The Post Office – Election of: 

• Post Office Area Representatives for Crowns – Areas 2, 3, 4 & 7

• Post Office Deputy Area Representatives for Crowns – Area 2

• 3 Post Office Area Representatives for Supply Chain – All 3 Areas

• 1 Post Office Deputy Area Representative for Supply Chain – South Area

• 4 Territorial Representatives

Further to LTB 537/15 dated 18th August 2015. At the close of the ballots today, please find the ballot results as shown below:-

Crown Area Representatives

 

AREA 2

 

 

 

 

 

Neil Barry

116

*ELECTED

Jennifer Windsor

45

 

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

0

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

161

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

409

 

 

 

 

AREA 3

 

 

 

 

 

Laura Conlon

39

 

Richard Titterington

77

*ELECTED

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

0

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

116

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

389

 

 

 

 

AREA 4

 

 

 

 

 

Craig Andrew

42

 

Sue Trehearne

52

*ELECTED

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

0

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

94

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

292

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AREA 7

 

 

 

 

 

Dominic Lafont

21

 

Sean Ryan

27

*ELECTED

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

0

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

48

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

190

 

 

Crown Deputy Area Representatives

 

AREA 2

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon Sergison

94

*ELECTED

Jennifer Windsor

57

 

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

10

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

161

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

409

 

 

 

Supply Chain Area Representatives

 

NORTH AREA

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Darville

43

 

Keith Gibson

20

 

Johnny McKeever

49

*ELECTED

Alan McLachlan

19

 

Alan Robertson

16

 

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

0

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

147

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

244

 

 

 

 

CENTRAL AREA

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Clarke

71

*ELECTED

Mark Worthington

16

 

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

1

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

88

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

300

 

 

 

 

SOUTH AREA

 

 

 

 

 

Rob Jones

126

*ELECTED

Stephen Richards

41

 

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

6

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

173

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

440

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supply Chain Deputy Area Representatives

 

SOUTH AREA

 

 

 

 

 

Craig Dapson

81

*ELECTED

Stephen Richards

57

 

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

35

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

173

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

440

 

 

Territorial Representatives

 

David Bowmaker

476

*ELECTED

Huw Davies

322

 

Mole Meade

468

 

Peter Meech

498

*ELECTED

Jim Reeves

493

*ELECTED

Chris Roche

479

*ELECTED

 

 

 

Spoilt Ballot Papers

3

 

Total Ballot Papers Received

1122

 

Total Ballot Papers Dispatched

3970

 

 

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237 or email address sdgs@cwu.org.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Tony Kearns​​​​

Senior Deputy General Secretary

 

Important Notice: Scam Alert 

A member of staff at HQ who unfortunately was also a victim has made me aware of a phone scam which I would like to bring to your attention. Around February this year various ISP’s (internet service providers) were hacked and millions of customer details was stolen, as you would expect, the theft was followed up with a scam to try and extract money from those customers. A call would be made by someone impersonating a technician from your ISP; they can seem very convincing as the stolen information includes details which should only be known by your service provider, names and addresses, dates of birth and bank details.

 

The scam has now resurfaced and can take various guises, for example, they may inform you your router either needs updating, replacing or isn’t working correctly. You are then directed to a website to download a program which will allow them to solve the issue remotely. Once the program is installed, they now have access to either lock your device and ask you for payment before it will be unlocked and or scan your device for personal details to be used for identity fraud.   

 

Here is some additional advice one of the hacked ISP’s have put on their website:-

 

“Our advice on avoiding scams:

Bank details: if you have received a call and been asked for your bank details, this is likely to be a scam. If you are ever unsure, hang up and call the company back on their official number. 

Dialling correct numbers: when calling ensure you get the number from a trusted source – such as the official website or your latest bill or statement. If you get a call that feels suspicious, hang up and call back on the official number. You should always ensure the fraudster has hung up before you dial as sometimes they keep the line open to try to trick you. If you are in any doubt you should phone a friend or a trusted number first to make sure it goes through correctly.

