Trials on Delivery Initiatives – Trial 2 Tamoco Data Validation Trial
Dear Colleagues,
Branches will be aware of the ongoing discussions with Royal Mail and the department regarding the future use and design of the PDA and how this interacts with Consumers in the ability to request alternative delivery options during the course of the delivery of the products.
As such we were invited to a meeting where the general concepts of three initiatives were outlined and presented. Accordingly we said to the company that we would require separate Terms of Reference for all three initiatives.
Essentially, the trial is a forerunner to test and develop the PDA functionality for any potential future roll out nationally. The trial will provide customers with ability to communicate and leave instructions to their delivery postman/woman at the doorstep and offer the following:
A website accessed via a Near Field Communication (NFC) Tag that enables customers to specify where they would like their items to be left/taken if they are out, or if items require a signature.

Each delivery point (address) will share one account.

Accounts will be protected by a PIN code to prevent unsolicited redirection of mail.

The Trial will take place at Bath and Greenwich Delivery Offices.

Involvement in the trial will be voluntary and circa 10 volunteers will be sought from each of the two units involved in the trial. Volunteers from each DO will carry a second device (an Android phone) during the trial, in addition to their PDA. The trial will run from 17th October 2016 – 13th January 2017 inclusive. Participation in the trial is voluntary for individuals in the unit. If the trial outcomes are successful, the joint ambition is to expand this service to the rest of the country utilising new PDAs, rather than two separate pieces of equipment (PDAs would be upgraded to allow this functionality). As the TOR makes clear, this aspect will be subject to further joint discussion and agreement at National level.Full CWU involvement along with individual protections in terms of any information generated not being used for any conduct against individuals or work study basis is also fully covered off in the attached TOR, along with protections for any loss or damage occurring to these android devices through the course of normal working procedures.

Any enquires please contact the Outdoor Department quoting reference 540
Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org
Yours Sincerely,
 
Mick Kavanagh

Acting Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 526/16 – Trials on Delivery Initiatives – Trial 2 Tamoco Data Validation Trial

National Terms of Reference for Tamoco Data Validation Trial

Agreement between Royal Mail and CWU on National Deployment and Installation of New Fuel Management System
 
Branches will recall LTB 322/16 issued on the 23rd May 2016 that provided for a Terms of Reference on User Acceptance Testing of a new Fuel Management System at Worksop DO. The LTB advised the method with which Royal Mail Fleet uses fuel that is accessed in a variety of ways from bulk fuel tanks located at operational sites as well as the use of fuel cards at filling stations and local fuel depots across the UK. More than 70% of fuel is drawn from over 230 bulk fuel sites that have outdated equipment installed which is no longer fit for purpose. The price paid by Royal Mail for bulk fuel is significantly cheaper, so in order to support their requirements and ensure the HGV fleet has access to filling station forecourts, RM Fleet are upgrading their hardware across all bulk fuel sites together with a new Fuel Management System which provides better transparency of fuel used and data capture which will help improve reporting procedures.
 
The older Timeplan units at the four test sites as advised in LTB 322/16 have been replaced with the new Apollo units as provided by Triscan which consist of replacement fuel island control units and new vehicle ID key fobs and deployment of an industry standard tool to report on bulk fuel usage.
 
The successful User Acceptance Test (UAT) at Worksop DO concluded with a Business Assurance Testing Phase (BAT) in Asbourne DO, Derby MPU and YDC where all data captured has been regularly shared with the CWU and jointly reviewed in a timely manner. Drivers continue to fuel in the usual way by holding their key fob to the unit, key in the current mileage from the odometer reading and start to fuel. No concerns have been raised during the testing phase from the areas involved and all safety measures have been strictly adhered to. The data capture from all four sites have been reviewed where the only report that can be added is if a vehicle records a failed transaction. Such failures are due to the Driver being “timed-out” of the process as there is only a 30 second window for drawing fuel after presenting the Key fob to Triscan. There is also a foreign fuel key located at each site as well as a process to manually over-ride the system and an emergency disaster plan to access fuel from a local forecourt.
 
The fuel used and data capture recorded will not be used to indicate differences between offices or drivers and will not be used as a disciplinary tool. Other than agreed Coaching, this process will not enhance the ability of managers to use the evidence available to take disciplinary action.
 
