RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) – 6th July to 12th July 2026

RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) – 6^th July to 12^th July 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Further to LTB 184/25 issued 25^th June, this week will see the launch of the Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW), which is the joint annual event where important messages are communicated to emphasise the ongoing safety risk of dog attacks within Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

National DAW was started back in 2012, with the key objectives to remind the public to be aware of their legal and moral responsibilities to control their dogs and prevent dog attacks on Royal Mail Group employees. It also serves as a good opportunity to remind CWU members who perform deliveries and collections in both Royal Mail and Parcelforce to be vigilant, keep safe and take no risks.

As part of DAW week, RMG have confirmed a total of 2,019 attacks by dogs have taken place on employees in the year ending 31^st March 2026. This is a very slight reduction from the 2,197 reported in the year ending 2025. But this figure highlights that, on average, 38 attacks take place every week across the UK on postal workers (Royal Mail and Parcelforce).

A further LTB will be issued this week to provide details of the dog attack figures by postcode areas from March 2025 to March 2026.

RMG/CWU DAW Message to Royal Mail & Parcelforce Customers:

As outlined, a key objective of Dog Awareness Week is to remind the public to be aware of their legal and moral responsibilities to control their dogs and prevent dog attacks on CWU members who are providing a service and simply doing their job. It is again noteworthy to recall that it was only following a successful campaign by the CWU to ensure that the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and its provisions regarding ‘a dog being dangerously out of control’ was extended to include both public and private places, thereby allowing for irresponsible dog owners to be prosecuted under the Act.

Dog owners need to understand the often-devastating impact of dog attacks and take proper measures to ensure their pets pose no threat to RMG workers through responsible dog ownership.

The public also needs to be aware that if their dog attacks a RMG employee, they will be prosecuted either by the Police, Local Authority or by Royal Mail Group via a private prosecution under the agreement between RMG and the CWU.

RMG/CWU DAW Headline activities 2026

Listed here is a summary of the week’s activities: –

DAW Posters (Frontline and for Customers) And Briefing Communications

All Royal Mail/Parcelforce workplaces will have received copies of the DAW 2026 frontline and customer facing posters. There is a total of 15 posters: three frontline versions and two customer-facing, with each set of five published in versions for England, Scotland and Wales, which are attached in a Zip File.

These new posters should replace last year’s versions, with customer facing posters being displayed in Customer Service Points (CSPs) and site reception areas. Additionally, these posters can be shared more widely for public display at suggested locations, such as local Vets, Doctors’ Surgeries, local Community Centres, Parish Councils, etc.

CWU Press Statement

In line with Dog Awareness Week, the union has issued the attached Press Statement, which highlights that dog attacks remain one of the most significant safety risks facing Royal Mail and Parcelforce workers across the UK, with 30,000 having been attacked over the past decade.

The Press Statement also repeats the union’s call for tougher enforcement against irresponsible dog owners who fail to properly control and secure their animals, and further sets out the CWU’s particular concern at the Government’s recent decision (which came into effect on 1^st July) to remove the requirement for owners of exempted banned dogs to maintain compulsory third-party liability insurance.

Other Dog Awareness Messages

Also attached here is a link to the RMG Dog Awareness customer website, which includes other items and former materials which may be of use and interest.

Dog awareness │ Royal Mail Group Ltd

RMG/CWU DAW Message

We are again reminding all individuals who perform deliveries and collections across Royal Mail and Parcelforce of the need to remain vigilant, cautious, keep safe and take no risks:

Be vigilant, keep safe, take no risks and protect yourself at all times.
Always err on the side of caution.
Don’t enter properties where dogs are running loose.
Don’t assume a dog won’t bite, as any dog can be aggressive.
Don’t accept an owner’s word that their dog will not bite.
Look for the presence of dogs. Signs on gates, walls and windows, cages in vehicles, toys in gardens.
Rattle the gate to warn a potential dog of your presence.
When calling with an item, ask the customer to put their dog away and step well back from the doorstep to maintain a safe distance. If the customer needs to leave the doorstep to fetch ID or another item, politely ask them to close the door/secure the dog.
Don’t put fingers through the letterbox (use your Posting Peg, the palm of your hand or a safe alternative).
If you cannot get mail through the door without using your fingers, don’t do it.
For undelivered mail, use a P6705 sticker when you return to the unit to endorse the mail item.

