The Future for Royal Mail/Pay and Pensions – National Policy ForumTuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd March 2016

Further to the notification given at the recent National Briefing on the 3rd February 2016 and in line with the terms of Motion 96 carried at Annual Conference 2015, Branches are advised that arrangements have been made to hold a National Policy Forum at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broadway Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE.

The first day of the Policy Forum will commence at 1pm on Tuesday 22nd March 2016 and finish at 6pm. Day two of the Policy Forum will begin at 9.30am and conclude at 3pm on Wednesday, 23rd March 2016. Below is a list of Representatives invited to attend the Policy Forum:-

➢ One Branch Representative

➢ Divisional Representatives

➢ Regional Secretaries

➢ Divisional Technical Services Representatives

➢ Parcelforce Regional Organisers

➢ All Royal Mail Area Representatives (Delivery, Processing, Distribution, Admin, and Engineers)

➢ Multichannel Customer Experience Representatives

➢ Fleet and Maintenance Service Territorial Representatives

➢ Romec Regional Representatives

➢ Romec Engineering Representatives

Branches should note that in line with our proportionality requirements it is requested that, in addition to the above, each Branch should send two unit Reps to the Briefing, one of which must be a woman.

Travel and subsistence costs associated with attendance at the Forum will be in line with the instructions and advice issued in LTB 506/04.

Finally, Branches should also note that a more detailed LTB will be issued in due course including the Policy document, policy recommendations, timescales, registration and voting procedures, Policy Forum guidelines and amendment examples.

Yours sincerely,

Ray Ellis​​​​​​    Jane Loftus

Acting Deputy General Secretary  (P)​​Chair, Postal Executive

In The Mind’ – BBC Programming Announces Two-Week Season on Exploring Mental Health Issues, Commencing Monday 15 February 2016:
Mental health is fast becoming one of the great issues of our time with growing numbers of people in the UK seeking help.
BBC One has announced that it will dedicate two weeks of their TV schedule to explore this important subject in closer detail across a range of programming from news and drama to documentaries and features.
Starting on Monday 15 February, the season will include stories of life and death, hope, scientific discovery and much more to help raise public awareness and understanding of issues relating to mental health.
BBC Statement:
In a statement announcing the two week season, the BBC said that it is aiming to make a real contribution to the understanding of mental health in the UK. It’s an opportunity to do something special for the BBC audience with an issue which will almost certainly touch all of us at some point in our lives. The BBC added that this is a moment when we stop and reflect on one of the big issues of our time, one that touches all of us. The BBC will report and examine – with all the BBC’s expertise, insight and understanding – on what’s really happening in mental health. It’s ten years on since Stephen Fry’s Emmy-award-winning film about manic depression and it’s now the right time to bring this important subject to a mainstream audience on BBC One to find out what has changed, what progress has been made and what the future holds for people living with mental health conditions in the UK. Over the last decade, we’ve broken down taboos, and medical advances mean we have a greater understanding of the brain than ever before, but we’re not there yet. There is still so much more that needs to be done.
BBC One’s ‘In The Mind’ season will include the following content:
BBC News at Six and News at Ten:
BBC News will broadcast a series of special reports on subjects including neuroscience, the NHS, ECT, lifesaving charities, changing social attitudes and mental health in the black community. Full details are:-
Neuroscience – Fergus Walsh will report on how our understanding of the brain is changing fast – in a technological revolution which is sweeping through neuroscience and heralding the ‘decade of the brain’.

NHS – Hugh Pym will report on the funding of mental health services across the UK, asking whether the NHS serves the mental health requirements of the UK with services under intense financial pressure.

Changing social attitudes – young vloggers and bloggers who are sufferers of mental illness are battering down the doors of stigma around mental health. They will be speaking in their own words about changing attitudes to mental health.

Lifesaving charities – Jeremy Cooke will report on the work of one man who aims to prevent people from taking their own lives.

Mental health and the black community – Elaine Dunkley will report on the latest research on mental health issues in the black community.

