Day 3 of the Dispute Daily. New head of Education and Equality Kate Hudson joins us to talk bullying and harassment.
Tomorrow we tackle the key issue of part-time members voting yes.
Please share #WeRiseAgain
Latest from the Branch
TUC Briefing for Trade Union Health and Safety Reps – Friday 27 September 2019 – Congress House London – Theme: ‘Respiratory Health – a Workplace Issue’
TUC Briefing for Trade Union Health and Safety Reps – Friday 27 September 2019 – Congress House London – Theme: ‘Respiratory Health – a Workplace Issue’
The TUC London, East & South East Region have announced that they are hosting a ‘free to attend’ briefing for Trade Union Health and Safety Reps on Friday 27 September 2019 at the TUC HQ, Congress House, London. This is an annual event hosted by the Region with all TUC affiliated Trade Unions Health and Safety Reps invited to attend. Pre-Registration is required. Lunch will be provided.
- The central theme for this year is respiratory health, and asbestos past, present and future will feature.
- This is an event for trade union health and safety reps and trade unionists interested in campaigning on health, safety and wellbeing issues at work or in the community.
- Agenda and Guest Speakers to be confirmed, but will include presentations by the HSE, a law firm that represents TU personal injury cases, Hazards Campaign and the Trade Union Clean Air Network(TUCAN).
- Venue: TUC Congress House, Congress House, 23-28 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS
- Free event.
- Please Register by Email to: jowilliams@tuc.org.uk – or by Telephone: 020 7467 1218.
- Check in on the day plus tea/coffee from 9.45am and the event starts at 10.15.
- Lunch provided
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
19LTB520 TUC Briefing for Trade Union Health and Safety Reps – Friday 27 September 2019
Episode Two of the CWU Dispute Daily.
Episode Two of the Dispute Daily. We concentrate on threat of breaking up the company and promote the gate meetings taking places across the UK
#WeRiseAgain
Average Pay on Annual Leave – Royal Mail Group (Holiday Pay) 28/08/19
Average Pay on Annual Leave – Royal Mail Group (Holiday Pay)
Further to LTB 421/19, it is evident that a great deal of work is taking place in Branches to maximise the number of holiday pay claims that members are registering with ACAS.
In order to assist Branches in maintaining this momentum, the attached poster has been produced. The poster should be circulated to as many Representatives and members as possible and displayed on CWU noticeboards in all units/offices.
The Department are still in dialogue with the business concerning a collective national agreement and are currently in the process of arranging further meetings.
It has however come to our attention that some members may be losing out in terms of the settlement figure they are due as they may have taken additional annual leave between lodging the ACAS claim and agreeing the draft COT 3 terms. Paragraph two of the COT3 form indeed states “The respondent agrees to pay the claimant £×××× in respect of ALL periods of annual leave taken up to the date of this agreement”.
Branches are therefore advised that prior to a member agreeing draft terms and then signing the COT3 settlement, they should be asked if they have taken additional leave since the ACAS process was instigated.
If this is the case and a member has taken further leave since the claim was initially instigated (as part of their first 20 days) ACAS must be advised accordingly and asked for a recalculation to be completed to include the latest period(s) of annual leave. This will therefore ensure that members are not disadvantaged.
In closing, I would like to thank Branches for your continued efforts in processing these claims that continue to grow on a daily basis. The Postal Executive remains committed to concluding an acceptable collective national agreement and your work is helping to achieve this aim.
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)
19LTB519 Average Pay on Annual Leave – Royal Mail Group (Holiday Pay)
CWU Retired Members Conference – Wednesday 23 October 2019
CWU Retired Members Conference – Wednesday 23rd October 2019
Further to LTB 430/19, the CWU Retired Members Conference is being held at the Birmingham CWU Offices, 46-48 Summer Lane, Hockley, Birmingham, B19 3TH.
Branch Secretaries are asked to register their delegates/observers to the above conference using the online registration system that has previously been used. Branches only with Retired members sections are entitled to send delegates to this conference. The entitlement for each Branch is attached.
If you experience any problems whilst registering your delegates then please contact eventsregistration@cwu.org
The link to access the webpage is as follows or this can be copied into the search browser: https://conference.cwu.org
Please note that once a delegate has been registered using the online registration an agenda, when prepared, will be sent via the branch office to the individual(s). The agenda will also be published on the website nearer the date.
Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Angela Niven by email to conferences@cwu.org
Yours sincerely,
A P Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary
Mark Baulch tells us why Delivery members need to vote YES
National Officer Mark Baulch tells us why Delivery members need to vote YES in the National Ballot in this special podcast
#WeRiseAgain
https://soundcloud.com/the-cwu/the-u-word-four-pillars-update-episode-with-mark-baulch
Welcome to the CWU Dispute Daily.
Welcome to Dispute Daily. A news feature on the Royal Mail Group ballot brought to you by the Communications Department.
Each day we will cover one reason why it’s so important to vote yes as well as highlight where all the brilliant meetings around the UK are taking place.
Please watch and share #WeRiseAgain
UNI Europa Youth Conference 2019 – Postal Constituency Vacancy
UNI Europa Youth Conference 2019 – Postal Constituency Vacancy
Further to LTB 487/19 dated 13th August 2019.
Following the publication of the above LTB, on 20 August 2019 we have been advised that Sophie Chamberlain has withdrawn from the above conference, which is taking place in Zadar, Croatia on 30th-31stOctober 2019.
We are therefore now seeking nominations for the vacant postal women’s position.
POSTAL CONSTITUENCY
1 Lay Member (must be a woman)
A nomination form is attached to this LTB along with a copy of the Election Regulations.
The timetable for nominations is as follows:
Nominations open 28 August 2019
Nominations close 04 September 2019 (14:00)
Dispatch Ballot Papers 06 September 2019
Ballot Closes 20 September 2019
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
UNI Europa Youth Regulations 2019
A National Industrial Action Ballot to Protect our National Agreements!
A National Industrial Action Ballot to Protect our National Agreements!
A CWU Reps Brief
Morning everyone I just want take a few minutes from your break to update you on the current situation
Some of you may be asking why we are balloting you for industrial action and why this has come about so quick……..
• As you are aware Rico Back was appointed Chief Executive officer for Royal Mail on the back of a £6 million pound transfer payment from the board because he moved from GLS which he ran and which is also owned by Royal Mail to be Chief Executive Officer of Royal Mail.
• Rico took a few weeks to suss out the situation and just like the Leighton, Crozier and Moya Green takeovers in the past he announced that Royal Mail were in the crap and announced that RM profits were nowhere near what they were forecasted to be which subsequently reduced the share price of RM from £5.00 to now which is currently at £2.00 .
• Low and behold this announcement was just prior to every Postal worker in the country being able to cash in shares tax free which meant that any payment to usmore than halved because of Rico’s announcement.
• Rico then decided to spend a one million quid of his own money on shares at the new low price obviously waiting for the time to be right to say we are in profit and this making himself an absolute fortune …. He isn’t nicknamed “Mr Greedy” for nothing.
• Rico has got his feet under the table and has literally sacked all but one senior manager who was involved in the 4 pillars agreement, Rico has put back the senior managerial positions that were devolved under the 4 pillars agreement and subsequently put in the Hawks that were totally against the CWU in the 4 pillars dispute back into those positions even though the CWU met with him and advised against this saying it would set Industrial relations back years.
So what else has Rico and Royal Mail done … well here we go …
• Rico and Royal Mail have independently announced a new Parcel strategy for Royal Mail that will potentially take out a minimum of 20,000 jobs out of our industry by the removal of shoe box size parcels from the core delivery. He arrogantly invited the CWU to a meeting days after the announcement was made to the Market where the Business outlined their strategy with no input whatsoever from the CWU.
• Rico and Royal Mail have announced that they intend to separate Parcelforce into an independent company outside of Royal Mail Group which means our members will have to have their terms and conditions TUPE’d. there is no reason to do this barring the fact that they want to sell off Parcelforce and make a profit from selling them off as an independent company.
• Parcelforce could still be independent of Royal Mail without the need for them to be TUPE’d and if we don’t fight this issue, then what’s not to stop Royal Mail making Mail Centres, distribution hubs and deliveries separate businesses in the future.
• This is an out and out attack on our terms and conditions and is out-with the Agenda for growth agreement and the legally binding contract we have with Royal Mail to not sell off parts of the industry.
