POST OFFICE: CROWN VR PROGRAMME – PHASE 3

Further to LTB 361/21 dated 31^stAugust.

Branches are advised that face to face negotiations were held with Post Office management on 12^thOctober in Wimbledon in respect of Phase 3 of the Crown Office VR Programme and we have now agreed there will be a further 13 VR offers.  We naturally took into consideration those Crowns with high levels of customer decline.  Also, as was the case previously, in line with MTSF those members selected for VR from each Crown are without exception the most senior applicants.

During our negotiations, management advised us that some Crowns were holding vacancies that had been lapsed due to the ongoing decline in customer footfall.  Accordingly these vacant hours have been removed in line with MTSF as part of the overall VR/headcount reduction exercise.  If all members in Phase 3 accept their VR offer, in total the headcount reduction will be 117, which is a mixture of VR offers and the cessation of vacancies.  This means we have broadly achieved the agreed c.120 headcount savings and both parties are satisfied we have reached a positive conclusion to these negotiations.  As a consequence we are not anticipating or expecting any more VR offers at this stage.

The following Joint Statement has been agreed:

Voluntary Redundancy: Phase 3 Update

 Following the Joint Statement on 31st August we wish to provide you with a further update regarding voluntary redundancy offers and the cessation of vacancies.  

 New Voluntary Redundancy Offers

We have jointly reviewed next steps and as a result we have agreed to make further VR offers to 13 individuals. As was the case previously, in line with MTSF those selected for VR are without exception the most senior applicants.  Over the two previous phases we have made a total of 65 VR offers from 37 branches.  The new offers will be sent out to individuals via email to the address they stated on their preference form by 2pm on Friday 22nd October. The last day of service for the individuals accepting a VR offer will be 9th January and new duties will now be designed to go live from Monday 10th January. 

Cessation of Vacancies within the Branch

 As part of the overall review it was highlighted that in some branches there were also a number of vacancies that had not been filled due to customer decline.  In those branches where we needed to reduce hourage, we also took into consideration those vacant hours as part of the headcount reduction exercise.  This approach was necessary as the MTSF agreement, stipulates the cessation of any vacant hours as a priority over VR’s.

If all individuals in phase 3 accept their VR offer, then in total we will have reduced overall headcount across the network by 117, via a mixture of VR offers and the cessation of vacancies across 61 branches.  Therefore we are not anticipating any more offers to be made after this phase, however we will continue to jointly monitory the ongoing situation and will update you if we plan any further changes.  

We are committed to meeting on a regular basis to discuss progress and operational factors such as duty reviews. For those that have recently had new duties introduced, or are about to, we thank you for your support and cooperation in helping to deliver these changes. If you have any further questions, we would encourage you to contact either your line manager or CWU Rep.

Steve Blampied                                                          

Head of Directly Managed Branch Network        

Andy Furey

CWU Assistant Secretary 

Details of the arrangements above have been shared with our full-time Reps who will now get into local negotiations in respect of duty construction for new duties to be introduced simultaneously to the VRs in Phase 3.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

LTB 449/21 – Post Office – Crown VR Programme – Phase 3

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Royal Mail Property & Facility Solutions – Election of:

• 3 Regional Cleaning Representatives – North, East & West Regions
• 1 National Cleaning Representative

The term of office for all these positions is a period of 2 years in line with the CWU Recognition & Industrial Framework Agreement 2021.

A Nomination Form for all positions is attached to this LTB and are available on request from the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department. All Candidates must have the nomination of their own branch which must be agreed at a Branch Meeting. Completed nomination forms must be signed by the Branch Secretary and Branch Chair (or accredited deputies) and the nominee.  The form should then be returned to Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary, on the following email: elections@cwu.org by 10^thNovember 2021.

Also attached is a copy of the CWU Representative Structure which shows the Distribution of Branches contained within each of the above Regions.

The timetable for the nominations is as follows:

Nominations open: Friday 22^ndOctober 2021

Nominations close:  Wednesday 10^th November 2021 (14:00)

Any ballots will be run in accordance with the CWU guidelines for Regional Cleaning Representatives, which are attached for your information.

