TUC RALLY – BLACKPOOL 19TH MARCH, 10AM – LOGISTICS

Firstly, thank you to every Branch that attended yesterday’s virtual National Briefing on the New Deal for Workers campaign and our mobilisation plan for Blackpool on Saturday 19th March.

We have now been allocated our target numbers for the rally by the TUC and if we are to deliver them, it is crucial that every Branch in the UK attends and brings as big a delegation of reps, members and family as possible.  We want to create an inclusive and fun atmosphere and our Communications Department will be working on this.

We also want Branches to bring their banners and wear CWU colours.  Additional merchandise will be available on the day.

The event will now commence from 10am at Blackpool Tower.  The rally will set off from 11 a.m. with speeches commencing at Noon.  I will be speaking alongside colleagues from across our movement.

If any attendee has mobility issues then please let us know by no later than Friday 11th March and we will do everything possible to assist.  Branches should email mmurray@cwu.org for assistance in this area.

Finally, the CWU will have our own PA system on the day and we are looking to create a union-wide playlist. Branches should text / whatsapp all song requests to 07907 502190.

I would like to thank branches for their work on this event. It is a major priority for the union and it is fantastic to see the work that is already underway to deliver the biggest possible turnout.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary at jdunn@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary 

22LTB091 TUC RALLY – BLACKPOOL 19TH MARCH 10AM – LOGISTICS

View Online

POST OFFICE: PAY 2021/22 – LEGAL TRADE DISPUTE – NOTICE SERVED

Further to LTB 070/22 dated 16^thFebruary.  Branches are advised the serving of notice to Post Office slipped by a day to allow this important activity to be completed.  This position was announced during the Facebook Live session last night; however, it should be noted that the original date for the ballot closing remains the same – Monday 28^th March.

Accordingly, Branches are encouraged to ensure membership engagement is focused in anticipation of ballot papers landing on members’ doormats from Wednesday 9^thMarch.

Membership Communications

All indications are that the Facebook Live session was well received by members.  Below is a link to the recording of the session, which should be shared widely with the members.

https://fb.watch/bsRBwkPzQ1/

We are working closely with our Communications Department and as would be expected, further membership engagement activities are planned in the coming days.  A further home mailing has also been sent (attached) to raise the profile of the dispute amongst our members as well as highlighting the fact we are fast approaching the next pay review date.  In this regard, correspondence has been received from Angela Williams, Group Chief People Officer, which is underwhelming to say the least.  Naturally we have challenged the flawed assumptions and attitudes of Post Office relating to future pay bargaining.

Branches are urged to bring the contents of this LTB to the attention of our Post Office members.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

22LTB094 – Post Office – Pay 2021-22 – Legal Trade Dispute – Notice Served

Attachment 1 to 22LTB094

View Online

POST OFFICE: JOINT STATEMENT – COVID-19 UPDATE

We have agreed a Joint Statement with Post Office and Unite in regard to Covid-19 that addresses the recent easing of restrictions announced by Government.  The JS also takes into account the varying positions in respect of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

We have agreed to maintain the cautious approach and where appropriate adopt a similar protocol across the UK nations.  The main emphasis is continuing with safe working practices (including enhanced cleaning throughout March), which we will continue to jointly review on a weekly basis.

Specifically, we have agreed that in the event of any member testing positive for Covid-19 they will not attend work for at least 5 days (7 days in Scotland).  Prior to returning to work, lateral flow tests are encouraged at various stages to have confirmation of being negative.  Risk assessments for those critically extremely vulnerable and vulnerable members will continue to be undertaken by line managers.

Additionally, we have agreed that face coverings will continue to be worn in Crown Offices in Scotland and Wales and is strongly recommended in England and Northern Ireland.  In Supply Chain units, members must also wear face coverings when moving around, away from workstations.  These measures are designed to protect members as we wish to avoid, where possible, any sudden rises in infection rates arising from the easing of restrictions.