• Rico and Royal Mail will not agree to the next 1–hour reduction in our shorter working week. This was part of the 4 pillars agreement but they are now saying that we have to make initial savings via revisions and then make further savings to build in the SWW this is not what the agreement stated. We have no problem going into revisions but the SWW must be built into any revisions and any revisions must not be budget based and should look to fix any issues that are within offices.
• The Bullying Culture is just not going away we have more and more offices walking out on unofficial industrial action because of managers behaviour towards our members. Rico and Royal Mail have no allegiance to the 4 pillars agreement and what was meant in the agreement to change in the culturewithin Royal Mail. We need to stand firm and all together to ensure bullying managers are made extinct.
• Rico and Royal Mail want to end the agreement on the legally binding contract they have with us via the Agenda for Growth agreement. The agreement that says they cannot sell parts of the business off, the agreement that says they have to negotiate with us, the agreement that does not allow them to take executive action.
• Rico and Royal Mail are looking at the 6–day Universal Service Obligation to see if they can reduce this and again with one fell swoop take out a fifth of the jobs we have in delivery.
• The new Royal Mail Senior Management Team are obsessed with using PDA’s to track every delivery duty and they want to be able to resource and carry out revision activity based on the outputs of the PDA. Royal Mail have been told loud and clear a PDA is not an efficiency measure as it does not tell if an individual has started on time, taken their meal relief, performed their indoor prep, carried out delivery to neighbour etc.
• Royal Mail want to introduce Automated Hours Data Capture so they can link signing and signing out to what you are paid.
• Royal Mail do not want to give you the further hour off the working week which is also worth 2.6% pay rise to part timers unless every office agrees to over 5% savings.
• Royal Mail have also proposed that they would want the 30-minute flex agreement to be extended to 6 days per week as they believe they need more flexibility as. Traffic is still unpredictable. They also want to make it mandatory.
• Rico actually stated to our National Officers this is his company and he will do what he wants with it and he does not need to negotiate with us what the shape of the industry will be for the future if he wants to sell parts of it he can!!!!
• Rico and his cronies have no obligation to Royal Mail our Great British institution that has survived for over 500 years. Rico and his cronies want to make as much money as possible via the share rip off and sell off as much of Royal Mail as possible. Rico and his cronies are very much what Privatisation is all about. The want to strip our company bare make as much money as possible to tuck away in their back pockets and walk always laughing after they have smashed this company.
Well we ain’t gonna have that, The CWU have a policy that was carried at conference unanimously and this is it,
Emergency Motion 2
• Conference acknowledges that the Four Pillars Guiding Principles Agreement (FPGPA) was a strategic Agreement which mapped out a mutual interest approach to the future challenges and success criteria facing both Royal Mail Group and the CWU. Conference furthermore condemns the attitude of some senior RMG managers for demeaning the value of this Agreement to both the company and its employees by suggesting/implying that RMG gained very little from the Four Pillars Agreement.
• The Agreement recognised that to keep RMG relevant and successful it would need to respond to customer expectations and adapt to the changing market needs. That it must invest in evolving and changing the operational pipeline to be in a position to attract and efficiently handle parcels growth and protect the six day USO, promote the value of letters and maximise what we deliver with the core USO offering (along with other products and services) to build upon and maintain Royal Mail’s unique reach and status within the UK as the USO provider.
• We agreed that a joint fundamental review of the pipeline would be undertaken to progress proposals on growth and to propose solutions to reduce the time to connect products and review how we can significantly grow Royal Mail’s capability to attract new workload. We recognised that our growth ambition would be to extend Royal Mail’s delivery capability both earlier and later from 7am to 7pm to embrace greater AM opportunities and later parcel delivery along with LAT’s.
• However, this was all to be achieved by working together from the commencement of activity to develop a future pipeline through a new joint Pipeline Forum. That Forum would ensure that such change should assess and minimise the impact on employees as much as possible.
• Therefore, Conference agrees that RMG has failed to carry out and/or abide to all the commitments detailed in the Four Pillars Agreement and have used managerial leadership and structural changes as an excuse to disengage from progressing the terms of the Agreement with the CWU in a meaningful way for a damaging period of time. This delay has undermined the Agreement’s natural momentum and has resulted in the business trying to create a crisis mentality to undermine and fail to honour all aspects of the Four Pillars Guiding Principles Agreement.
