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Royal Mail/CWU National Joint Statement Covid-19 Pandemic –Next Steps in Easing Lockdown Restrictions in Royal Mail Group and Re- Introduction of Shared Vans and Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs)
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POST OFFICE: THE FUTURE OF THE CROWN NETWORK – JOINT STATEMENT, VR PREFERENCE FORM AND Q&As
POST OFFICE: THE FUTURE OF THE CROWN NETWORK – JOINT STATEMENT, VR PREFERENCE FORM AND Q&As
Further to LTB 286 dated 16th July.
As Branches are aware, we have agreed to a limited VR exercise under MTSF, for a maximum of 120 Crown office staff, and as part of our agreement, the Post Office has committed to a moratorium on Crown Office franchising/closures until at least the end of December 2021. Our wider talks are planned with Post Office with regards to jointly agreeing a fresh approach and a new strategy to try to secure the future of the network.
The following Joint Statement in relation to the details of the VR preference exercise has been agreed:
Voluntary Redundancy: Agreed Preference Exercise (Non-Binding)
Further to the joint statement published on 16th July regarding the Future of the DMB/Crown network, integral to which is a commitment to reduce headcount by up to 120 across the DMB network, we are inviting those who have a strong interest in VR to complete the form below.
We are unable to guarantee a VR offer to everyone who expresses an interest as there may be an over-subscription
- If you express an interest in VR, you will receive a formal acknowledgement via an email
- Where Voluntary Redundancy offers are made, this will be in accordance with MTSF and seniority will apply
- VR offers will be made via a settlement agreement that will need to be signed confirming your final decision. You will also need to seek legal advice when signing your settlement agreement and Post Office will pay up to £350 for this advice
- Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON) will be paid to all of those who accept a formal VR offer. Those taking VR will be eligible for pay arrears associated with a 2021/22 pay agreement
- Please only submit a preference form if you are genuinely interested in VR
- VR offers will be calculated in line with MTSF and you will be provided with a ready reckoner in order to help give you an indication of your VR offer.
If you have questions, please talk to your manager or your CWU Rep.
Steve Blampied Andy Furey
Head of DMB Network CWU Assistant Secretary
The agreed preference form (which will be sent via email to members’ Post Office email addresses) and set of Q&As are attached to this LTB. Preference forms should only be returned by members if they are genuinely interested in VR and the closing date is 5pm on Wednesday 4th August.
Finally, a joint conference call for members will be held tomorrow, Tuesday 20th July from 8.30am as part of the Tuesday morning TeamTalk session hosted by Steve Blampied, Head of DMB Network and myself. Details of how to join the call if members are on a scheduled day off or on leave will be sent via PO management.
Further developments and progress on talks will be reported in due course.
Any queries related to this LTB should be directed to lsheridan@cwu.org
Yours sincerely
Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary
Parcelforce Worldwide – Joint Communication – Pathway to Change Update
Parcelforce Worldwide – Joint Communication – Pathway to Change Update
Further to the content of LTB 276/21 issued on the 1st July 2021, attached for the information of Branches, Representatives and Parcelforce members is a further Joint Communication agreed with Parcelforce to provide an update on the current trial activity and details of further agreed activity to address current issues associated to the REX technology.
The attached Joint Statement provides an interim update on the current trial activity and the next steps and launches a second phase of trial activity at 5 depots to run concurrently with the existing trial. This activity will test alternative methods to allow Drivers to resolve routing anomalies and manage their day, while meeting the quality and customer service demands required of Parcelforce as a premium service provider.
Both parties are committed to improving the current situation and the JWG are currently developing further initiatives to address loading issues and refine a historic driver line process to reduce under the roof time and ensure that Drivers have control over the load plan.
As previously reported the department and the CWU Regional Organisers met with Geoplan on 6th July 2021 where the group sought answers and solutions to a range of questions and issues based on Driver Feedback. The session covered these issues in great detail and further discussions are taking place with Parcelforce on potential technical solutions. The JWG is currently working through the outputs and the detailed responses and any agreed actions will be shared with the field in due course.
On the SWW in depots the Joint Communication clarifies that in depots yet to deploy the benefit will be released at the point that agreed plans for indoor operations are confirmed as being in place.
The department remains committed to continued progress to address current REX issues and further updates will be provided as the phased trial activity progresses. The department would be grateful if Branches could ensure that the contents are brought to the attention of our Parcelforce members.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.orgquoting reference 054.06.
