As you will be aware, the General Election is taking place on Thursday the 4th of July 2024. In the coming days, we will be sending out more information about what is on offer at this election.

Registering to vote

If you want to vote in this election, you must ensure you are registered to vote. You will be able to register to vote if you’re a British, Irish or European Union citizen, or a Commonwealth citizen who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or who does not require such leave.

You can register to vote online here. You can also register via post by filling out a form and returning it to your local Electoral Registration Office. Alternatively, you can contact your local Electoral Registration Office and ask them to post a form to you. You will then need to return the completed form to your local Electoral Registration Office.

The deadline for registering to vote is 11:59pm on Tuesday the 18th of June 2024.

New Voter ID laws

We want to inform branches and members that this is the first General Election held after the introduction of new voter identification laws. As part of the changes introduced by the Elections Act 2022, all voters must bring a valid form of ID with them in order to vote in person on polling day. A valid form of ID includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country (including an Irish Passport Card)
• Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)
• A Blue Badge
• Older Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
• Disabled Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
• Scottish National Entitlement Card issued for the purpose of concessionary travel (including a 60+, disabled or under 22s bus pass)
• 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• 60+ London Oyster Photocard funded by Transport for London
• Freedom Pass
• Biometric immigration document
• National identity card issued by an EEA state
• Voter Authority Certificate
• Anonymous Elector’s Document

You can find the full list of accepted ID documents here. You will only need to show one form of photo ID. It needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. You can use an out of date form of photo ID, as long as it still looks like you and the name is the same name you use to register to vote.

You do not need voter ID to vote by post.

What to do if you do not have a valid form of ID

If you do not have a valid form of ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online here, or you can apply by post by downloading the form here. You can also contact your local council in order to obtain a form.

The deadline for applying for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday the 26th of June. 

Registering for a postal vote

A postal vote is an easy way to use your vote and ensure you do not have to queue up on polling day. To get a postal vote, you must apply and you must be registered to vote.

There are two main ways to apply for voting in England, Scotland and Wales. You can apply online here or you can apply by post, by completing a form and returning it to your local Electoral Registration Office.

For voting in Northern Ireland, there are more restrictions on applying for postal votes but you can apply for a temporary postal vote if you will not be able to vote in-person on polling day. You can find out more information here.

The deadline for registering for a postal vote in England, Scotland and Wales is 5pm on Wednesday the 19th of June. 

The deadline for registering for a postal vote in Northern Ireland is 5pm on Friday the 14th of June.

As always, we encourage all members to get out and use their vote. You can find out where your nearest polling station is at https://wheredoivote.co.uk/.

If you have any questions, please address them to the General Secretary’s Department at jdunn@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary

LTB 209-24 – Registering to Vote – General Election 2024

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Royal Mail Sexual Harassment Initiative 

The purpose of this LTB is to update Branches on the above initiative. We are aware that Royal Mail has recently launched its sexual harassment awareness training for All business grades, via an initiative called Change for good.  The CWU welcome this initiative and advocate members participation.  

Sexual discrimination, including sexual harassment is a widespread problem. High profile claims of sexual harassment reported in the media, together with movements such as #Metoo and emerging research, demonstrate how widespread and frequent sexual assault and harassment is, especially in the workplace.

According to the TUC 1 in every 2 women have experienced some form of sexual harassment at work and more than 70,000 (4%) men are sexually abused or assaulted each year.

The CWU is committed to promoting equality in all areas of life and recognise that sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal. As a union, we aim to actively prevent and tackle sexual harassment by creating working environments that support and empower members to report incidences of unwanted sexual behaviour.

The CWU have developed Sexual Harassment toolkits as part of the CWU’s wider strategy on preventing and addressing sexual harassment in our workplaces, in our movement and in wider society. The CWU’s ‘Speak Up, Speak Out: Break the Silence’ Toolkits have been created to help members and branches identify what sexual harassment is, its impacts and effects and what legal protections are in place to protect workers against workplace sexual harassment so that members can make informed choices about recording and reporting incidences of sexual harassment and understand what support is available.

Toolkits can be found attached or by clicking on the following link: https://education.cwu.org/equality/sexual-harassment-toolkits/

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be directed to equality&education@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,                                                      

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development             

Bobby Weatherall
Acting Assistant Secretary

24LTB 207 – Royal Mail Sexual Harassment Initiative (002)

Att 1- 07048-CWU-Sexual-Harassment-Toolkit-for-members-A5-v1-002

Att 2 – 07049-CWU-Sexual-Harassment-Toolkit-for-reps-and-branches-A5-v2

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OPENREACH LTD – Fibre Network Delivery ‘My Potential’

Openreach Fibre Network Delivery (FND) have made a concerning decision to press ahead with the rollout of an unagreed mutation of ‘My Potential’.  It is being vigorously challenged by the CWU Openreach National Team who have strong reservations that management’s unilateral addition of four new metrics risks turning it into a punitive performance management tool.

