THE FUTURE OF THE POST OFFICE
Today, the Post Office Board has announced the closure and privatisation of a further 20 Crown Post Offices. This is the latest in a series of announcements from the Post Office that clearly demonstrates the Board has no viable plan to secure the future of our members’ jobs or this great British institution.
The reality is we now face the most serious situation in the history of the Post Office.
A further round of substantial job losses across the whole business – in Crowns, Supply Chain and Admin – this will lead to compulsory redundancies;

The closure of the Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Scheme which will leave thousands of staff significantly worse off in retirement;

Further branch closures, as part of a strategy leading to the wholesale privatisation of the Crown Office network;

The closure of over half of the Supply Chain operation, whilst exiting the external market.

The union has no choice other than to defend our member’s jobs and pensions by all means necessary. We will soon hold a companywide ballot for Industrial Action and are launching a fresh political campaign to call upon the Government – as the owner of the company – to intervene as a matter of urgency.
We are meeting Sajid Javid the Minister responsible for the Post Office early next week and will make it absolutely clear that we will not sit back and see another British Institution go the same way as the steel industry. We will press the minister to hold a summit meeting of all stakeholders to consider an alternative strategy for the future of the company.
On pensions, the union has taken legal advice and we are writing to the pension’s regulator asking them to investigate the actions of the company, the Trustee Board and the Government. Our legal advice suggests there is a potential for legal action if the company proceed with their plans to close the DB Scheme.
You will receive further information on the Industrial Action ballot timetable and all the issues in dispute early next week. Today we have written to our members explaining the union’s position.
It is essential we now bring together the support of the whole union to change, once and for all, the dynamics of this debate and fight for a different future.
Finally, we have attached to this LTB a copy of our Press Release and a link to an online article that has been published today in the Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dave-ward/post-office-cwu_b_10812932.html?edition=uk
Please ensure the content of this LTB is distributed to all members. Further information will be sent out in due course.
 
Yours sincerely                                                  
                                          
Dave Ward Ray Ellis Andy Furey                      
General Secretary Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary
                                                  General Secretary
 
CWU to launch strike ballot over Post Office privatisation
Union will ballot all Post Office members to “defend the future of great British institution”
Today (Tuesday) the Post Office board has announced the privatisation of a further 20 Crown Post Offices bringing around 175 job losses. This comes on top of a series of recent announcements including:
Significant job losses across the whole business (now totalling 2,000 since the beginning of the year) – in Crown post offices, Supply Chain and Admin. This will lead to compulsory redundancies;
The privatisation (franchise) of 41 Crown post offices announced at the beginning of the year;

The closure of the defined benefit (DB) pension scheme which will leave thousands of staff worse off in retirement (proposed to be closed from September 2016 affected 3,600 people);

A strategy that will lead to the wholesale privatisation of the Crown Office network;

The closure of over half of the Post Office cash handling operation, whilst exiting the external market (announced April 2016).

Dave Ward, general secretary of the CWU, said: “We face the most serious situation in the history of the Post Office. Taken together, recent announcements from the board demonstrate there is no viable plan to secure the future of our members’ jobs or this great British institution. The board should hang their heads in shame and we reiterate our call for them to resign with immediate effect.
“The role of the Government in this crisis must also be highlighted. We are meeting Sajid Javid the Business Secretary who is responsible for the Post Office early next week and will make it absolutely clear that we will not sit back and see another British institution go the same way as the steel industry. We will press him to hold a summit meeting of all stakeholders to consider an alternative strategy for the future of the company.
“We are left with no choice but to defend the jobs and pensions of our members and the services they provide. Plans to instigate a national industrial action ballot of our whole Post Office membership are now underway.”
CWU will announce a ballot timetable shortly which will cover 3,500 people working across the Post Office.
 
