Royal Mail Resourcing, Recruitment and Professional Manpower Planning

(please note a ‘joint statement has been mentioned in this post, which has been published to all branches)

It is now obvious to all that over many months there has been growing tension at local level as a consequence of the company’s resourcing strategy which has arguably driven a conflict with our commitments to deliver excellent quality of service and our agreed resourcing principles.
We believe, not surprisingly, that this situation has created enhanced stress on individuals and on IR relationships. Despite a concerted effort by Local, Area and Divisional Representatives it had become evident that clarification and a response from national level was required.
The Postal Executive therefore considered an appropriate response to deal with the immediate and on-going resourcing approach and in light of this national representation has been made. As a consequence over the past few weeks we have seen a huge recruitment drive across the country to address the immediate problem and the attached Joint Statement has been agreed to reaffirm our joint commitments and inform the approach going forward.
The Joint Statement provides the required renewed focus on adopting a far more professional approach to resourcing, ensuring we work to our agreed resourcing principles and our responsibility to the public we serve.
Particular highlights are;
The important reminder to all that our objective is to retain our position as the pre-eminent delivery company in the UK, to provide a reliable high quality service to our customers, to honour our heritage and to maintain the trust of the people of the UK to deliver the six day a week Universal Service Obligation (USO).

The full recommitment to our current job security and resourcing agreements and their spirit and intent.

The commitment to develop and deploy joint training to embed our agreed resourcing principles.

Immediate local reviews to ensure our resourcing principles are being applied to agency, temporary and part-time resource.

That regular agency resource is converted into contracted resource in line with our resourcing principles.

That sufficient release time is provided to local Representatives to prepare, participate and deploy any required outcomes of the mandatory weekly resourcing meetings.

Confirmation that it is the responsibility of local Managers and local Representatives to agree local resourcing needs.

Recognition that where there are new entrant retention issues the situation can be positively influenced by the contract offered and the training provided.

Joint acceptance that Managers should not be performing OPG work and that when a local resourcing plan has been agreed any such occasion should only be in exceptional circumstances, equally if those circumstances do occur they should be recorded locally and nationally.

To ensure that there is no misinterpretation of the joint activity that this Statement seeks to encourage the Joint Statement makes it absolutely clear that;
‘It is agreed that this Joint Statement concerns itself with resourcing principles and not major structural change or in depth revision activity and should not be considered in that context’.
Branches should ensure that this LTB is given the widest possible circulation and that it is brought to the attention of local Representatives immediately.
_Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,
_
Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (P)

Click on the link below to view joint statement

Final National Joint Statement Between Royal Mail CWU Covering Resourcing Recruitment and Professional Manpower Planning in our Operation

Branch Youth officer Forum – Report and Matters Arising 

As branches may already be aware, following the last Branch Youth Officers’ forum in June, a report of the event was produced. This is attached for your information.
In the report, 9 clear “action points” can be identified. These are detailed below together with a commentary on how it is intended to progress them. 

ACTION POINT
COMMENT
Have a former CWU Youth Committee member as a guest speaker
This will be done
Produce a brief history of the union
Discussions with the Comms and Research Departments to produce a visual record of this are planned
More information on the basics of the BYO role
An explanatory video will be produced in time for Youth Conference 2016
Introduce group sessions to enable participants to speak about their branch, issues and solutions
This will be done
Update the BYO Toolkit and distribute
In discussion with the Education and Training department, a new version of the tool kit will be developed for the Left Click platform in 2016
Scope the possibility of producing a welcome pack available on request (such as when a new BYO is elected)
The Youth Committee will be agreeing how to progress this at their meeting on 30 October
Arrange a Q&A session either via social media of the CWU Youth website – or both
The Youth Committee and Communications Department are scoping how this will work in practice
Arrange further BYO forum, outside of London
This will take place on either 25 May or 8 June in the Newcastle
 
Any queries on this Letter to Branches should be directed to my office at CWU HQ.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Simon Sapper
National Officer

Trial Deployment of a Telephone Accident Reporting Process 

Following an approach by Royal Mail, a number of meetings have taken place between the company and the department on the above subject. At those meetings, we raised and have subsequently addressed a number of concerns over the proposed trial and are now satisfied that we have been able to agree a Terms of Reference, supplemented with further documents that will form a training package for those offices included in the trial.  

