Royal Mail Group – Sun Safety and Severe Weather Risk Assessment Process:

Further to LTBs 213/22 and 305/22, temperatures have now risen to the highest of the year and are forecast to remain high and increase further as the current heatwave continues. These record temperatures, intense sunlight and exposure to high UV ray levels bring dangers!

The Met Office has yesterday extended an ‘Amber Extreme heat warning’, as temperatures look to build later this week and early next week for much of the UK. The Amber Warning, which has been issued for Sunday (17 July) and Monday (18 July), highlights likely adverse health effects for the public, not just limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat. Temperatures could be in excess of 35°C in the southeast, and more widely around 32°C within the warning area. These high temperatures could extend further into next week and an extension of this rare, extreme warning covers most of England and Wales and will be considered in the coming days. High Temperature records for the UK could be broken.

All CWU Reps and members need to be alert and aware of those health risks!

Sunburn  and Sunstroke – is painful and hurts you in more ways than one. The danger goes far beyond any short-term pain, redness and discomfort, because after the sunburn fades, lasting damage remains. Heatstroke an quickly damage the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. Sunburn accelerates skin aging and is a leading cause in the majority of Skin Cancer cases. A Sun Tan is not a sign of good health – it’s a sign of serious skin damage!

Skin cancer – is the most common form of cancer in the UK, and rates continue to rise with 100,000 new cases diagnosed each year and 2,500 deaths. The main cause of skin cancer is exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Dehydration – can cause organ damage and failure, seizures, fainting, heatstroke and shock.

IMPORTANT ADVICE TO ALL MEMBERS WORKING OUTSIDE:

• Cover Up – minimise skin exposure – avoid sunburn.
• Protect Your Head – wear a hat with a broad rim.
• Take regular breaks in the shade.
• Use sunscreen/sunblock.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Royal Mail Group – ‘Protect Yourself In The Sun’ Materials 

See attached RMG ‘Protect Yourself in The Sun’ – ‘Plasma Screen Shot’ currently being displayed, the joint Royal Mail Group/CWU/IOSH poster and staff pocket card/leaflet which are to be briefed to staff, displayed and distributed by PiCs and Managers to all staff.

‘Mandatory’ Severe Weather Risk Assessment Process

Royal Mail Group have issued RMG SHE Huddle message “Sun Safety FY22 022” and used ‘Workplace- Social Media’ to send out sun safety messages,.  RMG have also issued articles on the RMG intranet home page on Sun Safety reminding managers of their responsibilities.  Yesterday RMG issued the attached (July Sun Safety Message) on the “My Royal Mail” website. A series of plasma screen slides have been displayed on all the screens in all Units around RMG and the subject has been posted on the weekly “RMG SHE News.” The topic has also been covered in Q&A video clips released by CEO Simon Thompson and more recently by Zareena Brown Chief People Officer.

See attached RMG SHE Huddle/Staff Briefing FY22 022 (Sun Safety) and Royal Mail Managers Briefing July 2022 (Supporting colleagues to stay safe in the sun).

Importantly – both documents instruct that; Managers must complete a Severe Weather Risk Assessment when temperatures reach the high 20s to record the controls that have been implemented. This includes additional advice and support for managing the operation in the hot weather.

PiCs/Managers must complete a Severe Weather Risk Assessment daily in hot, sunny weather and must record the controls that have been implemented to protect the workforce. All PiCs/managers were instructed to familiarise themselves with the Severe Weather Risk Assessment in order to ensure that they are prepared for the current high summer temperatures which the country is currently experiencing.

A supporting pack of sun safety information, including the attached z-cards and posters to display and distribute in units, has been made available to PiCs on the RMG ‘Sharepoint’ site for downloading and printing, under severe weather so they should have been arranging for the information to be shared and displayed. Any enquiries should be directed to the local RMG Safety Health and Environment (SHE) Advisor.

Under The Severe Weather Risk Assessment (SWRA) Managers Must:

• Carry out a SWRA daily and consult/involve the ASR.
• Suspend deliveries and collections if appropriate to do so.
• Communicate the SWRA results to all staff.
• Must not manipulate the SWRA to justify sending out deliveries or collections where it is clearly unsafe to do so.
• Managers must take whatever action is necessary to safeguard employees by removing risks and reducing risks to a tolerable level.

