POST OFFICE: BEIS SELECT COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO POST OFFICE NETWORK – GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Branches will recall the Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee published its report last October following the inquiry into the Post Office Network earlier that year. We welcomed the clear and strong recommendations and in particular the call on the government and/or Post Office to:

• Reconsider the ill-conceived strategy of privatising Crown Offices
• Fairly reward all hard-working Postmasters
• Involve the CWU in the working group for Postmasters’ pay
• Extend the Network Subsidy Payment beyond 2021 giving long term certainty for Postmasters

Today the government published its response to the BEIS Select Committee report, which was delayed firstly due to the general election and secondly presumably due to practical circumstances relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.

An analysis of the government’s key responses has been undertaken by Bill Taylor, Head of Research, and is attached to this LTB for your information. We are generally disappointed with the government’s responses, which have failed to embrace the recommendations that the Select Committee put forward. However this government and the Post Office will be failing customers and everyone providing Post Office services if they don’t take meaningful steps to address the criticisms the Committee put forward.

Darren Jones MP, Chair of the Select Committee, in reply to the government’s response, has today published a letter to the BEIS Minister Paul Scully MP in which he notes the Committee is “disappointed that not all of the issues have been addressed”. In an accompanying press release, Darren Jones states the following:

“Post Offices are an essential public service, rooted in communities up and down the country and offering a lifeline to many who rely on them not only for postal services but to help them avoid financial and social exclusion. The reality, however, is that our Post Office network remains fragile and, on the central issue of the Network Subsidy, the Government fails to give an assurance that future funding will continue beyond 2021. Nor does the Government take the opportunity to explicitly commit to maintaining the 11,500 Post Office branches that BEIS Ministers barely months ago said were necessary to sustain a national Post Office Network.”

The government response to the Inquiry, the letter from Darren Jones and an associated press release from the BEIS Select Committee can be viewed by using the following link:

https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/365/business-energy-and-industrial- strategy-committee/news/146711/government-response-to-post-office-network- report-published/

We broadly welcome the letter from the Committee to Paul Scully and we are pleased with much of the content, particularly the following key questions to government:

• Network Subsidy – “The Network Subsidy will stop at the end of 2020/21 . When will [the Minister] confirm that this funding will continue?”
• Citizens Advice Public Consultations – “Can you provide the Committee with any new guidance that is produced regarding these consultations?”
• Framework Agreement, BEIS, UKGI and Post Office – “It is crucial that this relationship is transparent so that the public and their representatives can have confidence that there is proper scrutiny of Post Office Ltd decisions, especially in terms of value for money and treating those who work for the Post Office fairly. Can you update the Committee in detail as to how this new Framework Document differs from the previous Framework?”
• Future of the Post Office Network, including Crowns – “Can you confirm that [the optimum of 11,500 Post Office] is still the view of Post Office Ltd, BEIS and UKGI and that it is not under review? It would be concerning if this number was reduced, bearing in mind that the Report drew attention to the fact that many Post Offices are temporarily closed or operate on a part-time basis. I would also welcome an update on any plans regarding the future of the remaining Crown Post Offices.”
• The Role of the CWU in Postmaster Pay Negotiations – “In addition, we are also concerned that you will not allow the Communication Workers Union to take part in discussions with the Post Office, BEIS and the National Federation of Sub- postmasters as part of the Working Group that you chair… We are not confident that the National Federation of Sub-postmasters has always provided an effective challenge to Post Office Ltd, as evidenced by their role during the Horizon scandal.”

A central theme of the letter and press release is that the Select Committee quite rightly highlights a serious area of concern relating to the oversight of the Post Office by BEIS and UKGI (UK Government Investments). In the press release, Darren Jones states:

“It is important the Post Office is held properly accountable by Government… it is crucial there is confidence in Government oversight of Post Office Ltd decisions, not least in terms of value for money and treating those who work for the Post Office fairly”

We are pleased the Committee is holding both the Minister and the Post Office to account and it will be interesting to see how the Minister responds to the legitimate challenges outlined above.

It is clear there are now a number of issues converging on the future of the Post Office including government funding (with the existing funding package coming to an end in 2021), the economic impact on the Post Office of the coronavirus outbreak and the wide-ranging implications of the Horizon case. We are at a critical time for the Post Office. We are therefore planning to have a serious discussion with the Postal Executive about our overall strategy to promote the Post Office and protect jobs.

Over the coming weeks we will obviously be responding to government’s reply to the BEIS Select Committee’s report and Dave Ward, GS, will be talking to the government and in particular Paul Scully, BEIS Minister, about the issues raised by the Select Committee and our views on the future of the Post Office.

Finally, we will be writing to the new Chair of the BEIS Select Committee, Darren Jones, who took over from Rachel Reeves in April following her appointment to Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, to put forward our views on the government’s response and to ask how the Committee can continue its work on the Post Office, alongside the inquiry it is currently running on Horizon.

Further developments will be reported. 