 

The documents included are:

 

• Terms of Reference

• Accident details card

• Proposed process chart for new reporting process

• Advice on use of PDA telephoning

• Advice and guidance at the scene of an accident

• LEX questions at the scene / following and RTA

 

The purpose of the trial is not to replace, change or amend the current reporting process contained within the Road Traffic Accident Procedure, but an attempt to speed up the process from the scene of the accident so that potential 3rd party claims can be dealt with as soon as possible. It is estimated that 63% of RTA’s do not arrive with LEX Autolease within the specified 24 hour reporting period, therefore leading to costs that could be avoidable when dealing with 3rd party claims, including being unable to recover the cost of damage to Royal Mail vehicles. It is further recognised that the quality of information reported on the ERICA form in many cases is missing or unclear which severely delays the legal process for Royal Mail solicitors, STRATA.

 

We recognise that our members can encounter a considerable amount of shock and stress when involved in an RTA, therefore, for the purpose of this trial, the driver has the opportunity to speak to someone more experienced in dealing with individuals following a RTA. At the same time, only if or when the driver deems it is safe to do so, they can telephone LEX Autolease from their PDA who will ask the driver a number of questions relating to the circumstances surrounding the accident that will provide immediate information to STRATA so that the legal process can commence as soon as possible. The conversation between LEX and the driver should only take around 7-8 minutes, and no delay to the delivery or collection of the mail following an RTA and entering this process will be held against the driver. The safety and wellbeing of the driver is paramount, therefore the driver can make the call when they get back to their office if they chose to. To ensure the viability of the trial we would encourage full co-operation/participation from drivers and delivery office managers.

 

 

Participation and feedback from the trial offices will be through CWU Divisional Representatives, Delivery Directors, DSMs, DOMs, CWU Representatives and drivers on a monthly basis. Discussions with these individuals will take place prior to the commencement of the trial.

 

The trials are due to commence on the 16th November 2015, and will be jointly assessed by Royal Mail and CWU at the end of a 3 month period. Further roll out will only take place following the assessment and through agreement.

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 300.02

Email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org

 

 

Yours sincerely

 
 

Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary – Outdoor

CWU Youth Conference – Saturday 23rd January 2016 

The CWU Youth Conference will be held on Saturday 23rd January 2016 at The Mechanics Centre Ltd, 103 Princess Street (Major Street Entrance), Manchester, M1 6DD.

 

a) Motions

 

Each Regional Youth Committee will be entitled to submit ONE motion to the Conference Agenda.

 

Each Branch will be entitled to submit ONE motion to the Conference Agenda.

 

The Youth Committee will be entitled to submit THREE motions to the Conference Agenda.

 

Motions should be submitted electronically to conferences@cwu.org using the template attached. Branches or Regions who do not have this facility may request paper motion forms by contacting Angela Niven on 020 8971 7256.

 

Motion forms must be returned by Wednesday 9th December 2015. Anything received after this date will not be accepted. All sections of the form must be completed.  

 

Branches, Regions and the Advisory Committee are reminded that the Standing Orders Committee will not alter or amend any of the motions submitted therefore it is important that motions are checked before they are submitted.

 

If motions are being sent electronically they will only be accepted if sent to the above email address.

 

As with previous Conferences, the agenda will be structured in such a way as to maximise debate and participation by delegates. There will be 2 sections to the agenda, one for motions which are eligible for consideration for submission to General Conference, and one for motions that in the view of the Standing Orders Committee would not be admissible to the General Conference agenda.

 

 

 

 

 

Branches will be aware that the Youth Conference has the entitlement under the rules of the union to submit 2 motions to stand in the name of the conference to General Conference. It is therefore important that if branches wish their motions to be in this category, they must contain policy that is capable of being discharged by the NEC, as opposed to either of the Industrial Executives.

 

As with previous Conferences, the 2 motions for submission to the General Conference agenda will be decided from amongst those motions adopted at the Conference. A ballot to select the 2 motions will be held at the Conference.