Also:-

Report all dog attack incidents and near misses.
Remember to report significant dog hazards and inform the manager of any increase in risk/changes. This needs to be captured on ORA (Offsite Risk Assessment).
Mark your frame with a yellow dot where there is a significant dog hazard. Remove any yellow dots on frames no longer appropriate (e.g. the dog no longer resides there).
Put ‘D’ on the envelope and parcels to remind yourself of known dog hazards when you are out on your route.

Message to Safety Reps

As part of the Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week, the support and assistance from CWU WSRs (Workplace Safety Reps) and ASRs (Area Safety Reps) would be welcomed, including:

Ensure that sites have displayed all of the Dog Awareness posters and are sending out external posters/leaflets to local Vets, Doctors’ Surgeries, local Community Centres, Parish Councils, etc.
Support Unit Managers delivering Dog WTLLs and SHE Huddles, not just during DAW but all year round.
Visit workplaces – organise a plan of visits ongoing throughout the year, focusing on dog risks and controls.
Ensure supplies of posting pegs and P6705 stickers are available on site, and everyone understands the P6705 process to be used on all returned mail items to identify the unsafe reason/s that prevented any delivery attempt.
Carry out inspections/investigations following dog related incidents.
Talk to members about the threat of dog attacks.
Introduce yourself to new starters in the unit. Typically, they will be most at risk, so speak to them about the principles of AVOID and the dangers posed by dog attacks.

Further Attachments

To further assist in promoting DAW, please find attached the further materials:

Paws for Thought poster CWU-NPCC-RM-PFWW
Blue Cross Protecting your Postie posters
Copy of: Royal Mail P6705 Stricker

Given the CWU’s ongoing and wider commitment to promoting the aims of National Dog Awareness Week both within the workplace and with the public, can we ask that this LTB and its details be shared widely and used by Branches, Safety Reps and our Safety Forums to further support the work on seeking to reduce dog attacks and incidents during this week and beyond.

Any enquiries to this LTB should be referred to the DGS(P) Department email address: Hford@cwu.org/ACorbett@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 191-26 RMG CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) 6th July to 12th July 2026

CWU DAW Press Statement 2026

Paws for thought poster CWU-NPCC-RM-PFWW

Blue Cross Protecting your Postie poster

Copy of_Royal Mail P6705 Sticker

Dog_Awareness_Posters_2026_A5_JPEG

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06/07/2026 0

NIGEL COTGROVE – FORMER NATIONAL OFFICER

NIGEL COTGROVE – FORMER NATIONAL OFFICER

Further to LTB 181-26 which reported that Nigel had very sadly passed away following a short illness. We have now been advised that Nigel’s wife Vicki and the family have organised a celebration of his life, the details of which are set out below:

“Nigel’s Last Gig”

“Date: Saturday 25th July at 1pm.

Venue: Tom Dollery Members Lounge, Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

It’s intended to be very informal consisting of music and memories.

People should dress how they like and there is plenty of free parking at the venue.”

We know that Vicki and the family would very much welcome Nigel’s friends and comrades from the CWU to attend this special tribute of his life.

As we all know, Nigel made a very special contribution to the work of the CWU and the wider Trade Union/Labour movement.

The General Secretary will be attending the event, alongside other national leaders and we look forward to seeing as many friends and colleagues as possible paying our respects to Nigel on Saturday 25^th July.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at dlynch@cwu.org .

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

GENERAL SECRETARY

Karen Rose

DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY (TELECOMS)

LTB 192/26 – NIGEL COTGROVE

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06/07/2026 0

Points of Clarification USO Deployment

Points of Clarification USO Deployment

Over the last few weeks, several Divisional Reps have raised questions through the Regional Steering groups or contacted us directly for clarification on parts of the agreement. Given the complexity of the USO Agreement, further guidance was always expected, especially when dealing with 1,250 different delivery units.

Negotiations took place over the last two weeks and we reached agreed positions on the Points of Clarification. We then put this before the Postal Executive and whilst they welcomed the overall points of clarification and progress, they believed there was an over promotion of the Assurance process which was not compliant with the words within the national agreement.

Further exchanges took place with Royal Mail and the CWU offered alternative words, which would have met the approval of the Postal Executive to resolve the issue of Assurance. However, the business has confirmed they are unwilling to make the required changes and therefore as a result we do not have an agreed Joint Points of Clarification.

As a result, Royal Mail have informed us that they now intend to issue the Points of Clarification document to their managers and the Regional Steering Groups on Monday morning at 10:00am. Therefore, it is important to outline to Branches that the wording in the following document was negotiated by the union.