ECT – Chris Buckler will be looking at the continued use of electroconvulsive therapy in Northern Ireland to tackle mental health problems.

BBC Breakfast, Victoria Derbyshire, Newsbeat and BBC Radio 5 live:
In addition, there will be further mental health stories and items across a range of BBC programming, including: BBC Breakfast, Victoria Derbyshire, Newsbeat and BBC Radio 5 live. BBC online news will have a special report page dedicated to mental health.
BBC One Documentaries:
A series of powerful BBC One documentaries will give insight to living with extreme forms of mental illness. Ten years since Stephen Fry’s ‘The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive’ started a national conversation about mental health, ‘The Not So Secret
Life of The Manic Depressive: 10 Years On’ looks at the experiences of Stephen and others living with bipolar now, on Monday 15 February at 9pm. ‘My Baby, Psychosis And Me’ is an intimate documentary that tells the real life stories of two mums, for whom childbirth triggers ‘Postpartum Psychosis’, one of the most severe forms of mental illness. The documentary reveals the frightening rollercoaster journey of both women as they embark on treatment hoping it might bring about a full recovery, Tuesday 16 February at 10.45pm. BBC One will also be showing the documentary ‘Life after Suicide’ on Wednesday 17 February at 10.45pm and ‘Professor Green: Suicide and Me’ on Thursday 18 February at 11.45pm.
The Not So Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive: 10 Years On – BBC One, Monday 15 February, 9pm
Ten years ago, in an award-winning series, Stephen Fry first spoke about living with manic depression, and began a national conversation about mental health. A decade later, the film returns to the subject to understand where he and thousands of others diagnosed with bipolar (as it is now called) are now – as a society, do we need to do more for those with the illness? Is the treatment better? Has the stigma reduced? The new film sees how different people of all ages deal with bipolar. It features Alika, whose manic episode on the London Underground became a YouTube sensation, damning evidence that the stigma of mental illness isn’t diminishing quickly enough; the film watches Scott, a chef, battling to hold down a job and his role as a husband and father, whose first attempts to control his bipolar with medication resulted in the intolerable side-effects which these drugs often bring, but who is willing to try again to save his job and more importantly, his marriage; and Rachel, whose first manic episode at age 19 led to life-changing injuries when she believed she could fly, leaving her in a wheelchair, as well as with a diagnosis of bipolar, neither of which will she let defeat her. And the film returns to meet Cordelia, who featured in the original series, an academic high-achiever who, with the support of her family, was struggling to find a place for herself in the world. Ten years on, now in her thirties, Cordelia is still battling with bipolar, which is such a dominant force in her life that for her it eclipses even the terminal cancer she is now dying from. Interviews with Stephen Fry give an insight into the roller-coaster journey of what living with bipolar really means – he talks about his suicide attempt while filming in Uganda in 2012; how his busy lifestyle exacerbates his condition, and his realisation that his condition can’t be cured but only managed. Stephen is now the president of Mental Health Charity ‘MIND’. Looking at the changes of the past decade, he finds optimism in the increased awareness of bipolar, especially among the young. The film gives a powerful insight into living with bipolar – past, present and most significantly, future.
My Baby, Psychosis And Me – BBC One, Tuesday 16 February at 10.45pm
My Baby, Psychosis And Me reveals the frightening roller-coaster journey of two mums for whom childbirth triggers ‘Postpartum Psychosis’, one of the most severe forms of mental illness but from which there can be recovery with the right treatment. It is a
