KELLY MARY FAUVRELLE

Following the horrific murder of Kelly Mary Fauvrelle, a postwoman from Croydon, the CWU has launched an appeal fund to provide a lasting memorial for Kelly and to support the family with the funeral costs.

This is being done in conjunction with our Croydon and Sutton Branch and we will liaise with the family to ensure we respect their wishes.

Donations can be made on the following link:-

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kellymary

Any money left over will go to support campaigns, events and organisations that stand against knife crime.

Any enquiries on the content of this LTB please forward to gsoffice@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

19LTB425 Kelly Mary Fauvrelle

GLYN MASON FORMER BRANCH SECRETARY KINGSTON AREA BRANCH 

It is with regret that I write to inform you that Glyn Mason, former Kingston Area Branch Secretary passed away recently.

Glyn was a Gold Badge holder and worked tirelessly on behalf of the CWU and its members from 1968 as a Branch Secretary and Area Representative until his retirement in 2004.  Glyn continued as the Kingston Area Branch Retired Members’ Secretary until 2017.

Our thoughts are of course with Glyn’s family and friends at this sad time and on behalf of the CWU, I convey our deepest sympathy and condolences.  He will be sorely missed by members, colleagues and friends within the union and the wider labour movement.

For those who wish to attend, the funeral will take place on Monday 22^nd July  at Kingston Crematorium, Bonner Hill Road, Kingston Upon Thames KT1 3EZ, at 3 p.m.

Any enquiries on the content of this LTB please forward to gsoffice@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

424-19 Glyn Mason Former Branch Secretary Kingston Area Branch

Royal Mail Group Holiday Pay

Further to LTB 416/19 regarding the issue of average pay on annual leave.

Branches will be aware that the Department has been exchanging correspondence with Royal Mail Group concerning the wording of Paragraph 2 of the COT3 legal documentation. Our concern centred on the fact that the initial wording may have resulted in members not receiving back pay in the event of a collective national agreement being concluded. Following various drafts and after consultation with the Union’s Legal Advisor, I am pleased to announce that the following words have now been agreed:

“For the avoidance of doubt the terms of this agreement do not preclude the claimant from receiving the benefit of any deal reached nationally between the Company and CWU on holiday pay with respect to any holiday taken after the date of the national agreement. In the event that the Company and CWU enter into a national agreement which includes payments to employees in respect of the period prior to the Company’s payroll systems being updated to allow for future holiday pay to include payments reflecting regular overtime, any payment to the claimant will be pro-rated or reduced to extent that it is necessary so that the claimant does not recover payment twice for the same holiday.”

I can confirm that the Department has notified ACAS and Unionline of the above. This should now ensure that those claims where the monetary offer has been agreed by individual members (subject to acceptable terms and conditions) can be progressed.

Once again I would like to thank all Branches for their ongoing efforts in relation to this whole matter and for assisting with the ever increasing number of cases.

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

Yours sincerely,

Ray Ellis
Acting Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

19LTB421 Royal Mail Group Holiday Pay

Letter Automation Strategy – CSS Machine Removal Programme

Both departments continue to receive reports from Branches and Divisions on proposals in the field for CSS machine removals from MPU’s. In some cases these proposals involve changes to mails presentation and sequencing levels to the point that sequenced mail on Wave 2 could be replaced by walksort or even batch sort solutions. In our opinion this flies in the face of previous business policy with regard to sequencing levels and indeed National agreements.

Within our respective forums we have informed the business that we do not believe that this activity could be described as Business as Usual and that matters relating to future automation strategy and the location and utilisation of machines across the Mail Centre and MPU estate are an integral part of the Strategic Review of the Operational Pipeline defined in Section 14 of the Guiding Principles agreement. It is the non-adherence to the commitments in Section 14 of our agreement which has in large part led to the current Point of Principle disagreement between the company and the Union.

Clearly letter decline will be a factor in any agreed strategy going forward. However much like the Parcel Strategy announced by Royal Mail at their Capital Markets day, the CWU expect to be fully involved in the development of future operational design rather than have the business thinking forced through as a “fait accompli”.

We have therefore written to the business requesting that all current activity in this area is ceased until such time as proposals on any National strategy have been presented to the CWU, cross functionally in line with the commitments in the Guiding Principles and that agreement has been reached on an onward process.

We would therefore request that where proposals are received for CSS machine removals that they are brought to the attention of the respective departments and that they are entered into the IR Framework on the basis that the strategy is proper to National consultation and agreement in line with National agreement.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.orgquoting reference number: 712.02.

or

Outdoor Department, email: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org quoting reference number: 540.

Davie Robertson – Assistant Secretary                              

Mark Baulch – Assistant Secretary         

19LTB420

Action Mesothelioma Day 2019:‎ (5 July)

Worldwide at least 38,000 people die every year from Mesothelioma, a fatal asbestos-related cancer. These deaths cause so much heartbreak and suffering. They leave huge holes in families; ones that can never be filled. Asbestos fibres are invisible to the naked eye, therefore it is so important for people to know where asbestos can be found, so these deaths can be prevented.‎

Taking place tomorrow, (5 July), Action Mesothelioma Day, brings together patients, carers, families and local dignitaries in Britain for services of remembrance and hope, commemorating the thousands of lives lost to Mesothelioma. The day is organised by Mesothelioma UK.