The Points of Clarification covered the following:

Units can align with Wednesday start times on USO deployment across the whole week.
Units can, as part of the formal review, propose changes to the standard attendance length from Monday to Friday.
Units can review the standard length of Saturday in January 2027.
A pragmatic approach will be taken if units go past the 4:30 last letter to select a duty option.
Confirming that if you are in unit where a Wallington /banked duty makes up less that 40% of the duty set that you keep your banked duty and move to the 2 in 5 Banked duty.
Confirming that if you are in a unit where a banked duty is between 60% to 100% then you will be able to move to 2 in 5 banked option.
There are 37 units where Wallington/Banked duties make up between 41% and 59% of the total duty patterns, these will now be reviewed by the Regional Steering Groups.
Clarifying that indoor performance should be based on the unit’s current indoor performance.

It is important that all Divisional, Area & Local Reps as well as Branches fully understand that the 2.4 of the main USO and Equalisation agreement holds the field along with the third bullet point in the Annex on USO principles, which all confirm that Regional Steering Groups have full autonomy to agree or reject any planned changes made by the assurance board.

For reference these are the lifts from the agreement:

Each Delivery Office is different, and both parties recognise the benefit of local knowledge. This agreement will allow local knowledge from Customer Operations Managers (COMs), CWU Reps, and all employees in the DO to influence key decisions to ensure successful deployment within the framework of principles laid out in the full deployment agreement, appendices, and via the joint review and governance processes.

As part of the planning and deployment processes, Dos can recommend localised solutions via the Regional Steering Groups (RSGs) (as outlined in the full Deployment Agreement). All Dos will be assured via a standard process, the purpose of which is to identify non-standard solutions and refer to the RSGs which will have full autonomy to agree or reject the changes.

We have now put in place a process with Divisional Reps to give us regular updates on the progress of the regional steering Groups, to ensure that the above commitments are honoured by their Regional Steering Groups and where assurance is not adhering to the wider application of the agreement, it will need to escalated to the National CWU for resolution.

Any enquiries relating to the content of this LTB should be referred to the Postal Department at hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

Tony Bouch

Assistant Secretary

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

LTB 190/26 – Points of Clarification – USO Deployment

Attachment to LTB 190-26

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06/07/2026 0

“Talk to Us” Month – July 2026

“Talk to Us” Month – July 2026

“Talk to Us” is a month-long observance initiated by the Samaritans focusing on providing emotional support, and which started in 2016.

This campaign emphasises the importance of open conversations about mental health, encouraging people to connect, share their feelings, and support one another. It also aims to reduce stigma around mental health issues and foster a culture of listening and understanding.

In 2026, “Talk to Us” month coincides with Samaritans Awareness Day, observed on 24th July, reflecting the 24/7availability of the Samaritans helpline. While the awareness day is a single date, campaign activity runs throughout July, providing opportunities for events and activities across the UK and Ireland.

The campaign focuses on:

Raising awareness about mental health resources and the importance of talking about feelings.
Encouraging empathetic listening and creating safe spaces for conversations.
Promoting community engagement through events, workshops, and social media campaigns.

Practical ways to participate include:

Using social media to pledge to be a better listener and share mental health resources, especially around 24th Julyfor Samaritans Awareness Day.
Volunteering or donating to support the Samaritans’ work in providing emotional support.

By promoting open communication, “Talk to Us” month helps reduce stress, improve relationships, and provide clarity during challenging times. It also highlights the critical role of listening in supporting mental well-being and encourages communities to offer safe, judgment-free spaces for conversations.

For more information or to get involved, you can visit the Samaritans website and access downloadable materials for social media campaigns and community events here: Downloadable Materials | Talk To Us Campaign | Samaritans Campaigns.

An online event taking place in July which may be of interest, is a webinar that will examine the value of peer-to-peer support networks. This webinar should provide useful information for Physical First Aiders, Mental Health First Aiders and CWU Representatives in readiness for dealing with impactful events.

Trauma Informed First Aid webinar

This webinar is being delivered by the union’s working partners who have supported the CWU with the recent development of a Trauma Informed First Aid guidance booklet, attached.

This booklet aims to assist CWU Representatives and and members dealing with sudden loss in the workplace. This printable booklet seeks to provide sensitive, trauma‑informed information for supporting colleagues affected by sudden loss, it therefore contains information which some may find impactful.