-ends-
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 404/16 – The Future of the Post Office

POST OFFICE: CROWN OFFICE NETWORK – FRANCHISING UPDATE
Dear Colleagues
Tranche 2 Announced
The Post Office has today announced the second “Tranche” of Crowns to be privatised to retail partners. In Tranche 2 there are 20 Crowns in total, impacting upon at least 150 jobs. This 20 is in addition to the 39 Crowns previously announced for franchising in January. The list is as follows:
                                   Blackfriars Road Kingstanding
                                   Bransholme Leigh Park
                                   Dingle Llangefni
                                   Duke Street Londonderry
                                   Dunmow Morriston
                                   East Kilbride Newhaven
                                   Finsbury Park South Ockendon
                                   Harold Hill Springburn Way
                                   Holywell St Leonards on Sea
                                   Kingsland High Street Willenhall
Members have been briefed by management this morning in the Team Talk sessions. Our Territorial and Area Representatives were provided with the information late yesterday and where possible would have made arrangements to visit impacted Crowns today to provide the necessary support to members.
This announcement will obviously be devastating news to the members in the affected Crowns; it is an outrageous decision with no substance or business case to back up the policy except that the Post Office is looking to save more money and make more profit. This news comes at a time when the Post Office should be looking to invest in the Crown Network to secure a future for the Post Office as a whole, rather than relying on a tired old cost cutting strategy.
We understand the Post Office is planning a third Tranche of franchising later this year – at this rate there will be no Crown Network left in a few years time.
Overarching Agreement – Emergency Motion E3
The Post Office will be fully aware this further Tranche of franchising flies completely in the face of the sentiment and key objectives behind our conference policy as determined by the carriage of Emergency Motion E3. The following paragraph specifically relates to the Crown Office Network:
“2) Crown Office Network – we must bring to an end the totally unjustifiable attack on Crown Offices through the incessant Franchising/closure model which is nothing more than Privatisation. The Crown Network must feature in the Post Office’s vision for the future and as such be an integral part of the overall network with a long-term future, thus ensuring job security.”
It follows that the Post Office is not serious in wanting to establish a mutually beneficial Agreement regarding the future of the Crown Network. Accordingly, the actions of the Post Office must be viewed as extreme provocation. Our members deserve a decent future working in the Crown Network. Therefore this Union cannot allow the Post Office to systematically destroy our Crown Office Network.
This announcement makes an Industrial Action ballot more difficult to avoid as the Post Office has effectively thrown down the gauntlet by continuing to not listen to our strong representations.
Meeting with Sajid Javid, Secretary of State, BIS
As a consequence of Post Office plans to systematically dismantle the Post Office, we are meeting with Sajid Javid the Cabinet Minister responsible on Monday 11th July. Dave Ward, General Secretary and Andy Furey, Assistant Secretary will be making it abundantly clear to the Minister that this Union and its members are demanding a real vision for the future which entails investment, growth and jobs. Our strong message to the Minister will be that we will not tolerate the Post Office being driven into oblivion by crass management decisions that impact so dreadfully upon our members’ future.
Further developments will be reported.
Yours sincerely
Dave Ward Ray Ellis Andy Furey
General Secretary Acting Deputy General Secretary (P) Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1