Your CWU Openreach National Team agreed previously to a small-scale trial of ‘My Potential’, the details can be seen within LTB No. 254/2023.  This included twelve patches, within the cabler and jointer community – six were team-based and six were individual.  The rationale was to foster a supportive culture guided by a single ‘Daily Customer Connections’ metric, similar to what was agreed within Service Delivery – Customer Delivery Rate.  This metric aimed to help identify coaching needs and any other assistance required to support individuals in the best way possible.

However, the unagreed version of ‘My Potential’ that is being rolled out by FND is now significantly altered and is unrecognisable.  With management’s inclusion of four additional metrics, it has morphed into a potentially exploitative tool.  These metrics may be weaponised against the very people they were meant to empower.  These changes include:

• ‘On The Tools Time’ – the percentage of the total time booked by an engineer that is deemed to be productive
• ‘Time to Complete’ – measuring the “number of productive hours booked by the engineer per completion” in a given time period
• ‘Customer Conversion Percentage’ – namely the ‘percentage of tasks allocated to an engineer to have been completed’ and… 
• ‘Time Booking’ – measuring “the percentage of full match time in total time booked by the engineer.” 

Despite management’s current insistence that team members have “nothing to worry about” there is a fundamental problem with these additional metrics.  They are largely subjective and therefore in danger of becoming punitive.

Without safeguards being negotiated, there is a real danger that management will exploit these metrics to reintroduce the oppressive performance management practices that you and members fought tirelessly to eliminate from Openreach.

It is crucial that we oppose metrics that could lead to a regressive style of management.   These additional metrics, could be perceived as performance management.

Campaign and Tasks for Branches

As discussed at the recent Openreach Briefing Committee, a campaign will be launched.  This campaign can only be won by our members and Branches and it is vital they are the force behind achieving this.  Once the members comms has been sent, we will send them to Branches and Regional Co-ordinators.  In the comms, we are asking members to:

‘Start discussing this issue with your colleagues – especially those who are not currently members of the CWU and encourage them to join.  Your voice and involvement are essential.  Stay informed, keep an eye on emails and speak to your local union reps about how you can participate.’ 

Regional Co-ordinators (RCs) and Branches should attend the engineer briefings, which are currently taking place and happening over the coming weeks.  I have attached the Patch Manager/Patch Lead briefings and also the Engineer briefing packs.  If SEAMs have not already reached out with dates and times, the Regional Co-ordinators have agreed to approach the SEAMs to ensure CWU presence.  Branches should inform RCs when they are attending and how the briefing was received.  Gathering as much feedback on this issue is crucial.

Branches should continually engage with members and non-members to educate them on how this can be turned into a punitive performance management tool.  Education and information are key at this stage in a campaign. This is an excellent opportunity to speak to non-members, to get them to understand why it is so important to be part of the CWU.  The more of them who make a stand the stronger this campaign will become.

Additionally, any feedback coming from members, whether that is a phone call, email or a conversation face-to-face needs to be documented and sent to your RC.  Your RC will be in touch on how best to keep them informed.

As the campaign progresses, we will keep you informed on the next steps.  The next steps will be dependent on the strength of feeling/reaction from our members and the reaction of Openreach.  If members or Branches have ideas that will help our campaign can this be fed through to your Regional Co-ordinator.

Any enquires regarding this LTB should be sent directly to me in the first instance.

Yours sincerely,

Fiona Curtis
Acting Assistant Secretary

13.06.24 – LTB 206 – OPENREACH LTD – Fibre Network Delivery ‘My Potential’

MyPotential Engineer Workshop Deck – Attachment 1

MyPotential PM-PL Workshop Deck – Attachment 2

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Fleet Ballot Result 

We are pleased to announce the result of the Fleet Pay ballot for 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 pay rises. The full breakdown is attached at Annex 1.

• Total ballot papers received: 600 (66%)
• Yes votes: 470 (79%)
• No votes: 127 (21%)
• Spoilt ballot papers: 3

Therefore, CWU Fleet members have overwhelmingly endorsed the Fleet pay agreement.

We recognise that this agreement has been a long time coming and that for many Fleet members the time it has taken has been frustrating.