 

b) Delegates

 

Details for registering delegates and observers will be issued in a further LTB. Any queries regarding the registration process should be directed to conferences@cwu.org

 

Regional Youth Committee Secretaries shall attend Youth Annual Conference in an

ex-officio capacity with the right to speak and move Motions on behalf of their

Regional Youth Committee but not to vote. Funding for Regional Youth Committee

Secretaries to attend Youth Annual Conference shall be from the General Fund.

 

Branch delegate entitlement to this Conference as agreed by the NEC is as follows:

 

 

Number of Young Members

Delegate

entitlement

1-249

1

250-499

2

500 and above

3

 

 

Branches are urged to make every effort to ensure that their delegation comprises members who are either 30 and under as of October or who are serving Branch Youth Officers. The expectation is that voting delegates aged over 30 will be present on an exceptional basis.

 

 

In order that we can cater for any delegate with special needs such as seating, etc., it is important that you advise us in writing of the name of the delegate(s) and the particular requirement by return but no later than Friday 8th January 2016.

 

c)​Election of Delegates to General Conference

 

As you will know, the Youth Conference will select two delegates to represent the Youth Members to attend General Conference 2016.

 

The Standing Orders for the Youth Conference will advise a ballot to select these two delegates and it will be conducted during Conference itself. Nominees must be members of the Union and have the support of their branch and/or Regional Youth Committee.  

 

Additionally, individuals must be willing to accept nomination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exception to this are members of the Youth Committee themselves who may be proposed for these positions but need to have the nomination of the Youth Committee and/or any Regional Youth Committee.

 

Branches and Regional Youth Committees should forward any nominees on the attached form for this ballot to conferences@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

A P Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

 

CWU Retired Members Conference – Thursday 21st January 2016 

The CWU Retired Members Conference will be held on Thursday 21st January 2016 in the Crystal Suite, Britannia Hotel, Portland Street, Manchester M1 3LA.

a)​Delegates

Only Branches with Retired members Sections are entitled to send Delegates.

 

Branch delegate entitlement to this Conference as agreed by the NEC is as follows:

 

Number of Retired Members

Delegate

entitlement

1-249

1

250-499

2

500 and above

3

 

Retired Members Regional Committee Secretaries shall attend the Retired Members conference with the right to speak and move motions on behalf of their Retired Members Regional Committee but not to vote. Funding for Retired Members Regional Committee Secretaries to attend Retired Members Conference shall be from General Fund.

 

In order that we can cater for any delegate with special needs such as seating, etc., it is important that you advise us in writing of the name of the delegate(s) and the particular requirement by return but no later than Friday 8th January 2016.

 

b)​Motions

 

Each Branch is entitled to submit one motion for consideration to be included on the agenda of the Conference. Motions should be submitted electronically to conferences@cwu.org using the attached template. Confirmation of receipt of motion will be sent to branches within 72 hours. Should confirmation not be received within this time branches are asked to contact Angela Niven on 020 8971 7256 Branches who do not have this facility may request paper motion forms by contacting the Angela Niven on 020 8971 7256.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Branches, Regions and the Advisory Committee are reminded that the Standing Orders Committee will not alter or amend any of the motions submitted therefore it is important that motions are checked before they are submitted.

 

Each Retired Members Regional Committee is entitled to submit one Motion to the Retired Members Conference.

 

The Retired Members Advisory Committee are entitled to submit up to three motions to the Conference, standing in their name.

 

Motion forms must be returned by Tuesday 8th December 2015. Anything received after this date will not be accepted. All sections of the form must be completed.

 

If Motions are being sent electronically they will only be accepted to the above email address.

 

As with previous Conferences, the agenda will be structured in such a way as to maximise debate and participation by delegates. There will be 2 sections to the agenda, one for motions which are eligible for consideration for submission to General Conference, and one for motions that in the view of the Standing Orders Committee would not be admissible to the General Conference agenda.

 

Branches will be aware that the Retired Members’ Conference has the entitlement under the rules of the union to submit 2 motions to stand in the name of the conference to General Conference. It is therefore important that if branches wish their motions to be in this category, they must contain policy that is capable of being discharged by the NEC, as opposed to either of the Industrial Executives.

 

The 2 motions for submission to the General Conference agenda will be decided from amongst those motions adopted at the Conference. A ballot to select the 2 motions will be held at the Conference.