condition most expectant mothers and their families have never heard of. But around one in every 500 births can lead to the sudden onset of a psychotic episode. New mothers are overwhelmed by extreme low or high moods, strange and dangerous thoughts, paranoia, delusions such as the belief that they have given birth to Jesus or the Devil. This is the untold story of what it means to battle this terrifying condition. Filmed over six months, the film closely follows the intense experiences of two women, Jenny and Hannah, and their families, as they are cared for at Winchester’s Mother And Baby Unit. Behind the closed doors of this specialist psychiatric ward, Dr Alain Gregoire and his expert team give women the care and intensive treatment needed to bring them back to recovery. While psychosis is the most severe form of mental distress psychiatrists see, with the right medication and psychological support, most women can return home within six weeks. And round-the-clock support with childcare enables mums and their babies to stay together, rather than face a damaging separation. From the bedroom to the nursery, the hospital theatre to the psychiatrist’s chair – the film watches the most personal moments of motherhood and mental illness play out for Jenny and Hannah, as Dr Gregoire and his team face two of the most challenging cases they’ve experienced. But in one respect, Jenny and Hannah are fortunate, they have access to the expert treatment they desperately need. With a severe shortage of specialist psychiatric care for mums-to-be and new mothers, it’s a postcode lottery whether women get the expert help they urgently need.
Life After Suicide – BBC One, Wednesday 17 February at 10.45pm
Eleven years ago, Angela Samata was an ordinary mother of two living in Birkenhead. Then her partner Mark took his own life. In this film, Angela goes on a journey around Britain to meet others who’ve suffered a similar loss and explores why, when suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK, we are still so afraid of talking about it. Some of the people she meets, like the actor David Robb who plays Dr Clarkson in Downton Abbey, are well known; others, like one family from Somerset, are not, and are speaking about their loss for the first time. In this brave and very moving documentary, Angela asks the questions that haunt those bereaved by suicide: why do some people choose to take their own lives and how do those that love them ever come to terms with that loss?
Professor Green: Suicide And Me – BBC One, Thursday 18 February at 11.45pm
Male suicide has been called a silent epidemic, with the latest UK figures revealing that suicide accounts for nearly 5,000 male deaths a year, around four times that of suicide in women. In this thought-provoking documentary, UK rapper Professor Green takes an intensely personal journey to uncover the truth behind the suicide of his father – and why suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in Britain.
The One Show on Monday 15 February
Lacey Turner and Dominic Treadwell-Collins (Executive Producer of EastEnders) will be guests on the sofa discussing the role popular dramas like EastEnders can play in raising awareness around mental health issues, and what work and research they do behind the camera with organisations like ‘MIND’ to ensure accurate portrayals.
Inside Out on Monday 15 February
The ‘Inside Out’ regions will cover mental health issues with their own individual films as part of the season. Covering a range of subjects, including how vulnerable teenagers suffering from mental health problems are falling through the cracks between childhood and adulthood mental health services; investigating how A&E has become the new front line in dealing with people in mental health crisis; suicide rates, mental health support for transgender people; carers looking after family members in poor mental health; police and mental health services.
‘EastEnders’ – postpartum psychosis storyline
As part of BBC One’s ‘In The Mind season’, Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2009, and although postpartum psychosis can affect a woman without pre-existing mental health issues, it is more likely to affect a mother who has bipolar disorder. In recent weeks, Martin, Stacey’s boyfriend, managed to get Stacey to hospital, where she was eventually sectioned. Now with Stacey in hospital, Martin struggles as he desperately tries to find space in an MBU (Mother and Baby Unit) so Stacey can be reunited with her son, Arthur, while carrying on with the treatment she desperately needs. However, over the course of this week, Stacey’s story intensifies and viewers will see her make a life-changing decision that hugely concerns Martin. ‘EastEnders’ has been working alongside ‘MIND’ and ‘Bipolar UK’ and other experts in the field to highlight ‘postpartum psychosis’, an illness that can affect women just after giving birth.
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
 
