Election of: 
CWU Delegates to the TUC Equality Conferences – 2017

Further to LTB 030/17 dated 19th January 2017, please find detailed below the results of the ballots:
 
TUC WOMENS CONFERENCE
Postal
4 Lay Members  
Dale-Marie Bliben
South Central Postal
45,278
Clare Drummond
Greater Manchester
73,821 *Elected
Kath Kelly
Newcastle Amal
81,941 *Elected
Morag Rose  
Scotland No 5
71,769 *Elected
Vicki Turner
Leeds No 1 Amal
75,676 *Elected
 
TUC BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE
Postal  
3 Lay Members  
Adam Alarakhia
Leicestershire
23,386
Linford Gibbons
Nottingham District Amal
34,498
Bola Omoyeni
South Midlands Postal
39,918 *Elected
Mohammed Sakib
South Central Postal
37,112
Amarjite Singh
South East Wales Amal
81,735 *Elected
Ian Taylor
Greater Manchester
65,325 *Elected
 
TUC DISABLED WORKERS CONFERENCE
Postal
3 Lay Members
Adam Alarakhia
Leicestershire
38,311
Mark Anthony Bastiani
London South West
50,013 *Elected
William Johnston
Scotland No 2
29,439
Tony Sneddon
Scotland No 5
77,237 *Elected
Lee Starr-Elliott
Bristol & District Amal
74,986 *Elected
 
TUC LGBT CONFERENCE
Telecom & Financial Services
3 Lay Members (Minimum 1 Woman)  
John Monk
London & West Branch
12,144
Jacky Morrey
Mid Wales The Marches & North Staffs,
30,642 *Elected
Jason Reynolds
Capital,
33,693 *Elected
Jean Sharrocks
North East,
30,711 *Elected
Duncan Strivens
South London Surrey & North Hampshire
16,011
 The branch analysis for the above elections are attached to this LTB.
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
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 077/17 – Election of CWU Delegates to the TUC Equality Conferences 2017

Postal PTS Returns 2017

TFS Returns 2017

TUC/HSE Guidance & Advice For Trade Union Health & Safety Reps on Tackling ‎Work-Related Stress
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
The TUC and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has this week published a new guide to help Trade Union Health and Safety Representatives tackle Workplace Stress and a pdf file copy is attached for the information of CWU Reps and Branches.
Work-related stress has been viewed as a major problem by trade unions since the 1980s. Trade Unions, including the CWU, have played a key role in ensuring that stress is now recognised as one of the main ill health concerns in the workplace.
The need to tackle stress is also recognised in law. HSE’s position is that work-related stress should be treated as any other workplace hazard. Under the Health & Safety at Work etc., Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are obliged to undertake a risk assessment for health hazards at work – including stress – and to take action to control that risk. Unfortunately while many employers have accepted that stress is a major problem in their workplace, many others have no idea how to tackle it effectively. 
HSE defines stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them”. This definition is widely accepted and under this definition all stress is damaging. We all recognise that a certain degree of pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep us motivated. However, stress can lead to physical or psychological ill health. HSE statistics show that stress is one of the top two causes of sickness absence (with musculoskeletal disorders) in Great Britain and research confirms that.
Last year 7 in 10 respondents to the TUC National Health and Safety Representatives survey, conducted across all UK Unions and Industries identified Stress as the top concern in their workplaces. As a result the TUC in conjunction with the HSE has issued this new guidance handbook, which will help Union Health and Safety Representatives and other Reps to work with employers to find practical solutions to work-related stress. The Main employers such as Royal Mail Group and BT Group have introduced Stress Risk Assessment Policies and Processes. The new TUC Guide will assist CWU Health and Safety Reps utilise those processes.
There is clear guidance available from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which will help organisations identify practical solutions to the problem. This is the Management Standards approach to Work-related Stress. If implemented properly, the Management Standards could significantly reduce levels of illness caused by work-related stress. That is why the TUC is working with the HSE to publish clear guidance for union health and safety representatives. It is the TUC, HSE and CWU view that safety representatives should encourage their employer to implement the HSE Stress Management Standards in their organisation. There is a legal requirement on the employer to do a risk assessment that should include stress and, if stress is a problem in the workplace, the employer has to take steps to manage it. Employers have to have in place a suitable system for managing work-related stress and Unions and their Health and Safety Reps have a major part to play in ensuring that employers take their responsibilities, to tackle work-related stress, seriously. Dealing with stress at work highlights the fact that health and safety is not divorced from the rest of the union’s work activity.
The TUC/HSE guide is based on the HSE ‘Stress Management Standards’ in handling stress. It breaks down the causes of work-related stress into six key areas: 
Demands: issues like workload, work pattern and environment