The above measures will continue to be jointly reviewed and further changes will be reported as necessary.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

22LTB093 Post Office – Joint Statement – Covid-19 Update

View Online

National Terms of Reference – Uniform Trial New Maternity Trousers

(In Line with the New Uniform Range) 

In line with this switch over to a new uniform range, which is due to be completed in December this year, talks have been held regarding the need to review and update the current Maternity Trousers available within Royal Mail. Due to the required nature of the trial, the new Maternity Trousers will be trialled in line with applications for maternity wear by employees and as such will be limited in numbers.

As a result of discussions with Royal Mail and the CWU, it has been agreed to hold a limited trial of volunteers of the new Maternity Trousers, entitled the ‘Maternity Cargo Trouser’ by Royal Mail, in line with the standard Terms of Reference used for uniform trials and an image of which is attached in Appendix A.  The trial will commence in February 2022 and will be held over a 4 to 6 week period.

Those employees who volunteer to participate in the trial will be issued with 1 pair of the new Maternity Trousers (based on a ‘first come-first served’ basis which will not impact on the individual current and full maternity wear allocation) and will be subject to size availability.

However, the current Polo Shirt Maternity Top introduced in 2019 will remain unchanged.

This is another further welcomed development in terms of maternity wear and seeks to build on the former improvements of the new style and designed Polo Shirt Maternity Top introduced back in 2019.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 500 , email address: njones@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch
CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 092-22 – Uniform Trial – new maternity trousers

National Terms of Reference – Uniform Trial New Maternity Trousers

View Online

Update on HGV drivers average holiday pay from national officer Davie Robertson https://twitter.com/cwunews/status/1498313839212957705?s=21

Royal Mail Group (SHE) Safety Flash FY22 04 – Special Instructions To Delivery Staff Regarding Addresses With USO Exceptions/Delivery Suspensions In Place:

Overview, Background, Description:

Royal Mail Group’s Safety Team have issued RMG SHE Safety Flash FY22 004 regarding Special Instructions To Delivery Staff in respect of Addresses With USO Exceptions/Delivery Suspensions In Place.  See a copy of the SHE Flash attached. Special instructions must be displayed on RM2000 delivery prep frames to notify all postmen and postwomen/OPGs of any delivery suspensions or alternative delivery arrangements that may be in place for any address which has a USO Delivery Exception in place. The current practice is that Yellow dots must be in place on delivery frames to identify significant dog hazards.

In a recent case a postwoman was covering an unfamiliar delivery round. The RM2000 delivery prep frame wasn’t marked with yellow dots and she wasn’t informed or provided with information regarding an address with a delivery suspension in place due to a dangerous dog. Subsequently whilst delivering to the said address she was attacked by the dog and received life changing injuries.

Sometimes it is necessary to use the USO Exception process to advise, warn or to suspend delivery of mail due to significant health and safety risks. Where a suspension is active and until robust controls are in place, customers should be advised to collect their mail from the delivery office CSP, or notified that alternative arrangements for delivery of mail e.g., to an alternative address have been agreed.

Inspections have identified that in some cases no instructions are provided on delivery frames to advise employees of these temporary measures. Additionally, where the risk is due to a dangerous dog, yellow dots are not being used to identify the hazard. This maybe a particular issue where revisions have taken place and new frame labels have been printed.

Issue: 

Postmen and women/OPGs unfamiliar with delivery walks need to be made aware and informed of any hazards such as dangerous dogs or hazardous delivery points and the temporary controls in place.

Effect:

Failure to inform postmen and women/OPGs could result in personal injury – as in the recent dog attack case highlighted above – serious life changing injuries occurred.

Key Message:

Ensure that all USO Delivery Exceptions and Suspensions, along with alternative delivery arrangements are identified on the delivery frame through the use of the special instruction card. Significant dog hazards, recorded on WRAP, must be identified by a yellow dot on the frame. The USO Sharepoint should be used to request letters to notify customers of any concerns.