Email Attachments – Click to download
· LTB 082/16 ‘In The Mind’ – BBC Programming Announces Two-Week Season on Exploring Mental Health Issues, Commencing Monday 15 February 2016

PROPORTIONALITY EVENT – WEDNESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2016 TUC CONGRESS HOUSE – PAUL CANOVILLE BOOK SIGNING
You will be aware from the document we issued last week – that Paul Canoville is one of the guest speakers invited to the CWU Proportionality Event to be held at TUC Congress House on Wednesday 17th February 2016.
For those who may not know, Paul Canoville was a former professional footballer for Chelsea & Reading FC and was the first black player for Chelsea FC.
Paul, who suffered racial abuse from his own fans as well as opposing supporters after making his debut for the club in 1982, has written a book of his life called “Black & Blue”. Below is an excerpt from the book: 
“Paul Canoville’s story is one of extreme racist bigotry, shattering career-ending injury, a decline into drug abuse, battles against cancer, family tragedy and a determination to beat the odds. Canoville was Chelsea’s first black first-team player, making his debut in 1982”. 
Paul is available on the day to sign copies of his book, which can be purchased prior to the event at bookstores or online using the following link: Click Here   
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Ward                                                                                       
General Secretary                                                 
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LTB 081/16 PROPORTIONALITY EVENT – WEDNESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2016 TUC CONGRESS HOUSE – PAUL CANOVILLE BOOK SIGNING

CWU Education and Training Programme 2016
Branches will wish to use the embedded document endorsed by the National Executive Council to plan for their reps training and development for the remainder of the year.
Reference to “TBC” (to be confirmed) denotes dates where courses will be scheduled that are currently subject to ongoing course development with various CWU Departments.
If Branches would like assistance in developing a forward looking training plan or a Branch training needs analysis please contact the CWU Education & Training Dept. or e-mail lwakeman@cwu.org
Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Trish Lavelle, Head of Education & Training, either by e-mail: tlavelle@cwu.org or telephone on 020 8971 7340.
Yours sincerely,

Trish Lavelle
Head of Education and Training
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 080/16 – CWU Education and Training Programme 2016

The document that can be viewed on a smartphone in line with CWU National policy

Programme January – December 2016 5.2.16

RE: Agreement on the Future Provision of FM Services to Royal Mail – Individual Member Ballot
Following the National briefing held on the 21st January, the agreement that was published in LTB 021/16 is now being put to an individual member ballot.
A PDF copy of the agreement is attached to this LTB. Ballot papers were dispatched to members’ home addresses today Friday 5th February and ballot papers should be returned in the pre-paid envelope no later than Thursday 25th February 2016.
The Postal Executive are recommending that our members vote in favour of the agreement, and we would encourage all of our members to participate and return their ballot papers.
Any enquiries for engineers and admin grades should be addressed to PTCS department, quoting reference PTC/RE/SN/335. 

Email address: djeffery@cwu.org
Any enquiries for cleaning grades should be addressed to the Outdoor department quoting reference 120.
Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org
Yours sincerely

Ray Ellis Bob Gibson                           
Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary
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LTB 078/16 Agreement on the future Provision of FM Services to Royal Mail – Individual Member Ballot

Attachment 1 Agreement on Future Provisions of FM Services to Royal Mail

Election of: 
Royal Mail Divisional Representatives – 2016

Royal Mail Divisional Representatives (Substitute) – 2016

Royal Mail Divisional Chair – 2016

 Further to LTB 023/16 dated 14th January 2016.
 At the close of nominations at 14:00 on 2nd February 2016, the following were received: 
 
ROYAL MAIL DIVISIONAL REPRESENTATIVES  

 
ANGLIA (Ballot Required) 
Steve Butts
Eastern No 4
 
Barry Jennings
Northern Home Counties Postal
 
Ryan Ward    
Romford Amal
 
  
LONDON 
Mark Palfrey
South East London Postal & Counter
*Elected
Martin Walsh 
London South West
*Elected
                                                          
MIDLAND (Ballot Required) 
Gareth Eales 
South Midlands Postal
 
Simon Edmunds
Nottingham & District Amal
 
Paul Kennedy
Birmingham & District Amal
 
 
NORTH EAST 
Gary Alan Hodkinson
South Yorks & District Amal
*Elected
Bob McGuire
Newcastle Amal
*Elected
 
NORTH WALES/NORTH WEST 
Ian Taylor
Greater Manchester
*Elected
Tony Williams
Greater Mersey & South West Lancs
*Elected
                                      
