DM26 Deployment – Royal Mail Workplace Survey

Dear Colleagues,

The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches that following representations and challenges through which CWU expressed to the business our view that the company has not been adequately engaging with and seeking the feedback from their employees on the deployment of DM26 and the associated issues in their respective offices, the business agreed to carry out the relevant Workplace Surveys.

As such, on Tuesday 29^th September, the business will be launching two Work Time Listening & Learning briefs, which will be communicated by managers and will outline how all employees can participate in their relevant workplace survey:

• WTLL 1: DM26 workplace surveys during deployment – for units progressing through the DM26 deployment planning or early post-deployment surveys;
• WTLL 2: DM26 post-deployment workplace survey – for units that have already deployed and are being invited to take part in the additional DM26 post-deployment survey.

The workplace survey will give every employee the opportunity to share how DM26 is working in their office, including what is going well, where challenges remain and what further support or action may be needed. Both positive feedback and constructive comments about ongoing issues are welcome and the survey will encourage everyone to give their open and honest opinion based on their experience.

Royal Mail will share all the responses with CWU Nationally as part of the wider national review of DM26 deployment and locally with each office via the COMs. CWU Reps should then review the feedback together through their WRMs and via the formal review of DM26 including:

• The main themes, including what is working well and any areas of concern;
• Appropriate local actions;
• Anything that requires further support or escalation;
• How the key themes and agreed actions will be communicated back to all colleagues.

As such, given the CWU has been critical of the business for their lack of activity in this area, we are encouraging all CWU members to participate in their Workplace Survey to ensure DM26 is deployed correctly and in line with the agreement.

Any enquiries to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, email address: Pharacz@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Bouch

Assistant Secretary

LTB 258-26 – DM26 Deployment – RM Workplace Survey

Word att: Joint comms – Supporting the DM26 workplace survey approach

Word att: WTLL 1 DM26 workplace surveys during deployment

Word att: WTLL 2 DM26 post-deployment workplace survey

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COVID-19 Autumn Booster Vaccination Programme

Colleagues who are eligible for the Autumn COVID-19 vaccination can now book an appointment online or through the NHS App.

Appointments will begin from 1^st October 2026.

You can book your vaccination via:

• The NHS website COVID-19 vaccination appointment online – NHS
• The NHS App NHS App – NHS

From 1st October 2026, you may also be able to receive your vaccination at:

• A walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site
• A community pharmacy
• Your GP surgery
• Other local vaccination services

Vaccination continues to provide important protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death caused by COVID-19. According to UKHSA dashboard data, there were approximately 16,000 COVID-19-related hospital admissionsbetween October 2025 and January 2026.

Further information: COVID-19 | UKHSA Data Dashboard  COVID-19 | UKHSA data dashboard

Eligibility For Autumn 2026, COVID-19 vaccination is offered to:

• Individuals aged 6 months and overwho are immunosuppressed.
• Adults aged 75 years and over
• Residents of care homes for older adults

Eligibility is the same across all four UK nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The vaccine should be offered no sooner than six months after your last COVID-19 vaccine dose. If you are eligible, you can still benefit from an Autumn COVID-19 vaccination even if you have not accepted a COVID-19 vaccine previously.

Immunosuppression Eligibility

Determining eligibility based on immunosuppression can be more complex than the other criteria. Information available online can sometimes create confusion, as individuals may consider themselves, or be considered by others, to be immunosuppressed but may not meet the specific eligibility criteria for vaccination.

Full eligibility criteria are outlined in the COVID-19 Green Book Chapter 14a, published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). the COVID-19 Green Book 

This document is freely available to download; however, it contains approximately 34,500 words, spans fifty-three pages, and includes extensive tables, references, and appendices. As a result, it can be difficult for non-specialists to interpret.