See attached SWRA Extracts for actions in the case of a ‘Yellow Warning’, ‘Amber Warning’ and ‘Red Warning’ 

Attachments: 

• RM/PFWW/CWU/Unite/IOSH ‘Protect Yourself and Stay Safe In The Sun’ Poster
• RMG ‘Protect Yourself and Stay Safe in The Sun’ Plasma Screen Shot
• RMG/CWU/IOSH ‘Stay Safe in The Sun’ Pocket Card/Leaflet

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 306-22 – Royal Mail Group Sun Safety and Severe Weather Risk Assessment Process

Royal Mail Managers Sun Safety Briefing July 2022

SHE Huddle FY22 022 Sun Safety

Sun Safety AUG17

Stay Safe in the Sun Cards

RM PLASMAS Sun safety

SWRA Red Warning

SWRA Red Warning – Action

SWRA Amber Warning

SWRA Amber Warning – Action

SWRA Yellow Warning 

SWRA Yellow Warning – Action

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CWU ‘Be Sun Smart & Skin Safe’ Campaign – Skin Cancer & Dehydration Risks:

Temperatures have now risen to the highest of the year and record levels bring dangers with sunlight exposure and dehydration. We want Reps and members to be aware of those risks!

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK, and rates continue to rise.

100,000 new cases are now diagnosed each year, and the disease kills over 2,500 people each year in the UK – that’s seven people every day.

Whilst we are getting better at understanding how skin cancer works, we still have a long way to go. On average, someone who dies from skin cancer typically loses 20 years of their life, and rates of malignant melanoma are rising faster than any other type of common cancer.

Types Of Skin Cancer

There are three types of skin cancer: malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Details are as follows;

• Malignant Melanoma

Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma is a cancer of the pigment cells of the skin.  If it is treated early, the outlook is usually good.  It is not contagious.

Melanomas can come up in or near to a mole, but can also appear on skin that looks quite normal. They develop when the skin pigment cells (melanocytes) become cancerous and multiply in an uncontrolled way.

• Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous Cell Carcinoma is one of the non-melanoma skin cancers. It is the second most common type of skin cancer in the UK.

Squamous Cell Carcinomas can occur on any part of your body, but are most common on areas that are exposed to the sun, such as your head and neck (including the lips and ears) and the backs of your hands. Squamous Cell Carcinomas can also crop up where the skin has been damaged by X-rays, and also on old scars, ulcers, burns and persistent chronic wounds. Squamous Cell Carcinomas are not contagious.

• Basal Cell Carcinoma

A Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is a type of skin cancer. There are two main types of skin cancer: melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. BCC is a non-melanoma skin cancer, and is the most common type (> 80%) of all skin cancer (skin cancer incidence is < 1%) in the UK. BCC are sometimes referred to as ‘rodent ulcers’.

Basal Cell Carcinomas mainly affect fair skinned adults and are more common in men than women. Apart from a rare familial condition called Gorlin’s Syndrome, Basal Cell Carcinomas are not hereditary. However, some of the things that increase the risk of getting one (e.g., a fair skin, a tendency to burn rather than tan, and freckling) do run in families.

UV Ray Exposure

UV exposure is the main preventable cause of skin cancer, so here are a few tips on how to stay safe in the sun:

Clothing 

Clothing should always be the first line of defence against damage from the sun, with sunscreen being used in addition to clothes, including a hat, t-shirt and UV protective sunglasses. Clothing provided by RM and BT has a high UV ray protective rating.

Find The Right Sunscreen

Use a sunscreen of SPF30 (SPF stands for ‘Sun Protection Factor’) and refers to the level of protection against UVB radiation, linked to skin cancer. Look for a four or ideally five star UVA rating on the bottle which will help protect from UVA radiation, associated with skin ageing. You may also find that the UVA rating is represented by the letters ‘UVA’ inside a circle. (BT provides sunscreen free – Royal Mail does not – The Union has a long standing claim for Royal Mail to provide it to all outdoor staff free and a fresh claim has been submitted to the CEO and COO).

