Royal Mail and the CWU: Final Mile Optimisation (FMO) Joint Launch Communication

Dear Colleagues,

On the 15th February 2019, the Outdoor Department issued a memo to Divisional Reps and ADRs containing a RM & CWU Joint Statement which outlined developments and proof of concept activity in relation to the system upgrades of the outdoor planning tools for Delivery and Collections and which have been given the overall title of Final Mile Optimisation (FMO). 

Since then and following further verbal updates given by the Department at the recent ADR Briefings held on the 12th and 18th July 2019, the purpose of this LTB is to confirm the joint launch of the system upgrades under FMO of Route Manager and Georoute. 

To provide some background, Branches and Reps will be aware that meetings have been taking place since late 2018 between Royal Mail and the CWU through the Delivery Systems Working Group and as part of the National Delivery design and section 19.3 of the National Guiding Principles (Four Pillars and Pay) Agreement on a number of developments and system upgrades linked to planning tools for Delivery and Collections.

The upgrades covered the two key systems of:

• Replacing A-plus with Route Manager
• Replacing the Georoute 2008 with Georoute 2017

Following further discussions and joint proof of concept activity, the attached Final Mile Optimisation (FMO) Joint Launch Communications has been agreed and is attached for the attention of Branches and Representatives.

Whilst the attached joint launch communication is fairly self-explanatory, it confirms the following key items:

What is Final Mile Optimisation

FMO is a necessary technical refresh of the outdoor route planning systems for Delivery and Collections which are over 10 years old and reaching end of life.

New software and technology means that the new systems can:

• Simplify and improve current processes
• Take advantage of new data products e.g. road speed, terrain, maps, NYB
• Reduce the maintenance task for local units
• Enhance the verification processes
• Complete revisions faster with a quicker start-up phase
• Build in manual interventions automatically
• Use latest agreed outdoor values
• Achieve greater accuracy with high confidence in outputs

This refresh forms part of Royal Mail’s Digital Transformation Strategy. It will help to better maintain accurate routing data ensuring fair and balanced workload for all, plan and execute change faster by automating many of the tasks that previously relied on manual input or intervention and supports the development of new products and services to customers such as Consumer Collections and Inflight Redirections.

FMO will be deployed in 2 releases as follows:

Release 1 goes live on a staged basis from w/c 29th July 2019 and will include:

• Pegasus A-Plus and Road Network Maintenance applications replaced with a new Route Manager application for Delivery
• Georoute 2008 replaced with Georoute 2017 for Delivery
• Updated data products and automatic refresh cycle through trusted 3rd party sources 

Release 2 will go live at a later date following completion of a design, build, and test phase:

• Adjusted should take time to reflect forecast traffic
• Seasonal route planning capability
• Georoute 2017 and Route Manager for Collections

Royal Mail and the CWU can now confirm that Release 1 is ready to go live from 29th July. 

Planning for Release 2 will commence shortly with joint discussions taking place through the Delivery Systems Group continuing on the new capabilities associated with it. Both parties understand this development is likely to be deployed in late 2020 and as such, have agreed these discussions will also take place parallel to the New Delivery Agreement outlined in section 19.3 Guiding Principles Agreement.

Current Status

The current status of the programme means that GeoRoute will be upgraded for Deliveries and will use the latest outdoor values taken from the nationally agreed exercise for the observation studies that took place in 2017. The current A-Plus and Road Network Maintenance systems will be combined into a new system called Route Manager, and large amounts of data will be automated in the new systems. Delivery will transition from the Pegasus platform onto Route Manager. The move to current technology will also assist with integration with other platforms which are also subject to further discussions between Royal Mail & the CWU.

Next Steps/Notifications

A technical cutover of the A-plus system has now been completed. This means that units are unable to make changes to the underlying data until the new system goes live on a staged basis from w/c 29th July. To manage the initial load on system resources, a managed ramp up will be planned. Preceding go live further communications will be shared, advising units when they can access the new system. 