Control: how much say someone has over the way in which they work

Support: available resources, line management and colleagues

Relationships: dealing with unacceptable behaviour and promoting positive working

Role: if the person understands their role at work and does not have conflicting roles

Change: how organisational change – large or small – is communicated.

The Guidance handbook suggests that Trade Union Representatives should, through their Legal Rights to carry out Health and Safety Inspections, gather information on the current situation in the workplace and discuss with management the need to carry out a stress risk assessment in order to identify practical proposals for change that could make a real difference, such as tackling poor work culture and improving workplace working practices and conditions.
‎Workers are increasingly suffering from the effects of workplace stress as pressures of heavy workloads, long hours and low job security are taking hold across the UK. The Guidance emphasises the fact that it’s in no-one’s interest to have an overstretched, stressed out and anxious workforce, as staff are less productive and are more likely to take time off in such circumstances. The HSE Stress Management standards provide the best way of tackling the issue.
Unions and employers working together to invest in health and safety can result in a vast improvement in other aspects of industrial relations and a working environment in which work-related stress is managed properly. This new guide is designed to help union safety representatives encourage employers and managers to work with them to implement the HSE Management Standards approach to managing work-related stress. The Management Standards, and the approach were launched in 2004 following extensive development and piloting. They are an effective tool for assisting organisations to identify the causes of work-related stress and implement practical solutions to manage the risks. They are now the main standard in use in the UK.
The new guide:
Gives a background to the problem of stress

Outlines what the Management Standards are

Says what you and your employer can do

Explains the process

Gives advice on how to build your knowledge

Tells you where to go for additional information.

The HSE Stress Management Standards approach to work-related stress and the accompanying guidance and tools have been designed to assist employers in identifying causes of stress in the workplace and to develop and implement solutions to minimize the effects on workers. The TUC and affiliated unions welcomed this development as it gives real support to employers wishing to tackle stress at work. The standards also give health and safety enforcement officers a means of assessing whether an employer is failing to manage stress adequately.
The TUC and CWU believe that the application of the approach through agreed deployment arrangements provides the most effective way of dealing with stress and highlights the critical importance of involving unions and employees at every stage of the introduction of the process in developing management systems and preventative measures. If employers try to introduce them without proper consultation they are unlikely to be effective or supported by employees.
Union Health and Safety Representatives have an important role in the process of managing stress in the workplace and a key role to play in working with employers to tackle this problem and are an integral part of the communication between members and the employer and in encouraging members to take an active role in the internal stress risk assessment process where it is being properly used. Stress is preventable if workers have reasonable workloads, supportive managers and a workplace free from violence, bullying and harassment. Union Health and Safety Reps and other Reps also have a role in tackling the stigma of stress, anxiety and mental ill-health. People perceive stress as a weakness and this may contribute to underreporting.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
 
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – LTB073/17 TUC/HSE Guidance & Advice For Trade Union Health & Safety Reps on Tackling ‎Work-Related Stress

Attachment 2 – Tackling Workplace Stress

Telecoms and Financial Services Conference 2017 – Submission of Motions
 
Attached with this Letter to Branches is the Motion form to be used for Telecoms and Financial Services conferences 2017. The purpose of this Letter to Branches is to remind those who do not have access to an e-mail facility that they must contact head office direct to request hard copies of the form to be dispatched to them. They should contact Angela Niven on 020 8971 7256.
 
We would also remind Branches that the closing date for the submission of motions to this conference is Midnight Thursday 9th March 2017, by post, or by email to conferences@cwu.org. If by email only motions emailed to the conferences email address will be accepted.
 
General guidance on the submission of motions to the Telecoms and Financial Services Conference 2017 is attached to this LTB.
 
As part of the General Guidance has changed, Branches are urged to check it before submitting motions.
 
Branches and the TFSE 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.
 