Reactions to sunscreen are rare and can be a result of a sensitivity or allergy to any of the many ingredients used in these products. The GP surgery can advise on alternatives.

For those with sun allergy-prone skin, they can keep safe and protected in the sun with various sun allergy protect sunblock creams and gels, sunscreens for the face and body with broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection. Sun allergy protect sunscreen has been specially formulated to meet the needs of sun-allergic skin, including the likes of Polymorphous Light Eruption.

Get Your Timing Right

Skin needs time to absorb sunscreen, so apply generously about 20 to 30 minutes before going out. Reapply frequently at least every two hours, as it can come off when sweating or through rubbing.

Seek Shelter/Shade

The sun tends to be strongest in the middle of the day, so find some shade typically between 11am and 3pm, especially if you are very fair skinned. Just 10 minutes of strong sunshine is all it takes to burn pale skin. Take breaks in the shade.

Water

Drink plenty of water and avoid dehydration. Obtain and use a red Royal Mail refillable water bottle and use it regularly.

CWU ‘Sun Smart & Skin Safe’ Posters And Leaflets

See attached CWU leaflet and poster. Branches, Regions and Health and Safety Committees can purchase additional posters and pocket fact cards/leaflets from the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department Tel: 0208 971 7365.

IMPORTANT ADVICE TO ALL MEMBERS WORKING OUTSIDE:

• Cover Up – minimise skin exposure – avoid sunburn.
• Protect Your Head – wear a hat with a broad rim.
• Take regular breaks in the shade.
• Use sunscreen/sunblock.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Royal Mail Group – ‘Protect Yourself In The Sun’ Materials and ‘Mandatory’ Severe Weather Risk Assessment Process

See attached RMG ‘Protect Yourself in The Sun’ – ‘Plasma Screen Shot’ currently being displayed, plus the joint Royal Mail Group/CWU/IOSH poster and staff pocket card/leaflet to be displayed and distributed by PiCs to all staff.

Managers must complete a Severe Weather Risk Assessment daily in hot, sunny weather and must record the controls that have been implemented to protect the workforce. All PiCs/managers were instructed to familiarise themselves with the Severe Weather Risk Assessment in order to ensure that they are prepared for the current high summer temperatures which the country is currently experiencing.

A supporting pack of sun safety information, including the attached z-cards and posters to display and distribute in units, has been made available to PiCs on the RMG ‘Sharepoint’ site for downloading and printing, under severe weather so they should have been arranging for the information to be shared and displayed. Any enquiries should be directed to the local RMG Safety Health and Environment (SHE) Advisor.

Under The Severe Weather Risk Assessment (SWRA) Managers Must:

• Carry out a SWRA daily and consult/involve the ASR.
• Suspend deliveries and collections if appropriate to do so.
• Communicate the SWRA results to all staff.
• Must not manipulate the SWRA to justify sending out deliveries or collections where it is clearly unsafe to do so.
• Managers must take whatever action is necessary to safeguard employees by removing risks and reducing risks to a tolerable level.

Attachments: 

• CWU ‘Sun Smart-Skin Safe’ Leaflet
• CWU ‘Sun Smart-Skin Safe’ Poster
• RM/PFWW/CWU/Unite/IOSH ‘Protect Yourself and Stay Safe In The Sun’ Poster
• RMG ‘Protect Yourself and Stay Safe in The Sun’ Plasma Screen Shot
• RMG/CWU/IOSH ‘Stay Safe in The Sun’ Pocket Card/Leaflet

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

22LTB305 CWU ‘Be Sun Smart & Skin Safe’ Campaign – Skin Cancer & Dehydration Risks

04131 Sun Smart leaflet 3up

04724 Sun Smart poster

Sun Safety AUG17

RM PLASMA SCREEN Sun Safety 2022

Stay Safe in the Sun Cards

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There is one week left of the ballot. One week left to smash the anti-union thresholds.

Here is a final get the vote out message from our DGSP Terry Pullinger.