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

LTB 448/21

Att: Election Guidelines 2021

Att: Regional Rep Nomination Form

Att: National Rep Nomination Form

Att: Regional Cleaning Structure Final Version

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Rivus Fleet Solutions Garage Network CWU National Team Election

I am writing to advise you that the following nominations have been received for the Rivus Fleet Solutions National Team.

Garage RepresentativesNameNominees’ BranchNominating BranchesChris EvansGreater Mersey and South West LancsCentral Counties and Thames Valley, Greater Mersey and South

West Lancs.Steve PhilipsCentral Counties and Thames ValleyCentral Counties and Thames Valley, Greater London Combined, Greater Mersey and South West

Lancs., North AngliaAshley StuartMidland No.1Midland No.1

Rivus Fleet Solutions Support Centre RepresentativeNamesNominees BranchSamantha HamiltonMidland No.1Elected

There will therefore be a ballot of members in the Rivus garage network which will start on Monday 25th October and close on Monday 8th November.

The result of the ballot will be circulated to branches and members in due course. 

Yours sincerely,

Allan Eldred
Assistant Secretary

LTB 447/21

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Big numbers of views and interactions on tonight’s Average Holiday Pay session.

Share these links with members.

Facebook https://fb.watch/8NrNacLPrq/

Twitter https://twitter.com/cwunews/status/1451246849998786569?s=21

YouTube https://youtu.be/WcPiG7TgGUA

POST OFFICE: WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE – EFFECT OF POST OFFICE CLOSURES ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES

I wish to advise Branches that the House of Commons Library annual Post Office network report was published on 18^th October:

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7550/CBP-7550.pdf

We were pleased to note the reference to our moratorium on Crown Office franchising within the research document, along with a link to our associated web story from 16^th July.  The relevant paragraph (on page 10) is:

“In an attempt to preserve Crown post offices, The Communication Workers Union (CWU) agreed a moratorium with the post office in July 2021 stopping any closures or franchises for the rest of 2021. However, they remain concerned that closures or further franchising will continue in 2022.”

Westminster Hall Debate – Effect of Post Office Closures on Local Communities

On Tuesday 19^th October, Marion Fellows SNP MP for Motherwell and Wishaw and Chair of the APPG for Post Offices hosted a Westminster Hall debate on the “Effect of Post Office Closures on Local Communities”.  There were 13 contributors to the debate from across the major parties and some crucial issues were raised and serious questions put to the Minister, Paul Scully.

The focus was on the decline of the network through the franchising/closure of Crown Offices and the unplanned closure of sub offices as Postmasters simply can’t afford to run Post Office services with the current level of remuneration and are therefore left with no choice but to hand back the keys.  Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith asked the following question during the debate:

“Why is it impossible to find locations or postmasters for these places? I think the answer stares us in the face. It is that the terms and conditions that the Post Office is prepared to offer and the efforts it is prepared to put in are not sufficient to regenerate the network.”

In addition, Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Upon Tyne Central and Shadow Minister posed the following question:

“What recent discussions has the Minister had with Post Office Ltd on the incomes of sub-postmasters, and what steps he is taking to minimise the risk of further closures?”

We also welcomed Marion Fellows’ mention of the CWU in her opening statement and later in the debate when she broached the subject of our agreed moratorium for Crown Office franchising/closures which runs until 31^st December.  Marion put the following question to the Minister:

“A moratorium on the closure of Crown post offices, which was negotiated by the Communication Workers Union, is due to end next year. Will the Minister please confirm that it will continue? Will he also speak to other Departments within Government to find out what other services they can put into post offices, with charges that will help sub-postmasters’ remuneration?”

The idea of the Post Office being run as a community hub, which the Union has been advocating for many years, was raised during an intervention by Rachael Maskall, Labour MP for York Central:

“…we have lost our Crown post office—it is now placed in a WH Smith, which is far more inaccessible than it was previously. Does she [Marion Fellows] agree that, before any post office closure, there should be a community consultation about how that estate could be repurposed as a community service?”

The issue of “temporary” closures and the fact these closures tend to be for a significant period, leading to the loss of vital services in the community, also featured highly in the debate, along with the importance of Post Office offering banking services to communities (and particularly customers who are digitally excluded) in the wake of the continuing demise of High Street Banks.

