NEW EDUCATION AND TRAINING WEBSITE

Dear colleagues,

The CWU has launched our new education and training website today. This new site can be viewed here www.education.cwu.org

We are pleased with the look and feel of the new site and we hope branches, representatives, ULRs and members can use it to continue and enhance the unions excellent online education and training presence.

In launching the site, we are aware there will be teething problems and we encourage any users to report issues to April O’Neill via email aoneill@cwu.org

Any enquiries on the content of this LTB should be directed to Marcia Murray mmurray@cwu.org

Yours Sincerely,

Dave Ward – General Secretary

Trish Lavelle – Head of Education and Training

Chris Webb – Head of Communications, Engagement and Media

LTB 062.18

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National Agreements between Royal Mail Group and CWU Health Safety and Environment Department – Reporting and Recording of Accidents and Non-Reporting Escalation Process: Notification of Accidents to Area Safety Reps, Accident Investigations & Provision of ERICA Report Form Copies to ASRs:

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Following discussions between Royal Mail Group, the CWU Health, Safety & Environment department and the HSE, the attached two National Agreements were signed in 2014 and they are being re-circulated as requested by a number of ASRs to remind Branch ASRs and WSRs of these important Agreements and the need to utilise the escalations process should any accident on duty not be reported correctly.

Attached please find for your reference:-

• RMG/CWU National Agreement on Reporting & Recording of Accidents & Issue Escalation Process.

• RMG Accident Reporting Issue Escalation Process Form.

• RMG/CWU National Agreement on Notification of Accidents to Safety Representatives, Accident Investigations & Provision of Accident Report Form Copies.

Summary of Key Points in the Agreements:

• Royal Mail Group (RMG) recognises the benefits of involving and working jointly with CWU Health and Safety Representatives, providing facilities and support.

• The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SRSCR) makes clear that employers should provide such facilities and assistance as Trade Union Safety Representatives require when carrying out their functions, for example, when they investigate and examine the cause of accidents in the workplace.

• Managers will promptly notify and inform Area Safety Representatives of all accidents and serious incidents and provide an accurate, complete and legible copy of all Accident Report forms as soon as possible

• The RMG Safety Policy makes it clear that it is the intention of the business to disclose this information to Safety Representatives.

• CWU Area Safety Representatives will be proactively involved and consulted by Royal Mail in accident, dangerous occurrences and near miss investigation processes in good time and in the remedial action decisions.

• Accidents will be notified by Royal Mail to the Area Safety Representative at the earliest opportunity.

• ERICA copies will be provided by Royal Mail to the CWU Area Safety Representative within a 24hr period.

• The accident book (ERICA) will remain readily accessible to employees via their line manager.

• All accidents will be investigated as soon as possible, and then followed up by analysis to identify root cause and potential trends.

• The objective is to learn from Accident Investigation and not to blame.

• Royal Mail Group and CWU are committed to a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to managers failing to report accidents adequately, appropriately and factually.

• Any accident not correctly reported can be raised by the CWU ASR via the ‘Escalation Process Flow Chart and Report Form’.

• RMG will engage CWU Health and Safety Representatives on the development of Action Plans that protect the health, safety and wellbeing of the workforce.

• Royal Mail Group’s firm intention is to continue working in partnership with the CWU and to provide full details of accidents to CWU Area Safety Representatives and this will provide a vital component in jointly addressing the causes of accidents and finding joint solutions to reduce accident numbers in a sustainable way.

• Area Safety Representatives may request, in writing, back‐copies of accident report forms.

• Any injury at work, including minor injuries, must be recorded on the Royal Mail Group Accident Reporting System (ERICA).

• Royal Mail Group will follow the principles of the HSE model contained in HSG245 entitled “Investigating and Reporting Accidents and Incidents ‐ A workbook for Employers, Unions, Safety Representatives and Safety Professionals”.

• Detailed and thorough investigation of accidents forms an essential part of good health and safety arrangements and assists with devising suitable remedial action plans. These plans will then be implemented, and reviewed as appropriate, with the aim of preventing further similar accidents. To maximise the value of accident investigations, it is essential that the management and Safety Reps are proactively involved and consulted. Royal Mail Group and CWU support and encourage collaborative working in this respect.

• The Agreements are signed by Dr. Shaun Davis Royal Mail Group Global Director of Safety, Health, Wellbeing, Environment & Sustainability and Dave Joyce CWU National Health, Safety and Environment Officer. They remain in place and current.