To assist colleagues, some of the eligible groups are summarised below:

• Organ, bone marrow, or stem cell transplant recipients
• Individuals receiving systemic steroid treatment for longer than one month.
• People living with HIV.
• Individuals receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy, including children due to start treatment.
• Individuals undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
• Those requiring long-term immunosuppressive treatment.
• Individuals with a history of haematological malignancies, including chronic leukaemia and lymphoma.
• Individuals with genetic disorders that affect the immune system.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and does not cover all eligible groups.

Vaccine Effectiveness

Evidence indicates that the Autumn 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme provided its highest level of protection against hospitalisation between five and nine weeks after vaccination, with vaccine effectiveness estimated at 47.6% during this period. There is also evidence that protection persisted for more than 35 weeks following vaccination.

As specific infection and hospitalisation data for immunosuppressed individuals are not routinely available, it is recommended that anyone undertaking vulnerable person risk assessments should continue to be informed by overall COVID-19 trends and current public health guidance.

Please note: Eligibility for the Autumn COVID-19 vaccination programme is determined by NHS criteria and may be subject to change in line with updated guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Health and Social Care. Colleagues are encouraged to check the latest NHS guidance or speak to their healthcare professional if they are unsure about eligibility for themselves or family members.

This LTB is shared on behalf of CWU Central Services.

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

Jamie McGovern FRSPH MIIAI 

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

LTB 255 – 26 Covid 19 Autumn booster arrangements

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Show Racism the Red Card – Wear Red Day, Friday 16^th October 2026

CWU are teaming up with Show Racism the Red Card to help promote the brilliant ‘Wear Red Day initiative, which this year will be held on Friday 16^thOctober.

Show Racism the Red Card are a dedicated education-based anti-racism charity and the work they do with schools is incredibly valuable and underlines some of our values as a trade union. We have worked with them previously and are delighted to continue supporting this essential anti-racism work.

We are attaching a Wear Red Day flyer for your information.

We would encourage all our Branches to participate in this excellent cause, by checking the charity website for details, scanning the QR code and lastly ‘wear red’ on the day in your offices, sharing loads of photos online using the hashtag WRD26.

Any queries relating to this LTB should be directed to equality&education@cwu.org       

Yours sincerely
Kate Hudson
Head of Equality, Education & Development  

Att.

LTB -257 – Show Racism the Red Card – Wear Red Day, Friday 16th October 2026
LTB26-257 – SRtRC Flyer

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THE FUTURE OF ROYAL MAIL

In considering the major and wide-ranging challenges facing our members and the company, the CWU has placed a motion before the Labour Party Conference 2026 that calls on the Government to urgently intervene and set out a fundamentally different direction and vision for the future of Royal Mail.

The motion recognises that Royal Mail is a vital public service, rooted in every community across the UK, that today faces existential threats to its future including:

• The undercutting of postal workers’ jobs and the company through multinational competitors that utilise bogus self-employment.
• The devaluing of postal workers’ jobs. While postal workers recognise the need for change, the company’s failure to end two-tier terms and conditions is creating a recruitment and retention crisis leading to understaffing and unmanageable workloads.
• A failure of the previous and current leadership board of Royal Mail to address quality of service problems that are damaging the brand, letting down customers and demoralising postal workers.
• A regulator that is acting against the interests of the universal service and in favour of promoting unfair competition.
• The lack of vision from the leadership of the company to develop a new growth strategy that offers a future for Royal Mail and our members jobs in permanently changed world of communications.

The motion comes at a time where we have had some very positive discussions with the Government on the level playing field initiative that seeks to end gig economy practices that undermining the industry. However, we firmly believe that we must now build on these discussions and urge the government to take action to secure the future of Royal Mail, the services we provide to customers and our members’ jobs.