Concerns were again raised about the Post Office’s relationship with WH Smith, which Andy Slaughter described as a “rather unhappy liaison” and compared it to “a marriage of two failing enterprises trying to support each other, and not a very happy one”.

The Horizon scandal was also mentioned and Chi Onwurah highlighted the union’s view on this matter when she commented:

“Last year I welcomed the announcement of a £227 million investment, including a £50 million subsidy to support the rural post office network. However, the CWU rightly stated that it is unlikely that this investment will be sufficient given the amount the post office will have to raise to cover future legal claims associated with the Horizon scandal, which remains the greatest public scandal that our country has suffered, and the implications of which are still being felt by many current and former sub-postmasters who are struggling to gain the compensation the Minister seemed to promise.”

Chi Onwurah also asked the Minister:

“What steps is the Minister taking to maintain the financial viability of the Post Office, and will considerations be made for the continuation of the subsidy beyond 2022?”

 Whilst Paul Scully in his response to the debate did not answer all of the points raised directly, he did however provide some reassurances to those affected by the Horizon scandal when he said:

“I am really pleased to be back in my place after the recent reshuffle because it gives me the opportunity to continue the work to make sure that everybody affected by the Horizon scandal gets justice and gets fully compensated, and that we can work towards that. It will take time.”

In view of the above, perhaps the Minister can now deliver this commitment by making sure the 550 Postmasters who were part of the original Group litigation are properly compensated, which the Government has been resistant to thus far.

In regards to Postmaster remuneration, the Minister gave the usual stock answer which was this is “an operational matter for the Post Office”. He added “but we have to recognise the importance of supporting postmasters to give them the future we talked about. I was pleased to see that it [Post Office] listened carefully to the feedback it received on the proposed changes, and I welcome the recent improvements it announced last month”.  In our view, these “improvements” fall way short of what is required to help Postmasters continue to provide vital Post Office services to the communities which need them.

The Hansard transcript of the debate can be accessed via the following link:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-10-19/debates/A78F36B3-46E9-4352-A8A2-3A3CAC55C389/PostOfficeClosures

A parliamentary Research paper was also published just prior to the debate entitled “Effect of post office closures on local Communities”.  The document can be accessed from the House of Commons Library via the following link:

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CDP-2021-0156/CDP-2021-0156.pdf

In closing, we wish to thank Marion Fellows for instigating this debate.  We work closely with Marion as Chair of the APPG and have seen first-hand how committed Marion is in doing everything possible to ensure a long-term future for the Post Office and the communities it serves.

If you have any questions in relation to this LTB, please contact Lea Sheridan – lsheridan@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey                             

Assistant Secretary     

LTB 446/21 – Post Office – Westminster Hall Debate – Effect of Post Office Closures on Local Communities           

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Employment Tribunal Claim (Second) Withdrawal Letters Circulated to Employment Tribunal Applicants and Back Pay Arrangements

Further to LTB 412/21 circulated on 29^th September 2021, at the time of writing this update in excess of 50,000 CWU members have received back pay as a result of the Average Holiday Pay Agreement. This figure included the majority of colleagues who after having submitted an ET claim, had returned the necessary letter withdrawing their claim by the first cut-off date and were then included in the regularity calculation for the initial back pay on 8^th October 2021 for weekly paid.

Unfortunately, approximately 2,500 members did not respond to the initial correspondence. Therefore, a second letter was circulated from the CWU Legal Services Department to these people requesting that they return their letters by 8^th October 2021 so that any back pay they may be entitled to could be calculated by Royal Mail Group and paid on the 22^nd October 2021.

Whilst around 1800 members responded to the second letter, over 700 responses are still outstanding and these members will be sent a third letter in early November 2021.

There has been a significant increase in the associated workload involved in processing this data both at CWU Headquarters and for Royal Mail Group. There has also been a large volume of enquiries that have been received. As a result, it has been agreed to defer the next date for back pay to those that have withdrawn and meet the qualifying criteria to 12^thNovember 2021. This will include members who have withdrawn Employment Tribunals and missed the cut-off date for the initial payment and those who have responded to the second letter by 5^th November 2021.