Asbestos related Cancer Deaths – Statistics 
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) the number of Asbestos related Cancer deaths have continued to increase over recent years which reflect occupational exposures that occurred many years ago because there is a long time lag between exposure in most cases and the onset of the disease.  The HSE expects deaths from Mesothelioma to continue to rise for the next four to five years.  Asbestos was used very extensively all the way up to 1999 when it was finally banned in the UK so we have quite a stock of buildings with asbestos-containing materials in them.  As well as people working in construction and related industries, Mesothelioma has claimed the lives of women who inhaled Asbestos dust as they washed their husband’s work clothes.

The tragic legacy of Asbestos means that someone dies every five hours in the UK and the World Health Organisation reports that Asbestos-related lung cancer, Mesothelioma and Asbestosis from occupational exposures results in well over 100,000 deaths a year worldwide.

At present no effective treatment or cure exists.

Those affected are workers from a wide range of industries and occupations.  In the past construction workers, railway workers and ship yard workers were exposed in large numbers.  People who have lived near asbestos factories in the past and families of workers who have unintentionally brought the deadly dust home on their work clothes and overalls have been affected.

With 100,000 tonnes of Asbestos containing materials still in buildings built before 2000, those tradesmen e.g. Buildings Maintenance workers, Plumbers, Electricians, Joiners, Gas fitters, Heating and Ventilation Engineers, IT and Telecommunications workers and others – working on and maintaining the buildings or carrying out alterations or installations etc., are the ones at risk today if safety precautions are not followed.

There is no safe threshold of exposure to asbestos fibres, meaning that inhalation of small quantities, even over a short period, can lead to Mesothelioma decades after exposure. Mesothelioma normally has a latency period of around 30–40 years.

Mesothelioma 
Mesothelioma is a rare and incurable form of cancer, caused almost exclusively through the inhalation and retention of Asbestos fibres.  The condition mostly affects those individuals who worked within roles that involved the use of Asbestos. However, it has also been known to affect individuals who spent many years employed within an Asbestos-contaminated environment.

Types of Asbestos 
There are three main types of Asbestos – Blue, Brown and White.  Blue is the most toxic but no type is safe.  Many are still ignorant of the dangers of Asbestos and the cancers it can cause.  At least three other types of Asbestos exist but were less commonly used. Fibres lay dormant in the lining of the lungs or abdomen and the slow growing cancer symptoms can appear 15 to 50 years after exposure has taken place.  As Asbestos was thought of as a ‘miracle fibre’ because of its strong resistance to heat, fire and chemicals, it was used in a variety of materials and products in the home and industries throughout the UK, such as building and electrical insulation and mixed with cement, until the importation was finally banned.

The Asbestos Ban 
In the UK, blue and brown Asbestos materials were banned outright in 1985 while the import, sale and second hand reuse of white Asbestos was outlawed in 1999 by the Tony Blair led Labour Government.

Asbestos related diseases
Embedded asbestos fibres irritate the lung tissue around them, causing a number of diseases:

• Pleural disease

Inflammation and irritation of the outer lining of the lung, the pleura. The pleura   stiffens and thickens widely (diffuse thickening) or in patches (plaques), and can fill with fluid. This thickening can restrict breathing.

• Asbestosis

This is scarring of the lungs: the airways become so inflamed and scarred that oxygen is no longer able to pass from the lungs into the blood. The lungs become stiff and inelastic, making breathing progressively difficult.  Symptoms include tightness in the chest, dry cough, and in the later stages, a bluish tinge to the skin caused by lack of oxygen. Asbestosis is usually seen in former asbestos miners, asbestos manufacturing workers and insulation workers, and usually takes a decade or more to develop.

• Lung cancer

Exposure to asbestos fibres greatly increases a person’s risk of developing lung cancer, particularly if they are also a smoker.

• Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the pleura. It typically grows quickly and spreads widely before symptoms appear, making its early diagnosis and effective treatment very difficult. The average survival time after diagnosis is only 6-18 months. A very small exposure to asbestos can be enough to trigger the cancer, however, only a small percentage of people exposed to asbestos develop mesothelioma. There may be a  lag of 20 to 40 years after asbestos exposure before mesothelioma results.

Basic Advice 
Employers are legally bound to survey, identify and manage or remove Asbestos- containing materials in their buildings and those employing workers must find out if Asbestos-containing materials are present and plan the work to avoid disturbing these materials and exposing workers.  Workers should stop and ask if they are unsure or are suspicious that something may be Asbestos or if you think the work might need to be carried out by a licensed contractor.  They should follow the plan of work and work method statement and safe system of work making sure they have been properly trained and informed before they start.  Further detailed information and advice is available from the CWU HQ Health, Safety & Environment Department, Health and Safety Executive and Local Authority Environmental Health Departments.

You can get involved in Action Mesothelioma Day too by:

• Dowloading information for awareness raising from the Mesothelioma(UK) Website https://www.mesothelioma.uk.com/
• Downloading and distributing IOSH NTTL free resources, to raise awareness https://www.iosh.com/more/our-influence/our-policy-positions/iosh-asbestos-policy-position-june-2018/

Many thanks for your continued support – CWU supporting campaigns to beat occupational cancer.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

19LTB415 Action Mesothelioma Day 2019‎ (5 July)