Twitter https://twitter.com/cwunews/status/1546779754438729728?s=21&t=ElIEAdeL3sweAruCFYzSaw

Facebook https://fb.watch/ed7U6lIV8x/

JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN PARCELFORCE WORLDWIDE AND THE CWU IN RELATION TO THE PILOT INTRODUCTION OF DELIVERY OF PERISHABLE ITEMS FOR ACCOUNT CUSTOMERS

Branches and representatives will be aware that our agreed Table of Success processes with Parcelforce have established a structure that strengthens the partnership approach and involves the CWU in the widest set of business issues.

Recently, the business approached the department to advise that it was their intention to re-introduce the delivery of perishable items due to the potential for growth and indications that customer demand exists.  The product offering had been available previously, but was ceased in 2019 due to operational challenges.

The business proposal for the reintroduction of the product offering was to allow drivers to leave items in the ‘safest place’ in order to ensure first time delivery, minimise waste and items being returned to the depot, which created some concerns for the department due to the potential for members to be held responsible for missing or damaged items.

In the view of the department, the proposal for drivers to be given the autonomy to select a ‘safest place’, differed significantly from the use of ‘safe place’, where a customer designates where they wish the item to be left.

Therefore, extensive discussions have taken place with the business in relation to the product offering, delivery specifications, what is considered a ‘safest place’ and, most importantly, ensuring that our members are protected. A Joint Statement has now been concluded and endorsed by the Postal Executive, a copy of which is attached for your information.

The department believes that the protections achieved in the Joint Statement are both crucial and far-reaching. It was only on the basis of the words below that the document was concluded:

Both parties accept there is a mutual obligation of confidence and trust applied to every contract of employment.  In line with this principle it is accepted that where a driver has made an informed decision on a safest place this has been done in good faith and that no responsibility will be placed on the driver for damaged or missing items.

It is accepted that a driver could unintentionally make an incorrect assessment of a safest place, and it is therefore agreed that in such circumstances the driver will not be held responsible but will, where necessary, be offered further training.

Colleagues will note that the Joint Statement also outlines that the delivery specification will be dependent on the posting customer either designating a nominated safe place or accepting a level of risk and liability where a driver will have authority to select a ‘safest place’, should the customer choose not to nominate. This will be a contractual commitment that the customer will be required to sign up to.

The product offering will be available from July 2022 to account customers only, who have been given operational concurrence and a process has been developed to ensure the following:

• that the customer is using appropriate packaging;
• that there is still the option to select a ‘safe place’;
• that customers will be notified by text that their item(s) are being delivered;
• that a new delivery option will be introduced giving Drivers the authority to leave item(s) in the ‘safest place’;
• that new labels will be used to identify that the item is perishable and a new report will be used to ensure that these items can be identified;
• a new process for managing waste that will include items being sent through to the National Hub.

The Joint Statement also contains an agreed process that will seek to maximise first time delivery through the application of Delivery Options that are included in the document.

For absolute clarity, the Joint Statement confirms that the use of ‘safest place’ is allowed for this perishable product offering only and will not be used in relation to any other item for delivery.

Operating procedures and Guidelines will be jointly developed and training will be supported by the Depot Trainer. 

The normal commitment in terms of H&S involvement has also been included in the Joint Statement.

The Table of Success Working Group will continue to monitor the deployment of the product offering and provide advice and support where necessary.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org quoting reference: 114.23

Yours sincerely,

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

304-22 PFW JS Perishable Items – 11.07.22

PFW JS Delivery of Perishable Items – 11.07.22

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RMG Driver/Road Safety – ‘Vulnerable Road Users’ Campaign (RMG SHE Huddle/Briefing FY22 041):

The Royal Mail Group SHE Team are launching a ‘Vulnerable Road Users’ driver and road safety communications campaign and staff briefing during the week commencing 11 July with the issue of RMG SHE Huddle/Briefing FY22 041 (copy attached). Campaign slides/screen shots will also go out on the RMG plasma screens and on the RMG intranet.

Overview Message

Summer Driving – drive carefully around vulnerable road users.

What is a Vulnerable Road User?

Essentially, a vulnerable road user means anyone who isn’t protected inside a car, van, bus, lorry etc.