A full copy of the motion is attached and the key demands are as follows:

1. Fully implement the Select Committee’s report recommendations of the Business and Trade Select Committee’s May 2026 report.
2. Create a level playing field by introducing a single status of worker and sectoral collective bargaining, ending the race to the bottom based on bogus self-employment, insecure work and low pay.
3. Establish a new regulatory framework that puts universal service, investment, quality of service and sector-wide employment standards ahead of competition, and reviews downstream access arrangements.
4. Build on the Government’s golden share by developing a new ownership and governance model for Royal Mail, with democratic public control and oversight and worker and customer representation, supporting investment, diversification, growth and public value.
5. Bring Royal Mail and the Post Office back together, creating a stronger national network delivering postal, banking, government and community services.

In submitting this motion, we want to emphasise that this should not be seen as the union walking away from necessary change or the agreements we have reached on deploying DM26. These issues will be subject to separate communications where we will focus on straightforward messages that support our members through deployment and how we fix any problems that arise.

In the coming weeks, the union will be focusing on developing a major campaign to engage our members, representatives, the public and politicians to achieve the objectives of our motion with the Government setting out a new vision and direction for the company that will secure the future of Royal Mail and our members’ jobs. In the meantime, we are setting out immediate next steps as follows:

1. We will be holding a national briefing in the next few weeks to set out the approach we will be taking and the role we would like branches and members to play.
2. There will be a series of communications to fully explain to our members the seriousness of the challenges we are facing and the solutions we want to put in place.
3. Please ensure that the content of this LTB is circulated to all members in every workplace.

Further information will be sent out in due course.

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

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary                                         

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

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Rebuilding Royal Mail for Workers and the Public

Conference notes that in September 2026 the Government stated concerns over Royal Mail’s quality of service, while Ofcom’s investigation into its 2025/26 delivery performance continues.

Conference notes the Business and Trade Select Committee’s May 2026 report, The regulation of postal services, which found that Royal Mail’s service is unacceptable, Ofcom is failing as postal regulator, and reform of the Universal Service Obligation is essential.

Conference believes Royal Mail is a vital public service facing existential challenges, requiring a new vision that secures its future in the interests of customers, communities and workers, while utilising its national infrastructure and trusted workforce to create social and economic value for the UK.

Conference calls on the Government to:

1. Fully implement the Select Committee’s report recommendations of the Business and Trade Select Committee’s May 2026 report.
2. Create a level playing field by introducing a single status of worker and sectoral collective bargaining, ending the race to the bottom based on bogus self-employment, insecure work and low pay.
3. Establish a new regulatory framework that puts universal service, investment, quality of service and sector-wide employment standards ahead of competition, and reviews downstream access arrangements.
4. Build on the Government’s golden share by developing a new ownership and governance model for Royal Mail, with democratic public control and oversight and worker and customer representation, supporting investment, diversification, growth and public value.
5. Bring Royal Mail and the Post Office back together, creating a stronger national network delivering postal, banking, government and community services. LTB 256/26 – THE FUTURE OF ROYAL MAIL

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ROYAL MAIL JOINS GOVERNMENTS FIRST CHANCE APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME 

The CWU has welcomed Royal Mail’s announcement today that it has become one of the major employers to sign up to the Governments new First Chance Apprenticeship scheme for young people. Our support is of course subject to a clearer understanding of the detail of the scheme and how it will be implemented within the company.

Given our ongoing discussions with the Government and Royal Mail over the level playing field initiative, the union had been pressing the company for some time to show their support for the key objectives of the Milburn Report.

We had previously sent an outline proposal to the company for the type of apprenticeship scheme we believe that Royal Mail should implement, including the need for guaranteed jobs, alongside decent pay, terms and conditions.

The union now looks forward to discussing the detail of such a scheme with the company in the coming weeks and reaching an agreed way forward.

In the meantime, we have attached further information about the Milburn Report and why we believe Royal Mail is suited to be a leading supporter of this Government initiative.

Along with the General Secretaries of other Labour affiliated Trade Unions, the CWU met with Alan Milburn last week where we collectively pressed him to ensure that Trade Unions are fully involved in the development of new apprenticeship schemes.  As such we are aware that the final recommendations from his report are likely to be published within the next couple of months.  Further information on the development of this initiative will be sent out in due course.