Yours sincerely
Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary
POST OFFICE: COVID PANDEMIC MEASURES – JOINT STATEMENT
POST OFFICE: COVID PANDEMIC MEASURES – JOINT STATEMENT
Branches are advised that Post Office, CWU and Unite are continuing to work together to ensure that all Post Office workplaces are as Covid-secure as possible.
Following the announcement from the Government regarding the easing of COVID restrictions and in order to proceed with caution to ensure a safe working environment, we have jointly reviewed the ways of working and safety measures in the workplace and have agreed:
- The wearing of face coverings will remain and social distancing will continue within all workplaces
- Customers will continue to be encouraged to wear face coverings and social distance on the public side of the counter
- Post Office will continue to stock and have available on request the Lateral Flow Tests for all Post Office workers
- Despite regulations being different in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, guidance for Post Office workers remains the same for the four countries.
The following Joint Statement has been agreed:
JOINT STATEMENT POST OFFICE, CWU AND UNITE
COVID 19 Update
Following the announcement from the Government regarding the lifting of COVID restrictions we wanted to provide you all with an update. The Post Office, CWU and Unite are continuing to work together to ensure we prioritise making the workplace as Covid-secure as possible.
Whilst the Government have stated that face coverings no longer need to be worn indoors, we still need to ensure that the Health, Safety and Wellbeing of colleagues is still our number one priority.
It is important we take a safe and cautious approach and avoid risk and complacency as restrictions are eased, therefore the use of relevant PPE and social distancing remains compulsory to help protect one another. Posters will shortly be displayed in branch strongly encouraging customers to continue to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing also.
We also need to be mindful that the regulations are different in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which is why our guidance remains the same.
We will of course carefully monitor all related developments from Government and communicate these accordingly.
Colleagues should carry on following good practices such as keeping hands clean and ensure that social distancing is adhered to in spaces such as small meeting/rest rooms. This will help us to reduce the likelihood of colleagues being asked to self-isolate due to close contact with a colleague who tests positive. Lateral flow test kits are also still available, and we would encourage you to still use these. Control measures as per the current risk assessments should also continue.
If you are unsure or need further clarification on the above, please speak to your manager or union rep who will advise you. You can also find further details on the Hub Coronavirus microsite.
Russell Hancock Phil Savage Andy Furey
Supply Chain Director Unite the Union CWU Assistant Secretary
Post Office
Steve Blampied
Head of DMB Network
Post Office
Further developments will be communicated as and when they occur.Finally I would like to thank Lynn Simpson Postal Executive member who has continued to engage with management on all Covid-19 related issues, including the associated Joint Statement.
Andy Furey
CWU Assistant Secretary
LTB 299/21 – Post Office – Covid Pandemic Measures – Joint Statement
TRIAL OF PARCEL COLLECT “BRING MY LABEL” TERMS OF REFERENCE
TRIAL OF PARCEL COLLECT “BRING MY LABEL” TERMS OF REFERENCE
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 performance in all aspects of delivery and collection.
Having launched the Parcel Collect product in October 2020 Royal Mail is seeking to grow the product through service improvements. One of the areas that we jointly want to look at is the provision of labels for customers purchasing Parcel Collect so that it is accessible to customers who do not have a home printer. Parcelforce already offers this service but it is not widely available in the market, so will be an attractive proposition.
Royal Mail & the CWU are seeking to conduct to test this capability in 4 Delivery Offices: Bath, Cheltenham, Doncaster and Newton Mearns.
These offices were selected because they have had a steady demand for the Parcel Collect service, have experienced few service failures, and to have a North-South geographical split to also include an office in Scotland. The trial will run from 2ndAugust until 29th January inclusive.
The trial will not be a fully scalable solution, as this would require further investment in technology, so it will be based on our Indoor Delivery colleagues having access to the RM Click and Drop Admin Portal to print off labels, rather than this being automatically downloaded each day onto one of the Delivery Office systems.
Aims
The aim of the trial is to test the market appetite for a parcel collection service where we bring the label to the customer, negating the requirement for a home printer. We also need the feedback of both our Indoor and Outdoor colleagues to understand:
- What parts of the design work well?
- What could be improved upon?
- What equipment/technical improvements would be required if we wanted to roll this out Nationally?