Premium rate numbers: any messages asking you to make expensive phone calls – premium rate numbers start with 090 – especially when it comes to ‘prizes’ or ‘offers’, are most likely a scam.

Persuasive sellers: anyone that’s rushing you into a service or product and wants to take your bank details could quite easily be scamming you. Don’t allow yourself to be pressured or bullied.

 

 

 

Scam technical support: more scammers are calling people trying to gain remote access to their computer so they can gain access to personal information. You shouldn’t be asked to pay for viruses to be cleared from your computer or to fix any issues over the phone. If you are, don’t give them any details and hang up. 

Scam website: scammers may direct you to a website that looks like it could be an official site. Make sure you are definitely on the right website and not on a scammer site. Scam websites will often have poor quality of logos and general design. If you are in any doubt then leave the website.

Refunds: Scammers may try and get personal information by telling you that you are due a refund. If in doubt you should hang up and call the company yourself.”

 

The above internet scam has been confirmed by police, BT, Carphone Warehouse and Talk Talk are known to have had a data breach. This is by no means an extensive list, we have had an attempted scam call made to HQ this week! I would advise using caution whoever your service provider is and be alert to any scam calls you may receive at work.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

 

Dave McIntosh

ICT Manager

 

 

 

 

Bespoke Door 2 Door Item 1st & 2nd October 2015 

Branches and CWU representatives will be aware of the fact that Royal Mail operates in an extremely competitive environment for direct mail and advertising revenue. The CWU recognises this and continues to support the businesses drive to increased revenue through growth in addressed and unaddressed products in order to protect jobs and terms and conditions. There is however a significant number of Door to Door customers that Royal Mail cannot currently capture for a variety of reasons and these potential customers end up advertising through competitors, using television, radio, press or other mail carriers who are eating into what was traditional workload in Royal Mail.

 

In order to improve Royal Mail’s prospects of capturing more work and revenue in this competitive market we have agreed to trial alternative D2D delivery methods (see LTB 596.15) to see if we can reduce the costing of the product and get a foothold in this particular sector. Through this type of contract we hope to be able to demonstrate to customers in this area of the market that Royal Mail can cope with this type of contract.

 

Whilst D2D is not something our members are particularly fond of on a day to day basis we have a responsibility to our members to work with Royal Mail to stem the threat of competition and the associated loss of workload and revenue, and to bring as much work as possible into our workplaces to help protect jobs and terms and conditions. That is why we have agreed to deliver this contract.

 

As far as the joint statement is concerned we have plagiarised the Joint Statement used last year for the World Cup contract and attempted to put in place things we believe will assist our representatives arrive at sensible operational arrangements through dialogue with their local managers, recognising that this will require willingness and commitment on their part as well to bring this about. Resourcing to workload for w/c 28th September will need to be reviewed in light of the joint statement and is an essential requirement of the joint statement. The statement is not too prescriptive and is intended to provide guidance and examples of what probably needs to be put in place to support our members and the operation over the whole week including any jointly identified additional resource being paid at SA rate. Serious consideration will also need to be given to the provision of replenishment and the feeder runs required to support this. It is important that H&S issues are taken fully into consideration indoor and outdoor.

As part of the resourcing discussions CWU Representatives will also wish to note that the Bespoke D2D contract due to be delivered W/C 28th September but not to be delivered on Monday 28th (see LTB 546.15) has now been reverted to a standard contract which means this contract can now be delivered Monday to Wednesday if that suits local arrangements.

 

Attached to this LTB are the postcodes where the items are being provided for delivery which in total amounts to 5m items for 620 delivery units at an average of 8k per unit spread across most of the UK (Not N. Ireland). The L, CH and some WA postcodes have been excluded. Units will need to check the contract manager to see what other items they can expect during w /c 28th September and factor this into their local discussions and resourcing plans.

 

Finally we have recognised that this contract that will undoubtedly stir sentiment and raise concerns and emotion in certain postcodes and in some of our members and as a consequence certain postcodes have not been included. This issue will need to be dealt with sympathetically in other areas of the UK with complete respect for the wishes of those concerned.