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

Terry Pullinger 
Deputy General Secretary (P)

Dave Ward 
General Secretary20LTB287 Post Office – BEIS Select Committee Inquiry into Post Office Network – Government Response

Attachment to 20LTB287 – Government response to BEIS Committee on Post Office – B. Taylor

Errata to LTB 276/20 – Pay Increases and Pension Contributions for the Defined Benefit Scheme in Royal Mail Group

Further to LTB 276/20 circulated on 28^th May 2020, Branches are advised that the second paragraph on page two of the aforementioned LTB should read as follows:

As a result of this calculation, pensionable pay contributions for RMPP members went up by 3.3% in April 2019 as this was the inflation figure as of 30 September 2018. However colleagues will recall that basic pay increased by 2% in April 2019, although this figure is still part of the current dispute on the funding formula for the second hour off the working week.

Please accept the Department’s apologies for any confusion/inconvenience this error may have caused.

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)            

20LTB285 Errata to LTB 276.20 Pay Increases and Pension Contributions for the Defined Benefit Scheme in Royal Mail Group

CWU YOUNG WORKERS EVENT – MONDAY 22^NDJUNE 2020

The CWU Young Workers Event will be held virtually via Zoom on Monday 22^nd June 2020 from 10:30am – 3pm.

All CWU Young Workers (those under 30) are invited, with branches asked to do all they can to facilitate the attendance of their branches young workers officers or any other interested young worker within the branch.

With the events of the last few months meaning that physical meetings and events are out of the question for the foreseeable future, this is a great opportunity to get together (online!) with fellow young workers from across the union, to listen to some inspiring speakers and to take part in some discussions and Q&As.

Schedule

10:30am-12pm: Political session ‘Young Trade Unionists and the Future of Activism’ with introduction from General Secretary Dave Ward and speakers including Charlotte Nichols MP. Will finish with a Q&A.

12pm-1pm: Break for lunch.

1pm-3pm: Industrial sessions in online breakout rooms for Postal and T&FS. With speakers including DGSP Terry Pullinger, DGST Andy Kerr, and officers from each constituency. During this session you will be encouraged to engage, ask questions and feedback on your experiences as young workers in the workplace.

Register

To register for this event please email ltownsend@cwu.org with your full name, branch and email address.

Registrations must be submitted by no later than midnight on Thursday 18^th June.

The Zoom link for the event will be sent out to all those who have registered closer to the date.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Lauren Townsend by email to ltownsend@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

20TLB286 – CWU Young Workers Event – Monday 22nd June 2020

CORONAVIRUS GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE MEASURES 01 JUNE 2020

Please see attached an update of the government assistance measures document to reflect the recent guidance on holiday entitlement and pay, for your information.

Any general queries should be addressed to gsoffice@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

20TLB283 – Coronavirus Government Assistance Measures 01 June 2020

Government Assistance Measures – Work Welfare Housing and Childcare

Launch of NHS Test and Trace Service

I attach a communication issued by Royal Mail on the launch of the new Test and Trace scheme in England and Scotland.  Similar arrangements are already in place in Northern Ireland and Wales plans to go live on 1st June.

The attachment is self-explanatory and I would particularly draw attention to the bullet pointed key messages.

Any enquiries relating to this LTB should be directed to Ray Ellis (rellis@cwu.org).

Yours sincerely

Ray Ellis
CWU National Officer

LTB 281/20 – Launch of NHS Test and Trace Service

Test and trace comms FINAL 28.05.2020

CWU Virtual Pride – Thursday 11 June 2020, 6-7 pm

COVID-19 and the ongoing lockdown has seen many Pride events being cancelled this year, however the health and safety of our members and representatives has to take priority.  We have thought long and hard as to how we can enjoy and continue to celebrate Pride in 2020 and we are delighted to confirm that a first ever CWU Virtual Pride has been organised.

The Virtual Pride event will consist of a number of engaging, thought-provoking and fun elements.

These include:

• A Eurovision style format linking into our regions across the UK:
• A panel session involving Quinn Roache – TUC Policy Advisor, Helen Cooper – NEC LGBT+ Lead and Maria Exall – TUC General Council

• The session will cover various issues such as what the CWU are developing in the workplace, the COVID-19 impact amongst the LGBT+ community and lastly, the reality of how homophobia/biphobia/transphobia still impacts on the LGBT+ community.
• A competition for most colourful backdrop/participant.

To take part in Virtual Pride, you will need to register beforehand. RVSP by emailing us at: Equality&Education@cwu.org

A digital poster is attached and we would be grateful if you could share this extensively.

Any queries on this LTB should be directed to Equality&Education@cwu.org

Kate Hudson

Head of Equality, Education & Development

LTB 280/20  – CWU Virtual Pride 2020

Virtual Pride Poster

Annex to the Joint Statement for Inflight and Redelivery Phase 1 Enhancements for Royal Mail Tracked 24 & 48 and Special Delivery Guaranteed National Deployment

Dear Colleagues,

The National Joint Statement (attached for your reference) was previously endorsed by the Postal Executive and consisted of a pilot of the above service in some selected delivery units in the South Central and Anglia divisions (which is the Royal Mail Home Counties North area) and this was communicated via department Memo to the Divisional Representatives and Area Delivery Representatives on the 12th May 2020.