SCOTLAND/NORTHERN IRELAND 
Stuart McIntosh
Scotland No 2
*Elected
Norrie Watson
Glasgow District Amal
*Elected
  
SOUTH CENTRAL (Ballot Required) 
Dermot Fuller
South West No 7
 
Rob Hayhurst
Wessex South Central
 
Terry Jackson
South East No 5
 
  
SOUTH EAST (Ballot Required) 
Peter Sinnott
Southdowns Weald & Rother
 
Stephen Wisely
South East Thames Amal
 
Philip Wright
Kent Invicta
 
  
SOUTH WEST/SOUTH WALES (Ballot Required) 
Les Evans
South West Wales Amal
 
Chris Hamblin
South East Wales Amal
 
Andy Nash
Bristol & District
 
 
ROYAL MAIL DIVISIONAL REPRESENTATIVES (SUBSTITUTES) 

 
ANGLIA (Ballot Required) 
Kevin Martin
Essex Amal
 
Trevor Williamson
Eastern No 3
 
  
LONDON 
John Simkins
London Phoenix Branch
*Elected
 
MIDLAND  
Steve Blower 
Nottingham District Amal
*Elected
 
NORTH EAST 
Steve Halliwell
Newcastle Amal
*Elected
  
NORTH WALES/NORTH WEST 
Mark Bolton
North Lancs & Cumbria
*Elected
                                      
SCOTLAND/NORTHERN IRELAND 
Robert Storrie
Scotland No 5
*Elected
  
SOUTH CENTRAL (Ballot Required) 
Paul Garraway
South Central Postal
 
Rob Hayhurst
Wessex South Central
 
Geoff Loftus
Harrow & District Amal
 
Paul Mountain
Portsmouth & District
 
  
SOUTH EAST  
David Bennett
South East No 5
*Elected
  
SOUTH WEST/SOUTH WALES (Ballot Required) 
Stephen Coombes
Western Counties
 
Chris Hamblin
South East Wales Amal
 
  
ROYAL MAIL DIVISIONAL CHAIR 

 
ANGLIA  
Trevor Williamson
Eastern No 3
*Elected
  
LONDON 
Raymond Dunning
West London Postal
*Elected
                                                         
MIDLAND  
Linford Gibbons       
Nottingham District Amal
*Elected
  
NORTH EAST 
Graham Clough
South Yorkshire & District
*Elected
 
NORTH WALES/NORTH WEST (Ballot Required) 
Lenny Crook
North Lancs & Cumbria
 
Peter Kelly
Shropshire & Mid Wales
 
 *Note: Branch Ballot (Not Individual Member Ballot)                                  
 
SCOTLAND/NORTHERN IRELAND 
Jim McKechnie
Glasgow District Amal
*Elected
  
SOUTH CENTRAL  
No Nominations Received.
  
SOUTH EAST  
Robert Griffiths
South East No 5
*Elected
  
SOUTH WEST/SOUTH WALES  
No Nominations Received.
  
The timetable for the above elections are as follows:
 
Ballot Papers dispatched: 11 February 2016

Ballot Close: 25 February 2016 (first post)
 
Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 0208 971 7237 or email address sdgs@cwu.org.
 
Yours sincerely 
 
Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 068/16 – Election of Royal Mail Divisional Representatives

PROPORTIONALITY EVENT 
Further to LTBs 775/15 & 804/15, I am writing to remind Branches about the Proportionality Event, which is to be held at the TUC on Wednesday 17th February 2016. Registration will commence at 10 am for an 11 am start, to finish at approximately 4 pm.
The objective of the event is to encourage under-represented groups to feel inspired and become more engaged with union structures. We have a full and varied agenda, which includes guest speakers Paul Canoville, Former Footballer for Chelsea & Reading FC and Kate Green MP, Shadow Minister for Disabilities who have agreed to give us an insight into their experiences and the challenges they have had to face in their lives.
Branches are invited to send a maximum of 5 delegates to the event and register them taking cognisance of the proportionality of the delegates. Details of how and who to register is set out in the previous LTBs advised above.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Ward                                                                       
General Secretary