The CWU Area Safety Reps will be fully involved in the installation process with access to all safety documentation and will be fully involved in ensuring a SSOW is in place during installation as well as during the issue of fuel. A national SAC1 and WESCA document has been produced and has been shared with the CWU Health and Safety Department. Additionally the supplier has provided a detailed Risk Assessment and Method Statement for all installations. In advance of installation there will be a 5 week count-down process to ensure information is shared via WTL&L sessions with all members of the unit install.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The installation at sites is planned to take between 4 to 6 hours so both Royal Mail and the CWU are committed to working together at Unit level to ensure safety remains paramount throughout the installation. National roll-out will commence in September 2016 through to January 2017 (breaking for Christmas pressure). Both Royal Mail and the CWU will continue to monitor and review progress of this initiative to understand where changes are required or improvements available.
 
Any questions or interpretation, implementation or application of this agreement shall be referred to the respective Headquarters for resolution as a matter of urgency.
 
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 445
Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org
 
Any enquiries to Davie Robertson’s department, quoting reference 214.15
Email address: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org
 
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
 
Mick Kavanagh Joe Malone
CWU A/Assistant Secretary CWU A/Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 523.16 – Agreement between Royal Mail and CWU on National Deployment and Installation of New Fuel Management System

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The CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department fielded a lot of press and media enquiries following the two recent fatal Dog Attacks in Huddersfield, where a 52 years old man was attacked by a dog and killed whilst walking his own small dog and in Halstead, Essex where a 3 years old boy was killed by a dog belonging to his play friends parents whilst he and other children were visiting the address and playing together in the back yard. In both cases the owners have been arrested and charged with Dangerous Dogs Act Offences. It is interesting to note that in the case of the 3 years old boy, the owner would have been immune from prosecution had it not been for the successful CWU ‘Bite-Back’ campaign as the attack was on private land.
Points made to the Press and Media were as follows and are reproduced here for the information of Branches, Health and Safety Reps and Regional Health and Safety Forum.
The CWU represents the largest number of dog attack victims in the UK.
Around 4000 Postmen and Women are attacked by dogs every year and two have been nearly killed, whilst delivering the Mail. See attached examples of Postal Delivery Workers/CWU Members Dog Attack cases.
With the growing number of fatal attacks the CWU is concerned that it could be a Postal Worker next.
The CWU is the only organisation to collect statistical records on fatal dog attacks. 3 years old Dexter Neal was the latest death and is the UK’s 34th Dog Attack Death victim – 18 Children and 16 Adults (see attached detailed list) with all but 3 of them occurring since 2005 which indicates the steep rise over the last decade.
The two recent dog attack deaths in a week David Ellam, Huddersfield and Dexter Neal Halstead, Essex are further unnecessary tragic losses of life, and this is a big concern to the CWU. Our members deliver to those addresses and the question is how bad this needs to get before the UK public wake up to the out of control and growing menace of bad owners with dangerous out of control dogs blighting our country, maiming and killing people and young children across towns, urban and suburban areas alike. We now have the laws in place thanks to the Communication Workers Union’s 7-year ‘Bite-Back’ campaign – so the Police and Dog Wardens have the tools to deal with the matter but not the resources and priority attention to the issue. The government needs to focus attention on tackling the problem of irresponsible, bad dog ownership now or these numbers will continue to climb and climb. Give the Police and Dog Wardens the resources they need is the CWU view. 
Although our ‘Bite-Back’ campaign succeeded in changing and toughening up the law and sentences, this latest death, the UK’s 34th Dog Attack Death and the 31st since 2005, again highlights the danger posed by dogs and the need to tackle irresponsible ownership. Whilst a lot of talk centres on the breed of the animal, the problem is ‘on the other end of the lead’. How many more lives must be lost before more effective action through adequate resources and controls are put in place. We still get 4,000 attacks on CWU members every year and this must stop. The breed and type of dog is secondary to the bad ownership problem. Many of these people shouldn’t have dogs at all.
The CWU successfully campaigned for changes to the UK’s dog control laws through its ‘Bite Back’ campaign, which was set up in 2008 following near-fatal attacks on two postal workers in Sheffield and Cambridge. CWU’s campaign has achieved new Dangerous Dogs Act Laws across the UK.
The CWU campaigned for seven years to get the law changes in Scotland, then Northern Ireland in 2011 and finally in England and Wales in 2014. Over that period, 30,000 postmen and women and hundreds of telecom engineers were attacked by dogs, with many seriously injured.
Some 70 per cent of these attacks on Postal Workers take place on private property where irresponsible owners were previously immune from criminal prosecution. The changes extended the law to apply everywhere plus introduced extended police seizure powers and tougher sentences of up to 14 years in jail and unlimited fines. Recently an Essex Dog Owner was fined £8,800 when his dog bit off the finger tips of a Postwoman, signalling a big increase in Fine Levels following new Court Sentencing Guidance from the Sentencing Council. Since the new laws came into force there has been a significant increase in prosecutions but two years on we still see serious and fatal dog attacks.
More police dog legislation, officer and dog warden resources are needed and an injection of resources into public awareness campaigns, training and ownership controls need examining. We cannot allow this situation of dog attack deaths to continue at the present rate – it’s not acceptable in a civilised society.
Background:-
34 dog attack deaths have occurred (31 since 2005) – 16 adults and 18 children.