All enquiries should be directed to the Health, Safety & Environment Department at CWU/HQ.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB063 National Agreements between Royal Mail Group and CWU Health Safety and Environment Department – Reporting and Recording of Accidents

RMG-CWU Agreement on Accident Reporting Issue Escalation Process For CWU ASRs Final

RMG-CWU Agreement on Notification of Accidents To CWU ASRsFinal

RMG Accident Reporting Issue Escalation Process Form For CWU ASRs Final

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Here is a link to the full CWU/ Royal Mail Agreements on Pay, Pensions and Shorter working week

https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cwu.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F02%2FLTB-59.18-Attachment-2017-18-Agreement-pre-ballot.pdf&data=02%7C01%7C%7C360b82d956964499c0b508d56977cadb%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636530885585566844&sdata=ubuejK5gUaf9194MiluyY1h8QkJ65H%2BCM3jpIzoJqTk%3D&reserved=0

Royal Mail Group – Reporting Third Party, Non-Royal Mail Employee, Accidents At Work – Including Agency Workers, Casual Workers, Contractors and Suppliers etc

Dear Colleagues,

A number of enquiries have been received by the Health, Safety and Environment Department regarding the recording and reporting of accidents at work involving Agency Workers, Casual Workers, Contractors and Suppliers whilst working for Royal Mail or working on Royal Mail’s premises.

This is to clarify the position. Please find attached a copy of Royal Mail Group (RMG) Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) Standard 16.1. On page 2 the Standard goes into detail on the requirement for managers in Royal Mail Group (RMG) to report third party accidents (including agency workers, casual workers, contract workers and suppliers’ employees). See extract attached.

It is the RMG business standard to report all accidents through ERICA. There is a separate section within ERICA for this purpose. See ‘Screen Shot’ reproduced and attached.

Any non-reporting of agency workers’ accidents by managers should be processed via the accident escalation procedure if local resolution is not successful.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB061 Royal Mail Group – Reporting Third Party, Non-Royal Mail Employee, Accidents At Work

Standard 16.1 Incident Reporting + Investigation (v 1.2)

RMG SHE Standard 16.1 ERICA Screen Shot

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Pay and Four Pillars Agreement

On Wednesday 31st January 2018 the CWU’s Postal Executive unanimously endorsed the terms of the Agreement reached with Royal Mail Group in pursuit of our Pay and Four Pillars of Security campaign. A copy of the Agreement is attached to this LTB.

The Agreement will now be put to a membership ballot with a recommendation from the Postal Executive to Accept. The deal represents a successful outcome following months of difficult and protracted talks with the business and stands as a powerful testament to the CWU’s workplace organisation and industrial strength.

In recommending acceptance of the deal, the Postal Executive believe it is important to remember where we started and recognise the significant progress we have made during the course of our campaign. Initially, the Union was faced with the imposed closure of the Defined Benefit Royal Mail Pension Plan, serious and ongoing resourcing issues out in the field and a series of unacceptable proposals from the company, which included the end of traditional national pay bargaining and the introduction of productivity related pay, a two tier workforce, scrapping of all legacy payments, cuts to sick pay and changes to our Agreements.

Against that difficult backdrop, and in response to wider threats from the gig economy, unfair competition and automation, the CWU’s Pillars of Security campaign has successfully re-established the principles of employment, standard of living and retirement security and reasserted our mutual interest approach. Despite the serious difficulties we have faced, the Union’s positive and energising campaign and massive membership mandate (which culminated in last year’s successful industrial action ballot) changed the dynamics of the talks and forced the employer to engage seriously with the Union on our key policies relating to Pay and the Four Pillars.

In the view of the National Officers and Postal Executive, the Agreement we have secured meets all of the Union’s key demands. On the critical issue of pensions, the Union has now reached a deal on the introduction of a new, single wage in retirement pension scheme for all members that will replace the current DB and DC schemes. The new scheme will comprise two elements: a collective Defined Contribution pension (with a new growth-seeking investment strategy which will target the same outcomes as current DB members) and will mean current DC members enjoy a significant increase in their future pension benefits.

On the question of pay, the deal provides for a three year Agreement (with two basic pay rises of 5% in October 2017 and 2% in April 2019), a two hour cut in the working week (worth an additional 5.33%) making the overall deal worth 12.33%. In addition we have also secured a clear flight path to a 35 hour working week by 2022.

In relation to pipeline, we have agreed the terms for a joint strategic review overseen by a new pipeline forum that will look at how we significantly grow Royal Mail’s capability to attract new workload, develop new products and services and increase revenues. The joint review will also deal with proposed trial activity and changes to delivery duty times, future job design and methods of working, underpinned by a renewed commitment to secure future growth in the business through the new joint structures and with added investment to win new volume.

As well as addressing all key elements of our claim, the Agreement also includes a number of other important joint commitments that reaffirm our mutual interest approach. These relate to rebuilding trust and confidence between the parties, improving workplace culture, resourcing in line with current Agreements, the company’s commitment to its employees, as well as sections relating to attendance, quality of service and preserving the IR Framework. The deal also commits both parties to defend the USO and work together to campaign against unfair regulation and lift employment standards across the postal sector.

From the outset of our campaign, the CWU’s strategy has been to link and collectivise all elements of our claim to maximise our negotiation position and prevent divide and rule tactics by the employer. Throughout the talks we have insisted that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and as a result the Agreement should be judged as a whole package, with each element and each pillar of security linked to and supported by the others.