Whilst members will be disappointed by this delay, this has been unavoidable but will help to ensure that there is adequate time for all data to be processed by Royal Mail Group. Those members who fail to respond by the cut-off date of 5^thNovember 2021 will not be included in the regularity calculation for the next payment of back pay and will have to wait for a future payment date to be agreed.

Finally, all members are also assured that the previously published dates for the first interim holiday payment is unaffected and remains as 26^thNovember 2021 for weekly paid and 30^th November 2021 for monthly paid.  Branches will recall that the interim payments are not dependent upon the withdrawal of a current Employment Tribunal case and that everybody will be included in the regularity calculation.

Branches will understand that this remains a complicated process and your patience and assistance is appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)      

LTB 445/21 – Employment Tribunal Claim (Second) Withdrawal Letters Circulated to Employment Tribunal Applicants and Back Pay Arrangements

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Employment Tribunal Claim (Second) Withdrawal Letters Circulated to Employment Tribunal Applicants and Back Pay Arrangements

Further to LTB 412/21 circulated on 29th September 2021, at the time of writing this update in excess of 50,000 CWU members have received back pay as a result of the Average Holiday Pay Agreement. This figure included the majority of colleagues who after having submitted an ET claim, had returned the necessary letter withdrawing their claim by the first cut-off date and were then included in the regularity calculation for the initial back pay on 8th October 2021 for weekly paid.

Unfortunately, approximately 2,500 members did not respond to the initial correspondence. Therefore, a second letter was circulated from the CWU Legal Services Department to these people requesting that they return their letters by 8th October 2021 so that any back pay they may be entitled to could be calculated by Royal Mail Group and paid on the 22nd October 2021.

Whilst around 1800 members responded to the second letter, over 700 responses are still outstanding and these members will be sent a third letter in early November 2021.

There has been a significant increase in the associated workload involved in processing this data both at CWU Headquarters and for Royal Mail Group. There has also been a large volume of enquiries that have been received. As a result, it has been agreed to defer the next date for back pay to those that have withdrawn and meet the qualifying criteria to 12th November 2021. This will include members who have withdrawn Employment Tribunals and missed the cut-off date for the initial payment and those who have responded to the second letter by 5th November 2021.
 
Whilst members will be disappointed by this delay, this has been unavoidable but will help to ensure that there is adequate time for all data to be processed by Royal Mail Group. Those members who fail to respond by the cut-off date of 5th November 2021 will not be included in the regularity calculation for the next payment of back pay and will have to wait for a future payment date to be agreed.

Finally, all members are also assured that the previously published dates for the first interim holiday payment is unaffected and remains as 26th November 2021 for weekly paid and 30th November 2021 for monthly paid. Branches will recall that the interim payments are not dependent upon the withdrawal of a current Employment Tribunal case and that everybody will be included in the regularity calculation.
 
Branches will understand that this remains a complicated process and your patience and assistance is appreciated.

Yours sincerely,
 
Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement – Capture Photo on Delivery – Phase 1 Deployment

As Branches are aware, Royal Mail faces an increasingly competitive landscape both in the letters and parcels market. The future success of Royal Mail is dependent upon the ability to offer customers products that meet current and future needs, excellent customer and quality of service, and value for money. Royal Mail and CWU are jointly committed to securing this objective by working together to understand and achieve industry leading customer service in all aspects of delivery & collection and in order to improve our member’s terms and conditions whilst providing job security.

Increasingly, large Account Customers are asking carriers to capture a photographic image as proof of delivery and in a post COVID world, they see this as a better alternative to replace the need to capture a signature. Their rationale for wanting this capability is that it helps to reduce denial of receipts. Other competitors already offer this capability as do Parcelforce. To retain and grow the market share, Royal Mail and the CWU are committed to act quickly and to enable this capability within the Royal Mail Core Network. 

Deployment Phases 

Phase 1 – Pre-Peak 

Royal Mail has secured new business from a leading fashion brand and has given this customer a commitment that the capability to capture a photographic image at the doorstep will be deployed pre-Peak, on the Tracked 24 & 48 product. This capability is expected to go live from the 4th November 2021 and will be enabled on our new PDAs.