 

It would be appreciated if all Branches could please ensure that this LTB is circulated to all Delivery offices and CWU Delivery representatives without delay.

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230.03

Email address: mstewart@cwu.org

 

 

Yours sincerely
Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary  

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: ACCESS TO BRANCH SAGE ACCOUNTS 

Further to LTB 572/15 dated 3rd September.

 

Branches are advised that the Citrix Helpline number has now changed. For future support please contact Moore Stephens on 0207 651 1900 or alternatively email helpdesk@moorestephens.com.

 

Branches are asked to let those who access this service to be aware of the contents of this notice.

 

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

 

Sunday Services – Enquiry Offices (Customer Service Points) 

Further to LTBs 528.15 and 561.15 discussions have continued with Royal Mail regarding the above and have been subject to frequent meetings and fairly lengthy discussions. A number of the initiatives included in the national agreement were previously going to be trialled and we took the decision to ‘cut to the chase’ and include them in the agreement. Those initiatives are the Payment Card and Point of Sale, Self Serve Post & Go Kiosk, Local Collect, and Royal Mail Parcel Acceptance which in our opinion can only enhance the service at Enquiry Offices and hopefully promote growth. We saw no point in delaying the deployment of these initiatives via a trial as we can iron out any issues in light of experience and on an ongoing basis. In addition there will be a programme of professionalising Enquiry Office staff to support these new initiatives, and with an increased focus on providing first rate customer service there is a need for reliable and proficient resourcing to meet the demand in Enquiry Offices. However no employee will be compelled to work on a Sunday in an Enquiry Office and any individuals who opt to cover this commitment on a Sunday will do so voluntarily.

 

There was an issue around the scope of the programme and we have now agreed to go with a Monday to Sunday review. This will mean that Units who are currently open on a Sunday or due to open on a Sunday will need to look at their opening times right across the week so that they are aligned to customer demand. These reviews will be supported nationally through the provision of information following analysis of customer footfall data from the SPS system with the intention to move towards a general standardisation of opening times at all Enquiry Offices that meet certain criteria and fall within certain parameters. In many units there will probably be little change except for the introduction of Sunday opening. Units who are not due to open on a Sunday will also be subject to a similar review and general standardisation referred to above as part of a subsequent phase of deployment. As things move forward the Service Point System (SPS) will provide information/data that will accurately identify the footfall at Enquiry Offices and will enable more informed decisions to take place regarding opening times.

 

Branches will also wish to note that national terms and conditions for working on Sundays have been maintained in the national agreement. Particular attention should be paid to annex A which deals with resourcing and remuneration.

 

A considerable amount of debate centred on the deployment being absorbed by delivery units and we have now agreed that the deployment will be based on what can realistically be achieved, supported by factual data/information and demonstrable evidence to support either parties position. It is not solely about absorption neither is it solely about investment, it is about a balanced approach and what can actually be done to make the necessary changes via agreement, that is fair and manageable and provides the service required.

 

 
COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION 

URGENT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It should also be noted that the opening times of Enquiry Offices (Mon – Sun) will have no impact on the agreed efficiency of the unit or the optimisation of delivery routes.

 

Full consultation with the CWU Nationally will continue to take place to review the outputs from each element of the agreement and discuss and agree any necessary changes. We will also continue to explore opportunities for further initiatives; including commercial trials and these will be discussed and agreed nationally with the CWU prior to any deployment.

 

We believe that the agreement provides a sensible and pragmatic solution that is in line with CWU policy and continues to support our joint aspirations in terms of growth, dealing with competition and our member’s terms and conditions. Deployment of the Sunday Opening (see attached) is scheduled to take place from January to March 2016 and Units are asked to engage early to enable discussions to be completed in time to meet this schedule.