 

c)​Election of Delegates to General Conference

 

As you will know, the Retired Members’ Conference will select two delegates to represent the Retired Members to attend General Conference 2016.

 

The Standing Orders for the Retired Members’ Conference will advise a ballot to select these two delegates will be conducted during Conference itself.

 

Additionally, individuals must be willing to accept nomination, and must have the nomination of their own branch and/or the Retired Members’ Advisory Committee, to be eligible.

 

The exception to this are members of the Retired Members’ Advisory Committee themselves who may be proposed for these positions but need to have the nomination of the Retired Members’ Advisory Committee and/or any Regional Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to Chris Tapper either by post to head office or by email to Conferences@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

A P Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

 

National Network Review (Network 15) Update – Deployment Date 

Further to LTB 588/15 please find attached for your information a Joint Statement which communicates the 25th January 2016 as the agreed deployment date for the National Network Review (Network 15).

 

The aim will now be to ensure that duty sets and re-picks are concluded in readiness for the deployment date, in line with the terms of the attached Joint Statement. The NWG will remain available to offer advice and assistance where necessary.  

 

Branches and representatives are requested to ensure that our Network 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, e-mail: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 233.11

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

 JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL LOGISTICS AND THE CWU REGARDING DEPLOYMENT OF THE NATIONAL NETWORK REVIEW

This Joint Statement confirms the agreed way forward in relation to the deployment of the National Network Review.

Both parties recognise that we are currently experiencing positive increases in Tracked customer demand and the overall volumetric growth in the pipeline as we move towards Christmas. It is therefore vital that everyone is fully focused on this critical operations period.

Given the above it has been jointly agreed not to deploy the National Network Review prior to Christmas.

This Joint Statement confirms that the deployment date for the National Network Review will be the 25th January 2016.

Both parties recognise that there will be some final areas of adjustment to be concluded and that local and national discussions will continue, in order to finalise duty sets and complete re-picks ahead of the deployment date.

Any issues which could place the agreed deployment date at risk must be referred to the National parties at the earliest possible opportunity to ensure these are addressed in a timely manner.

 

Euan McMurdo      Davie Robertson

Director Logistics      Assistant Secretary

Royal Mail                      CWU

Date: 5th November 2015

Notification of Welcome to Royal Mail Sessions (New Entrant Recruitment)
Branches will be aware that as part of the New Entrant Induction process agreed in 2006, the CWU has a timeslot of one hour allocated to recruit new entrants as members of the Union. In the past there has been no official structure in place to notify Branches of when or where the Welcome to Royal Mail (WTRM) sessions were taking place.
Colleagues will also be aware that in order to address the resourcing shortfalls that have crystallised of late, Royal Mail has embarked upon a recruitment drive across the country. How these resourcing shortfalls materialised is the subject of ongoing discussion with the business but in order to maximise the number of new entrants being engaged, Royal Mail notified the Union that they were making a temporary change to the induction training programme, whereby new entrants received their first day training in the workplace (covering health and safety) with the remaining induction training being carried out within one month of their appointment.
The Union immediately responded advising the business that this was unacceptable and that whilst we acknowledged the need to close the resourcing gaps as expediently as possible we could not accept that the CWU would not have access to new employees on commencement of their employment. A meeting subsequently took place with the business; in attendance for the Union was Shelley Banbury – PEC Member and Lynn Browne – Senior Field Organiser. As a result of this meeting the business has confirmed that in addition to new employees being given Health and Safety training, they will also be introduced to the CWU Representative. It is therefore imperative that CWU Representatives take this opportunity to recruit new employees.
Royal Mail also confirmed at the meeting that the CWU’s one hour slot would remain in place on day one and that the WTRM sessions have been revamped to make them more informative and professional. Given the aforementioned revamp, the CWU have agreed to change the one hour slot to commence at 11:00 as this is the optimum time given in the new programme.

COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION

URGENT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS
In addition to the above, the negotiators were successful in securing details of dates and venues of the day one training sessions, up to week commencing 30th November 2015 (copy attached). Further dates will be circulated to Branches in due course.

Any enquires from Branches /Representatives should be referred to Lynn Browne, Senior Field Organiser, lbrowne@cwu.org in the first instance.
Yours sincerely

Terry Pullinger​

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)