTNorth/North West LondonIllness£1,000.00Greater Mersey AmalIllness£750.00Edinburgh, Dundee and bordersIllness£1,000.00Northern Ireland TelecomsDomestic£500.00South Yorkshire and District AmalHardship£250.00Newcastle AmalBereavement£1,000.00Newcastle AmalIllness£750.00Newcastle AmalDomestic£1000.00LeicestershireDomestic£500.00Edinburgh, Dundee and BordersDomestic£1000.00Glasgow and District AmalDomestic£1000.00Western CountiesIllness£1000.00Newcastle AmalDomestic£1000.00Glasgow and District AmalDomestic£1000.00Greater Mersey AmalBereavement£1000.00Leicestershire AmalDomestic£500.00Plymouth and East Cornwall AmalIllness£1000.00Kent Invicta AmalHardship£1000.00Leicestershire AmalIllness£700.00Plymouth and East Cornwall AmalHardship£1000.00South Yorkshire and District AmalDomestic£750.00Southdowns, Weald and RotherIllness£400.00South Central PostalDomestic£1000.00Newcastle AmalIllness£750.00South Yorkshire and District AmalDomestic£500.00Central Counties and Thames Valley AmalIllness£250.00Romford AmalDomestic£1000.00Northern Ireland WestHardship£1000.00Bournemouth and Dorset AmalIllness£1000.00Croydon and Sutton AmalHardship£500.00Greater Mersey AmalDomestic/Hardship£1000.00South Midlands PostalHardship£1000.00Edinburgh, Dundee and BordersHardship£800.00Scotland No.5Domestic£750.00South WalesDomestic£1000.00Greater Mersey AmalDomestic£1000.00Greater Mersey AmalDomestic£750.00South Central PostalDomestic£1000.00Birmingham District AmalHardship£1000.00North/North West LondonHardship£1000.00East London PostalHardship£1000.00South Midlands PostalHardship£400.00Southdowns Weald and RotherBereavement£1000.00Northern Ireland WestHardship£500.00TOTAL£36,300

Any enquiries regarding this LTB 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

LTB 024/25 – CWU National Welfare Fund

View Online

CWU International Women’s Day Networking Event – 11th March 2025

The Equality, Education and Development department are pleased to announce a Women’s Networking Event, which has been sponsored by the Northwest Region and coincides with International Women’s Day 2025.The event will be taking place on Tuesday 11th March 2025 from 10:30am – 3:30pm, at the Liverpool Quaker Meeting House, 22 School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BT.

The theme for IWD 2025 is “Accelerate Progress” the event will provide CWU women with an opportunity to connect with other female activists and Senior Women Officials from across

the union. It will also be an opportunity for some of our female members to engage in a union environment for the first time.

The day will include interactive and informative sessions, group discussions and learning opportunities for future progression. A full agenda will be shared in due course.

Please note if delegates do need to stay due to travel Branches are required to book and pay for accommodation.

Hotel suggestions and links to the websites are below:

Holiday Inn Liverpool City Centre – City Centre Hotel: Holiday Inn Liverpool – City Centre

Premier Inn, Lime Street – Liverpool City Centre (Lime Street) Hotel | Premier Inn

To reserve your place or for any further information please email: equality&education@cwu.org

We look forward to seeing you there!

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 023/25 – CWU International Women’s Day Networking Event – 11th March 2025

View Online

International Women’s Day Networking Event – 11th March 2025

The Equality, Education and Development department are pleased to announce a Women’s Networking Event, which has been sponsored by the Northwest Region and coincides with International Women’s Day 2025.The event will be taking place on Tuesday 11th March 2025 from 10:30am – 3:30pm, at the Liverpool Quaker Meeting House, 22 School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BT.

The theme for IWD 2025 is “Accelerate Progress” the event will provide CWU women with an opportunity to connect with other female activists and Senior Women Officials from across

the union. It will also be an opportunity for some of our female members to engage in a union environment for the first time.

The day will include interactive and informative sessions, group discussions and learning opportunities for future progression. A full agenda will be shared in due course.

Please note if delegates do need to stay due to travel Branches are required to book and pay for accommodation.