The endorsement of the pay agreement will now trigger a period of work which includes:

Understanding who is moving to 37 hours and who wants to remain at 34.5 hours subject to meeting the agreed criteria.

Once the above work has occurred the back pay from April 2023 to April 2024 can be calculated and a payment date agreed.

The date when the £500 payment will be paid.

The date when the pay rise commences.

The timescales for the workshop revision agreements which is linked to a further 2% backdated to April 2024.

The swap system process linked to the 1-4 rostered Saturdays.

During the ballot process we received questions over how the overtime rates would be applied and we can confirm that 2% will be applied to the pay rate for 2024/2025.

We will update colleagues on the above in the coming days.

In the meantime, we would like to place on record our thanks to you all for your continued support.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh – Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

Bobby Weatherall – Acting Assistant Secretary

Fleet Ballot Result

LTB 204.24 Annex 1 Ballot Result

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NEW DEAL FOR WORKERS CAMPAIGN WEEKEND 22/23 JUNE

Dear Colleagues,

We know that many of our branches and representatives will be out campaigning for a Labour government and heavily engaging in the work of your local CLPs.

The purpose of this LTB is to announce that the New Deal for Workers Campaigning weekend has been set for June 22nd and 23rd. This weekend will see many activists and trade unions out campaigning for Labour and specifically campaigning on the workers’ rights policies Labour are bringing forward.

As the founders of the New Deal for Workers campaign, it is crucial we see a big turnout of CWU representatives and members across the UK over the course of this weekend.

TULO have created a campaign page so you can volunteer locally in your area. This can be accessed here https://labourunions.org.uk/newdealweekend/

Additionally, branches will be aware that we have three CWU members standing for Parliament. It is absolutely crucial we deliver a massive show of support for these individuals from now until the election, but particularly over the weekend of June 22/23.

On this basis, we are calling for as many volunteers as possible to campaign for the re-election of Tahir Ali MP on Saturday 22nd June in the Birmingham Hall Green constituency. Please contact tahiralicampaigns@gmail.com for more information and timings.

Also on Saturday the 22nd June, we call on CWU members to help elect Lee Barron as the MP for Corby. For more information and timings please contact corbyrural@gmail.com.

And on Sunday 23rd, we will be focusing on a huge turnout in Blackpool South to help re-elect Chris Webb MP. Please contact cawebb@cwu.org for more information and timings.

Delivering the New Deal for Workers is crucial for our members. Part of that strategy has to be putting our members in Parliament.

Please support the campaign weekend on June 22/23. If you have any other questions, please contact jdunn@cwu.org

Yours Sincerely,

Dave Ward
General Secretary 

24LTB205 NEW DEAL FOR WORKERS CAMPAIGN WEEKEND 22-23 JUNE

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A major interview with general secretary in today’s Times. Please share.

Times interview with Dave Ward

Royal Mail: Football fans’ model will be union’s pitch to Kretinsky

CWU wants a collective employee trust to have part-ownership of the business

Imagine a company where the workforce has part-ownership via a collective employee trust, with the promise of input into how the business is run and a share in profits in return for a pledge to end industrial strife.

This is the vision of Dave Ward, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), for his 110,000 members who make up the vast majority of the Royal Mail’s 130,000-strong workforce.

It is an unachievable mission amid the mutual fear and distrust that exists, Ward says, under the current management led by Keith Williams, chairman of Royal Mail’s parent company International Distribution Services.

It is, he adds, why he is leading talks with Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire who would be the new owner of IDS and the centuries-old national institution of the Royal Mail.

Rather than a sellout to an owner from a faraway country of which we know little, Ward says it is a one-time opportunity to hold Kretinsky to his word to be a “for-life” owner of Royal Mail — and one that should be grasped by Labour if it wins power as expected next month.

Speaking before a meeting with Kretinsky next week, Ward, 64, a former telegram boy who has led the CWU for the past nine years, said he has been forced to change his pro-nationalisation stance on the Royal Mail by the “political and economic realities”.

Instead he is lobbying Kretinsky, 48, who last month had a £3.6 billion takeover of IDS recommended by its board, and the Labour leadership to look at a “new business and governance model” for Royal Mail.

“The current IDS board has no strategy to make the Royal Mail successful,” Ward says from his office at CWU headquarters in Wimbledon, southwest London. “The members are demoralised because of the way they are being treated, attacked and alienated by management in a way we have never seen before.”

The only option, he says, is to lobby Kretinsky for “radical change”. Ward has already met Kretinsky’s representatives. “We laid out our concerns that the offer of contractual obligations are not broad enough, do not go on for long enough and aren’t strong enough.”