95,000 postal workers are on the UK streets six days a week 52 weeks of the year delivering 60 Million items to 29 million addresses daily.

Online shopping is increasing the number of packages and parcels and ‘signed for’ deliveries. This is good for business but it’s also increasing the dog attack risks to postal delivery workers who are having to regularly knock on doors and customers are having to open the door to collect and sign for their items. This means more delivery staff are at risk of coming into direct contact with dogs if the owner hasn’t secured their animal before opening the door.

4,000 dog attacks a year occur on Royal Mail Postal Workers/CWU members.

Approximately 1,000 minor dog attacks go unreported.

Summer holidays and the Christmas period see spikes in the number of dog attacks each year on Postal Workers. Summer because the kids are on holiday, the weather’s good and the families are out and about in the garden at home with windows/doors open and the dogs are outside; Christmas because the number of deliveries doubles.

Further Changes the CWU would like to see:-
Letter Box Cages fitted to the inside of doors to catch the post or outside post boxes can help reduce dog attacks through letterboxes which cause physical injury – 20 finger amputations occur a year for postal/delivery workers amongst other serious injuries from dog attacks.

A proper reporting process (Police and Dog Wardens)for dog attacks.

Update and consolidate all the dog control legislation.

Focus the Law on Dog Behaviour and not on Breed – Bad Irresponsible Ownership is the Issue.

Ensure better, consistent enforcement. More Police DLO and More Dog Wardens.

Provide extra resources to the Police for the training of more Dog Legislation Officers.

Compulsory third party liability dog insurance which would help provide proper compensation for victims of dog attacks from the owners of the dogs. (The Dogs Trust Membership Scheme provides £1M Third Party Liability Cover for under 40p per week, 20p for over 60’s – So it’s not expensive).

Reinstate the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS) Payments for Dog Attack Victims (abolished by the Tory/Lib.Dem Coalition Government).

Dog Control Notices (DCNs) to be introduced to ensure early intervention with owners and their dogs help dog control by providing a simple preventative tool for Police and Local Authorities to serve on the owners of aggressive dogs in order to avoid serious incidents and attacks happening. The present Community Protection Notices (CPNs) are too complex, cumbersome, unspecific, slow and resource intensive.

DCNs once served should also contain the minimum requirements of Third Party Liability Insurance, Microchip, Muzzle & Lead in Public, Owner & Dog Training.

Those convicted of DDA Offences involving injury to face an automatic dog ownership ban of 10 years to life plus a Compensation Order in favour of the victim.

The Control of Dogs Order 1992 mandates that any dog in a public place must wear a collar & Tag with the name and address (including postcode) of its owner engraved or written on it. A telephone number is optional (but strongly advisable). An owner can be fined up to £5,000 if the dog is not wearing this identification – This Law should be enforced with Fixed Penalty Notices and Court Fines for repeat offenders.

The Government should run public awareness raising campaigns about the requirements of the Law.

The Government should back a coordinated and well-resourced national public education and training programme on responsible dog ownership and staying safe with dogs.

A blitz on microchipping compliance (which became compulsory in England, Wales and Scotland in April 2016.

It was already a requirement in Northern Ireland since 2012 where a dog also requires a licence).
Some overseas models to consider which have led to decreasing dog attack numbers:-
Canada –Dog ownership is based on five principles:
license and provide permanent identification for pets

spay or neuter pets

provide training, physical care, socialisation and medical attention for companion pets

do not allow pets to become a threat or nuisance in the community

procure your pet ethically and from a credible source.

Australia – Their dog ownership model includes:
identification and registration of all dogs

a national reporting system with mandatory reporting of all dog bite incidents to the national database

temperament testing to understand the risks and needs of individual animals, to help owners make more appropriate choices for their new pets and to guide breeders to improve the temperament of puppies

comprehensive education programmes for pet owners, dog breeders, all parents and children

enforcement of all dog management regulations/laws.