This CWU Trauma Informed Frist Aid guidance booklet further emphasises the importance of open conversations about and around mental health.

This LTB is shared on behalf of CWU Central Services.

If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact:

Jamie McGovern FRSPH MIIAI

CWU Health & Safety Policy Assistant at jmcgovern@cwu.org

LTB 189/26 – Talk to Us Month – July 2026

Attachment: 08664 – CWU Trauma Informed Guidance a5 – v3

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04/07/2026 0

DURHAM MINERS GALA

DURHAM MINERS GALA

The Durham Miners’ Gala will be held on 11 July 2026. It is the largest community and trade union celebration in the world.

The event includes brass bands, historic trade union banners, and attracts over 200,000 people.

The procession of banners, bands, and trade unions, including the CWU, will leave the Market Place in Durham at 8:30 am and parade through the city’s historic streets. Please look for the CWU flags and banners.

This year, the North East Region will again have a tent at the Gala to highlight CWU’s ongoing industrial and political campaigns and to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion. This is especially important in light of the Reform Council’s recent negative actions towards Durham Pride.

We have invited the organisation ‘Hope Not Hate’ to join our stand this year.

Here is the timetable of events:

08:30 am: The procession of bands and banners will leave the Market Place and move through Durham City towards the racecourse, where all the stands are located.

1:00 pm: The chair will officially open ‘The Big Meeting’ on the racecourse, followed by keynote speeches from union and community leaders.

Thank you to the North East Region for their hard work in making sure the CWU is part of this celebration of community and the working class. They welcome all CWU branches and activists who want to attend the Gala.

If you have any questions about this LTB, please contact Carl Webb, Regional Official, at cawebb@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Karen Rose

ACTING GENERAL SECRETARY

LTB 188/26 – DURHAM MINERS GALA

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02/07/2026 0

GDPR/Data Protection – Right to Complain to the Communication Workers Union

GDPR/Data Protection – Right to Complain to the Communication Workers Union

From the 19th of June 2026, UK organisations that process personal data will be legally required to handle data protection complaints internally before individuals can escalate to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

What changes on 19 June 2026

On 5 February 2026, the ICO confirmed that most remaining data-protection provisions in the Data (Use and Access) Act had already commenced, except the requirement for organisations to have a complaints procedure, which is due to commence on 19 June 2026. The ICO’s main guidance says there are no exemptions from having a process for handling data protection complaints.

The legal structure behind that guidance appears in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 explanatory notes. Those notes explain that new section 164A requires controllers to facilitate complaints, acknowledge receipt within 30 days, and take appropriate steps without undue delay, including making enquiries and informing the complainant about progress.

This duty is separate from a person’s right to complain to the ICO. In practice, organisations now need an internal route to handle privacy complaints directly, while still making clear that people can escalate to the regulator.

What counts as a data protection complaint?

The ICO says a person can complain if they believe the CWU has infringed data protection law in the way the union handled their personal information. The ICO’s examples include complaints about how the union handled a subject access request, how securely the union stored personal data, or how the union collected, retained, or used personal information.

Some examples of complaints the CWU might receive could be:

Sharing members’ personal data with third parties without the member’s consent
Revealing an employee’s trade union membership status without the member’s consent
Using members’ personal data for purposes other than trade union purposes
Not keeping membership data securely
Not keeping membership information up to date
Continuing to contact ex-members even though they have specifically requested that the union not to do so
Non-members receiving contact even though they have specifically requested that the union not to do so
Not sharing a member’s personal data with them when they request the union does so [a subject access request]

This list is not exhaustive as data protection complaints can be widely scoped.

Branch Officers should be aware that under the GDPR, the CWU nationally is considered the ‘Data Controller’ and is therefore responsible for all membership data – even if the data is held at Branch level.

Therefore, the union will ultimately be held responsible for any data breaches or data complaints.

IE all membership data held and processed/controlled by branches is the responsibility of the CWU nationally. There is no such entity as ‘a CWU branch’ as far as the ICO is concerned.

For more information on this please see: What are ‘controllers’ and ‘processors’? | ICO

Complaints do not need to use legal language or cite sections of legislation. This matters operationally because many complaints will arrive in ordinary business language. Therefore, Branches and staff need to be alerted to recognise a potential data protection complaint.

But in the rare occasions where a potential complaint arises, please share this with the CWU Data Protection Officer [DPO details below] as soon as you can. Similarly, please feel free to contact the CWU DPO if you have any queries about this change to the Regulations, or if you have any other queries about data protection/GDPR.