Cyclists, motorcyclists, horse riders and pedestrians are vulnerable road users. E-Scooters are rapidly growing in number and present both a familiar sight and present a new, growing hazard on UK roads, many of them illegal and not adequately policed. Currently, it is effectively illegal to use e-scooters on public roads, on pavements, in cycle lanes and in pedestrian-only areas. However, the use of electric scooters on public roads is set to be made legal under a new Transport Bill due to go through the Houses of Parliament and become law.

Important Highway Code Changes and Tougher Rules 

Significant Highway Code changes came into force on 28 January 2022 reinforcing the need to protect vulnerable road users. There is now a ‘hierarchy of responsibility’ for anybody using the roads, including motorists, cyclists, horse riders and walkers. This is a big change, especially when it comes to anybody driving a vehicle, as they will now have a greater overall responsibility for road safety than anyone walking, cycling or riding a horse because those driving a vehicle are capable of causing more damage. In effect, greater priority must be given to pedestrians at junctions and when crossing roads (instead of only giving way on a zebra crossing as in the past) and greater priority must be given to cyclists and horse riders.

Those drivers not following the Highway Code changes can face prosecution, heavy fines and prison. Sadly, many, many drivers are completely unaware of the Highway Code changes and their effect. A CWU Warning Poster was issued in January and sent out to the regions and branches (copy attached).

How to Keep People Safe

The SHE Huddle/Briefing FY22 041 gives advice to help avoid incidents and keep people safe (copy attached) and the following points are covered:

• Anticipate seeing vulnerable road users on and around the roads and take particular care.
• Be patient and don’t pass vulnerable road users until you can do so safely.
• Give space when passing and provide as much space as possible, minimum of 2m for horses and pedestrians, 1.5m for cyclists at 30mph and more above this speed.
• Pass slowly.
• Use the ‘Dutch-Reach’ method when getting out of the vehicle.
• Electric Vehicles – ensure that the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) is always activated.

(Further details are in the attached SHE Huddle/Briefing FY22 041).

Actions:

• Keep a look out for vulnerable road users, be patient, pass wide and slowly, and use the ‘Dutch-Reach’ method.
• Always drive in accordance with the Highway Code and Royal Mail Driving SSOW.

The Aims and Benefits of the Campaign are:

• To increase awareness amongst drivers and managers and improve driving standards and highway code compliance.

CWU ASRs/WSRs

This campaign is supported by the CWU HQ Health, Safety & Environment Department. CWU ASR/WSR full support and participation is much appreciated by Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worldwide, RMSS, RMP&FS and CWU HQ.

ASRs/WSRs should ensure that the Briefing is delivered to drivers and ensure drivers are aware of the new Highway Code rules.

Attachments:

• SHE Huddle FY22 041 – Vulnerable Road Users
• TV Screenshots Materials
• CWU – New Highway Code Rules Warning Poster

Thanks for your support and assistance.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

22LTB303 RMG Driver Road Safety – ‘Vulnerable Road Users’ Campaign (RMG SHE Huddle Briefing FY22 041)

SHE Huddle FY22 041 Vulnerable Road Users

TV screen template Wk13 Summer VRUs

TV screen template Wkx Highway Code

CWU-2022-Highway-Code-Changes-Poster

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New Report Published Finds Personal Safety is a Major Concern for Employees and that Employers Are Underestimating The Personal Safety Fears of Nearly 7 Million Workers:

A study into the perceptions of personal safety at work, published by ‘Peoplesafe’ has found that 6.8 million workers worry about their personal safety each week, while the majority of employers underestimate this level of concern.

The study, which was conducted with 2,100 non-vulnerable and potentially vulnerable workers, found that one in five employees worry about their safety at least once a week and that negative experiences involving safety issues often contribute to both their decisions to leave their job and their willingness to take on a similar job in the future.

22% of employees surveyed cited safety concerns as a reason they chose to leave their job and over a quarter would not take on a public facing role due to personal safety concerns.

The research report found that employees who feel unsafe at work are less satisfied in all aspects of their role and are more likely to leave their current position compared to workers who have not experienced a negative event. Whilst action is being taken to support other motivating factors for leaving a role, less has been done to address personal safety concerns.