Those promises, variously consisting of five, three or two-year pledges, are: not to unilaterally end the universal nationwide service; not to load the company with debt; to retain the Royal Mail name and UK headquarters; not to raid the £1.4 billion pension surplus; to continue to recognise the trade unions; to abide by pay and conditions agreements; and not to asset-strip the company by selling off Royal Mail’s profitable European business GLS.

“We made it clear we are looking for the safeguards that the workforce want,” Ward says. “We said we believe the current business model is broken but that there is a chance to align the interests of workers, customers and the company for the benefit of the UK economy.

“There needs to be investment in the workforce and infrastructure to enable the company to adapt to changing market conditions. The company has to grow revenues and get into the next-day parcels delivery market in a much more serious way. And that unless the workforce are on board, Royal Mail won’t succeed.”

Their response was interesting, he says. “They said getting the union and the workforce on board is absolutely critical and they want to work with us.”

Ward will go into that summit with Kretinsky calling for the creation of a “collective trust” with a yet to be determined percentage ownership stake in Royal Mail. It is a model that is seen at some German football clubs and in Britain at Exeter City, where major strategic decisions can be vetoed by a supporters’ trust.

“Our fear has been the issue that has caused all the disputes in recent years: that IDS management want to take the parcels away from the letters, and outsource parcel delivery to a different company with a different workforce,” Ward says.

“Daniel Kretinsky has said he wants to own Royal Mail for life. We’re saying we’ll match that under a different ownership model and new business model.”

The CWU does not want token boardroom employee directors but representation in decision-making boards from the top to the bottom of the company, across regions and covering remuneration and pensions. It is, Ward says, about creating trust with local workforces.

“The percentage ownership stake needs to be significant and meaningful,” he says. “But ownership in itself isn’t enough. The governance structure has to change and we’d be looking for a mandatory profit share subject to achieving certain goals.”

Ward acknowledges that all this is ambitious and requires a leap of faith from all parties. “We know we’ve got a lot of work to do on this and we’re not saying we’ve got all the answers.”

He says the the biggest red line of all is that IDS management has recommended Kretinsky’s promised obligations without consulting the workforce.

The default munition of any powerful trade union is industrial action. But the CWU has another weapon, the post-Brexit legislation of the National Security and Investment Act, which gives ministers power for the first time in a generation to block overseas takeovers.

“Kretinsky must know there is a lot of opposition to the sale of Royal Mail, a legitimate concern across the UK over whether it is right that an equity investor from overseas who we know nothing about is going to own Royal Mail,” Ward says.

The CWU has had “productive conversations” with the Labour leadership. “Labour should explore with Kretinsky and with us a different model,” Ward says, to get away from the status quo of management/workforce relations — which he characterises by bringing the knuckles of two clenched fists together.

“The structure we are talking about is alignment that would revolutionise the relationship between the company and the trade union.

“No one can guarantee that Kretinsky or Labour will do this. But there is a lot in this for Labour if they are willing to work to get to a model that could be good for the UK economy, workers and customers.”

Your Voice in the Workplace – June 2024

Please find attached the June Workplace Bulletin.

We will be sending you out a limited print run (approx. 10 per cent of branch membership) of this Edition, which should reach you by the end of this week for distribution to your reps to take into workplaces.

You also have the link to print immediate copies and/or to print off more copies.

It is crucial that branches are distributing the monthly bulletin in every workplace. The purpose is to ensure members are receiving written content from the union directly into their workplaces, so your role in that process is integral.

Thank you for your support and please contact us with your feedback on the Bulletin.

Click to access 08118-Your-Voice-RMG-issue-5-June-2up.pdf

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

Chris Webb
Head of Communications

24LTB202 YOUR VOICE IN THE WORKPLACE – JUNE

08118-Your-Voice-RMG-issue-5-June-2up

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ROYAL MAIL GROUP: CONFERENCE MOTION 11 – CONFIRMED DATES FOR PENSIONS TRAINING

Further to LTB 188/24 dated 5^th June.  The planned one-day (approximately 10.30am – 4pm) training seminars across the UK, based upon the Postal constituency Divisional structures, have now been confirmed as follows:DateDivisionTuesday 2^nd JulyMidlandsThursday 11^th JulyNorth Wales / North WestTuesday 16^th JulyScotlandThursday 18^th JulySouth EastTuesday 6^th AugustSouth CentralTuesday 13^th AugustLondonThursday 15^th AugustAngliaThursday 22^nd AugustSouth Wales / South WestWednesday 28^th AugustNorthern IrelandFriday 30^th AugustNorth East

The venues for the above will be finalised at the earliest opportunity and will be communicated via a further LTB.  Paul Kennedy, Divisional Representative and RMPP Trustee, will be running the training sessions and the invitation to attend is extended to all Senior Field Officials and their respective Area Reps from across RM, Engineering, Fleet and Parcelforce as well as Branch Secretaries.  As this important training relates directly to a generic matter, the training sessions cover the membership across the Postal Constituency.  As a result, Reps can attend the most convenient location for the training.