Royal Mail is today launching its fourth annual Dog Awareness Week, which runs from 4 to 9 July 2016. The week aims to raise awareness of the issue of dog attacks on postmen and women and encourage responsible dog ownership. Royal Mail Group and the CWU are once again working jointly on the campaign.
There are still around 3,000 dog attacks on postmen and women every year. Reported dog attacks have fallen by 10% on the previous year to 2,660 but the CWU estimates than many minor incidents and attacks 500 – 1000 more go unreported and another part of the campaign is to encourage outdoor delivery members and Parcelforce members to report ALL incidents with dogs because the next time it may not be a near thing and could be serious. It is discovered too often following serious attacks, resulting in life changing injuries that several minor incidents and near misses were not properly reported and had they done, the serious attack may have been avoided. Dog Attacks remain a major problem!
Despite this, even based on the officially reported figures, seven postmen and women a day are attacked by dogs across the UK. This figure rises by 10% during the school holidays and in the summer months when parents and children are at home and family pets are allowed to roam properties and gardens without constraint with front, back and side doors plus windows and side garden gates left open.
New research¹ released today as part of Royal Mail’s Dog Awareness Week found that over a quarter (27%) of UK parents who own a dog confessed that their canine has been loose in the house when an exterior door (such as the front door) was open. In the last year, 36% of dog attacks on postal workers have happened at the front door while 35% took place in the front garden– the equivalent to 1,888 attacks. At these times, dogs are more likely to be unsupervised in the garden.
Royal Mail Group’s Dog Awareness Week is supported by the Communications Workers Union and a wide range of organisations and animal charities including Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, the National Police Chief’s Council and the National Dog Wardens Association
Dogs can be quite protective of their owners and homes. They believe they are merely defending their property, but it’s important to recognise that this behaviour can sometimes escalate to dog bite incidents with anyone coming to a home, including postmen and women. No one should feel unsafe in the workplace and it’s important dog owners realise this and act responsibly and comply with the law that requires them to do just that. Owners must take the necessary steps to give postmen and women respect and safety from dog attacks. Owners should encourage good behaviour when postal workers come to make deliveries. Dog owners should be spending time getting their pets familiar with visitors coming to the house and so create a safer environment for all.
The overwhelming majority of dogs that CWU members come into contact with do not present any problem at all but dogs are territorial and will defend themselves, their family and their territory if they feel it is being threatened.
Postmen and women deliver to over 29 million addresses across the country every day and we want them to be vigilant, assess the situation, exercise caution and certainly take no risks when delivering the mail and parcels. This dog awareness week is also a campaign during summer time when we appeal to dog owners and their families to help reduce the numbers of attacks, particularly at the door and in the garden by keeping control of their dogs and acting responsibly by taking a few simple precautions.
The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) are fully supporting the RMG/CWU Dog Awareness week again this year. The NPPC have been working in partnership with Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union to use the new Dangerous Dogs Legislation (which the CWU achieved through the ‘Bite-Back’ Campaign) and the ‘Postal Workers Service Level Agreement’ (SLA), signed by RMG, CWU and NPCC to improve the safety of postal workers from dog attacks.
The new law provides us with a great opportunity to hold those responsible to account, tackle irresponsible dog ownership and ultimately improve the safety and confidence of Postal Workers and all members of our communities. The new dog control laws now identify and penalises chronically irresponsible dog owners. One owner was recently fined £8,800 after his dog injured and Postwoman as she put letters through the door. The penalties can include losing their dogs and Jail. Dog owners need to fully understand that their actions usually are the cause of a dog being dangerous and simple precautions can prevent the pain for everyone concerned. No matter what breed of dog is involved, the dog can present a substantial danger to postal workers.”
In the Autumn of 2015, the Postal Workers SLA was piloted in 5 of the biggest Police forces in England; the Metropolitan, Merseyside, South and West Yorkshire and West Midlands, to try to understand the demand and any areas of improvement. The SLA has been a positive step forward in dealing with dog attacks and the NPCC is continuing to encourage Police forces nationally to utilise the tools available to them to tackle irresponsible dog ownership; by educating where possible and prosecuting where appropriate.
Working together, Royal Mail Group, the Communication Workers Union and the National Police Chiefs’ Council will be considering the rollout of the SLA nationally in England and Wales, to ensure Dog Attack incidents are dealt with consistently.
To help promote dog safety, a special Dog Awareness Week postmark will be applied to all stamped items from Monday 4 July 2016 to Friday 8 July 2016.
A wide range of activities will be taking place during Dog Awareness Week including;

• Royal Mail postmen and women speak about their own experiences of dog attacks

• Dog Awareness posters will be in place in all Royal Mail enquiry office’s giving dog owners tips on how they can help

• Dog wardens will be visiting a number of Delivery Offices across the country giving dog safety talks to postmen and women
Top Postcode Areas for Highest Number of Attacks
Postcode Area Number of attacks
Nottingham 68

Peterborough 65

Northern Ireland 56

Tonbridge 56

Reading 54

Leeds 51

Sheffield 51

Plymouth 50

Guilford 48

Newcastle 48

Top Tips for Dog Owners
Even the most friendly dog can be a danger to postal staff. Dogs are territorial by nature and if they feel they need to protect their family, they can become unpredictable.
Here are some ideas to help your postman deliver your post in safety:

• Ensure your dog is out of the way before the postman or woman arrives. Secure your dog in the back garden or a closed room.

• If you have a back garden, please close off the access, in case your dog could get round to the front when the postman calls.

• Dog attacks can happen when you’ve opened the door to sign for or collect an item which can’t go through the letterbox. Please keep your dog in another room before answering the door and make sure children don’t open the door, as dogs can push by them and attack.

• Give your dog some food or a toy to occupy them while your mail is being delivered

• Wait 10 minutes after your mail has arrived before you let your pet back into your hallway. Check outside before letting the dog out to make sure the Postman or Woman has left and the gate is shut. Keep everything as calm and low-key as possible.