Learning Points

DOMs should;

• Ensure all significant risks are identified on WRAP with up to date hazard cards on all delivery frames.
• Ensure that all significant dog hazards are identified with a yellow dot on the delivery frame.
• Ensure that OPGs are aware of all active suspensions and the controls in place.
• Ensure that special instruction cards are placed on delivery frames to identify any delivery addresses with a part or full suspension, with details of the temporary controls.
• Ensure that OPGs are aware that they must ALWAYS check hazard cards prior to commencing delivery and identify mail for addresses with a known dog hazard.
• Ensure USO SharePoint is used to request letters to notify customers of any risk/concerns.

Key Activities.

DOMs should review all active suspensions on the ‘USO Sharepoint’ and ensure that appropriate special instructions are visible on all associated delivery frames and brought to the attention of all delivery staff by ensuring that all delivery frames are marked with yellow dots to indicate significant dog hazards, as identified within WRAP and by referring to the RM Delivery SSOW and SOP D17.1 ‘Prepare For Delivery’.

Attachment: 

RMG SHE Safety Flash FY22 04 – Special Instructions for USO Exceptions

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

22LTB090 RMG SHE Safety Flash FY22 04 – Special Instructions To Delivery Staff Regarding Addresses With USO Exceptions Delivery Suspensions In Place

SHE Flash FY22 004 – Special Instructions for USO Exceptions

View Online

Provision of Factsheets and Toolkits – Department Review

We are writing to confirm that the Equality, Education and Development department will be undertaking a full review of the factsheets and toolkits that we currently administer.

Our NEC Equality Leads will be assisting us in this process.

Please note that the link used to access factsheets on the CWU website will be temporarily unavailable from today.

It would be helpful if branches could dispose of all old stock paper copies of factsheets and toolkits to avoid outdated literature being circulated to members.

Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause we hope to have the review completed in the next couple of months and we will update you once this work has been completed.

Any queries on this LTB should be directed to equality&education@cwu.org 

Yours sincerely,

Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development

22LTB 089 – Provision of Factsheets and Toolkits Department Review

View Online

CWU Statement on Russian invasion of Ukraine

Branches will understandably be concerned regarding the recent escalation of conflict in Europe. Trade Unions from across the globe have called for peace and for a negotiated solution to the end of the war to bring about a return to security for all in Europe, Ukraine, and Russia. The Communication Workers Union has joined these calls with the issuing of the attached statement, and we would urge branches to publicise this to members.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and importantly, with all of our members here in the UK who are from Ukraine who will be understandably concerned about the safety of their family, friends and their communities.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary at jdunn@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward
General Secretary 

22LTB088 CWU Statement on Russian invasion of Ukraine

UkraineRussian Statement

View Online

POSTAL DEPARTMENT INDUSTRIAL TRAINING UPDATE AND BASIC ORGANISING WORKSHOP

Further to LTB 374/21 circulated to Branches and Representatives on 7^th September 2021, the purpose of this communication is to provide an update regarding some further developments in relation to Postal Industrial Training.

In response to LTB 330/21 circulated on 11^th August 2021, a total of thirty Reps put their names forward to attend the Train the Trainer courses. The first session was held in Birmingham on 27^th and 28^th October 2021 for the updated Dispute Resolution Procedure (DRP) / IR Framework training, as well as Conduct code. An additional online session was also held on 10^thNovember 2021 as a refresher, only for those industrial tutors who were to deliver the DRP training. The Attendance training did not feature at this stage, due to the ongoing policy negotiations and the possibility of changes near that time.

Undoubtedly, the Covid Pandemic impacted on the ability of the Postal Department to match the volume of face to face Industrial Training that was delivered pre-pandemic. The Postal Executive therefore recognised the importance of taking steps to re-energise face to face Industrial Training in 2022.

It is apparent that the number of available trained tutors varies from area to area and it is important that, as an initial first step, the gaps in training are highlighted going forward. Each Division has now identified a lead Divisional Rep for training, who will act as a conduit between the Field and the DGS(P) Department. They will also proactively liaise with Branches, to help ascertain their exact needs in terms of Industrial Training. The list of Divisional Training leads is attached (Attachment 1). This approach should also be used to notify the DGS(P) Department of further potential new trainers, so that the appropriate tuition is provided at an early stage.