As previously advised, this initiative is fairly “light touch” with no indoor operational impact and no changes to current standard operational procedures, with simple prompts to delivery staff through the PDA on the doorstep for either Deliver to Preferred Neighbour or Safeplace and in line with the current and existing Standard Operating Procedures. The actual switch over on the PDA in order to enable the prompts is done remotely from the Delivery Office.

Following the pilots, we have agreed with Royal Mail to proceed with the national roll-out and the Phase 1 enhancement to launch Safeplace and Preferred Neighbour options from the 3rd June 2020 for Royal Mail Tracked products only. This can also benefit receiving customers who are self-isolating and support maintenance of social distancing principles. Royal Mail will also offer Safeplace and Preferred Neighbour as additional options on Redeliveries for Royal Mail Tracked. This limited number of outdoor enhancements can also help to maintain social distancing when the UK moves out of lockdown with specific industries resuming operations.

In order to take the above aspects into account along with the scale size of the pilot, we have jointly agreed through the attached annex to the Joint Statement that the following activities will need to be carried out in order to continue to Nationally and jointly monitor and resolve any issues that may arise as part of the Phase 1 national rollout from June.

•   Both parties have agreed to continue to monitor volumes, process compliance, along with monitoring and capturing any additional task times due to the increased activity along with any customer contact/complaints etc (whilst also taking account of the current pandemic and its impacts).
•   This ongoing review will be further supported by a wider IE study activity in relation to the possible workload impact of Deliver to Neighbour and Safeplace options. A timetable for this IE study activity will be jointly agreed as soon as possible and subject to the current COVID-19 crisis and the impacts of this.
•   Additionally, and as part of the national launch, regular meetings will be set up between the project team and CWU Representatives to review information (including number of items generated Inflight/Redelivery active and location data), monitor progress and resolve any issues arising from the field.
•  Selective sample locational data will continue to be collected for a period of time in order to capture DTN distances from DP’s.

In terms of the overall workload impact on deliveries, this aspect needs to remain under review in relation to the introduction of this service and as above, we will continue to monitor and review this impact along with resolving any further issues.

Any enquires as to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, reference 555, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch

CWU Assistant SecretaryLTB 279.20 – Annex to Joint Statement Inflight & Redelivery Phase 1 Enhancements for RM Tracked 24 & 48 & Special Delivery Guaranteed National Deployment
Annex to Joint Statement for Inflight & Redelivery Phase 1 Enhancements for RM Tracked 24 & 48 & Special Delivery Guaranteed National Deployment

RM_CWU Joint Statement for Inflight Redelivery and Phase 1 Enhancements for RM Tracked 24 & 48 & Special Delivery Guaranteed

Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace

Dear Colleagues,

On the 21st May, the Outdoor Department was advised by Royal Mail of the development of ‘GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace’ and informed that this initiative would go-live on the 26th May.

In light of this, immediate representation was made to Royal Mail on this matter and the view of the department is that the initiative needs to be covered by a Joint Statement which has now been concluded and is attached.

GPS location recording has been a feature of the PDA from inception and records the GPS location at the point at which an item is scanned (within 3 metres square). This information is retained centrally and is used primarily by Customer Experience in relation to customer enquiries or complaints.

The ‘GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace’ development now seeks to make this information directly available to both customers and managers, with the aim of this feature being to reduce the volume of “Find My Item” and “Denial of Receipt” enquiries into Customer Experience.

This development also reflects a further commercial offering by Royal Mail to customers which is seen in the parcel market as standard practice for ‘Track & Trace’ items.

Whilst the attached Joint Statement is self-explanatory the following are key points:

• The GPS information can only be viewed against each singular item and requires the relevant item barcode to access this data.
• The GPS information will only be available the next working day from the item being scanned (no real-time data reporting).
• The ‘GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace’ may increase levels of individual visibility and it is agreed that the new development is not being deployed for, or will be used as, a disciplinary tool. As such it will not be used to enhance the ability of managers, or the evidence available used for conduct purposes.
• The rollout of GPS Delivery track and trace will not change the current Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in relation to the doorstep “delivered” scan.
• The rollout of ‘GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace’ will be subject to a National joint review in August 2020.

For the purpose of competence, also attached is a copy of the Operational Briefing provided by Royal Mail on the 21st May.

The attached Joint Statement reflects wider National agreements between the CWU and Royal Mail on growing the parcel market and customer demands around extra features and greater information on how those items are handled. However, it does this against clear safeguards in place in terms of this increased level of visibility and ensures that this data cannot be used for disciplinary purposes.

Any enquires as to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, reference 230.03, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch 

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 278.20 – RM_CWU National Joint Statement GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace

RM_CWU National Joint Statement GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace

Operational Briefing GPS Delivery Coordinates