Hotel suggestions and links to the websites are below:

Holiday Inn Liverpool City Centre – City Centre Hotel: Holiday Inn Liverpool – City Centre

Premier Inn, Lime Street – Liverpool City Centre (Lime Street) Hotel | Premier Inn

To reserve your place or for any further information please email: equality&education@cwu.org

We look forward to seeing you there!

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 023/25 – CWU International Women’s Day Networking Event – 11th March 2025

View Online

USO Pilots Communication

Please see attached a communication titled Universal Service Obligation Update.

We would ask all Branches to ensure that this communication is shared with every workplace within their Branch.  The CWU have not agreed to USO reform.  Instead, we have agreed to pilot in 37 sites Royal Mail’s preferred USO change which is called the Optimised Delivery Model.

The success criteria for these 37 pilot sites are clear.

1. They must achieve Ofcom’s quality of service targets.
2. They must provide fair manageable and achievable workload.
3. They must provide a solution for fatigue.
4. It must improve attendance patterns including working fewer Saturdays.
5. It must improve confidence, trust and morale in the workplace.
6. It must also provide a platform for sustainable growth.

The agreement we reached with EP in December 2024 also states that any final agreement with the CWU on USO reform is conditional on progress and implementation within agreed timelines of the issues set out in section 5.

Section 5 commits EP and Royal Mail to agree the following:

Equalising new entrants pay, terms and conditions over an agreed timeline with a first step within 3 months of the transaction.

• A pay rise.
• A review of scheduled attendance and overtime rates.
• Improving sick pay arrangements.
• A review of voluntary redundancy terms.
• A new performance incentive scheme.
• New improved ways of working.

USO change will see the biggest change in deliveries within 50 years, it is essential that we pilot it to see its impact and potential benefits before we decide whether or not to support this model going forward.

For now, the CWU’s focus is on supporting the 37 pilot sites to ensure that each of the pilot units adhere to the overarching objectives, including fewer Saturdays, achieving Ofcom’s quality of service targets and delivering fair and manageable workload.

There is a desire for communications on this subject and therefore please ensure this LTB and the attached document are distributed to members in the workplace.

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

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 22/25 – USO Pilots Communication

LTB 22/25 – Attachment 1 – Universal Service Obligation Update

View Online

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE ELECTION OF:

 CWU GENERAL SECRETARY AND CWU ASSISTANT SECRETARY (POSTAL)

FORMAL NOTICE

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE ELECTION OF:

 CWU GENERAL SECRETARY AND CWU ASSISTANT SECRETARY (POSTAL) 

Dear Colleague,

ELECTION OF CWU NATIONAL OFFICERS – 2025

The NEC is required to determine and publish to branches the procedures and regulations for the election of any CWU National Officer positions that are subject to the 5-year election criteria.

Accordingly, please find below the proposed timetable and regulations for the above elections which are due to be held in February – April 2025.

• General Secretary

       The General Secretary is the chief negotiator and principle spokesperson for the union.

•  Assistant Secretary (Postal)

       The above position is currently responsible for dealing with the following Royal Mail Group businesses; Mail Centres, Area Distribution Units, Royal Mail International, Air Network,   Parcelforce Worldwide, Compass, Logistics, RMSS, WBCs, Royal Mail RDCs and VOCs.

The timetable for the National Officer elections is as follows:

Nominations Open:                                    12 February 2025

Nominations Close:                                      5 March 2025 (14:00)                            

Dispatch ballot material from:                19 March 2025  

Close of ballot:                                              9 April 2025 (first post)

Result:                                                          10 April 2025

The election regulations stipulate that a copy of the regulations for these elections must be distributed to all branches in advance of the nomination process.  A copy of these is therefore attached and I would be grateful if you could ensure that the election timetable and regulations are brought to the attention of the members of your branch.

The regulations will also be published on the CWU website and a copy will be issued to all candidates nominated to stand in the Elections.

Further information regarding the election, including the Nomination Forms will be sent to all relevant branches during w/c 3rd February 2025.  However, branches are reminded that in order for nominations for the above positions to be valid, then they will need to be submitted on the appropriate CWU HQ issued nomination form(s).