Dog attacks are preventable:-
Dog attacks are almost always preventable, if owners are responsible, keeping their animals under control and if initial signs of aggression are recognised and addressed immediately.
The growth in online shopping and signed for deliveries is resulting in Postal delivery workers having to knock on doors and for customers to open doors to collect and sign for the growing number of parcels whichincreases the possibility of direct contact with dogs in their own home or territory which they’ll naturally defend.
To help reduce the number of dog attacks, owners need to increase their awareness of animal behaviour, take responsibility, recognise when their pet is showing signs of territorial aggression and take effective control.
Although Christmas and school summer holidays see a spike in dog attacks, on Postal workers, it’s important owners are observant as to a dog’s behaviour at all times and take action to maintain control both on their private property and in public.
By working together with dog owners, vets, CWU members, government, police, local authorities, animal charities – dogs and postal workers can live and work in harmony.
The 34 UK Dog Attack Deaths are made up of 18 Children and 16 Adults, occurring in the following years.
Year
Deaths
1989
1
1990
0
1991
1
1992
0
1993
1
1994
0
1995
0
1996
0
1997
0
1998
0
1999
0
2000
0
2001
0
2002
0
2003
0
2004
0
2005
1
2006
1
2007
2
2008
1
2009
5
2010
2
2011
0
2012
3
2013
4
2014
6
2015
3
2016
3
 
UK Dog Attack Trends
Dog Attacks are up 76% in 10 years. Official figures for England show 7,227 admissions for dog attacks in past year, compared with 4,110 a decade ago, with under-10s most likely to be admitted.
Trends in Dog Attacks can be derived from details of Hospital admissions caused by being bitten or struck by a dog although this would be an underestimate as it does not include people who don’t go to hospital and are treated in GP Surgeries and Walk In Clinics etc. Dog Bites and the cost to the NHS/Tax Payer continue to rise in the UK despite the legislation. Long term we hope that the 2014 changes will start to reverse the trend if tougher enforcement is introduced and the Courts start using the full range of tougher penalties now available.
Cost to the UK of Dog Attacks and Bad Dog Owners
The RSPCA estimate that the cost of irresponsible dog ownership in the UK is £80.5 Million (2014). See attached RSPCA paper.
The recent two deaths have re-ignited the debate over whether enough is being done to tackle irresponsible owners and to protect the public. The CWU Health Safety & Environment Department will continue to strongly voice the Union’s view to the legislators and enforcers on the above.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 536/16 – Dog Attacks in the UK – Numbers Continue to Rise

Costs of irresponsible dog ownership

Dogs – Those Killed in Dog Attacks in the UK (August 2016)

Dog Attacks on Postal Workers Example Cases

TUC/CWU Hazards at Work – Safety Reps Handbook 2016/2017: (Fifth Edition)
 
To: All Branches
 
Dear Colleagues
 
LTB 328/2016 dated 25 May 2016 informed Branches, Health and Safety Reps and Regional Health and Safety Forums that the TUC had published the new, revised 2016/2017 fifth edition of the “Hazards at Work” Safety Reps Handbook and the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department had taken delivery of our ‘one off’ order from the TUC Printers.
 
The new single volume, 40 chapter, 350 page book has been further improved and updated from the previous edition and is essential reading for Safety Representatives and anyone with an interest in organising for health and safety. The Hazards at Work manual was adopted as the Official CWU Safety Reps Handbook with the First Edition in 2005 and it has become a very popular and successful publication amongst CWU Safety Representatives.
 
Orders were invited from Branches at the special discount price of £12 per copy – normal commercial price per single purchase copy of the new book direct from the TUC is £48, to Educational bodies £32 and to TUC affiliated Trade Union members £20 per copy plus p&p. However, the CWU HQ Health, Safety & Environment Department once again, as with the earlier editions negotiated a one off bulk purchase discount price which, as in past years, is passed on to Branches, reducing the price per book to £12 per copy plus p&p. Orders deadline was 30th June 2016.
There was such a strong demand from Branches, that the H&S Dept stock of 500 manuals was soon exhausted. Discussions then took place with the TUC, and additional 100 copies of the manuals were secured at the same discount price, enabling more CWU Branches to receive copies at the discounted price. Therefore 600 manuals in total were distributed to almost 50 CWU Branches throughout the UK. Whilst this initiative was a lot of work for the Department staff, it was well received by Branches.
 
Orders for this edition via the Health, Safety and Environment Department are now CLOSED. If Branches still want copies of the manuals they need to be obtained direct from the TUC (not the H&S Dept.) and orders will be at the standard price plus P&P at the TUC rates. Here is a web link to TUC publications where Branches can order further copies.
 
https://www.tuc.org.uk/publications/category/health-and-safety
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
 
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 537/16 TUC/CWU Hazards at Work – Safety Reps Handbook 2016/2017: (Fifth Edition)

Trials on Delivery Initiatives – Trial 3 Delivery Preference Trial
 
Branches will be aware of the ongoing discussions with Royal Mail and the department regarding the future use and design of the PDA and how this interacts with Consumers in the ability to request alternative delivery options during the course of the delivery of the products.
 