A key aspect of the new system is the notifications function which advises Champions and Unit Managers of any changes in Route Manager either for information or review and action. Units should expect an initial peak of notifications in the immediate period after going live. Managers will need to review the level of items to action, agree a plan to clear these down and schedule sufficient time for their Champions to complete these and this needs to be considered at future weekly resource meetings. It is important to note that Route Manager changes will not impact on workload at route level in release 1; it is purely an administrative task.

Post Go Live Review

Both Royal Mail and the CWU are keen to understand how the new system supports both business as usual and revision activity in the future. Further National discussions regarding the delivery revision programme along with a joint agreed revised revision process to support revision are continuing and further joint communications will be issued in due course.

In issuing the attached Final Mile Optimisation (FMO) Joint Launch Communications and as set out above, Branches and Representatives are advised however that a Nationally agreed revised revision process to reflect and capture these system upgrades has not been reached yet and talks remain ongoing in this area, including the need to pilot the revised revision process to ensure it is fit for purpose against the upgrades made to Route Manager and Georoute.

Equally, the Outdoor Department has been clear to Royal Mail from the outset that any planned or currently ongoing revision activity within Delivery Offices must be planned to factor in the 1-hour SWW reduction due this year and in line with the National Guiding Principles (Four Pillars and Pay) Agreement.

This position reflects current developments concerning the National Point of Principle Disagreement and Honouring the Four Pillars and Pay Agreement (LTB 456/19 issued by the DGS(P) Department referred and is attached).

As such, Branches and Representatives are advised that in the case of Delivery Offices currently involved in revisions or where revision activity is planned that disagreement should be registered via the IR Framework where Royal Mail does not accept that the 1-hour SWW reduction is planned in as part of the revision outputs.

Further updates will be provided in due course.

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

Yours sincerely,

 

Mark Baulch

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 458.19 – FMO Joint Launch Communication

19LTB456-UPDATE-HONOURING-AND-DEPLOYING-THE-FOUR-PILLARS-AND-PAY-AGREEMENT

FMO Joint Launch Communications

 

CWU Retired Members Conference – Wednesday 23^rd October 2019

The CWU Retired Members Conference will be held on Wednesday 23^rd October 2019 at the Birmingham CWU Offices, 46-48 Summer Lane, Hockley, Birmingham B19 3TH.

a) Delegates 

Only Branches with Retired members Sections are entitled to send Delegates.

Branch delegate entitlement to this Conference as agreed by the NEC is as follows:

 

Number of Retired Members	Delegate								entitlement
1-249	1
250-499	2
500 and above	3

 

Retired Members Regional Committee Secretaries shall attend the Retired Members conference with the right to speak and move motions on behalf of their Retired Members Regional Committee but not to vote. Funding for Retired Members Regional Committee Secretaries to attend Retired Members Conference shall be from the General Fund.

In order that we can cater for any delegate with special needs such as seating, etc., it is important that you advise us in writing of the name of the delegate(s) and the particular requirement by return but no later than Friday 4^th October 2019.

b) Motions

Each Branch is entitled to submit one motion for consideration to be included on the agenda of the Conference. Motions should be submitted electronically to conferences@cwu.org using the attached template. Confirmation of receipt of motion will be sent to branches within 72 hours. Should confirmation not be received within this time branches are asked to contact Angela Niven on 020 8971 7256   Branches who do not have this facility may request paper motion forms by contacting the Angela Niven on 020 8971 7256.

Branches, Regions and the Committee are reminded that the Standing Orders Committee will not alter or amend any of the motions submitted therefore it is important that motions are checked before they are submitted.

Each Retired Members Regional Committee is entitled to submit one Motion to the Retired Members Conference.

The Retired Members Committee are entitled to submit up to three motions to the Conference, standing in their name.

Motion forms must be returned by midnight on Wednesday 25th September 2019. Anything received after this date will not be accepted.   All sections of the form must be completed.