Elections Prize Draws 

Branches are reminded that in order to protect the integrity of these very important national elections and more importantly, ensure that the union is legally compliant with the relevant legislation covering such elections, that election prize draws should not be conducted under any circumstances unless written authorisation has been given by the Senior Deputy General Secretary.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Senior Deputy General Secretary Department, CWU HQ, for the attention of David Wilshire, telephone: 0208 971 7368, or email: dwilshire@cwu.org;

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

25LTB021 – ELECTION OF CWU NATIONAL OFFICERS – 2025

Election Regulations and Candidates Guidelines 2025

View Online

USO Pilots Communication

Please see attached a communication titled Universal Service Obligation Update.

We would ask all Branches to ensure that this communication is shared with every workplace within their Branch.  The CWU have not agreed to USO reform.  Instead, we have agreed to pilot in 37 sites Royal Mail’s preferred USO change which is called the Optimised Delivery Model.

The success criteria for these 37 pilot sites are clear.

1. They must achieve Ofcom’s quality of service targets.
2. They must provide fair manageable and achievable workload.
3. They must provide a solution for fatigue.
4. It must improve attendance patterns including working fewer Saturdays.
5. It must improve confidence, trust and morale in the workplace.
6. It must also provide a platform for sustainable growth.

The agreement we reached with EP in December 2024 also states that any final agreement with the CWU on USO reform is conditional on progress and implementation within agreed timelines of the issues set out in section 5.

Section 5 commits EP and Royal Mail to agree the following:

Equalising new entrants pay, terms and conditions over an agreed timeline with a first step within 3 months of the transaction.

• A pay rise.
• A review of scheduled attendance and overtime rates.
• Improving sick pay arrangements.
• A review of voluntary redundancy terms.
• A new performance incentive scheme.
• New improved ways of working.

USO change will see the biggest change in deliveries within 50 years, it is essential that we pilot it to see its impact and potential benefits before we decide whether or not to support this model going forward.

For now, the CWU’s focus is on supporting the 37 pilot sites to ensure that each of the pilot units adhere to the overarching objectives, including fewer Saturdays, achieving Ofcom’s quality of service targets and delivering fair and manageable workload.

There is a desire for communications on this subject and therefore please ensure this LTB and the attached document are distributed to members in the workplace.

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

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 22/25 – USO Pilots Communication

LTB 22/25 – Attachment 1 – Universal Service Obligation Update

MPU Consolidation – CSS Machine Moves

 Further to the update provided in LTB 012/25 on the process for the progression of discussions on MPU consolidation, the department have received enquiries from the field in relation to the process and criteria relevant to consideration on the relocation and installation of CSS Machines within the Mail Centre Estate.

While all MPU Consolidation proposals and discussions should be progressed in line with the processes within the Joint Working Group Approach detailed in the 2021 National Agreement on Letter Automation Review, for the guidance of Safety and IR Representatives in any group discussions, please see attached the following documents:

• Updated National SAC1 – MPU CSS Removal Install
• Mail Centre and Hub Space Standards 2022
• Operation and Use of CSS – SWI
• CSS Footprint and Dimensions documentation

We trust that the documentation will provide the necessary guidance to assist in progressing discussions.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to jrodigues@CWU.org quoting LTB No. 019/25.

Yours sincerely

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

LTB 019/25 – MPU Consolidation – CSS Machine Moves

National SAC 1 Template – MPU CSS Removal Install v3 (spreadsheet download)

Mail Centre and Hub Space Standards 2022 V1

Operation and Use of CSS SWI v1.1

CSS Footprint_250129_070751

2010-04-14 CSS 65 sqm_250129_070644

View Online

SPECIAL RESTRUCTURING CONFERENCE AND SPECIAL RULES REVISION CONFERENCE 2025

Following the decision of the National Executive Council at the meeting held on 29^th and 30^th January 2025, it has been agreed that a Special Restructuring Conference and Special Rules Revision Conference will be held on the weekend of 28^th and 29^th June 2025 at the new Conference and Exhibition Centre, Winter Gardens in Blackpool.

We are currently liaising with the venue to provide a booking platform link where Branches can secure accredited accommodation in Blackpool.   We have been advised that this should be available early next week and once the details are known, a further LTB containing this information will be published.    Branches are advised to book as early as possible due to the time of year and the school holidays in Scotland commencing around this period.