Divisions and Branches are encouraged to have Industrial Education and Training as a standard agenda item for their meetings and the appropriate Branch training facilities should be identified by Division. This will enable Reps to attend the nearest site, when this proves to be beneficial in terms of numbers.

Branches should ensure that the names of all attendees of the various courses are relayed to Patryk Haracz (pharacz@cwu.org) so that an updated and ongoing list can be kept in the DGS(P) Department of all the trained Reps, together with their Branches and Workplaces.

In relation to the Postal Department Education and Training Sub-Committee, Branches will be aware that John Hunt has recently left the Business. I would like to thank John for all of his work in helping to establish the Postal Industrial Training programme. Saf Khan has agreed to now lead this Sub-Committee on behalf of the Postal Executive and will be supported by Divisional Reps Bob McGuire, Mark Bolton and Steve Wisely. There will also be DGS(P) Departmental support available for the sub-group, as required.

The Postal Executive have also now endorsed the content of an Industrial Organising Workshop that has been designed on behalf of the DGS(P) Department by Lynn Browne, Postal Executive member Saf Khan and Divisional Rep Bob McGuire. This is a bite-sized course to give our Local Representatives the confidence and skills to recruit non-members and new entrants on their shifts or in their units.

The course material will be stress tested with Reps from a number of locations, who are currently being identified. Once this has occurred, it is our intention to seek volunteers from the list of current industrial trainers to attend a further Train the Trainer event on this topic. This will help with the rollout of the workshop training and equip Reps with the tools necessary to help in delivering this initiative.

This work is particularly timely given the focus on Recruitment and retention from both the General Secretary Department and Organising Department, as well as the national GROW campaign. This Industrial Training will also undoubtedly complement the overarching recruitment activity that is currently taking place.

Branches will appreciate the importance of rolling out this training package, if we are to give our Reps the best possible chance of recruiting both the 17,838 non-members in the Postal constituency, as well as the new entrants.

In closing, I would like to thanks Lynn Browne, Saf Khan and Bob McGuire for their work in developing the course material at pace and I have no doubt that this will prove to be beneficial to all of our Reps. Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 086/22 POSTAL DEPARTMENT INDUSTRIAL TRAINING UPDATE AND BASIC ORGANISING WORKSHOP

LTB 086/22 Attachment 1

View Online

Benefit in Kind Tax – Change to P11D Process

The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches and Representatives of a change that Royal Mail Group (RMG) are making to the way Benefit in Kind tax is to be processed in payroll and reported to HMRC. This is a change that RMG are making from the start of the new tax year on 6^th April 2022, in advance of HMRC making it mandatory in the near future.

The change relates predominantly to any Benefit in Kind tax on employee benefits either from My Bundle+ or on Company cars and Private Medical etc. This is currently reported to HMRC through an annual P11D report, but will be replaced by the real-time pay-rolling of benefits going forward.

Switching to real-time processing of changes in tax liability should eliminate the confusion that is sometimes a result of the 12 to 18-month delay in tax code changes through the current annual P11D process. The pay-rolling of benefits will happen automatically in Payroll, off the back of the weekly / monthly benefits pay deduction process, making it more efficient and reducing the risk for human error.

Attached is a draft communication (Attachment 1), which will be sent by the Business to all employees around 1^st March 2022 as part of the management’s My Bundle+ annual renewal home mailing initiative. Also attached is the FAQ document (Attachment 2) which will support the communication from RMG, that Branches and Representatives may be able to use to answer any questions that arise.

It should be made clear that My Bundle+, Company cars, Private Medical and so on are RMG initiatives and are not agreed with the CWU.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 085/22 Benefit in Kind Tax – Change to P11D Process

LTB 085/22 Attachment 1

LTB 085/22 Attachment 2

View Online