The process to capture a photo on delivery will be event driven on the PDA, as with the Safeplace image capture process. The PDA will have new screens built to guide Delivery colleagues through the process when a photo is required and will be completed with the door open. If there are multiple parcels for delivery, only one photo of all parcels is required.

Phase 2 – January to April 2022 

Royal Mail will seek to extend this capability to all Account Customers and where signatures are currently requested.

The following issues are all captured within the Joint Statement for your information and perusal:

Introduction of Photo on Delivery 

For both Phase 1 & Phase 2, Royal Mail will ensure that all delivery units are fully briefed on the changes, including training given by Workplace Coaches. Once the delivery staff and wider business has been fully briefed a change will be deployed to the PDA, which will notify the requirement to take a photo after the item has been scanned. This Joint Statement refers to Phase 1 only (deployment pre-peak). A separate National Joint Statement will be agreed and issued to cover all aspects associated with Phase 2, once further joint scoping work has been concluded.

 Health & Safety and Safe Systems of Work 

It is reaffirmed that Health & Safety and SSOW are of paramount importance to both Royal Mail and the CWU, and the Delivery SAC will be updated and will be in place. Any issues arising in this respect will be proper to the relevant RM safety experts and the CWU National Health Safety, and Environment Department.

 Review/ Summary 

Royal Mail and the CWU both understand the importance of being able to offer consumers a first class digital experience to enhance the trust that already exists on the doorstep.

The CWU and RM will work together on the planning of the second phase. There will also be a National Joint Review from the launch date of the first phase and before the phase 2 deployment, in order to assess the volume growth and other issues that are captured in the Joint Statement.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 230.03, email address: njones@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baulch                                                                                       

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 444/21 – Royal Mail CWU National Joint Statement Capture Photo on Delivery Phase 1 Deployment MB

Att: JS – Capture Photo on Delivery Final

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Some interesting updates for reps and members from national officers here:

Terry Pullinger https://www.cwu.org/news/protecting-jobs-fighting-for-our-members-and-growing-royal-mail/

Mark Baulch https://www.cwu.org/news/were-delivering-change-but-management-must-improve-on-toolsets-and-timings/

Davie Robertson https://www.cwu.org/news/keeping-the-pipeline-pumped-new-hubs-and-driver-training-opportunities/

All three also available on the CWU App.

Please share as widely as possible.

Royal Mail Employment Tribunal Holiday Pay Claims

Since the publication of LTB 412/21 dated 29th September 2021, which detailed the cut off dates and payment dates for members to receive their appropriate back pay payments, members and some branches have been contacting the Legal Services Department, Unionline and the Tribunal Office in Bristol seeking clarification regarding such payments.

PLEASE NOTE that the sole responsibility for calculating all payments due to members in line with the National Agreement rests with Royal Mail.

If any member has a query regarding their payment calculation, then Branches should make members aware of the Holiday Pay Queries process, as detailed in the Joint Statement between CWU & RMG published in LTB 412/21.

Therefore, members and Branches should not contact the Tribunal Office in Bristol, Unionline or the CWU Legal Services Department with enquiries regarding the level of back payments due and when such payments are to be made, as none of the above have access to such information.

Members should only contact the CWU Legal Services Department if they have submitted an Employment Tribunal application regarding a Holiday Pay claim to indicate if they wish to either withdraw their Tribunal claim or if they wish to continue with their claim. We will then notify the Bristol Tribunal office and Royal Mail accordingly.

The Legal Services Department has now sent out two separate mail shots to members’ home addresses regarding the process for withdrawing their ET claims. If any member has not received the correspondence, please contact the department via email at employmentlawholpay@cwu.org  

Any member, who wishes to continue with their Employment Tribunal Holiday Pay claim, can do so, on the understanding that the CWU will not provide any further legal representation, in line with the terms of the National Agreement. 

The above also applies to members in Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have submitted Holiday Pay claims to their respective Tribunal offices.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be sent by email to employmentlawholpay@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Tony Rupa

Head of Legal Services

LTB 441/21 – Royal Mail Employment Tribunal Holiday Pay Claims

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