Any queries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to Angela Niven at Head Office.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
 
 
A J Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 071/17

Guidance Notes TFS 2017

Motion Form TFS 2017

National Disciplinary Committee (NDC)
I am writing to advise Branches that following changes in our officerial team at headquarters we have now put in place arrangements to ensure the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) continues to run effectively and in accordance with the rules of the union. 
In putting in place these arrangements, we will now take the opportunity to review the NDC process going forward as part of the wider re-design project.
Therefore, in respect of the NDC interim arrangements I have asked Tony Rupa Head of Legal Services to take on and oversee the officerial role within the NDC process. In this role, Tony will have policy advisor support from Martin Akerman and the NDC process and admin role will for the present continue to be done as before by Jo Thair.
I can advise branches that I have also asked Tony Rupa to undertake an immediate review of the whole NDC process. It has been apparent for some time that many of the cases that end up coming before the NDC, often involve a breakdown in relationships at branch level. It is also clear that the current process has no real facility to offer alternative ways of resolving relationship issues. Therefore, in undertaking this review, I have asked Tony to consider ways of modernising the process and in particular to look at the potential for mediation and dispute resolution facilities, to feature in a revised procedure.
A further report will be made to the NEC and we will keep branches informed of developments and any new arrangements which may be considered.
Any further enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at gsoffice@cwu.org quoting the reference GS 6.3.1
 
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Ward
General Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 069/17 – National Disciplinary Committee (NDC)

HSE Report – Work Related Stress, Anxiety and Depression Statistics in Great Britain 2016:
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Work-related stress remains one of the top causes of sickness absence according to latest statistics.
Work-related stress, depression or anxiety is defined as a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands placed on them at work.
The latest figures on stress for Great Britain reveal that, in 2015/16, it accounted for 37% of all work related ill-health cases and 45% of all working days lost due to illness.
In a recent report published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the statistics also show that the total number of cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety over that period was 488,000. That equates, the HSE points out, to a prevalence rate of 1510 per 100,000 workers.
There were 224,000 new cases in 2015/16 – an incidence rate of 690 per 100,000 workers.
Overall, 11.7 million working days were lost due to work-related stress during 2015/16, equivalent to an average of 23.9 days lost per case. The HSE notes that working days lost per worker showed a generally downward trend to around 2009/10, since when the rate has been broadly flat.
Stress is more prevalent in public service industries, the HSE points out, including education, health and social care, defense and public administration.
According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the predominant cause of work-related stress is workload and particularly very tight deadlines, too much work, or too much pressure or responsibility.
A lack of managerial support, organisational changes at work, violence, and a lack of clarity about a job have also been identified as factors leading to stress.
Compared with all workplaces combined, small enterprises had significantly lower rates of workplace stress anxiety and depression, the HSE highlighted, with medium and large enterprises having significantly higher rates.
Work-related stress is defined as a harmful reaction that people have to undue pressures and demands placed on them at work. By its very nature, stress is difficult to measure and the HSE has two different data sources from which to conduct analysis. The preferred data source used by the HSE for calculating rates and estimates for stress, depression or anxiety is the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is a household survey consisting of around 38,000 households per quarter across Great Britain which provides information about the labour market. The HSE commissions a module of questions in the LFS to gain a view of work-related illness based on individuals’ perceptions.
The LFS provides national estimates and corresponding rates of the overall prevalence (total cases) of self-reported work-related illness during the previous 12 months, which includes long standing and new cases. It also provides estimates of work-related illness in the same period and of annual working days lost due to work-related illness. Estimates and rates relate to people working in the previous 12 months. Statistics presented in this document are based on the LFS data, unless otherwise specified.
In addition to the LFS, the HSE also collects data on work-related stress through the Health and Occupation Research network for general practitioners (THOR-GP) across Great Britain. This network asks reporting general practitioners to assess whether new cases of mental ill health presented in their surgeries are work-related, and if so, what was the work-related cause of this disorder. The two data sources may reflect different perceptions of work related attribution to individual cases.
Longitudinal studies and systematic reviews have indicated that stress at work is driven largely by psychosocial factors and is associated with common conditions such as heart disease and anxiety and depression and may play a role in some forms of musculoskeletal disorders.
The Report looks at:
Prevalence and incidence rates of stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by work.

Days lost due to work related stress, depression or anxiety in 2015/16

Work related stress anxiety and depression rates by industry group.