The Trial will include the following measures, expanded details of which can be found in the Terms of Reference:
- Any significant difficulties during the course of the trial which prevent us from offering the service in one or all of the Postcode Areas, areas can be “switched off” individually on the Portal (in the event of a force majeure or any other disruption).
- RM & CWU will jointly take feedback from our frontline colleagues throughout the trial and also by means of a survey at the end of it the outputs of which will be shared and communicated within the trial sites.
- End of trial survey for customers
- An Industrial Engineer will conduct a method study comparing the current process and the proof of concept trial process in order to establish the workload task time.
- Training
- Involvement
- Any operational changes required to facilitate the trial arrangements will be progressed in line with the IR Framework.
- Review throughout and at the end of the trial
The Postal Executive Committee endorsed the Trial and associated Terms of Reference, with communication as early as possible being our aim to give the trial areas as much time as possible to prepare.
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 297/21 – TRIAL OF PARCEL COLLECT “BRING MY LABEL” TERMS OF REFERENCE
Attachment: TOR RM and CWU Parcel Collect (Bring My Label) Trial V1
ROYAL MAIL: PATHWAY TO CHANGE AGREEMENT – DELIVERING THE SHORTER WORKING WEEK FOR LA GRADES IN OPERATIONS
ROYAL MAIL: PATHWAY TO CHANGE AGREEMENT – DELIVERING THE SHORTER WORKING WEEK FOR LA GRADES IN OPERATIONS
Branches are advised that we have now concluded all of our Pathway to Change Shorter Working Week Agreements for Business Units/Corporate Centre/Group for our Admin members. These include:
- Address Management Unit
- Customer Experience
- Downstream Access
- Finance Services
- HR Strategy & Services
- MDEC
- National Returns Centre
- Special Events, Assets & Peak Planning
- Stamps & Collectibles
In respect of LAs designated to Operations and therefore attached to Mail centres or Delivery Offices, the National Agreement reached means these members are aligned to the OPGs and therefore should receive the Shorter Working Week benefit simultaneously to the uniform grades in their workplace. This includes those LAs working in Revenue Protection.
If there is any questions over these arrangements, please do not hesitate to contact me via Lea Sheridan lsheridan@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely
Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary
ROYAL MAIL: PATHWAY TO CHANGE AGREEMENT: DELIVERING THE SHORTER WORKING WEEK IN STAMPS & COLLECTIBLES
ROYAL MAIL: PATHWAY TO CHANGE AGREEMENT: DELIVERING THE SHORTER WORKING WEEK IN STAMPS & COLLECTIBLES
I am pleased to advise Branches and our members working in the Stamps & Collectibles unit in Tallents House, Edinburgh that following discussions with management, an agreement has been reached with regards to delivering the Shorter Working Week from Monday 26th July.
The following Joint Statement outlines our agreed position:
Pathway to Change Agreement – Delivering the Shorter Working Week and Improving our Customer Offer
The Stamps & Collectibles team in Customer Experience and CWU are working together to develop mutual interest solutions and a new culture, which is at the core of the commitments contained in our National agreements, including the Key Principles Framework Agreement (Pathway to Change).
We’ll be reducing your working week by one hour and we expect this to be achieved through 12-minute alterations to duty start times. Work is already underway to implement this reduction by Monday 26th July. Part time employees will benefit from a commensurate increase in their hourly pay rate from the same date. Due to payroll cut off dates any changes in pay will be reflected in August salaries (backdated to 26th July). We expect HR PSP system changes to be live from mid-August for full time employees.
To enable the Shorter Working Week, recognising changing customer demand and the need for timely despatch of orders, we’ve agreed that following a joint review, a new set of attendance patterns will be deployed by Monday 20th September. This activity is important in delivering the broader Royal Mail plan of providing an improved service to customers.
Change of any kind takes time to fully discuss and agree, and we’re committed to driving transformation that benefits both the customer and you. We’ll enable your Reps, and the working group in Tallents House to propose and discuss new attendance pattern options. This could mean that some of the work you complete, or your hours of attendance may change in the future, please be assured that all decisions will be made together in a measured and pragmatic way. Changes in shift could unlock opportunities for alternative duty patterns and fewer attendance days across the week. As a business we must continue to change and adapt; and we believe this plan will strike a good balance between improving your Terms and Conditions and focussing on our customers’ changing needs.