If Motions are being sent electronically they will only be accepted to the above email address.

As with previous Conferences, the agenda will be structured in such a way as to maximise debate and participation by delegates. There will be 2 sections to the agenda, one for motions which are eligible for consideration for submission to General Conference, and one for motions that in the view of the Standing Orders Committee would not be admissible to the General Conference agenda.

Branches will be aware that the Retired Members’ Conference has the entitlement under the rules of the union to submit 2 motions to stand in the name of the conference to General Conference. It is therefore important that if branches wish their motions to be in this category, they must contain policy that is capable of being discharged by the NEC, as opposed to either of the Industrial Executives.

The 2 motions for submission to the General Conference agenda will be decided from amongst those motions adopted at the Conference. A ballot to select the 2 motions will be held at the Conference.

c) Election of Delegates to General Conference

As you will know, the Retired Members’ Conference will select two delegates to represent the Retired Members to attend General Conference 2020.

The Standing Orders for the Retired Members’ Conference will advise a ballot to select these two delegates will be conducted during Conference itself.

Additionally, individuals must be willing to accept nomination, and must have the nomination of their own branch and/or the Retired Members’ Committee, to be eligible.

The exception to this are members of the Retired Members’ Committee themselves who may be proposed for these positions but need to have the nomination of the Retired Members’ Committee and/or any Regional Committee.

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Angela Niven either by post to head office or by email to conferences@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

 

A P Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

19LTB430 – CWU Retired Members Conference

RM Guidance 19

RM Motion 19

RM Nomination Form 19

Retired Lists for 2019

TERMS OF REFERENCE BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL AND THE CWU COVERING THE TRIAL OF FINGER SCANNERS FOR INDOOR TASKS FOR HIGHER VOLUME DELIVERY OFFICES

Dear Colleagues, 

Branches will recall that there was previous trial activity agreed and outlined in LTB 165/18 to undertake trials in 10 Delivery Offices on the use of Finger Scanners.

Overall the scanners were relatively well received by OPGs and managers, with favourable comments about the weight and ease of handling compared to the PDAs. With the conclusion of the study deemed that Finger Scanners accelerated the scanning process for Tracked items in the majority of cases and that further analysis suggested that it benefitted:

•  Large Tracked Return Receivers
•  Delivery Offices within Plants (where they could dual use the finger scanners already present)
•  Smaller offices with large Tracked volumes where a combined Scan and Sort Process could be    introduced

As a result of further discussions with the business, we have agreed with Royal Mail to further expand the trial of Finger Scanner accessories (paired to the existing PDAs) in 11 agreed large receiving DOs.

The purpose of the trial extension would be to confirm whether there is a consistent case for their use on a more widespread basis, and to inform when a tipping point might occur in terms of the volume of parcels and to further determine if this is appropriate for all parcel sizes or more specific to particular volumetric formats. The trial extension would aid a decision as to whether and where to deploy these more widely which is agreed would be subject to further National discussions.

As Branches will note from the trial TOR, we believe the document includes all the necessary safeguards and clearly defines that there is full involvement of CWU and staff within the trial, along with the necessary training and support, also along with the appropriate SSOW, etc.

In addition, any operational changes required to facilitate the trial arrangements will be progressed in line with the IR Framework.

Further to this, the trial will be jointly overseen by the National leads and will be formally reviewed by the signatories of this TOR. Local managers and CWU Representatives involved will also have the opportunity to feed into this process.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 540, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

 

Mark Baulch

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 453.19 – Terms of Reference RM_CWU Covering the Trial of Finger Scanners for Indoor Tasks for Higher Volume Delivery Offices

Terms of Reference RM_CWU Covering the Trial of Finger Scanners for Indoor Tracked Parcel Tasks Including the Scan and Sort Method

 

TERMS OF REFERENCE BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL AND THE CWU COVERING THE USE OF GRAVITY CONVEYORS TO ASSIST IN THE INDOOR SORTING OF PARCELS IN DELIVERIES

Dear Colleagues,

Branches will be aware that Gravity Conveyors are already used within the Mail Centre/Processing operation. As a result, Royal Mail has been exploring their use within a number of large Delivery Offices to scope and understand whether their use would assist with the operational challenges being faced as a consequence of the growth in the volumes of parcels.