• Clearly RMG now wish to progress negotiations on the growth strategy and operational pipeline which is covered by Sections 14 and 15 of the Agreement in particular but also referred to throughout. We will insist that those negotiations must commence with RMG committing to the full terms, spirit and intent of the Four Pillars Guiding Principles Agreement and the benefits contained therein.
• RMG insist that their consultant’s report is not a formal proposal and that they want to work with the CWU to form an agreed plan to increase our capacity, grow our parcel offering to offset letter revenue decline, protect the USO, ensure geographical coverage, determine what investment is required and understand the impact of the workforce.
• However, RMG have leaked information to the field indicating that there will be a move away from maximizing what is delivered within the current core delivery specification and the companies desire to remove larger parcels from a substantial number of delivery units. Conference agrees that this act is totally unacceptable to the Union and out with the terms and principals of the FPGP Agreement.
• Conference also notes that the Four Pillars Guiding Principles Agreement is a Group-wide Agreement and we would want assurances on the future of all businesses in the Group and especially Parcelforce as part of this process.
• Conference therefore agrees that any final agreement on a new growth pipeline will be placed before an Annual/Special Conference of the postal section of the Union.
• Conference also agrees that theimmediate operational culture across all functions needs to be urgently addressed because a growing toxic workplace culture will never enable any agreed future vision to happen. The recent nationwide culture visits along with increasing flashpoints and industrial action requests have exposed unacceptable levels of unreasonable pressure, inequity, unfairness,favoritism, harassment, bullying, excessive control and micromanagement, lack of empathy and support and inadequate new entrant training.
• Conference agrees that our current state is very much due to a managerial blinkered approach which has hugely overestimated the importance and competencies of new technology and discounted the critical importance of human input – the knowledge and experience that will always be necessary to deliver excellent service daily. RMG must accept that, regardless of advancing technologies, our position is that the information produced is only the starting point for a negotiation and that peoples duty structures and workload, either on a daily, weekly or longer-term basis has to be agreed locally with the CWU or via our IR Framework. We will never accept de-humanised working environment where technology monitors and determines an individual’s every move and we insist that Section 17 of our Agreement on ‘Data Usage’ must be honoured.
• Against that backdrop, this Conference agrees that in the absence of agreed productivity measures and the local quality of service and resourcing audits (as detailed in the Agreement) failing to address the workplace issues, it is agreed that a national programme of workplace revisions will be instigated via guidelines determined by the CWU National Officers and National RMG Functional Leads and overseen by the Divisional Representatives and RMG Delivery Directors will be deployed.
• These revisions must major on structural integrity, the ability to do the job in the most efficient and logical way that makes sense to those who do the job. Local units should be empowered to not only determine the best resourcing & operational structure which enables daily clearance, excellent Q of S, people being able to take their leave, reduce unrealistic absorptions/constant pressure, fair and manageable workload, identify any cost saving efficiency. For Mail Centres, RDC’s and WBC’s the current revisions processes and guidelines will apply, and for both Professional Driver Grades the National Network Review and PAD revisions will apply.
• RMG’s budgetary savings targets will not predetermine or dictate these reviews but rather they will be the subject of local negotiations in line with the IR Framework to fix local operations and the negative barriers to a productive working environment as detailed above.
• These revisions should also factor in the next one hour reduction in the working week scheduled for the 1st October as part of the 2019 pay award. Should any of these revisions produce a surplus staffing situation the full terms of MTSF and all other appropriate agreements will apply.
• In the event that the business fails to reach an agreement with the CWU or positively respond to the terms of this Motion, then the PEC is instructed to consider all means available to the Union up to and not excluding a national Industrial Action ballot in accordance with CWU National Rules.
• Conference further agrees that should RMG attempt to introduce any of their potential proposals by Executive Action, the PEC is instructed to activate an immediate ballot of CWU members for strike action.