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

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary   

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 253/26 – ROYAL MAIL JOINS GOVERNMENTS FIRST CHANCE APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME

Att: Alan Milburn Interim Report and implications for apprenticeships in Royal Mail June 2026

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Updated Joint Statement – Licence Checks for Professional Drivers 2026 

Branches and Representatives will be aware in 2019 the department shared via LTB 192/19 a Joint Statement between Royal Mail and CWU On Safe Driver Checks’ Process for Logistics and Area Distribution Professional Drivers.

Recently the business has made contact seeking to update the policy for Professional Driver Grade licence checks proposing moving away from the Robin App and towards the Vision platform used for Professional Drivers within the business. These discussions have now concluded in a revised agreed policy which will apply to licence checks for Professional Drivers only.

The attached Joint Statement outlines the amended process and ensures that the drivers and the business remain fully compliant with legislation.

Licence checks for Professional Drivers will now entail the collection of declarations through Vision rather than the Robin App. Drivers will have the option either to sign up to the Vision Driver App or they can complete an electronic declaration within Vision with the support of their line manager. Professional Drivers with a licence issued by the DVA (Northern Ireland) or holding non-GB licences may complete the health declaration via the People App but will still complete paper-based license checks.

Under this revised process, going forward the frequency of licence checks will change from yearly to 3 yearly and the requirement for the driver to request a DVLA code prior to the licence check is no longer necessary. The business has also confirmed that the licence data will be stored securely on Vision and can only be accessed by the driver and authorised managers.

All Health and other work declarations will still need to be submitted in line with the business policy, and drivers will still need to make their manager aware of any changes to their licence provision and any new health conditions which may come up between licence checks. 

Impacted Drivers:

• All employees who fall into the Professional Driver classification (LGV & MGV) will be asked to complete a submission.
• Drivers with a licence issued by the DVA (Northern Ireland) or holding non-GB licences may complete the health declaration via the People App but will still complete paper-based licence checks – this is due to the DVA having a different licence checking process. Should electronic processes be made available, a further update in comms will be issued to support moving over to a digital process.
• Drivers who opt not to use the Vision Driver App will complete an electronic declaration with the support of their line manager.

Due to the change, it is noted the gap between the frequency of licence checks has increased, therefore, additional safeguards have been secured, to ensure the continued support of Advanced Driver Coaches (ADCs). The joint aim with these additional safeguards is to support the driver, aid in improving driving standards, and help to avoid or reduce endorsements.

Pilot activity will commence on Monday 28^thSeptember in the offices identified below:

• SEDC
• Gatwick

The Pilot offices will be monitored throughout the activity, however, as the change is only to the process rather than the requirement it is not envisaged there will be any significant issues.   Any issues/feedback from the drivers on the new process will be welcomed and reviewed.

Branches and representatives are requested to ensure that all impacted members are made aware of the contents of this LTB at the earliest opportunity.  

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: jrodrigues@cwu.org  or jmansell@cwu.org  quoting reference LTB 254/26.

Yours sincerely,

Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary

LTB 254/26 – Updated Joint Statement – Licence Checks for Professional Drivers 2026

Att: Final Update to Professional Driver Licence Checks_Sept26

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ROYAL MAIL: WINDING UP THE RMDCP SCHEME – TRANSFER OF MEMBER ASSETS TO LEGAL AND GENERAL MASTERTRUST

Further to LTB 211/26 dated 29^th July 2026.

RMDCP eligibility is – all people who commenced RMG employment from 1^stApril 2008 until 6^th October 2024. Also, this LTB is specific to the RMDCP only, meaning the RMPP and the Collective Plan are unaffected. 