And for further information please see: How to deal with data protection complaints

The CWU Privacy Policy [see: CWU: Privacy Policy] has been updated accordingly, to say the following:

Data Protection Complaints

The Communication Workers Union takes its data protection responsibilities very seriously and does all it can to avoid data protection infringements but if you believe the union has not met these high standards, you are entitled to complain on that basis.

The Data (Use and Access) Act provides a facility for data subjects to complain to data controllers [The CWU in this case] if they believe the data controller has infringed data protection law in the way they handled their personal information.

This duty is separate from a person’s right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office [ICO] see: Make a complaint | ICO

The ICO’s examples include potential complaints about how the CWU handled a subject access request, how securely the CWU stored personal data, or how the CWU collected, retained, or used personal information.

You can submit a complaint to any point of contact in the CWU, but it will help to expedite your complaint if you contact the CWU Data Protection Officer [details below] The complaint can be submitted by email, letter or by phone.

You do not need to use legal language or cite sections of legislation.

Please contact:

Denis Lenihan, Information Manager & Data Protection Officer

Communication Workers Union [CWU]

150, The Broadway

Wimbledon

London, SW19 1RX

Email: dlenihan@cwu.org

Tel: 020 8971 7279

We will acknowledge receipt within 30 days of receiving the complaint.

Any enquiries should be addressed to dlenihan@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Karen Rose

Acting General Secretary

LTB 187/26 – GDPR – DATA PROTECTION RIGHT TO COMPLAIN TO THE COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION

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02/07/2026 0

ROYAL MAIL GROUP: DRUGS AND ALCOHOL NATIONAL COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT – BRIEFING IN BIRMINGHAM TUESDAY 30TH JUNE

ROYAL MAIL GROUP: DRUGS AND ALCOHOL NATIONAL COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT – BRIEFING IN BIRMINGHAM TUESDAY 30^TH JUNE

Further to LTB 174/26. It has now been confirmed that the National Agreement will be rolled out from Monday 6^th July and the six-month amnesty (no use of discipline following a positive test) will apply from that date.

Branches and Representatives in the five ROD areas not involved in the Drugs & Alcohol Pilot (Greater London, Midlands, North-West, South Midlands, and Yorkshire) plus Fleet Territorial Reps and Parcelforce Regional Organisers are reminded there will be a Briefing in the Birmingham District Amal Offices tomorrow on the National Collective Agreement from 11.30am – 2.30pm.

Our Senior Field Officials have been provided with the PowerPoint presentation we will be running through on the Agreement tomorrow and they can send this on if required by Branch Secretaries or Area Reps / ASRs. Hard copies will also be available tomorrow in Birmingham. Attached to this LTB are two employee Factsheets which we have agreed with RMG:

The Support & Rehabilitation Services – available to all RMG employees
For-Cause Testing – for Drivers only

Reps will have the opportunity to pose questions to the Officers tomorrow. Following our internal session, we will be joined by Fiona McAslan, RMG Head of Wellbeing and Occupational Health, and a representative from the independent Drugs & Alcohol testing supplier, Abbott Laboratories, who will also be able to respond to any questions our Reps may have.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

LTB186.26 Royal Mail Group Drugs and Alcohol National Collective Agreement Briefing 6. Employee factsheet support and rehabilitation v5 25062026 CWU 7. Employee factsheet for cause testing v6 24062026

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30/06/2026 0

REVIEW OF THE STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE & THE DEFERMENT OF THE ELECTION OF THE STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE

REVIEW OF THE STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE & THE DEFERMENT OF THE ELECTION OF THE STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE

Branches and Representatives will recall the commitment contained within the report to the Special Restructuring Conference in June 2025, to review the Standing Orders Committee (SOC). For ease of reference this is reproduced below:

“We will continue to ensure that our Standing Orders Committee (SOC) is able to scrutinise our Conference processes, timetable and ensure rules and standards are adhered to. However, the NEC and SOC will review the current way of working, including better utilisation of virtual working and creating savings, to ensure that it can work in the most efficient way possible”

The review of the SOC forms an integral strand of our Restructuring work. A ‘terms of reference’ for the review of the SOC, including the timescales involved was endorsed by the NEC at a meeting on 24 June 2026 and is attached for information purposes. We now intend to commence the review of the SOC in accordance with the terms of reference and the policy agreed at the Special Restructuring Conference in June 2025.