Additionally, the study found that many businesses want to do more to protect their employees, but many struggle to know how they can help.

The report explores the issue of workplace safety and presents solutions for how employers and Government can work together to address these challenges. The report recommends that in order to better protect employees, regulators must give clearer guidance and Government should work with all parties to set out a standard of protection that employees can easily understand and access.

The overall message is that employers are not currently doing enough and 51% of the people surveyed agree that employers have a duty of care towards them outside of working hours and nearly a third believe their employer could be doing more to protect them. Most employees surveyed also supported the introduction of solutions that alerted people or called for help when they were at risk.

The study found that:

• Nearly 7 million workers worry about their safety each week.
• 57% of employers underestimate the level of concern felt by their staff.
• 57% of employees are concerned about facing aggression from the public.
• 22% of lone workers and frontline staff said safety concerns were among the reasons they chose to leave their job.
• One in four people do not want to take a role that involves face-to-face contact with the public, with 62% citing safety concerns among the reasons for that.

Attached:

• Copy of the Peoplesafe Report ‘Overcoming The Employee Safety Gap’.

Peoplesafe

Peoplesafe (formerly Skyguard and Guardian24) is a UK-based technology business, focused on providing and monitoring GPS personal safety alarms and applications for more than 150,000 at-risk and lone workers across both the public and private sectors. In addition to serving the NHS and police forces, the company has partnerships with government bodies including DEFRA, HMRC and The Forestry Commission, local authorities and housing associations across the UK, Yorkshire Water, Taylor Wimpey and Engie.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

22LTB302 New Report Published Finds Personal Safety is a Major Concern for Nearly 7 Million Workers

Overcoming_The_Employee_Safety_Gap

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Royal Mail Group National Briefing, Tuesday 19^th July 2022 – Dispute Update and Pay Ballot Result

On Tuesday 19^th July 2022, a National Briefing/Press Conference will be held to provide Branches with an update on the latest position in regards to our dispute with Royal Mail Group and to announce the result of the ballot on pay.

The Briefing will be held at York Barbican, Paragon Street, York YO10 4AH beginning at 13:00 and concluding at 18:00.

To clarify, the following Representatives are invited to attend the Briefing:

• Postal Branch Secretaries and Branch Chairs (or their substitutes)
• Divisional Representatives (Including Technical Services)
• Parcelforce Regional Organisers
• Fleet Territorial Representatives
• Regional Secretaries
• Area Delivery Representatives
• Area Processing Representatives
• Area Distribution Representatives
• Area Safety Representatives
• Area Admin Representatives
• Customer Experience Representatives

From 16:00 the Briefing will become a Press Conference as we prepare to announce the pay ballot result.  At this point, we would encourage our local Representatives and members living in the surrounding areas to join us for the announcement.  We will liaise with the relevant Divisional Representatives on this matter.

Branches should note that in line with our proportionality requirements and previous attendance arrangements at National Briefings, it is requested that in addition to the above each Branch send two Unit Reps to the Briefing, one of which must be a woman.

All Branches are requested to make this a priority engagement.  If Branches wish, they may bring banners to decorate the hall.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department or General Secretary’s Office.

Yours sincerely,                                                   Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger                                                           Dave Ward

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)              General Secretary  

22LTB301 – Royal Mail Group National Briefing – Ballot Results Tuesday 19th July 2022 (00000002)

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CAPITA TVL: PAY 2022 – ACAS DISCUSSIONS: JOINT STATEMENT

Further to LTBs 250/22 and 290/22 dated 7^th and 29^th June respectively.  Branches are advised that the meeting at Acas in relation to the pay dispute took place on Monday 4^th July.  I was accompanied by Saf Khan, Postal Executive and Lorna Pearson, Policy Advisor.  The parties once again discussed in a constructive manner the key areas.  Another meeting has been arranged for Thursday 21^stJuly.

The following Joint Statement has been agreed:

Further to our previous Joint Statement dated 7th June, a pay meeting was held at Acas on Monday 4th July which was both cordial and constructive. Productive discussions took place around a number of areas including pay and terms & conditions. Both parties committed to take a number of issues away for further consideration and agreed to meet again at the earliest opportunity. Due to annual leave and Acas’ availability, the next available date for a joint meeting is Thursday 21st July.