Welcome to Legal & General Letters

We have received a number of enquiries from Branches on behalf of members who have not received their “Welcome to L&G” letters.  In this regard, we have been in contact with the RMDCP Trustee, and the following response is helpful:

Where L&G had inherited an email address from Scottish Widows, members were sent an email link to access their letter (rather than a letter being posted to them).  Sometimes emails from an unrecognised sender ends up in the ‘Junk’ folder rather than the Inbox.

If members haven’t received their Welcome Letter from L&G, please contact royalmail@landg.com or call 0300 124 0100 (lines are open Monday to Friday 08:30 to 19:00).

Branches are urged to bring this LTB to the attention of our members in the former RMDCP, and also to remind members of the need to re-nominate beneficiaries via the L&G App, as this information did not transfer from Scottish Widows to L&G.

If you have any queries, please contact snicholas@cwu.org or hmaughan@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,

Andy Furey 

Assistant Secretary 

LTB 250/26 – Royal Mail – Winding up the RMDCP Transfer of Member Assets to Legal and General Mastertrust

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AGENDA PAD – CWU RETIRED MEMBERS CONFERENCE – 14TH OCTOBER 2026

Branches would wish to know that the agenda for the CWU Retired Members Conference which is being held at the CWU Birmingham Branch Offices on Wednesday 14^th October has now been published on the website and can be accessed by opening the attachment or pasting the link into your browser:

Click to access RM-AGENDA-OCTOBER-2026.pdf

Branch Secretaries are encouraged to print copies of the agenda and send to the delegates attending from their branch prior to the conference. Hard copies of the agenda will be available on the day.

Branches are also reminded that Branch Secretaries should register delegates and observers to the conference completing the link below by no later than Friday 9^th October 2026. Confirmation of requests will be sent to branches within 72 hours. Should confirmation not be received within this time branches are asked to contact the SOC at conferences@cwu.org

DELEGATE REGISTRATION FORM – RETIRED MEMBERS CONFERENCE 2026 (14th October, BIRMINGHAM) 

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to The SOC by email to conferences@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Mick Kavanagh

President

Andy Mercer

Vice President

LTB 252/26 – AGENDA PAD – CWU RETIRED MEMBERS CONFERENCE – 14TH OCTOBER 2026

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INCENTIVE SCHEME UPDATE FOR DELIVERY UNITS

Further to LTB 176/26 regarding the Delivery Unit Incentive Scheme, this LTB provides an update on the scheme’s progress and performance.

As members will be aware, the CWU and Royal Mail jointly launched the Site Incentive Scheme alongside the deployment of Delivery Model 26 (DM26). During the first qualifying period, only 37 units went live and most deployed midway through the period, meaning no unit completed the full 13-week cycle. As a result, it was difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about the effectiveness of the scheme.

As we approach the end of Quarter 2 and the next payment period, 586 delivery units are now operating with DM26 and participating in the Site Incentive Scheme. Royal Mail continues to share performance data with the Joint Working Group (JWG), and there are encouraging early indications.

At the time of writing:

• 210 units are on track to receive a payment.
• 12,227 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) are currently eligible.
• Average earnings stand at £28 per FTE after two of the three qualifying periods.
• 302 units have now completed a full qualifying period.
• A total of £343,800 has been earned across the scheme to date.

While we would clearly like to see higher levels of achievement across the network, these are additional earnings that would not have been available to members without the introduction of the scheme.

There are also positive signs that performance improves as units become more familiar with DM26.

Within the 302 units that have completed a full qualifying period, average earnings increase to £55 per FTE. Looking specifically at the first 60 units to deploy, the average payment rises further to £102 per FTE after two-thirds of the payment period.

However, there remains room for improvement. Currently, around 42% of FTEs and 210 of the 586 live units are on course to receive a payment in the current period.

Monitoring and Review

The JWG continues to meet regularly with Royal Mail to review scheme performance and address concerns raised from the field. One recurring issue has been the construction of unit budgets and the methodology used to determine performance targets.

The JWG is working through this detail with Royal Mail to ensure that the scheme remains transparent, fair and achievable. We will continue to rigorously monitor, challenge and scrutinise the operation of the scheme going forward.

