POST OFFICE: ELECTION OF VACANT REPRESENTATIVE POSITIONS
Further to LTB 012/16 dated 8th January 2016, at the close of nominations today the following were received:
 
Regional Health & Safety Representative
Garrie Bond Romford Amal *Elected
  
Crown Deputy Area Representatives
AREA 3 Laura Conlon Newcastle Amal *Elected
AREA 4 Alan Robert Pryce Birmingham District Amal *Elected
AREA 5 Tracy Pier Eastern No 4 *Elected
AREA 6 Cathy Chilcott Bristol & District Amal *Elected
  
Supply Chain Deputy Area Representative
North Area
No nominations received.
  
Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237 or email address sdgs@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely
 
Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

CWU NATIONAL BRIEFING 27 JANUARY – TRADE UNION BILL 

 
Further to LTB028/16 please find attached an Agenda, a Reps Briefing on the Trade Union Bill and the campaign against this in advance of tomorrow’s meeting at the TUC. 
As also stated in LTB028/16 please note, the briefing will commence at midday with teas and coffees to be served from 11:30am. 
Any enquiries on this LTB should be directed to the gsoffice@cwu.org.    
Yours sincerely                                          
 
Dave Ward

General Secretary
   
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 046/16 – CWU NATIONAL BRIEFING 27 JANUARY – TRADE UNION BILL

Attachment 1: Final Agenda – National Briefing

Attachment 2 04840 Trade Union Bill Overview A4

Long Term Fatigue Study – Final Report & Recommendations
                                                                             
Further to LTB 293/13 Branches and CWU Representatives will be aware of the Long Term fatigue Study that has been jointly carried out over the last 3 years in a number of delivery offices. The report has now been concluded and is attached to this LTB. The report contained recommendations which have now been discussed with Royal Mail and the way forward/actions are listed below. 
Recommendation:
Further investigation of the national increase in absence due to musculoskeletal disorders should be carried out and this is already included in the health & safety wellbeing plan for 2015/16. 
Action:
This clearly requires further work and for continuity should involve Corrine Parsons and Mick Gledhill. 
Recommendation:
Breaks should be taken during the duty and not scheduled at the end. Individuals should be encouraged to take their due breaks and drink during their duty and to allow this the availability of toilet facilities on routes should be reviewed and arrangements made where there are problems.
 Action:
This is the responsibility of the Delivery Director and the Outdoor Secretary. The Delivery Programme Group (DPG) will have the responsibility to come up with a strategy to deploy this. It will also form part of the talks on the future of delivery. 
Recommendation:
More visibility of the variations between planned and actual outdoor times should be obtained and the reason for this investigated to ensure that workload and lapsing/absorption arrangements result in fair and achievable workloads for individuals.
Action:
This will become the responsibility of the Integrated Delivery Programme to identify and agree a process for dealing with this 
Recommendation:
If further extension of outdoor spans is proposed a break with access to toilet facilities on the route will be essential during the outdoor work. It appears that access to shelter as refuge from inclement weather and a place to take a break is beneficial to enhance well-being; the provision of (shared) vans has increased access to such shelter. Assessment of the physical workload for potential future duties will be necessary during design and early deployment of the individual methods and duty structures, with adaptations to methods/equipment as appropriate to enable longer spans for our people. 
Action:
This will form part of the talks on the future of delivery. 
Recommendation:
A study is recommended to review the most effective way to plan shared van routes and deliver large parcels. It should look at how many parking stops people make when using light pouches versus the planned loop stops with the use of trolleys to understand any differences in efficiency and other benefits/issues of the ways of working. 
Action:
This is outside of the remit of the Fatigue Study but does need further discussion. This will fall under the remit of the DPG and will also be factored into the future of delivery talks.  
Finally the department would like to place on record its thanks to Corrine Parsons Royal Mail and Mick Gledhill CWU ASR for their involvement in this study and their invaluable input into the final report. 
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 600
Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org
Yours sincerely
 
Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 041/16 – Long Term Fatigue Study – Final Report & Recommendations