As such we were invited to a meeting where the general concepts of three initiatives were outlined and presented. Accordingly we said to the company that we would require separate Terms of Reference for all three initiatives.
 
As a result we have now concluded TOR, which have been endorsed by the Postal Executive in order to progress jointly an agreed trial. The key points of the trial are as follows;
 
Customers will be able to request to have part or all of their mail delivered or picked up by the customer for a premium payment on a specified day or time, including evenings up to 2100 Mon –Fri, or Sundays within the normal Sunday enquiry office opening time.

Customers will be able to access these premium delivery services via a website enabling them to purchase subscriptions for a one, two or three month period.

Customers will also have the choice elect to have all mail held or just non-letterboxable and/or signature mail held.

Premium delivery services will be booked and processed on a SharePoint for Delivery Offices and Collections Hubs to access the booking information to allocate and plan the service.

The trials will take place at Winchester, Cheadle, Guilford and Uxbridge Delivery Offices. Part of the rationale for choosing these particular offices are their commuter catchment area.In terms of how this will be resourced in these units, as this is a new concept and service and newly being made available to the 4 areas these DO offices cover, it is not envisaged that take up from customers will be very large. Accordingly we have detailed in the TOR that the process of resourcing to be picked up locally at the weekly resourcing meetings initially, but this will be kept under constant National joint review during the trial if the service grows and more robust resourcing arrangements are necessary. Where deliveries requested fall outside of normal hours this will be staffed voluntarily by OPG’s attracting nationally agreed appropriate pay and allowances. With regard to any evening deliveries, normal H&S risk Assessments will need to be carried out to ensure the safety and well being of staff. In addition staff will receive the appropriate training and equipment.  

 
We have also included within the TOR the full and joint CWU involvement for reps and frontline staff in order to take feedback and ensure that the TOR is followed by both parties
 
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 540
Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org
 
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
 
Mick Kavanagh  
CWU A/Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 527.16 Trials on Delivery Initiatives – Trial 3 Delivery Preference Trial

Attachment 1

This is to inform all CWU Health and Safety Representatives in Royal Mail Group that Shaun Davis Royal Mail Group Director of Safety, Health, Wellbeing & Sustainability resigned from the business last Monday and is currently working his contractual notice period with a departure date to be agreed but is likely to be by the end of the year.
Shaun asked me to thank all the CWU local and Area Health and Safety Representatives for their important contribution to the Health and Safety of the workforce in Royal Mail Group, as part of the Safety Community along with the RMG SHE team during his four and a half years with Royal Mail Group.
On behalf of the Union I thanked him for his service and wished him well in his new job as Group Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing for the Co-Operative Group.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 533/16 – Dr Shaun Davis Royal Mail Group Director of Safety, Health, Wellbeing & Sustainability – Resignation Monday 4 September 2016