Importantly, Section 2.5 of the agreed Terms of Reference (TOR) states:

“Both parties agree that the intent should be for all sites to have an ability to achieve an incentive scheme payment.”

The CWU will hold Royal Mail to this commitment and continue to work to ensure that all units have a genuine opportunity to benefit from the scheme.

Training and Support

A joint training programme has been agreed and is being rolled out every two weeks as units move onto DM26 and the Incentive Scheme.

Local CWU representatives and Royal Mail managers have been participating in these sessions to support understanding and provide consistent information to employees. In addition, the JWG has developed a dedicated training package for Area Representatives to assist with queries and issues arising from the scheme.

Supporting Materials

The following jointly produced guidance documents are attached to this LTB and should be circulated to representatives:

• Site Incentive Unit Training Pack.
• Site Incentive WTLL Briefing.
• Site Incentive FAQ.
• Site Incentive Manager and Local CWU Representative Guide.
• Site Incentive Frontline Leaflet.

These materials have been developed to explain the scheme clearly and help members understand how payments are earned and calculated.

Any enquiries relating to this LTB should be directed to the Deputy General Secretary (Postal) Department at hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Walsh
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 251.26 – Incentive Scheme Update for Delivery Units

LTB 251.26 Att 1 Site Incentive Scheme_Delivery Unit Training Pack – 18-06-2026

LTB 251.26 Att 2 WTLL Site Incentive – 18-06-2026

LTB 251.26 Att 3 Site Incentive FAQ – 31-07-2026

LTB 251.26 Att 4 Site Incentive Manager and Local Rep’s Guide – 18-06-2026

LTB 251.26 Att 5 149870-1-1-32-RM-Site-Incentive-Leaflet-A5-v11

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FURTHER FINANCIAL REMEDY FOLLOWING THE OUTCOME OF THE LORD FALCONER REVIEW AND THE SUBSEQUENT COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

The purpose of this LTB is to report to CWU Branches, representatives and members on important developments which have led to RMG and CWU agreeing a further remedy for a significant number of CWU representatives and members, linked to the original Lord Falconer Review and the subsequent collective agreement.

Branches will be aware, that through the efforts of the union, we had already secured a major reinstatement and financial remedy package for the overwhelming number of our members involved in the Lord Falconer Review.  However, the terms of reference for that review were understandably limited to dealing with the actual cases of our members and the union was always clear that we would continue to look at any additional information that emerged in connection with this review.

In reaching this settlement the union has taken appropriate legal advice, as did Royal Mail.  It is important to highlight that in agreeing to this the company and their lawyers do not accept any liability as a result of this settlement.

 We have also agreed with EP Group/RMG that concluding this review paves the way for the agreed reset of Industrial and Employee Relations, the details of which are now being finalised.

The representatives and members who will benefit from this settlement are those individuals who were directly linked to the previous Falconer Review – but crucially must still be working for the company.  Alongside this group a small number of other individual cases have been settled.

The relevant individuals have been contacted by the union, and we have explained that to receive their settlement they will be required to sign a non-legally binding letter that has been cleared by CWU’s lawyers, the terms of which are confidential and cannot be disclosed.

The CWU welcomes this outcome and believes this to be a very positive development which brings these issues to a conclusion. However, the settlement does not preclude the union from addressing any further issues that come to light in the future, and Branches will be aware that we highlighted our concerns on these matters at the recent Parliamentary Select Committee.

Finally, we also recognise the efforts and intent of the current Royal Mail leadership team in reaching this settlement and we look forward to working together on delivering the reset.

Any enquiries on the content of this LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s department – Dawn Lynch dlynch@cwu.org and Deputy General Secretary (Postal) department – Hayley Ford  hford@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Ward

General Secretary

Martin Walsh

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

LTB 249/26 – Further Financial Remedy Following Outcome of Lord Falconer Review and Subsequent Collective Agreement

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