Any queries should be addressed to snicholas@cwu.org

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (P)

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB 201-24 – ROYAL MAIL GROUP CONFERENCE MOTION 11 – CONFIRMED DATES FOR PENSIONS TRAINING

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NETWORK WINDOW – EXCEPTIONS PROCESS – PROCESS FOR COLLEAGUES RAISING CONCERNS IN AREA DISTRIBUTION IMPACTED BY NETWORK WINDOW

Dear Colleagues

Please find attached the agreement for raising an exception within Local Distribution due to changes to attendance times linked to the Network Window changes. The process attached is only available for the current Network Window activity and is not considered to be an ongoing policy.  It is only valid for the deployment of Network Window, including any further attendance time changes that may impact on people following the Air Hub closures, e.g., in Exeter and Inverness 2025. 

As part of this process, we have been able to ensure our members have a fair and reasonable opportunity to request support through this period of unprecedented change where an employee’s personal circumstances change and impacts their ability to work their attendance pattern. Members can make a request for Flexible Working through the normal BAU (Business as Usual) process, this remains unchanged.

Process

Local Distribution sites will advertise their agreed duty sets and colleagues will have the opportunity to express a preference for their duty allocation.  MtSF resourcing principles will apply.  At the conclusion of the re-pick process, if colleagues are matched to a duty that they would find it difficult to work due to responsibilities in their personal lives, then they can raise a flexible working request. 

In recognition of the degree of change and by exception the following measures will enhance the normal BAU process:

• In view of the time constraints between re-pick and deployment of the new duties, anyone who raises a flexible working request will not be required to move to their new duty times until the Flexible Working request has been heard, including an appeal if applicable, provided always that the employee co-operates and engages with the flexible working process and raises the request within 5 working days of being allocated the duty 

We have also secured an appeal process which is detailed below:

Appeals 

Through this process anyone whose Flexible Working request has not been granted via their line manager, can appeal in writing within 3 working days of the outcome of their request being communicated. The appeal will be heard by an independent manager within 7 working days.

The appeal will be paper based if the change to duty is 30 minutes or less.  If the change is 31 minutes or more then the individual has the option to request that the appeal is heard via an MS Teams virtual meeting.

The department would apologise for the very late notice however these have been extremely difficult discussions.   However, given that commitment in the BRT&G it was important to secure an opportunity for our members to be treated fairly through the impact of change linked to the Network Window.  We believe that the attached document will support our members through the ongoing change.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: sbanbury@cwu.org quoting reference: 054.06.

Yours sincerely

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

LTB 200.24 – Distribution Exceptions Process

Exception Process for Local Distribution

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ROYAL MAIL: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, FINANCE, HR & LEGAL SERVICES BONUS 2023/24

Further to LTBs 159/22 and 138/22 dated 14^th July and 16^th August 2022, detailing the revised agreed arrangements for the bonus schemes for our members working in Customer Experience, Finance and HR / Legal Services, which are based on Royal Mail’s overall business performance.  As a reminder, the CE and Finance bonus potentials were increased from £1,000 to £2,000 and HR / Legal Services from £750 to £1,500.  A weighted scorecard is used to determine a final percentage outcome and I am pleased to report that this year’s bonus will be paid using the multiplier for Central Functions which is 78.7%.  The total amounts payable are therefore as follows:Potential78.70%HR /Legal Services£1,500£1,181CE£2,000£1,574Finance£2,000£1,574

Additionally, LA1s within Logistics are also entitled to an annual bonus and a 79% calculation (based on the Operations multiplier) has been used, which provides for a bonus payment of £514 from a potential £650.

The above payments (pro-rata for part-timers) will be made with June salaries to those who have been in post since 1^st January 2024 and who are still employed at the payment date.

Given last year’s bonus payments were zero due to Royal Mail’s overall business performance and the impact on the scorecard, I am sure our members working in these Admin functions will be pleased with this news.  As a consequence of this positive development, Branches are urged to use this information to engage in membership recruitment across the applicable Admin functions.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB 199-24 – ROYAL MAIL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, FINANCE, HR & LEGAL SERVICES BONUS 2023-24

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