• Postal Executive
Colleagues, Comrades we are in the fight of our life this is simply about you either support the CWU’s position which is a negotiated settlement that provides an Industry that is proud of it’s workforce and treats them all with fairness, dignity and respect or you support Rico and his cronies destroying this proud Great Unionised Industry
Support the CWU, support the Union, Vote Yes in the forthcoming Industrial Action Ballot, which is timetabled as,
Membership Verification: to commence and be completed by 3rd September 2019
Issue Industrial Action Notice to Ballot: 17th September 2019
Ballot Opens: 24th September 2019
Ballot Closes: 8th October 2019
Ballot Result: 8th October 2019
Thank you for listening!
Edinburgh MC, Ipswich MC, Cambridge MC, Darlington MC, Plymouth Distribution, Thames Valley MC, Newcastle MC, Peterborough MC, Belfast MC, Glasgow MC, Bristol MC, Greenford MC, Southend MC, Watford MC, Preston Dist, Romford MC, Dorset MC, Chemsford MC, Northampton MC, Perth Distribution & Walk Bundling Centre, Sheffield MC, Wolverhampton Dist, Gatwick Dist / Network, Leicester Distibution, Coverntry Dist, Bradford MC, Bolton MC, Belfast VOC, Birmingham VOC, Bridgend VOC, Carlisle VOC, Coventry Hub, Croydon VOC, East Midlands Airport, East Midlands VOC, Essex RDC, Milton Keynes VOC, Newcastle VOC, National Distribution Centre, NDC VOC, NEDC VOC, SDC VOC, Peterborough VOC, South West RDC, YDC VOC, Woolavington SPDO, Bristol EDO, Nailsea, Patchway, Thornbury, Fishponds, Keynsham, Cleveland DO, Yatton PDO, Axbridge, Clevedon DO, Wrington SPDO, Yate PDO, Bristol City PDO, Bridgwater DO, Avonmouth PDO, Bristol NDO, Bristol SDO, Bristol SEPDO, Portishead DO, Bristol East Central DO, Westbury on Trym, Western Super Mare, Clifton DO, BS Walk Seq Unit, Kingswood, Edmonton, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Rutherglend DO, Oban DO, Paisley DO, Renfrew DO, Johnstone DO, Iverclyde DO, Rothesay Do, Bridge of Wier DO, G53 DO, G31/40 DO, G51 DO, G76 DO, G67/68 DO, G62 DO, G64 DO, G 13/14 DO, G78DO, G1-4 DO, G43-46 DO, G33-34 DO, G21-22 DO, Kilwinning DO, Helensburugh DO, Alexandria DO, Ayr DO, Ballieston DO, G20-23 DO, Bearsden DO, Cumnock DO, Stranraer DO, Largs DO, Beith DO, Dalry DO, G41 DO, G42 DO, G5 DO, Woolwich DO, Thetford DO, Bardwell SPDO, Gt Barton SPDO, Honington SPDO, Stanton SPDO, Ixworth SPDO, Thursdon SPDO, Woolpit SPDO, Bury St Edmunds DO, St Ives DO, Penzance DO, Perranport SPDO, Newquay DO, Truro DO, Durham DO, Grangemouth DO, Ansthruther DO, Edinburgh ECDO 8 and 9, Edinburgh EH10, Edinburgh West DO, Cowdenbeath DO, Edinburgh South DO, Boness DO, Livingstone DO, Lochgelly DO, Bathgate DO, Stirling DO, Dunfermline DO, Edinburgh Central 1, Kinross DO, North West DO, Dalkeith DO, Kirkcaldy DO, Falkirk DO, Portobello DO, Burntisland DO, Alloa DO, Wadebridge DO, Liskeard DO, Padstow SPDO, PL1 DO, PL4 DO, PL8 DO, PL9 DO, Tavistock DO, PL2/3 DO, St Austell DO, West Park Do, Looe DO, Launceston Do, Saltash DO, Bude DO, Torpoint DO, Saltash DO, Carrickfergus DO, Belfast East DO, Belfast West DO, Dundee East Do, Perth DO, Auchterarder DO, Creiff DO, Dundee Central DO, Blairgowrie DO, Montrose DO, Brechin DO, Dundee West DO, Enfield