Work related stress by broad occupational category.

Work related stress within the category of professional occupations.

Work related stress rates by age and gender.

Work related stress for small, medium and large enterprises.

Self-reported stress, depression or anxiety rates.

Analysis of mental ill-health reported cases.

A pdf file copy of the Report is attached.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
 
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – LTB068/17 HSE Report – Work Related Stress, Anxiety and Depression Statistics in Great Britain 2016:

Attachment 2 – HSE – Work Related Stress Anxiety Depresssion Stats in GB 2016 Report

BT Consumer: Operating Model – Enniskillen
BT Consumer has advised the CWU that it is changing the operating model in Enniskillen as part of the plan to ensure that 90% of calls are answered in the UK.
The plan is to end duplication of work that is done elsewhere in BT Consumer and reallocate email and white mail traffic to other UK sites.
This change in approach will affect 43 full time equivalent advisors in Enniskillen currently working on white mail and email. Help work will be moved onto the site to facilitate redeployment and in the first instance Advisors working on email and white mail will be given the opportunity to volunteer to move to Help.
There will be no changes to the My Donate, Social Media or Executive Level Complaint teams on site.
The CWU has a number of concerns with these changes.
Moving the Work
The CWU has argued that the work should remain on site and that reducing the amount of off-line work could cause problems for those with disability or medical issues that prevent on-line working.
BT has responded that it is cutting out the double handling of cases to improve customer service and is redeploying staff in line with existing agreements. BT has reconfirmed that it remains committed to achieving 80% of direct labour jobs in Sales and 90% in Service; and will deal with any disability or medical cases in line with Company processes.
Grading 
BT has confirmed that the grading for the role will be B1CC. Where necessary Pay & Pension Protection will be applied.
In line with the national agreement those on Pay & Pension Protection will be paid at the rate for the substantive grade for the role; in this case B1CC.
Training
The Union has expressed concerns about the arrangements for training and the need for a quality approach. 
BT has accepted that the training required for advisors will vary by individual. BT will ensure that training requirements are created on a bespoke basis, and following the training there will be a period of grad bay working in the same way as other new staff.
ECOH or Flexible Working Requests that are in place will continue as normal during the training. 
As training is normally delivered on a full time basis the CWU has requested that if attendances need to be altered then Advisors should be given at least 5 weeks notice of the training course. This is to ensure that advisors, and particularly those working part time hours, have a reasonable period in which to make arrangements.
BT has said it will give as much notice as possible but has not confirmed any minimum notice period. We will continue to discuss this issue with BT. 
Attendance Patterns
The Universal attendance patterns will continue to apply as will existing ECOH and Flexible Working Regulation requests.
At the moment the current opening hours will continue to apply but this will probably change in the next 12 months. We have flagged up concerns that changes to opening hours may cause issues with caring and transport which will need to be addressed.
We will continue to discuss attendances with BT.
Selection Process
If there are not enough volunteers to move to Help, Consumer will run a selection process in line with Group procedures. We will discuss the selection arrangements with BT further if it proves necessary.
Next Steps
There are a number of issues that remain unresolved with BT and the CWU National Team will be doing all it can to secure the best possible outcome for members. Branches will be kept informed of developments.
A copy of BT documentation is attached.
Yours sincerely
 
Nigel Cotgrove
Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 062/17 – BT Consumer: Operating Model – Enniskillen

Celebrating International Women’s Day : March 8th 2017
Please find attached a Poster we have produced to celebrate Women’s International Day.  
The Poster is also available to download on the CWU Website under events. The link for this is:

Click to access iiwd2017bbeboldposterlast2.pdf

Please feel free to use the Poster at any events you may have organised.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact my department.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Linda Roy
Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 064/17 – Celebrating International Women’s Day : March 8th 2017

Safe & Well – January 2017
Please see attached the January 2017 edition of Safe and Well newsletter with contributions from our USRs and field teams. It contains a refresh on the red alert around Steps Mobile, more on the Working at Height review, a couple of shout outs from the teams and also TSO, a reminder about the need to report any physical abuse incidents and more updates on waste with the handy guide, and details of an exciting competition. 
Yours sincerely 

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
 
Att.
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 065/17 Safe & Well January 2017

LTB 065/17 Openreach H&S Update Q4

Safe & Well Issue 42 LTB 065