Branches will further be aware that the SOC is covered by national rule 10.8. This rule also references the biennial electoral cycle for these positions. The last elections for the SOC were held in 2024 and therefore the next series of elections were due to take place.

The NEC agreed it would however be nonsensical to hold the elections for the SOC, at a time when a review of the SOC is in progress. The election is therefore deferred and will be held once the review of the SOC has been completed..

Any enquiries should be addressed to dwilshire@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Karen Rose
Acting General Secretary

26LTB185 REVIEW OF THE SOC AND THE DEFERMENT OF THE ELECTION OF THE SOC

CWU Standing Orders Committee (SOC) Review 2026

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25/06/2026 0

RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) 6th July 2026 – Launch of Materials

RMG/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) 6^th July 2026 – Launch of Materials

This week will see the advanced launch of Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) materials, which is the joint annual focal point where important messages are communicated to emphasise the ongoing safety risk of dog attacks on CWU members within Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

Whilst DAW will commence on Monday 6^thJuly, the advance issuing of the RMG Dog Awareness planned communications this week is in recognition that schools in Scotland break up normally before the rest of the UK, with the national launch of DAW designed to coincide with the bulk of when schools break up for the summer term holiday.

Attached are the following DAW materials:

SHE WTLL FY26 009 Dog Awareness Week 2026 (for all delivery and collection colleagues in RM/PFW)
SHE Huddle FY26 026 How to Order your Dog Postcards
SHE Huddle FY26 027 Dog Awareness Week All colleagues excluding delivery

In circulating the attached, it is relevant to also set out the following further key messages.

RMG/CWU DAW Message:

We are reminding all individuals who perform deliveries and collections within Royal Mail and Parcelforce of the need to remain vigilant, cautious, keep safe and take no risks:

Be vigilant, keep safe, take no risks and protect yourself at all times.
Always err on the side of caution.
Don’t enter properties where dogs are running loose.
Don’t put fingers through the letterbox (use your Posting Peg).
Don’t assume a dog won’t bite, as any dog can be aggressive.
Don’t accept an owner’s word that their dog will not bite.
Look for the presence of dogs. Signs on gates, walls and windows, cages in vehicles, toys in gardens.
Rattle the gate to warn a potential dog of your presence.
When calling with an item, ask the customer to put their dog away and step well back from the doorstep to maintain a safe distance. If the customer needs to leave the doorstep to fetch ID or another item, politely ask them to close the door/secure the dog.

Also:-

Report all dog attack incidents and near misses.
Remember to report significant dog hazards and inform the manager of any increase in risk/changes. This needs to be captured on ORA (Offsite Risk Assessment).
Mark your frame with a yellow dot where there is a significant dog hazard. Remove any yellow dots on frames no longer appropriate (e.g. the dog no longer resides there).
Put ‘D’ on the envelope and parcels to remind yourself of known dog hazards when you are out on your route.

Message to Safety Reps:

As part of the Royal Mail Group/CWU National Dog Awareness Week, the support and assistance from WSRs (Workplace Safety Reps) and ASRs (Area Safety Reps) would be welcomed, including:

Ensure that sites have displayed all of the Dog Awareness posters and are sending out external posters/leaflets to Vets, Doctors’ Surgeries, local Community Centres and Parish Councils, etc.
Support Unit Manager delivering Dog WTLLs and SHE Huddles, not just during DAW but all year round.
Visit workplaces – organise a plan of visits ongoing throughout the year, focusing on dog risks and controls.
Carry out Inspections/Investigations following dog related incidents.
Talk to members about the threat of dog attacks.
Introduce yourself to new starters in the unit, typically they will be most at risk, so speak to them about the principles of AVOID and the dangers posed by dog attacks.

The CWU remains fully committed to promoting National Dog Awareness Week both within the workplace and with the public, and we would ask that this LTB and its details are shared widely and are used by Branches, Safety Reps and our Safety Forums to further support the work on seeking to reduce dog attacks and incidents during DAW and beyond.

Further updates on DAW 2026 will be issued in due course.

Any enquiries to this LTB should be referred to the DGS(P) Department email address: Hford@cwu.org/ACorbett@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 184-26 RMG CWU National Dog Awareness Week (DAW) 6th July 2026 – Launch of Materials

SHE WTLL FY26 009 Dog Awareness Week 2026

SHE Huddle FY26 026 How to order your Dog Postcards

SHE Huddle FY26 027 Dog Awareness Week All colleagues excluding delivery

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