Talks are ongoing in relation to the exact split of business between the two days in terms of the possible time needed for each Conference and more information will be provided to Branches and representatives in due course.

Branch delegation sizes will be in line with national rule 10.3. Further details will be issued regarding registration and the submission of motions and rule changes.

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to Angela Niven in the Senior Deputy General Secretary Department on telephone number 020 89717237 or by e-mail to conferences@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

25LTB018 – Special Restructuring Conference and Special Rules Revision Conference 2025

View Online

OFCOM ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE 

All branches will have seen that OFCOM has announced their expected consultation today on the future of the USO.

The Unions response is attached to this LTB and we would ask all branches to ensure that this is conveyed to all CWU Representatives and every workplace.

The Unions position on the USO has also been explained previously and is set out in both the trial agreement and the recent agreement reached with EP Group.  This positions us strongly to deal with the issues of job security, benefits for our members and the need to fully restore Quality of Service.

The trials are an essential next step and will assist in testing Royal Mail’s assumptions, particularly on the operational impact and whether or not workload will be manageable for our members.

As part of this consultation we will ensure that feedback from our members is put in front of OFCOM and we will be encouraging the regulator to visit sorting offices and talk directly to the members involved in the Pilots.

During the consultation, we will also be making strong points that OFCOM’s own promotion of artificial competition has contributed to Royal Mail’s financial position.  We will continue to make the point that Royal Mail has been grossly mismanaged and that whilst we recognise that the company now operates in a permanently changed of world of communications, there needs to be a completely fresh approach to the way the company is run and a new vision that sets out a serious growth strategy in the development of new products and services.  In our view, this should include tailored services to the NHS and greeting card industry.  Further information will be provided in due course.

Yours sincerely                                                                                                                                             

DAVE WARD
GENERAL SECRETARY                             

MARTIN WALSH
DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY (POSTAL)

25LTB017 OFCOM ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE

CWU RESPONSE TO OFCOM ANNOUNCEMENT ON FUTURE OF ROYAL MAIL USO

View Online

Below is the CWU press release in response to the OFCOM announcement on the future of the USO this morning.

Tonight’s CWU Live show is timed so well. National Officer Tony Bouch will join us live at 5pm to talk all things USO.

Please join the show and put your questions directly to Tony.

CWU RESPONSE TO OFCOM ANNOUNCEMENT ON FUTURE OF ROYAL MAIL USO.

Responding to today’s announcement, CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said “We recognise Royal Mail now operates in a permanently changed world of communications. The mix of letter decline and parcel growth does present a legitimate challenge to securing the future of the universal service obligation – something that remains a crucial part of our national infrastructure and a major contributor to the UK economy.

However, it’s also true that Royal Mail has been grossly mismanaged in recent years and the Board have deliberately manufactured circumstances to make a purely financial case for change. This includes abandoning customer quality, attacking postal workers terms and conditions and pursuing a pricing strategy designed to accelerate letter decline in favour of parcels.

The role of the regulator, OFCOM, must also be exposed. They have pursued a relentless drive to promote artificial competition in a declining market, allowing competitors to cherry pick profits through downstream access of Royal Mail’s network, thus inflating the cost of the last mile delivery.

In this environment, it is only the strength and support of our members that has defended the service and moved the company away from a 3 or 4 day uso proposal which would have devastating results for customers and jobs. The proposal being trialled in the UK sees first class letters and parcels continue to be delivered six days a week and second class delivered to the current specification, with the exception of Saturdays

The trials that we have agreed with Royal Mail are strictly conditional on the basis that we see a significant improvement in service reliability for customers, the terms and conditions for postal workers are improved – including improved attendance patterns and more Saturdays off, long term job security is agreed and a genuine platform for growing the company is created. Any failure to abide by these conditions will see our support withdrawn. This moment is a real test for many groups. OFCOM need to step up and allow Royal Mail to build innovation into this proposal that would include bespoke and advanced letter delivery services (The NHS and card industry as examples). Our members also want to see the Labour government take a real oversight and involvement to ensure that a key part of the UK infrastructure is protected. The prospective owners of Royal Mail – EP Group – have committed to restoring faith in the UK postal service – we will hold them to this.”