Annual Leave/Resourcing Guidelines
The above guidelines that were circulated to Branches on the 4th November 2014 have recently been subject to a National review.
As a result of this review an updated set of guidelines is attached to assist managers and representatives when discussing and concluding 2017-18 annual leave arrangements which should be concluded in line with the way forward agreement by 31st October 2016.
The attached guidelines form part of the work of the Integrated Delivery Programme and the Resourcing to Workload Strand.
There are a few changes / additions to the original guidelines. The main change is that the yearly traffic forecast will not be used to create a yearly resourcing plan. The experience of this year’s forecast is such that both sides have concluded it is not robust or accurate enough to make annual resourcing plan decisions a year in advance. This change does not impact on current processes in relation to weekly resourcing meetings and forecasting up to 12 weeks ahead above or below your AWD, which should be kept under review using the 3 month model week updates to inform consideration to any necessary structural change.
The focus is on concluding a robust and reliable Annual Leave Plan / Agreement that includes all individuals’ legally contractual leave entitlements as its primary driver whilst secondly identifying extra leave slots in low traffic periods over and above those agreed to facilitate the taking of additional leave.
Due to other priorities it has not been possible to conduct a more comprehensive joint review in relation to the “Annual Leave Calenderisation Work Aid”.
This work aide is a useful tool in assisting the DOM’s and Representatives in determining the leave demand and selecting leave slots / blocks. However, it is currently only a guide and should therefore be used as such.
When using this aide representative’s need to pay particular attention to the leave amendment cell. The aide defaults to an average five and half weeks per person. So if the total is 272 weeks but you require 300 weeks, 28 weeks needs to be entered into the leave amendment cell for the aide to provide the necessary slots.
The aide also has a start and finish Xmas week’s cell that is set at closing leave down between weeks 37 and 40. This can be changed to reflect the weeks locally you agree to close off during the Christmas pressure period as per the way forward agreement.
The existing national agreements, guidelines, agreed tools, procedures and processes in place to support resourcing on an ongoing basis are not affected by these annual leave/resourcing guidelines. They remain firmly in place and will in fact be used to support the process and assist in providing a balanced approach to year round leave allocation and resourcing.
Below is guidance that has previously been communicated to representatives but is worth repeating especially for representatives entering into leave agreements for the first time;
It is essential when entering discussions that CWU representatives establish and allocate the unit’s contractual entitlement first which will in turn identify the number of leave reserves required to enable reliable resourcing.
“Vacancies and leave reserve vacancies should remain under constant review to ensure adequate resource is available to meet customer and operational requirements”.
This exercise should include all staff contractual leave, Bank Holiday credits for annual leave that coincides with Bank Holidays and rest days that fall on a Bank Holiday, purchased leave, and any leave days carried over from the previous year.
For example:
If the above added up to 600 weeks to be allocated and covered and 2 weeks were closed for Christmas Pressure the number of leave reserves to cover AWD would be 12, (600 / 50) = 12. Add to this the leave reserves leave 12 @ 5 weeks = 60 weeks would mean another leave reserve (60 / 50) = 1.2.
In this example that would mean that a minimum of 13 leave slots a week for 50 weeks should be available. If you then agree to open up another 3 slots due to agreed absorption through the summer weeks then in the period June to August the number of open slots available should be 16.
This is just one flat line example. Units may decide not to employ against all 13 reserves and convert some to S/A or overtime. That is your choice locally.
As a consequence of providing additional leave slots in the summer period there will be leave gaps in the ‘winter’ period which you will need to discuss and agree a plan to deal with. There will be more people available in the unit, bearing in mind traffic/workload traditionally increases during this period. This should be dealt with via weekly resourcing meetings.
Branches should progress any disagreements in regards to managers refusing to fully engage and adhere to these guidelines through the IR framework as appropriate.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 445
Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org
Yours sincerely
 
Mark Baulch 

CWU A/Assistant Secretary  
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 511/16 – Annual Leave/Resourcing Guidelines

Royal Mail & CWU Nationally Agreed Guidelines Covering Annual Leave and weekly Resourcing

Way Forward Annual Leave Allocation & Deployment Agreement (2001)
Branches and representatives will be recall that the department has previously issued LTB 718/14 in relation to the above subject (attached at Annex A for your ease of reference).
In order to assist representatives and for ease of reference also attached to this LTB at Annex B is a copy of the Way Forward Annual Leave Allocation & Deployment Agreement (2001) which can also be located in the Postal agreements section of the CWU website.
Branches and representatives are advised that recently the department has been receiving enquiries in regard to attempts by local management to introduce a budget based Annual Leave allocation process in some of the functions that fall under the remit of the department.
To clarify the position the department can confirm that we have not been involved in any discussions around a change to the existing Annual Leave Allocation & Deployment arrangements and we reiterate that the advice as communicated in LTB 718/14 continues to hold the field.
Therefore any proposals by management to introduce the un-agreed process should be challenged and where necessary progressed via the IR Framework. 
To assist the department in monitoring the situation you are requested to also notify us of any attempts by management to introduce the un-agreed process.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Joe Malone, Acting Assistant Secretary, e-mail: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number 203.01 & 703.01.
Yours sincerely
 
Joe Malone

Acting Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 531/16 – Way Forward Annual Leave Allocation & Deployment Agreement (2001)

Annex A – LTB 718 14 – Way Forward Annual Leave And Allocation Agreement 2001 – 11-11-14

Annex B – LTB 09.09.2016 – The Way Forward Annual Leave Allocation & Deployment 2001

RMG – September Quarterly Road Safety Week – 12-18 September 2016:
Further to LTB 284/16, you know that the UK National Road Safety Week takes place in November each year and the CWU traditionally supports the initiative and in recent years has worked jointly with Employers on the Campaign to reduce Occupational Road Risk, improve driver and vehicle safety and reduce road accidents. Further to that Royal Mail have introduced additional Quarterly Road Safety Weeks.
Background
Five people are killed every single day in road accidents and many more are injured. Most of those victims are at work!

Our roads are dangerous places, where hundreds of deaths and serious injuries take place every week.

But by changing driving behaviour, we can help to make our villages, towns and cities safer places to be.