Attachment 1 Long Term Study of the Delivery Role

ULRs – Delivering Learning – Bournemouth
 This new two day short ULR course has been developed to meet changing circumstances in education funding. It is specifically aimed at ULRs who have done stage 1 of their ULR training but have not managed to complete their stage 2. Due to funding changes both parts of our current ULR course now have to be completed within the same academic year. This short course has been designed to enable ULRs who have not done their stage 2 to look more closely at delivering learning in the current learning climate.
 The course looks at:
 Delivering Learning and Supporting Learners
Learning Agreements
Funding for Learning
Presentation Skills
Meeting Skills
Self-Organisation
Dates and Venue
 We have been able to secure ULF funding to support accommodation costs. 
Monday 14th – Wednesday 16th March 2016 – The Elstead Hotel, Bournemouth

Who is this course aimed at?
 ULRs who have done their ULR 1 since 2009 but who have not attended a ULR 2. (Please note this does not include ULRs who have done their ULR 1 since July 2015, they should apply for the ULR 2 being held at Alvescot between the 27th June and the 1st July 2016.)
Release
 Paid release for ULR training is legislated for. For further information please refer to our guide to ULR release at http://www.cwueducation.org or via our online support for ULRs – Left Click link here http://leftclick.cwu.org/course/view.php?id=89
 

To Book your Place
 The Branch will have to approve applications, so ULRs should contact their Branch Secretary to ask for an application form. The closing date for applications will be Monday 22nd of February. This is to enable students to have time to organise release to attend the course.
Expenses
 If your Branch nominates you for this course they will usually cover your travel and subsistence costs and release costs from work if applicable. This can vary, so always check with your Branch Secretary in advance.
 Completed application forms should be addressed to: Trish Lavelle, Head of Education and Training, CWU Education and Training Centre, Alvescot Lodge, Alvescot, Bampton, Oxon, OX18 2PY, faxed to 01993 840960, or emailed to mtodd@cwu.org
 Yours sincerely,
 
 Trish Lavelle
Head of Education and Training

D2D Automation/Collation Trial
Branches and Representatives will be aware that the Outdoor Department has been actively engaged in talks with Royal Mail concerning Door to Door and the future strategy for the product.
As part of those discussions Royal Mail have reopened the subject of D2D being Automated/Collated. As a consequence the discussions have been broadened to include the Indoor dept and the inclusion of an automation/collation trial out of Swindon WBC.
Whilst the original trial did not prove to be successful the concept of automation/collation of D2D has remained an aspiration as far as Royal Mail are concerned. This has become particularly viable again due to an increase in Door to Door across some postcode sectors which once again provides them with an opportunity to trial and examine alternative methods of preparation for Door to Door. Branches and Representatives should also not lose sight of the fact that this concept fits in with their strategy of a single wave and outdoor merging.
The difference this time to the previous trial is that they have purchased the automation/collation machine and they want to extend the delivery aspect of the trial further afield to include Walsall DO who are involved in trials regarding Optimised Mail Preparation.
Following discussions we have agreed for a trial to take place and have concluded a Terms of Reference (see attached) which ensures that all operational processes are covered between the Swindon WBC, where the machine is being located and the associated Delivery Offices listed at Appendix A of the TOR
We have also agreed that all information gathered will be shared with the CWU to enable a joint assessment of the operational impact these trial arrangements have had on WBC operations, Network operations and Delivery operations.
Throughout the trial there will be joint visits to both the Swindon WBC and Delivery Offices to see firsthand the impact and following the trial discussions at national level will take place between the CWU and Royal Mail to review the success or failure of the trial and to determine and agree the next steps.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230.03

Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org

Any enquiries to Davie Robertson’s Department, quoting reference 214.14

Email address: shayman@cwu.org or dwyatt@cwu.org

Yours sincerely
Bob Gibson Davie Robertson

CWU Assistant Secretary CWU Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 040/16 D2D Automation/Collation Trial