We would like to thank you once again for your patience while we endeavour to find a mutually agreeable resolution to pay 2022 and will update you further following the next meeting at Acas.

Kind regards

Paul Johnston                                                     Andy Furey

Capita TVL Managing Director                              CWU Assistant Secretary

We also met with our Capita Reps on Tuesday 5^th July to update them on the Acas discussions and everyone was supportive of the approach we are taking as evidently the rejected pay offer is simply not good enough with today’s cost of living crisis.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

22LTB300 Capita TVL – Pay 2022 – Acas Discussions – Joint Statement

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A short update from DGSP Terry Pullinger on his meeting with Royal Mail Group CEO Simon Thompson.

Get the vote out #HomeToVote

Facebook https://fb.watch/e6Dv1hFiDA/

Twitter https://twitter.com/cwunews/status/1545042734355861504?s=21&t=YunoX3EoZwCS94x-L8aUYg

Royal Mail’s Position Regarding Year Two Productivity Targets & Revision Activity in Delivery

We have received a number of enquiries from Branches concerning Royal Mail’s position in regards to ‘Year-Two’ productivity targets for both Table Top and Structural Revision units which are being outlined by them as part of the Productivity Section of the Pathway to Change Agreement.

The purpose of this Letter to Branches is to advise Branches of these developments and to confirm the current position in terms of our agreement on productivity under the Pathway to Change.

Table Top Revision Units

The Pathway to Change Agreement set out a joint commitment around delivery revision activity for 2021. The bulk of these revisions were based on Table Top activity and a measured step change improvement on WIPWH (Weighted Items Per Work Hours) against an agreed reference period, or to maintain the current level if at or above standard performance (196 WIPWH).

Whilst Royal Mail wrote to the CWU with their position around the year-two improvement plans for table top revisions in May 2022, there has been no direct engagement or meaningful discussions with the CWU Nationally as Royal Mail have taken an arbitrary approach, which is reflective of the wider current industrial relations climate, along with their unacceptable stance towards the Union and our National Agreements.

Royal Mail’s year-two improvement plan is outlined as follows:

• Royal Mail have referred back to the 2019 original productivity reference starting point period (week’s 27-30) and have removed the unmeasured work hours.
• Royal Mail have also reviewed each delivery unit’s WIPWH performance level based on week 1- 52 of 2021/22, minus bank holidays and peak weeks.
• Royal Mail now want to establish a new year-two target for table top units that would be based on whatever of the two mechanisms (set out above) report as the highest productivity level.

Notwithstanding that this position by Royal Mail totally ignores that offices have made a year-one improvement target, it is now very clear that the impact of unmeasured hours being removed from the unit’s WIPWH performance will been significant. This confirms that for many years Royal Mail have seemingly been under reporting true productivity level within the delivery function.

In order to demonstrate the impact of removing unmeasured hours, in 2019 some 47 units had been reported as at or above 196 WIPWH. The removal of unmeasured hours has now resulted in 376 units being at or above 196 WIPWH, which is circa 42% of the delivery units that performed table top revisions.

Therefore, and to be clear for Branches and Representatives the main issues we have with Royal Mail’s proposals are as outlined (but not exhaustive):

That Royal Mail have ignored year-one targets and improvements made in delivery units and now seek to reset the original (weeks 27-30) 2019 reference period with the removal of unmeasured hours.

Royal Mail are now suggesting that for the most productive delivery units, that they must have a target set above that of standard performance, which is contrary to the Pathway to Change Agreement. However, for all remaining offices they have claimed that their target is standard performance of 196 WIPWH.

Over many years we have consistently pushed Royal Mail back on their mantra of “continuous improvement” and we have always maintained the position that if there is to be a standard level of productivity then that should be the end-state, and it is unacceptable and unsustainable for units to be expected to work beyond that. However, Royal Mail’s position is that there are 376 units above 196 standard performance and several over 240 WIPWH, and this will now be these units’ expected WIPWH levels to maintain going forward, contrary to the agreed level of standard performance set out in the Pathway to Change Agreement.