Every action that drivers or passengers take, can change the outcome of a journey and the future of a family.
National Road Safety Week 21-27 November.
For National Road Safety Week ‘Brake’ the road safety charity organising Road Safety Week has chosen to focus on the six elements of the “Brake Pledge” for 2016, which takes place 21-27 November. These are Slow, Sober, Secure, Silent, Sharp and Sustainable.
They are asking everyone to make and share Brake’s Pledge online, and show their commitment to saving lives and keeping our roads safe. Anyone can join in – individuals, businesses and community organisations. Non-drivers can take the Pledge too, promising to help drivers stick to the six Pledge points.
The CWU will be looking to make a difference, and make the Pledge with employers to do six simple things to save lives this coming National Road Safety Week in November.
Registering with ‘Brake’ now to be part of Road Safety Week 2016 will get a free electronic action pack sent out to take part in the Week by promoting the ‘Brake’ Make the Pledge theme, or focusing on any other important road safety issues.
The ‘BRAKE’ National Road Safety Week theme details:
Slow:

Speeding is a contributory factor in more than one in four (27%) fatal crashes.

Sober:

One in 10 (11%) drivers/motorcycle riders killed in a crash had alcohol present in their body and one in seven road deaths are at the hands of someone who has driven while over the legal drink drive limit.

Secure:

Seat belts reduce the chance of dying in a crash by 50% and 21% of car crash victims were not wearing a seat belt.

Silent:

Drivers using a mobile phone are three times more likely to crash.

Sharp:

Regular eye tests! Poor driver vision causes 3000 casualties and cost £33 million in the UK per year.

Sustainable:

Minimising the amount we drive, by walking, cycling or using public transport instead improves the environment, individual health and air quality by cutting pollution which kills an estimated 5,000 people a year.

Royal Mail Additional Quarterly Road Safety Weeks Supported By CWU
As reported in LTB 284/16 on 10 May, Royal Mail decided to supplement the annual national Road Safety Week with quarterly Road Safety Weeks, the first being May this year and the second takes place next week 12-18 September.
Please see attached road safety week materials for September 2016. CWU HQ is giving its full support to the drive to improve road safety for our members.
The objective of this Quarterly Road Safety Week is to raise awareness of severe weather driving and preparations.
Royal Mail will deliver some key messages through a number of channels including the RMTV, local screens, a poster (attached), WTLL session and activity plans (attached). 
There will be 3 activity plans for the September Road Safety Week;
A Front Line Manager Activity Plan which focuses on completing monthly Occupational Road Risk Task Calendar tasks while focusing on severe weather driving.

One for all other managers which asks managers to focus their SMATs or Observations on the completion of the front line manager activity plans and severe weather driving.

One for ASRs which asks the CWU’s Safety Reps to focus their Safety Inspections on the completion of the front line manager activity plans and severe weather driving.

This activity plan approach was popular during November 2015 National Road Safety Week and the previous May Quarterly Road Safety Week when feedback from ASRs suggested that using a similar activity plan for ASRs during future quarterly RMG Road Safety week would be a popular approach. 
RMG Regional SHE Teams have been asked to liaise with the CWU ASRs to see where participation and a joint approach can be made and joint support with the week’s activities. 
A positioning communication has been sent out via the Regions/Business Units via RMG’s Internal Communications to ask that the front line managers’ activities are supported by the Area/Sector Managers with full CWU involvement.
See attached supporting documentation. 
Attachments:

1. Severe Weather Driving Poster

2. September 2016 ASR Activity

3. September 2016 Front Line Managers Activity

4. September 2016 Other Managers Activity
Apologies for the very late circulation of this LTB and attachments which were provided to CWU/HQ only recently due to the manager responsible for organising the RWW being off sick in the run up to the RSW. We hope to avoid late notice with future RSWs. However please note the following Road Safety Week Dates:-
21-27 November 2016 – National Road Safety Week

February 2017 – Quarterly Road Safety Week.

May 2017 – Quarterly Road Safety Week

Would all CWU ASRs and WSRs ensure they are fully engaged with SHE and Opps management, supporting the Road Safety Improvement drive.
The Royal Mail Group contact for Managers requiring further information is Sandra Baxx RMG Group SHE Driver Capability & Behaviour Manager: email: sandra.baxx@royalmail.com Mobile: 07703314463

Yours sincerely
 
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 532/16 – RMG – September Quarterly Road Safety Week – 12-18 September 2016

RSW September 2016 ASR activity plan Final

Revised RSW September 2016 DSM Collections Other Mgrs Activity Plan v3

RSW September 2016 Front Line Manager Activity Plan v3

Severe Weather Driving Poster – RSW Sept 2016

World Suicide Prevention Day – 10 September, 2016 – ‘Connect, Communicate, Care’:
To: All Branches
 