Attachment 1: Royal Mail CWU National TOR D2D Automation Trial 2016

National Briefing – Wednesday 3rd February 2016 – 10am until 17.00pm
 
National Update – Royal Mail Group Issues
 
Branches/Representatives are advised that a National Briefing has been arranged to enable the National Officers and Postal Executive to update colleagues on a number of important issues that are now crystallising in the field including;
 
Challenges to current National Agreements

Pay and Pensions

Future Direction and Strategy of the Business

 
Braches should note that in view of the issues under consideration it is likely this event will run for the full day so travel arrangements etc. should be planned accordingly. A detailed agenda/structure for the day is currently being finalised and we will be circulated to colleagues in advance of the meeting.
 
The briefing will take place at TUC Congress House (address below) and will commence at 10.00am concluding no later than 17.00pm:
 
Great Russell Street
London
WC1B 3LS
 
Tea and coffee will be provided on arrival.
 
Attendees:
 
The following Representatives are invited to attend the National Briefing:
 
One Branch Representative

Divisional Representatives

Regional Secretaries

Territorial Technical Services Representatives

Parcelforce Regional Organisers

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

Fleet and Maintenance Service Territorial Representatives

Multichannel Customer Experience Representatives

National Romec Reps

Romec Regional Reps

Travel and subsistence costs associated with attendance at the Briefing will be in line with CWU policies and guidelines.
 
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.
 
Yours sincerely,
Terry Pullinger                                                                       
Deputy General Secretary (P)
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 038/16 National Briefing – Wednesday 3rd February 2016 – 10am until 17.00pm National Update – Royal Mail Group Issues

Collections on Delivery – Blue Pouch Trial
As part of the ongoing work of the Collections Joint Working Group regarding the Postbox Strategy, we have been in dialogue with Royal Mail regarding a process for dealing with items which are now collected on Delivery.
Since the Postbox Strategy was deployed circa 812 Collection on Delivery revisions have been deployed. However deterioration in Quality of Service performance has been identified. This became apparent during 2015 and has continued to worsen into 2016. There is no doubt this is not solely down to the Postbox Strategy and is linked to other issues namely the situation the Business got into regarding recruitment and resourcing problems.
As a result we have jointly agreed to examine the potential reasons for this quality issue in a number of offices via a trial taking on board the best practise process that has been adopted in Kilmarnock Delivery Office, which has had no detrimental effect on quality since the introduction of the Blue Pouch.
By trialling the Blue Pouch in 11 Delivery Offices it will enable the issues below to be considered and should assist in deciding whether the Blue Pouch should be extended for full National Deployment.
1. The introduction of a Blue Pouch for collectors to consolidate all Collection mail collected whilst on delivery. 

2. All equipment required to perform collections on delivery to be consolidated into the pouch. (keys, Route card, Route header)

3. Provide visibility in the unit that all Collections on delivery post boxes are covered on a daily basis.
All OPGs will receive the appropriate training before the Blue Pouch is introduced into their office. Following the trial all relevant information and data collated will be shared with the CWU, which will then be jointly reviewed at national level. Discussions will then take place to agree the next steps.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 532 

Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org 

Yours sincerely
Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 39.16 Collections on Delivery – Blue Pouch Trial

Attachment 1: ToR Blue Pouch for Collections made on Delivery Trial

Youth Conference 2016 – Policy, handling and administrative arrangements
 Policy
The Youth Committee, following debates at previous Youth Conferences, has adopted the NEC’s policy of advising branches of their policy position on Motions that are on the order paper.
I can therefore advise that the National Youth Committee’s position on Motions submitted to the Youth Conference is as follows:
Motion
Policy
 
 

1
Support
2
Move
3
Move
4
Support
5
Support
6
Remit/Oppose
7
Listen and Decide
8
Support
9
Support
10x
Oppose
11x
Remit/Oppose
12x
Move
13x
Support
14x
Support
15x
Support
16x
Listen and Decide
17x
Support
 
Administrative arrangements
The Committee has decided to divide the time allocated for the workshop sessions into two parts.
The first part will be devoted to debating those Motions not admitted to the agenda of Youth Conference.
Although any Motions debated in this way cannot be binding, the view of the Committee is that as young activists have taken the time and trouble to submit Motions on issues that are of concern to our members, it would be good to be able to have the debate, albeit in the context of a “Mock Conference” rather than the real thing.
The remainder of the time in the workshop session will be used to try and explore in a little more detail and in small syndicate groups, some of the key issues of concern to our young members. This is intended to be an interactive session followed by some quick report-backs on themes such as:
What do you want from your union?