DO, Hoddesdon DO, Hatfield DO, Potters Bar DO, St Albans Do, Waltham Cross DO, Welwyn Garden City DO, BasildonDO, Billericay DO, Bishops Stortford DO, Braintree DO, Brentwood DO, Chelmsford DO, Dunmow DO, Epping DO, Harlow DO, Marldon DO, Ongar DO, Sawbridgeworth DO, South Woodham Ferrers DO, Stanstead DO, Witham DO, Bensfleet DO, Canvey Island DO, Leigh on Sea DO, Hockley DO, Rochford DO, Stanford le Hope DO, Wickford DO, Shoeburyness DO, Great Wakering DO, Rayleigh DO, Corby DO, Crow Lane DO, Kettering DO, Canterbury DO, Chatham DO, Faversham DO, Maidstone DO, Medway DO, Rainham DO, Gillingham DO,Rochester DO, Sheerness DO, Honiton DO, Taunton DO, Barnstaple DO, Newton Abbot DO, Chard DO, Langport DO, Somerton DO, Williton DO, Newport West DO, Abercarn DO, Burslem DO, Stafford DO, Iverness DO, Stockport DO, Hadfield SPDO, Hazel Grove DO, Warrington DO, St Helens DO, Bognor Regis DO, Fareham DO, Newport Isle of Wight DO, Looe DO, Chicester DO, Waterlooville DO, Portsmouth DO, Lemington Spa DO, Coventry DO, Warwick DO, Croydon DO, Peterborough DO, Hungtindon DO, Boston DO, Market Deeping DO, Skegness DO, Wisbech DO, Bourne DO, Hunstanton DO, Kings Lynn DO, Cambridge DO, Great Yarmouth DO, Norwich DO, Aylsham DO, Dereham DO, Rochdale DO, Oldham DO, Wigan DO, Sheffield North East DO, Sheffield City, NE, South, East, West, South West, South East DOs, Dore DO, Dronfield DO, Halfway DO, Dinnington DO, Chapeltown DO, Bolsover DO, Birdwell DO, Brierley DO, Hathersage DO, Chesterfield DO, Matby DO, Rotherham DO, Stavely DO, Bamford DO, Curlton-in-Lindrick SPDO, Cudworth SPDO, Stoney Middleton SPDO, Grindleford SPDO, Hope SPDO, Grimethorpe DO, Tankersley SPDO, EYAM DO, CALVER DO, BRADWELL DO, WOMBWELL DO, MANVERS DO, BARNSLEY DO, Harrogate DO, All Manchester DOs, Northolt DO, Ruislip DO, Stanmore DO, Wembley DO, Winton DO, Poole DO, Alder Hill DO, Middlesbrough DO, Nottingham East DO, Carlton DO, Grantham DO, Beeston DO, Newark DO, Sleaford DO, East Wood DO, West Derby DO, Morpeth DO, Blaydon DO, Ponteland DO, West 5 DO, Washington DO, North Tyneside DO, Gateshead DO, Forest Hall DO, Blyth DO, Barking DO, Dagenham DO, Grays DO, Harold Hill DO, Hornchurch DO, Ilford DO, Loughton DO, Rainham DO, Romford DO, South Ockendon DO, Upmister DO, Woodford Green DO, Borehamwood DO, Watford DO, Bushey DO, Radlett DO, Kings Langley DO, Rickmansworth, Colchester DO, Clacton DO,Halstead DO, Harwich DO, Manningtree DO, Sudbury DO, Frinton on sea DO, Alresford SPDO, Ardleigh SPDO, Boxford SPDO, Brightlingsea SPDO, Bures SPDO, Coggeshall SPDO, Dedham SPDO, East Bergholt SPDO, Eight Ash Green SPDO, Elmstead SPDO, Fingrinhoe SPDO, GtBentley SPDO, Gt Horkesley SPDO, St Yeldham SPDO, Kelvedon SPDO, Lexden Heath SPDO, Marks Tey SPDO, Nayland SPDO, Polstead DO, Rowhedge DO, Sible Hedingham, Stoke by Nayland SPDO, Tiptree SPDO, Wakes Colne SPDO, West Berghold SPDO, West Mersea SPDO, Wivenhoe SPDO, EarlsColne SPDO, CO Postcode Area, Reading DO, West Reading DO, Maidenhead DO, Basingstoke DO, Wolverhampton DO, Rugeley DO, Lanark DO, Motherwell DO, Gloucester North DO, Dursley DO, Gloucester South DO, Crewe DO, Bolton North DO, Bolton West DO, Farnworth DO, Bury DO, Witney DO, Blackburn DO.