Dear Colleagues,
The World Health Organization estimates that over 800,000 people die by suicide each year – that’s one person every 40 seconds. Up to 25 times as many again make a suicide attempt. The tragic ripple effect means that there are many, many more people who have been bereaved by suicide or have been close to someone who has tried to take his or her own life. And this is happening in spite of the fact that suicide is preventable. ‘Connect, communicate, care’ is the theme of the 2016 World Suicide Prevention Day. These three words are at the heart of suicide prevention.
Connect
Fostering connections with those who have lost a loved one to suicide or have been suicidal themselves is crucial to furthering suicide prevention efforts. Although every individual suicide is different, there are some common lessons to be learned. Those who have been on the brink of suicide themselves can help us understand the complex interplay of events and circumstances that led them to that point, and what saved them or helped them to choose a more life-affirming course of action. Those who have lost someone to suicide, or supported someone who was suicidal, can provide insights into how they moved forwards on their journey. The sheer numbers of people who have been affected by suicide would make this a formidable network.
Of course, these connections should be two-way. There will often be times when those who have been bereaved by suicide, and those who might be feeling suicidal themselves, need support. Keeping an eye out for them and checking that they are okay could make all the difference. Social connectedness reduces the risk of suicide, so being there for someone who has become disconnected can be a life-saving act. Connecting them with formal and informal supports may also help to prevent suicide. Individuals, organisations and communities all have a responsibility here.
Communicate
Open communication is vital if we are to combat suicide. In many communities, suicide is shrouded in silence or spoken of only in hushed tones. We need to discuss suicide as we would any other public health issue if we are to dispel myths about it and reduce the stigma surrounding it. This is not to say that we shouldn’t exercise necessary caution; we don’t want to normalise suicide either. Careful, considered messages about suicide and its prevention are warranted, as is an awareness of how different groups of individuals may receive and interpret this information.
Equipping people to communicate effectively with those who might be vulnerable to suicide is an important part of any suicide prevention strategy. Broaching the subject of suicide is difficult, and these sorts of conversations are often avoided. There are some simple tips that can help, however. Most of these relate to showing compassion and empathy, and listening in a non-judgemental way. People who have come through an episode of extreme suicidal thinking often say that sensitively-managed conversations with others helped them on their course to recovery.
The media also have an important role to play in suicide prevention. Some types of reporting on suicide (e.g., prominent and/or explicit stories) have been shown to be associated with ‘spikes’ in suicide rates, but others (e.g., those that describe mastery of suicidal crises) have been shown to have a protective effect. Media recommendations have been developed by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization to assist journalists in getting stories right.
Care
All the connecting and communicating in the world will have no effect without the final ingredient – care. We need to make sure that policy-makers and planners care enough about suicide prevention to make it a priority, and to fund it at a level that is commensurate with its significance as a public health problem.
We need to make sure that clinicians and other service providers care enough about it to make suicide prevention their core business. And we need to make sure that communities care enough about it to be able to identify and support those who may be at heightened risk.
Most of all, we need to ensure that we are caring ourselves. We need to look out for others who may be struggling, and let them tell their story in their own way and at their own pace. Those who have been affected by suicide have much to teach us in this regard.
Connect, communicate and care on World Suicide Prevention Day
On September 10th, join with others around the world who are working towards the common goal of preventing suicide. Check in on someone you may be concerned about, and start a caring conversation with them, asking them how they’re going. Investigate ways of connecting with others who are trying to prevent suicide in your community, your country, or internationally. Show your support by taking part in the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s Cycle around the Globe.
The first World Suicide Prevention Day was held in 2003 and was an initiative of the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, World Suicide Prevention Day has taken place on 10th September each year.
However, it’s not just for one day! World Suicide Prevention Day is the annual focal point and efforts need to continue all year round on the theme ‘Connect, communicate, care’ and this information will allow Health and Safety Reps, Branches, Health and Safety Forums, Joint Health and Safety Committees etc., to organise and run their own local awareness raising initiatives..
Please see attached:-
WHO Fact Sheet on Suicide

IASP Suicide Toolkit

IASP Suicide ‘What You Can Do’ Support Guide

SAMARITANS – Suicide Statistics Report

Please Visit:-
The International Association of Suicide Prevention Website at: http://www.iasp.info/wspd
The Official World Suicide Prevention Day Facebook Event Page at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs398/en/
The SAMARITANS Website: http://www.samaritans.org/
 
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 530/16 – World Suicide Prevention Day – 10 September, 2016

Suicide Fact Sheet (WHO)

Suicide – World Suicide Prevention Day Toolkit 2016

Suicide – World Suicide Prevention Day 2016

Suicide Statistics Report 2016 – SAMARITANS