In the view of the CWU’s negotiating team and Postal Executive, the Agreement should be seen in the round and judged on that basis. We believe it provides the best possible settlement to deliver decent employment, standard of living and retirement security for our members and to ensure that change is a process of evolution not revolution that protects the interests of all our members.

We have been through a very tough period and a difficult relationship with the employer but we are now back on the same page. What now needs to happen is the vision expressed in the words is realised and reflected in all of our workplaces.

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)

Dave Ward – General Secretary

Ray Ellis – Assistant Secretary

Andy Furey – Assistant Secretary

Davie Robertson – Assistant Secretary

Mark Baulch – Assistant Secretary

18LTB59 – Pay and Four Pillars Agreement

LTB 59.18 Attachment – 2017-18 Agreement pre-ballot

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Colleagues

Here is Terry Pullinger’s video announcing agreement with Royal Mail Group. The document has gone out via LTB.

We will now hold a national briefing on 7th Feb in London followed by a series of local reps briefings across the UK.

In addition to this we will be holding Facebook live sessions, workplace meetings and continuing to engage with our members as we have throughout the campaign.

#PowerOfTheUnion

Safe & Well – January 2018

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Please see attached the January edition of Safe and Well newsletter with contributions from our USRs and field teams. This is a bumper edition this month and leads with the reminder on safe climbing practices and ends up with a look back at Q4 last year seeing what can be learnt.

It also includes the launch of the new “Don’t Twist and Shout” leaflet which was also shared at the recent London joint forum. Attached is a separate pdf for information in case people can’t access the Openreach only snip codes.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB058 Safe & Well – January 2018

DTAS – driving and vehicles

DTAS – lifting shifting and moving

DTAS – Reaching

DTAS – handling ladders

DTAS

DTAS – injury management and prevention

DTAS – Kneeling advice

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REDESIGN – DEFERMENT OF NATIONAL ELECTIONS

The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches that the NEC has taken a decision to defer, at this stage, setting any timetable for the following National elections which were due to take place later this year.

• • Assistant Secretary – Health, Safety & Environment

• • Assistant Secretary – Equal Opportunities

• • Assistant Secretary – T&FS (1)

• • Assistant Secretary – T&FS (2)

This decision has been taken because we are now at a crucial stage of our plans to streamline CWU Headquarters as part of the Redesign Project. Work is now well underway on this and key elements include creating a three pillar foundation for a new CWU HQ structure (Central Policy and Services, Industrial Postal, Industrial T&FS) and within the Central Policy and Services pillar a more joined up way of working, merged departments and the potential to scope reallocation of some work, roles and responsibilities.

As previously explained, the need to implement a new streamlined Headquarters is fundamental to securing our future as a stand-alone union and therefore it makes absolute sense, while this work continues, to defer setting election timetables.

However, we do want to stress that the NEC has taken no decision on the future of the roles affected and has agreed that a further paper will be placed before the NEC no later than June 2018 to finalise this.

In advising Branches of this decision we are sure you will understand that it reinforces the scale of the Redesign Project and the fact that in LTB 689/17, we made it clear that we are determined to achieve financial stability and positively address the major challenges facing not just the CWU – but the whole of the trade union movement.

In this regard, we would remind Branches that we will be launching a wider consultation on structures outside of CWU Headquarters at a National Briefing in the near future. A date and venue for this will be announced shortly. Also of our plans to ensure we discuss Redesign at Annual Conference and ultimately at a Special General and Rules Revision Conference, targeted for early November 2018.

Any enquires should be addressed to the General Secretary’s office at gsoffice@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward – General Secretary

Tony Kearns – Senior Deputy General Secretary

18LTB055 Redesign deferment of National Elections

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UNI World Women’s Conference & World Congress 2018

Further to LTB 014/18 dated 10th January 2018, at the close of nominations the following were received:

Postal Constituency

NEC (1 Member)

Shelly Banbury

Kent Invicta*Elected

3 Lay Members (at least one of whom must be a woman and at least one of whom must be 29 or under)

Elli Long

Greater Mersey & South West Lancs*Elected

Ballot RequiredKate Hudson

South Midlands Postal Sajid Shaikh

Birmingham District Amal Amarjite Singh

South East Wales Amal Telecoms and Financial Services Constituency

NEC (1 Member)

Tom Cooper

Leicester & Midshires*Elected

3 Lay Members (at least one of whom must be a woman and at least one of whom must be 29 or under)

Fiona Curtis

Northern Ireland Telecom, Mid Wales The Marches & North Staffs*Elected

Ballot RequiredVivien Holding

Northern Ireland Telecom, Mid Wales The Marches & North Staffs Jean Sharrocks

North East, Northern Ireland Telecom, Mid Wales The Marches & North Staffs Jeffrey Till

Greater London Combined The timetable for the ballots is as follows:

Ballot Opens   1 February 2018

Ballot Close 15 February 2018 (14:00)

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

18LTB054

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