• If your dog likes to attack your mail consider installing a wire letter receptacle. It will protect your post, and your postman’s fingers

• If it’s not practical for you to keep your dog away from a postman delivering your mail, please consider fitting a secure mailbox on the edge of your property.
Top Tips for Postmen & Women
AVOID & STAY SAFE
AVOID:

A – Avoid interacting with all dogs

V – Value yourself; don’t put yourself at risk

O – Observe; keep your walk log up to date

I – Inform others of potential risk to stop them being attacked

D – Defend yourself if necessary, using your delivery equipment
Speak to your manager or CWU rep to find out more.
STAY SAFE:

• 71% of attacks happened at a customer’s door or in their garden so take no risks

• Never put your fingers through a letterbox – use a posting peg

• If there’s a gate to the property, rattle it and wait a few seconds to see if a dog is present. Listen and look for signs of a dog’s presence, Dog bed, toys, food & water bowls

• Never accept assurances – always ask owners to restrain their dogs and step away

• Use your pouch or trolley as a barrier between you and a dog, if approached unexpectedly

• Never tease or antagonise a dog

• Report all dogs on your duty via the WRAP system and check Walk Logs

• Under the revised Dangerous Dogs Act, postal workers have legal protection from dog attacks on private property

• If you are attacked, we urge you to report it, even minor incidents – first to your manager and then to the police. You could help stop future attacks happening.
Royal Mail Group and the CWU are committed to driving Dog Attack numbers down. We now have the law in place to do it but we need to get messages across to members; Firstly, Don’t take risks! Secondly, Don’t ignore minor incidents! – Report it! It may be far worse next time! Thirdly, support investigations and prosecutions – too many injured members refuse to support prosecutions and give evidence, leaving dog owners guilty of criminal offences to get away scot-free!   

 

Attachments:

Dog Awareness Week Posters & Newsflash

 

 

                                                                                                    
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 402/16 Royal Mail CWU Dog Awareness Week

Att.1

Att.2

Att.3

Att.4

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Att.6

Light Commercial Vehicle Driver Behaviour Technology – TRIMBLE 

Dear Colleague

 

Further to LTB’s 555/15 and 630/15 regarding the conclusion of the proof of concept trial and related discussions, a joint review of the National Agreement took place between the CWU and Royal Mail on the 10th May 2016 in Farringdon. That meeting concluded with both parties committed to ensuring that the CWU will be fully involved in the ongoing deployment at all levels, which was agreed as essential if the benefits of this project are to be realised. 

 

This involvement will include all aspects of the initiative including implementation, monitoring, assessment and profile adjustment where agreed necessary. It also includes training opportunities for a number of nominated CWU representatives, providing them with a full system overview. This training will be on the basis of 2 CWU reps per region (6 in total) with a joint preference for one representative from IR and one representative from the ASR community who will work jointly on this issue within their respective Regions. The purpose is for all local matters to be raised to this level in the first instance, where decisions can be taken quickly on matters of adjustment or assessment including monitoring. Where such monitoring proves to be in breach of the National Agreement such as the consideration/sight of reports that should have been removed from the available suite or that a clear breach of the agreement has occurred these should be escalated immediately to the Outdoor department via an issues log.

 

In line with the above it would be appreciated if Branches/Regions could give this matter their urgent consideration and forward their nominations to this department no later than Monday 18th July2016. The go live date for CWU Representatives training on the system, which will be provided by Trimble, will be notified once the CWU Representatives have been agreed.

 

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 300

Email address:outdoorsecretary@cwu.org

 

 