Gerry will ensure updates you are kept informed as our discussions progress.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication helping deliver for our customers every day.
Susan Howlett Andy Furey
CE Director CWU Assistant Secretary
As Branches will note, as a consequence of reaching an agreement for delivering the hour off the working week, we have agreed that a duty revision in the Unit will take place with a planned introduction of Monday 20th September. Our local Reps, working in tandem with a Joint Working Group will report back to Andy Hopping, Postal Executive member on a regular basis to ensure the revision will be delivered on time. In this regard, it should be noted there is no headcount reduction proposed and the revision solely relates to attendance times, which management are keen to align to the enhanced customer service offer
Finally, I wish to extend my thanks to Andy Hopping for his support in helping to bring this matter to a positive conclusion.
Yours sincerely
Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary
POST OFFICE: THE FUTURE OF THE CROWN NETWORK – JOINT STATEMENT
POST OFFICE: THE FUTURE OF THE CROWN NETWORK – JOINT STATEMENT
The purpose of this LTB is to update branches on positive progress we have made in recent discussions with Post Office on the future of the Crown network and to publicise the attached Joint Statement that we have now agreed and which has been endorsed by the Postal Executive.
As branches will know there are currently 114 Crown offices, down from 373 in 2012, after successive closure and franchise programmes have been carried out by Post Office. Over the past year, while our members working in Crown offices have provided a vital service as “key workers” in keeping the service running, we have been working with both the Government and Post Office to try to agree a fresh approach and a new strategy to try to secure the future of the network. This has been particularly important as income across the network has sharply declined over this period.
Meetings have been held with Government Ministers and Post Office management, including the CEO Nick Read, and we have put forward a number of new proposals for improving the financial position of Crown offices that we want to work on. We have also been in discussion with local and devolved governments about opportunities for providing new services and new ways they can support local branches.
As a result of this work, we have agreed a Joint Statement which sets out a commitment from Post Office to a period of talks over the next six months until the end of this year, to:
- jointly explore alternatives to franchising including new ways of growing revenues and reducing costs
- and exploring the possibility for entirely new operating models that can continue to provide job security for our members.
To facilitate this dialogue, Post Office has committed to a fresh moratorium on further closures/franchising, which will run until at least 31st December 2021.
Alongside this, we have agreed to a limited VR exercise under MTSF, for a maximum of 120 Crown office staff, to immediately improve the financial position of the network, which has unfortunately seen a fall of more than 25% in income over the past year compared to pre-pandemic levels. Further detailed communications on this exercise will be provided to members working in Crown offices via Andy Furey, Assistant Secretary.
While the Joint Statement is a commitment to talks and there is a lot of work we still need to undertake to try to reach a long-term agreement, we believe this is a significant and positive development given that Post Office has unilaterally pursued a closure and franchise programme without meaningfully engaging with the union for a number of years. The Joint Statement represents a clear shift in this position and it provides a period of stability for our members and an important opportunity for us to make the case for an alternative approach. We will need to shift our focus and attention to build on this and we will shortly be undertaking work with our Regional Secretaries to pursue opportunities with local and devolved Governments.
Further developments and progress on talks will be reported in due course. Any queries on industrial issues related to this LTB should be directed to the C&CH department at lsheridan@cwu.org and any queries on the union’s political engagement on this should be directed to the General Secretary’s office at jdunn@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely
Dave Ward
General Secretary
Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (P)
Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary
LTB 286/21 – Post Office – The Future of the Crown Network – Joint Statement
Average Pay on Annual Leave (Holiday Pay) in Royal Mail Group – Branch Ballot Result and Next Steps
Average Pay on Annual Leave (Holiday Pay) in Royal Mail Group – Branch Ballot Result and Next Steps
Further to LTB 243/21 circulated on 15th June 2021, Branches and Representatives will be aware that the Branch ballot for the proposed Agreement for Average Pay on Annual Leave (Holiday Pay) in Royal Mail Group closed at 12:00 hours today. The results are as follows:
Ballot papers issued 100
Ballot papers returned 76
Total possible votes 111, 806
In favour of the proposed agreement: 98,653 votes
Against the proposed agreement: 3,798 votes
The Postal Executive recommendation has therefore been agreed and the proposed Agreement has been accepted. The business will be informed accordingly.