In addition to the above, the impact from the cost-of-living crisis and drop in traffic will have an impact on productivity, especially as the loss of larger parcels has a heavier ‘weighting’ impact on units WIPWH reported levels. Equally, Royal Mail’s unacceptable announcement to the CWU of executive action of their plans to deliver format 3 & 4 parcels in circa 346 Delivery Offices will also have a massive impact on the productivity of the remaining 940 units.

To confirm, the current position remains that units that underwent table top revisions in 2021 should only apply the agreed year-one WIPWH levels as set out in previous Joint Statements and Agreements.   

Structural Revisions units – Flightpath Calculator  

The Pathway to Change agreement set out a 2021 Structural Revision programme for some 400 units, over and above the Table Top revision activity.

It was anticipated that any unit that performs a structural revision in line with this revision programme was likely to see a difference in the hours generated from GeoRoute (the revision outdoor planning tool) to that of the unit’s Outdoor Workload Model (which is the current system used by Royal Mail to calculate the outdoor delivery workload and productivity under WIPWH).

To seek to address this anomaly between GeoRoute and the Outdoor Workload Model (OWM) the Flightpath Calculator was developed to ensure that the GeoRoute hours are used to define the units overall WIPWH level against the Model Week baseline for the outdoor and to ensure the unit’s local productivity target is ‘adjusted’ accordingly.

Additionally, the Flightpath Calculator was also designed in order to assist units that performed a structural revision to set out their ‘flightpath’ towards the local unit’s productivity target.

Whilst it was always understood that the initial Flightpath Calculator process issued alongside structural revisions would be subject to ongoing review in line with wider developments around WIPWH and further joint recommendations for the RM/CWU Productivity Joint Working Group, there are two major factors that have now developed.

Firstly, the Outdoor Department has received reports of units being presented with revised WIPWH targets which are not the same as that set out under the Flightpath Calculator (both for the flightpath and end-state WIPWH target).

These revised WIPWH targets are seemingly based on the same approach outlined for table top units. In that Royal Mail have re-run the 2019 original productivity reference starting point period based on the removed unmeasured work hours; and also reviewed each delivery unit’s WIPWH performance level based on reported levels from 2021/22. Again, whatever is the higher productivity level from the above two mechanisms is then being presented by Royal Mail as a new year-two level to replace the target from the revision’s Flightpath Calculator.

Additionally, there remains a jointly recognised outstanding issue in relation to the difference between how the Flightpath Calculator outlines a unit’s target to that of how WIPWH is currently reported weekly at local level.

In short, the Flightpath Calculator has already removed a number of unmeasured workload hours, (hours linked to Meal Reliefs, WTLL, Dedicated Collection Routes, Delivery Support etc.). Despite the wider joint recommendations for the Productivity JWP to remove these unmeasured hours from the weekly reported figure in April of this year, this has not happened and as such, there is a clear discrepancy between the two systems.

This means that a unit’s weekly reported WIPWH level will include these additional hours and therefore report a lower level of productivity against that set out in the Flightpath Calculator and relevant flightpath targets.

To confirm, there is no agreement in place to change a unit’s structural revision Flightpath WIPWH target (noting it is agreed that there is a need to review the Flightpath Calculator based on the outputs of the PJWG).  

Equally, weekly reported WIPWH levels are not reflective of how the Flightpath Calculator establishes a Unit’s structural revisions WIPWH level and any current highlighted gaps in reported productivity between the two will need to take account of this factor. 

We have already written to Royal Mail nationally on these wider points over the past few weeks and have made it clear that we expect our National agreements to be jointly honored and that these issues are part of the wider National Dispute Resolution Procedure. 

Branches and Representatives are advised to progress any savings or revision proposals which are not in line and consistent with our National Agreements through the IR Framework and the dispute resolution process. From a National CWU perspective and to be absolutely clear we have not agreed to any Revision proposals or programme of revisions activity, either through a structural or table top approach. Neither have we agreed on any year-two revised WIPWH productivity levels.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 555, email address: njones@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch
CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 299-22 – Two Year Productivity Targets – 07.07.22.

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