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 530

Email address: mstewart@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely

  

Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary

 

                            

Slow Manoeuvring Training Course Trial & Terms of Reference 

Branches will be aware that the 2012 Joint Statement on the RTA Procedure and Driver training committed Royal Mail and the CWU to improving the safety of our drivers and the public. We recently became aware of a trial that has been taking place in a Delivery Office, regarding Slow Manoeuvring Training, and on receiving this information we immediately requested a ToR to cover a trial.  

 

Discussions have taken place and we have now agreed a TOR for a trial to take place. We are satisfied that ToR covers our concerns and that we can progress the trial to 5 other offices. These are: Derby DO (East Region) not confirmed yet, Thornbury DO (West Region) commenced this week, Perth DO (North Region) commenced this week, Plymouth Distribution (West Region) not confirmed yet and London South East (Parcelforce) due to commence this week.

 

There is currently no course offered where all drivers in a unit are coached on slow manoeuvring that is customised to take account of the specifics of an individual yard.

 

The course duration is 2 hours, and 6 drivers will be coached during each session. The course is designed specifically to address issues at an individual site, and the content is customised according to the identified risks, through collision history and site inspection, which will include driver feedback where appropriate. This ensures that the course is relevant to the drivers in the locality.

 

The course material will be constructed specifically for each site, and courses will be scheduled to suit the operation. The course will not be used as a substitute for Induction or Post-Collision training.

 

The performance of the unit before the course deployment, and after the courses are completed, will be measured. This will demonstrate the successes, or otherwise, and inform whether this approach should be further deployed.

 

Progress of the courses, and measurement of success, will be reviewed at the Road Safety Joint Working Group, which currently meets regularly, and has representation from Royal Mail functions and the CWU.

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230, Email address: mstewart@cwu.org

 

Yours Sincerely

​ ​

Bob Gibson

RE: Conduct Code Booklets

 

We have now received a batch of booklets from the printers and are in the process of dispatching a number to each Branch.

We have also attached to this LTB, the PDF version, in case you wish to print additional copies, and keep an electronic copy.

We do have some spare copies should Branches require extras. Please let us know the numbers by emailing to the address below.

Any enquiries should be addressed to PTCS department, quoting reference PTC/RE/sn/414 Email address: djeffery@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely

Peter Donaghy                                                        

Policy Advisor

Click on the link to view

2015 conduct code booklet

Door to Door – Delivery Method Change Trial & TOR 

Further to LTB’s 531/15 and 560/15 we have been in ongoing discussions with Royal Mail regarding D2D, looking at ways to expand the product including revised ways of working and delivering the items. We have now modelled some different scenarios/methods and agreed that 3 of them will be trialled, of which 2 are CWU proposals.

 

The trial will initially commence in 2 Delivery Offices, Bath DO and Troon DO. We are still attempting to agree a third Delivery Office and this will be notified as soon as possible.

 

The postcodes have been chosen due to their above average levels of D2D. The intention of the trial is to identify a viable method to reduce the overall costs of the product which will enable Royal Mail to compete for more contracts, increasing volume/workload and revenue. The CWU proposals also provide more scope for ‘Bespoke’ contracts and growth in this particular area which is becoming more popular.

 

The following adjustments to the current delivery method describe the methods that will be trialled to determine an alternative delivery method to reduce the number of unaddressed ‘Cold Calls’ while remaining simple to operate, easy to control, within the current D2D Product Specification and producing good QofS results.

 

1. 16.7% (1/6th) Collate, Prep and Deliver Warm calls each day Monday to Saturday. Roll over pending calls remainder of the week until Saturday. (Troon)

 

2. 100% Collate, Prep and Deliver Warm calls Monday, Roll over pending calls remainder of the week until Saturday. (Pending)

 

3. 20% Collate, Prep and Deliver Warm calls Monday, 80% Collate, Prep and Deliver Warm calls Tuesday, roll over pending calls remainder of the week until Saturday.(Bath)

 

Note: There are several variations to the above that can be adopted to enhance flexibility in delivering new bespoke items and this will form part of the National discussions.