Yours Sincerely

​

Bob Gibson                                

CWU Assistant Secretary – Outdoor  

POST OFFICE: THE FUTURE OF SUPPLY CHAIN – AVOIDING COMPULSORY REDUNDANCIES – UNAGREED PREFERENCE EXERCISE
Dear Colleagues
The Post Office has issued an unagreed preference exercise to our Supply Chain members despite the Union’s offer to continue negotiations to find a mutually agreeable way forward in relation to the proposals to exit the external market leading to the reduction of 515 CWU grade jobs in Supply Chain. The forms are likely to arrive at members’ home addresses tomorrow.
This unilateral action flies totally in the face of the spirit of working together to find acceptable solutions to the serious situation facing our members. The Post Office communication in regard to the preference exercise and a set of Post Office Q&As are attached to this LTB for your information.
In light of this development and in line with the Union’s policy on Compulsory Redundancies and our objective to reach an overarching agreement in line with Emergency Motion E3, I have today written to Alisdair Cameron, Chief Financial Officer to outline my concerns regarding the prevailing situation and to highlight the demands of members which are as follows:
1) a firm and unequivocal commitment from the Post Office there will be no “Compulsory Redundancies” arising from the decision to exit the external market.
2) the Post Office offers real hope and certainty for the future that they are serious about retaining the internal operation in house by providing a guarantee there will be no outsourcing of the internal work for a 5 year period from the 1st April 2017.
My letter to Alisdair Cameron is also attached to this LTB for your information.
The Post Office has offered a “transition payment” of £3,000 in addition to the standard MTSF VR terms to all members working in Supply Chain “in recognition of a joint commitment for ensuring customer service is effectively maintained throughout the implementation of the changes required to create a successful and commercially sustainable Supply Chain business in Post Office and CWU cooperation to these ends”. Whilst acknowledging that this offer is a step in the right direction, this payment falls short of our aspirations and does nothing whatsoever to avoid the unwelcome prospect of Compulsory Redundancies. An email from John Whitefoot, Head of Industrial Relations outlining the without prejudice offer dated 27th June and my associated response via letter to John Whitefoot dated 29th June are also attached to this LTB.
As a consequence of the Post Office’s decision to press ahead with the preference exercise, we are encouraging members not to complete the preference form. This is because the greater the appetite for redundancy amongst the membership, the less pressure there is on the Post Office to enhance the redundancy package which is required to help avoid Compulsory Redundancies. I have written to members’ home addresses today (letter attached) to explain the rationale behind this strategy.
Branches and Representatives are urged to contact all members working in Supply Chain to encourage them to boycott the preference exercise and strengthen our hand in negotiations.
Further developments will be reported.
Yours sincerely
Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1

Attachment 2

Attachment 3

Attachment 4

Attachment 5

Attachment 6

Attachment 7

Royal Mail Pay 2016Further to LTB 395/16, which notified members of the result of the 2016 pay ballot, Royal Mail have now written to the CWU to confirm that:

 

➢ the pay increase will be paid in July salaries for monthly paid staff (with arrears backdated to 1st April 2016); and

 

➢ the increase will be paid on 15th July for weekly paid staff (backdated to 4th April 2016).

 

 

Any further enquiries on this LTB should be directed to Ray Ellis in the DGS(P) Department.

 

 

Yours Sincerely,
Ray Ellis

Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

JEREMY CORBYN MP – LEADER OF THE LABOUR PARTY
We have received a number of enquiries from Branches and members about the union’s position in regards to ongoing developments within the Labour Party.  
Branches may be aware that the union has already issued, in conjunction with other leading affiliated unions, two statements supporting Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party. 
The NEC has met today and unanimously agreed the following statement be published and sent to Jeremy Corbyn MP. 
“We supported you in your election as the democratically elected leader of the Labour Party because you represented the best chance for a new kind of politics.   
The recent and continuing actions of many in the parliamentary Labour Party are unacceptable. 
You have stood by us throughout our struggles, now we stand by you.” 
We would ask Branches to convey this position to our representatives and members and local Councillors and Constituency Labour Parties. 
Any enquiries on the content of this LTB should be directed to the General Secretary’s office (gsoffice@cwu.org). 
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Ward

General Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1: LTB397/16 – Jeremy Corbyn MP

Please see June edition of Safe and Well newsletter for both field and office based people.
What’s inside June’s Safe and Well?
Getting your prints right

Storm warning – thunderstorm safety

Manholes – enclosed or confined?

Railways and track visitor permits

AMS 821 updates – new defect options

ID that cable

JAI podcast

Check that TESD!

Convenient field welfare guidance

Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – 16LTB396 Safe and Well – June 2016

Attachment 2 – Safe and Well Issue 35 June 2016

Royal Mail Pay 2016
Further to LTB 347/16, please find below the result of the above named ballot which was received from Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary, on the 30th June 2016.
YES votes 43,986

NO votes 5,423

Spoilt Papers 79
We have written to the business to advise them of the result and will inform you once we have received a response from the ER/IR Director with further details of when the pay rise and any backdated monies will be received.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks and appreciation to all Postal Branches, Field Officials and Representatives for the contribution you all made in achieving such an excellent result.
Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGSP Department quoting reference 60000.
Yours Sincerely,

 

Ray Ellis

Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)