As a result, it has been agreed to jointly trial the use of Gravity Conveyors in an agreed number of large receiving DOs, as listed below, to confirm whether there is a beneficial case for their use on a more widespread basis, and to inform the space and volume requirements to justify use.

1. Southend On Sea DO

2. Colchester DO

3. Ilford DO

4. Guildford DO

5. Cambridge DO

6. Croydon DO

7. Bath DO

The following issues are covered off in the Terms of Reference: 

•  Aims and Objectives 
•  Trial Outline 
•  Joint Involvement/Information Share 
•  Safe Systems of Work and Standard Operating Procedures 
•  Deployment and Review

The trial will hopefully aid a decision as to whether and where to deploy them more widely which is agreed would be the subject of further National discussions.

As Branches will note from the trial TOR, we believe the document includes all the necessary safeguards and clearly defines that there is full involvement of the CWU and staff within the trial, along with the necessary training and support also along with the appropriate SSOW, etc.

In addition, any operational changes required to facilitate the trial arrangements will be progressed in line with the IR Framework.

Further to this, the trial will be jointly overseen by the National leads and will be formally reviewed by the signatories of this TOR. Local managers and CWU Representatives involved will also have the opportunity to input into this process.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 540, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

 

Mark Baulch

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 452.19 – Terms of Reference RM_CWU Covering the Use of Gravity Conveyors to Assist in the Indoor Sorting of Parcels in Deliveries

Terms of Reference RM_CWU Covering the Trial of Gravity Conveyors to Assist in the Indoor Sorting of Parcels in Deliveries

 

 

JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN PARCELFORCE WORLDWIDE AND THE CWU REGARDING THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE NEW ‘SAFE DRIVER CHECKS’ PROCESS FOR ALL PFW DRIVERS

 

Branches and representatives will be aware that a new Safe Driver Process for licence checks has already been agreed in Royal Mail functions (LTB’s 145/19 & 192/19 refer). As with Royal Mail there is also a legal requirement for Parcelforce Worldwide to undertake licence checks and as such they have approached the department with a request to instigate a similar process utilising PDA’s.

 

Being a safe and qualified driver is a key part of the job roles at Parcelforce Worldwide. The existing process that is used in relation to licence checks is performed twice yearly and is a paper based process, which is complicated and time consuming.

 

In addition, the current system whereby the driver sources a code from the DVLA is changing. Due to new laws regarding the security of data, each driver will need to undertake a lengthy process to obtain the code (estimated as 15 minutes). The new approach will eliminate the need for drivers to source a code, as their permission to undertake the twice yearly licence check via the PDA App, will be valid for 3 years. The proposed change to process is therefore seen as a way to simplify Parcelforce policies and ensure compliance.

 

Discussions have therefore taken place with the business in relation to concluding a Joint Statement to enable a revised process to be adopted in Parcelforce, a copy of the document which has been endorsed by the Postal Executive, is attached for your information.

 

In summary the process mirrors that being used in Royal Mail and will allow for required data to be collected and licence checks to be undertaken in PFW via the PDA.

 

Due to legal requirements it will be necessary to commence collecting the required driver data and have this completed in August 2019, prior to the next licence checks in September/October.

 

In addition to the Joint Statement also attached within Annex A – PDA Input Guide is supplementary information in relation to the Safe Driver Check process, which we hope will be of assistance to Branches and representatives in dealing with any enquiries they may receive.

 

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 109.01.

 

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

19LTB457

Att 1 PFW Safe Driver Checks – 26.07.19

Att 2 Safe Driver Checks.docx