 

Alternative Control Methods will also be tested during the trial:

 

1. Pending D2D items (those left for delivery on a following day) left in the frame

 

2. Pending items not placed in the frame, but instead the DP noted on a sheet    

 

Both methods will be studied/measured by Industrial Engineers to establish time taken. Work aids will be produced for each delivery, detailing time required for each method.

 
COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION 

URGENT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS

 

 

 

 

Further discussions have also addressed our concerns regarding the complexity of the method for recording the delivery points that have not been delivered using the warm call method and with regard to this the trial will commence with a small number of routes in each site rather than the whole unit. This will allow both parties to fully understand the work involved, how people take to the change in methods, allows time to take in their views and see how managers are able to manage this. It should also help protect both the product and wider QofS by having a limited number of routes affected in the first phase.

 

It is anticipated that the trial and data gathering exercise will take approximately 6 weeks;  

 

The trial will commence on 21st September 2015 and will conclude on 31st October 2015. However during this period consideration will be given to extending the trial period if enough data/information is not available.

 

The trial will be jointly reviewed at the end of the agreed timescales (31st October 2015) to determine the viability of the alternative methods taking into account any H&S implications.

 

Consideration will also be given to extending the trial to other sites including the potential implications of changing current methods. The review will also discuss and consider any changes required going forward to support growth and employee reward.

 

In addition to the trial discussions have also taken place on the subject of the D2D product and the need to put more focus and activity into this area, and a meeting is being arranged with Market Reach and product managers to discuss this in more detail. The intention here is to re establish a National D2D Forum.

 

Some communications material has been produced that will be shared in due course to take CWU input, so that we can jointly position the work we are doing on D2D as a product and seek input from employees in the units.

 

A separate initiative will be jointly undertaken to understand and identify the declining volumes that some geographical locations are experiencing. This will be done by asking volunteers in those locations to count or collect the D2D items they receive so that the numbers can be recorded and investigate if they are new contracts or contracts previously handled by Royal Mail.

 

Whilst we have now agreed a trial and a number of methods to be trialled we would still like to identify any other suitable alternative methods being used in the field that deals with managing the delivery of D2D and also incorporates no ‘cold calling’. CWU representatives are therefore invited to send any alternative methods to the Outdoor Department for consideration.

 

The overall objective of this trial and our continuing engagement on this subject is to fully understand the wider unaddressed market so that we can jointly grow this product.

 Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230.03

Email address: mstewart@cwu.org

                                                                                   

 

Yours Sincerely

​​

Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary – Outdoor

​
                                                                                   

 

Driving Simulator Training Trial – Terms of Reference 

Branches will be aware that the 2012 Joint Statement on the RTA Procedure and Driver training committed Royal Mail and the CWU to improving the safety of our drivers and the public. Subsequently Royal Mail approached the department to trial Driving Simulator Training, which is being provided by a company called the Transline Group.  

 

The training is being proposed on the basis of drivers enjoying the innovative approach of the simulator which provides an opportunity to be coached and for drivers to practice their driving skills, as well as experiencing the potential consequences of risky driving; and all in a safe environment. It should also be noted that participating in this trial is voluntary.

 

The objective is to improve driver skills, hazard perception and driving styles, to improve safety performance.

 

The trial of the Driver Simulator will take place at Rochdale DO, which is a High Impacting Unit in the NW England Delivery Director area. All drivers at the unit will be released for training on the simulator in groups of 4 over half-day sessions.  

 

Whilst we recognise this is entirely voluntary, we would encourage our members to become involved in the trial as it meets with our expectations in regard to the safety of our drivers and other road users. The course is designed to be entirely supportive to the driver and does not include any pass/fail assessment. The performance data will remain confidential. The feedback and performance data will be jointly reviewed, and where the information proves successful, then any further roll-out will be progressed through Joint agreement.

 

Progress of the courses, and measurement of success, will be reviewed at the Road Safety Joint Working Group, which currently meets regularly, and has representation from RMG and the CWU.

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 300.02

Email address: mstewart@cwu.org

 

Yours Sincerely

​​

Bob Gibson