What do you see your role being in the future of the union?

What will help you achieve your objectives?

What do you want your union’s political strategy to be?

I hope this information is helpful to branch and regional youth committee delegates attending conference. I look forward to seeing as many colleagues as possible at both the social event at the Mechanics Institute on Friday evening and at the Conference itself at the same venue on Saturday.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Sapper

National Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 034/16 – Youth Conference 2016 – Policy, handling and administrative arrangements

POST OFFICE: CROWN OFFICE NETWORK – FRANCHISING PLANS
The Post Office has today announced its plans for a further franchising programme, which follows quickly on from the last round of franchises under the Crown Transformation Programme. This development will obviously be devastating news for our members. The details are as follows:
 Up to 100 Crown Offices are vulnerable to closure or franchising via 2 tranches as follows:
 Tranche 1
 39 Crown Offices to be franchised (list below)
3 actual closures – Antrim, Shaftesbury Square in Belfast and Barry in South Wales (these closures are on top of Earls Court and Western Road Brighton due to close shortly).

Impacting on up to 400 jobs.

 
Aberystwyth
Halifax
Paisley
Antrim
Harborne
Penzance
Banbury
Harlow
Peterborough City
Barry
Harpenden
Pinner
Beckenham
Hartlepool
Shaftesbury Square
Beeston
Headingley
Sheerness
Bognor Regis
Honiton
St Andrews Cross
Bromsgrove
Kilmarnock
St Austell
Bury St Edmunds
Lancaster
St Johns Wood
Cirencester Town
Lewes
Sudbury
Crouch End
Longton
Sydenham
Denbigh
Lower Edmonton
Wakefield
Durham
Maidenhead
Walworth Road
Felixstowe
Muswell Hill
Waterlooville
 
Tranche 2
 A further 40-50 Crowns to be franchised “in future tranches over the next two years unless significant opportunities can be found to make them profitable”. (Quote from Post Office slide presentation to the Union).

 Likely to impact on another 500-600 members’ jobs.

The Post Office’s plans, which amount to blatant privatisation, could see the Crown Network reduced by very nearly 100 Crowns and 1000 members. Effectively, this attack on jobs impacts on a third of the current workforce and Crown Network and would leave us with only c.220 Crowns in the future.
Whilst the Crown Transformation Programme will, by the end of this financial year, have delivered the Crown Network to a run-rate of break-even (a target set by the Government) the Post Office has now decided it wants to achieve a position whereby the network will make £10m by the end of 2017/18. It is our hard-working loyal members who will be paying the price for this decision with the potential loss of their jobs as a consequence of the attack on the Crown Office Network.
 Membership Communication
A membership communication is planned for later this week. We will also be communicating to our Crown members via Facebook, email and text message today and over the coming days as the situation develops.
 The People’s Post Campaign
 In consultation with the General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary (P) we have made the decision to make our campaign on the Crown Office Network integral to the People’s Post initiative. We will therefore be campaigning politically, both locally and nationally in defence of the Crown Network under the overarching banner of the People’s Post. Branches will be advised of any further developments in regard to the details of this activity at the earliest opportunity.
 Next Steps
The Postal Executive is receiving documentation today and we are meeting with our Territorial / Area Representatives later this week to consult with them regarding our next steps.
Further developments will be reported.
 
If you have any questions in relation to this LTB, please contact Lea Sheridan – lsheridan@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely
 
Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 030/16 Post Office: Crown Office Network – Franchising Plans