Click on the link below to view and download
Annual Leave/Resourcing Guidelines
Annual Leave/Resourcing Guidelines
Dear Colleagues,
As with previous years, a set of National joint guidelines has been agreed in order to assist representatives when discussing and concluding 2020-21 annual leave arrangements with local managers, which should be concluded in line with the Way Forward Agreement by 31st October 2019.
Whilst the attached guidelines mainly reflect previous year’s arrangements, particular attention is drawn to Branches regarding the following:
The “Annual Leave Calenderisation Work Aide” information/guide tab will assist managers and reps in undertaking the correct process to establish leave demand and populate the work aide accordingly. Whilst stressing the point that the Work Aid is a guide and should therefore be used as such.
The focus is on concluding a robust and reliable Annual Leave Plan/Agreement that includes all individuals’ legally contractual leave entitlements as its primary driver, whilst also identifying extra leave slots in low traffic periods over and above those agreed to facilitate the taking of additional leave and therefore maximising choice of leave slots for individuals.
The existing National agreements, guidelines, agreed tools, procedures and processes in place to support resourcing on an ongoing basis are not affected by these annual leave/resourcing guidelines. They remain firmly in place and will in fact be used to support the process and assist in providing a balanced approach to year round leave allocation and resourcing.
Managers and reps will also need to establish the total number of owed weeks above the leave year’s contractual entitlement which need to be documented in your agreements and arrangements agreed locally put in place to deal with it.
Additionally, set out below is guidance that has previously been communicated to representatives but is worth repeating especially for representatives entering into leave agreements for the first time:
It is essential when entering discussions that CWU representatives establish and allocate the unit’s contractual entitlement first which will in turn identify the number of leave reserves required to enable reliable resourcing.
“Vacancies and leave reserve vacancies should remain under constant review to ensure adequate resource is available to meet customer and operational requirements”.
When establishing leave demand include all staff contractual leave, Bank Holiday credits for annual leave that coincides with Bank Holidays and rest days that fall on a Bank Holiday, purchased leave, and any leave days carried over from the previous year. Your DOM should have this information in their Manpower Plan that you need to check to ensure all contractual and carried over leave has been captured.
The number of weeks can be checked through this calculation below and should be cross referenced with the number of leave weeks in PSP that are in the Annual Leave Calenderisation aide, and the relevant adjustments made.
For example:
If the above added up to 600 weeks to be allocated and covered and 2 weeks were closed for Christmas Pressure the number of leave reserves to cover AWD would be 12, (600 / 50) = 12. Add to this the leave reserves leave 12 @ 5 weeks = 60 weeks would mean another leave reserve (60 / 50) = 1.2.
In this example that would mean that a minimum of 13 leave slots a week for 50 weeks should be available. If you then agree to open up another 3 slots due to agreed absorption through the summer weeks then in the period June to August the number of open slots available should be 16.
This is just one flat line example. Units may decide not to employ against all 13 reserves and convert some to S/A, or overtime. This is subject to local discussion and agreement.
As a consequence of providing additional leave slots in the summer period there may be leave gaps in the ‘winter’ period, notwithstanding other absence, which you may need to discuss and agree a plan to deal with. There could be more people available in the unit, bearing in mind traffic/workload traditionally increases during this period. This should be dealt with via weekly resourcing meetings and subject to agreement.
Branches should progress any disagreements in regards to managers refusing to fully engage and adhere to these guidelines in establishing annual leave plans/agreements through the IR Framework as appropriate.
Further National discussions continue with Royal Mail within the Performance JWG regarding the impact of owed/carried over annual leave as a result of the shorter working week, the review of the Weekly Resourcing Agenda, and future de-coupling of the Annual Leave arrangements and WRM Agenda which is currently within one document. It is intended to incorporate these changes into a revised set of National guidelines and further updates will be provided to Branches as these discussions progress.
Any queries to the content of the above, please contact the Outdoor Department, reference: 445, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.
Mark Baulch
Assistant Secretary
LTB 515.19 – Annual Leave _ Resourcing Guidelines
RM_CWU Nationally Agreed Guidelines Covering Annual Leave and Weekly Resourcing August 2019