Further to the Reps Brief that was circulated to Representatives and Branches on 22nd June 2021 and the Frequently Asked Questions document communicated on 25thJune 2021 that both listed the broad monthly dates for the first interim qualifying period, it has now been confirmed that the dates in the second qualifying period for the interim payment calculations are:
27th September 2021 to 31st October (Period 7)
1st November to 28th November (Period 8)
29th November to 26th December (Period 9)
27th December to 30th January (Period 10)
31st January 2021 to 27th February 2022 (Period 11)
28th February to 27th March 2022 (Period 12)
Additionally, Branches will be aware of the issue that was raised in relation to pre-scheduled overtime hours being paid at scheduled attendance rate throughout the peak Christmas period. This topic has proven to be extremely complex and national talks have continued in order to seek an agreed resolution for how those hours are factored into the qualification process of the back pay calculation and the qualifying periods going forward.
Despite some progress being made, there is still no agreement regarding this matter and further updates will be provided to Branches in relation to this aspect as soon as possible.
In terms of those members who have a holiday pay claim registered at the Employment Tribunal, the Department are in discussions with Tony Rupa and Legal Services to confirm the process for sending an individual letter containing a ‘Confirmation of Instruction’ form as well as the details for the reply to be sent. This letter will initially be sent to those within England and Wales with registered claims, followed by members in Scotland and Northern Ireland and any payment of arrears of holiday pay (back pay) under the national agreement are conditional upon the member withdrawing their Employment Tribunal. As advised in LTB 245/21 issued on 17thJune 2021, the Union will not provide legal support and assistance to the remainder.
I closing I would again like to thank all Branches and Representatives for the work they have completed to ensure that an acceptable national agreement has been concluded as well as those members who have pursued individual claims. I would also like to thank Branches for taking part in the democratic process to ensure the agreement has been endorsed.
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)
CWU Submission to Ofcom Review of Postal Regulation – Call for Inputs
CWU Submission to Ofcom Review of Postal Regulation – Call for Inputs
The CWU has made the attached submission to Ofcom on its Review of Postal Regulation – Call for inputs.
In March this year Ofcom launched an extensive review of postal regulation to ensure that it keeps pace with market changes and remains fit for purpose. The review will continue for approximately one year, and will determine Ofcom’s overall approach to postal regulation for the five years from 2022 to 2027. The Call for inputs represents the first phase of this process and there are no policy proposals from Ofcom at this stage.
The CWU’s submission emphasises the importance of securing the universal postal service through growth and innovation rather than cost cutting. It calls for adjustments to postal regulation to meet the evolving needs of postal users, including an extension of parcel delivery to six days under the universal service obligation (USO).
The submission also underlines the CWU’s concerns about labour market exploitation and environmental standards in the postal market, and the need for regulation to support better corporate social responsibility across the sector. We argue that Royal Mail’s commitments to invest in decent labour and environmental standards must not be treated as cost inefficient in comparison with low cost postal competitors. We urge Ofcom to take a lead in addressing these issues, and to push for more powers and duties in this area if necessary.
The CWU’s submission has been drawn up in close collaboration with the General Secretary’s Department and the Postal Department, and was endorsed by the NEC in June. In preparing the document, the CWU held meetings with Royal Mail to explore the potential impact of regulation on the business and to identify areas of common interest.
It is welcome that the CWU and Royal Mail are aligned in many of our priorities for postal regulation, especially around the need for regulation to support the universal postal service and to fully recognise the efficiency improvements that Royal Mail has delivered with the cooperation of its workforce. Royal Mail has also called on Ofcom to address social and environmental issues in the postal sector. It is also helpful that the Post Office has contributed to the review and is aligned with the CWU on some key issues, in particular the importance of safeguarding the universal service.
Ofcom will consider the responses to its ‘Call for inputs’ before publishing a full consultation on the future regulation of postal services later this year. The CWU will also engage with this next stage of the process and will keep Branches updated accordingly. The review will then conclude in 2022.
The CWU’s submission has been published on Ofcom’s website alongside other responses to this consultation, including those from Royal Mail and the Post Office, at the following link:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/postal-regulation-review
Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the Head of Research (email: btaylor@cwu.org).
Yours sincerely
Bill Taylor
Head of Research
Bill Taylor
LTB 293/21 – CWU submission to Ofcom Review of Postal Regulation – CFI
Attachment – CWU Response to Ofcom Royal Mail Regulatory Review CFI 20 May 2021
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 