National D2D Discussions 

Branches will be aware that we have been in ongoing discussions with Royal Mail regarding D2D, looking at ways to expand the product including revised ways of working and delivering the items.

 

Last week Royal Mail confirmed that from the 24th August 2015 they would like to proceed with a ‘pilot’ in 3 postcode areas (WD-BA-KA) that removes what is termed as cold calling. In essence this means that you only deliver D2D to delivery points where you already have ‘live’ mail. This of course is contrary to the procedure for the delivery of D2D items as contained in the BT2010 Agreement. However we are aware that there are various practices taking place around the country that are outside the terms of the BT2010 Agreement, but providing the items are being delivered to specification we have taken a pragmatic view of things and not intervened.

 

The proposal from Royal Mail though is an entirely different scenario as it is the intention for this to be ‘The Standard Process’ and is based on delivering 1/6th per day Monday to Saturday but only to those addresses that have live mail, which will undoubtedly mean that all the residue D2D items for those addresses that have not received live mail will have to be delivered on Saturday in order to meet the specification and requirement of the contract. The Union has made the point that this will be very difficult to manage and will also prove unpopular with our members due to the Saturday connotation.

 

We have informed Royal Mail that we are not in a position to support any trial from the 24th August due to the late notice and implications involved. Also we are not in a position to support this particular proposal as things stand as there are questions that remain unanswered and issues that remain unresolved. We have requested a meeting this Wednesday to discuss this and other proposals to see if we can agree an acceptable way forward. In the meantime no agreement should be given to any proposal as outlined above until we have an agreed way forward at national level. Branches will be updated ASAP.

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 230.03

Email address: hnutley@cwu.org or Mstewart@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely
Bob Gibson
COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION 

PCS DISPUTE – URGENT APPEAL FOR SUPPORT 

The General Secretary of PCS, Mark Serwotka has contacted all TUC affiliates to seek urgent assistance in support of the union’s long running campaign against the plans to privatise two thirds of staff at the National Gallery. I attach a copy of the letter for your information.

 

PCS members have taken over 50 days of strike action over the last few months and more is planned from 11th August 2015. The CWU will be making a national donation to the hardship fund and we would encourage branches to do likewise.

 

Direct payments can be sent via bank transfer to sort code: 08-60-01 – account no: 20169002 or cheques to PCS Culture Media and Sport Association, c/o PCS North West Region, Jack Jones House, 1 Islington, Liverpool, L3 8EG.

 

If you have any enquiries on this LTB, these should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at gsoffice@cwu.org quoting the reference GS17.4/LTB 530/15.

 

Yours sincerely

 

​​​ ​​

 

Dave Ward​​​​​​

General Secretary

   

 All CWU Postal Branches

CWU Area Delivery Representatives 

CWU Delivery Reference Group

CWU Walk Design Group

 

Dear Colleague

 

Area Delivery Representative Briefings – October 2015

 

A further series of ADR briefings have been arranged as detailed below. Every conceivable effort should be made by Area Delivery Representatives to attend one of these briefings, given the nature of the agenda items which will be published in due course.

 

 

Date: Wednesday 21st October 2015

Time: 11:00 – 14:00

 

Venue: Edinburgh Royal Overseas League,  

              Overseas House, 100 Princes

              Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3AB

 

Date: Thursday 22nd October 2015

Time: 11:00 – 14:00

 

Venue: Post Office Club, 26

             Marygate, City Centre, York

             YO30 7BH

 

Date: Friday 23rd October 2015

Time: 11:00 – 14:00

 

Venue: Birmingham & District Branch, 47

              Summer Lane, Hockley,

              Birmingham, B19 3TH

Date: Wednesday 28th October 2015

Time: 11:00 – 14:00

 

Venue PCS Union

           160 Falcon Rd, London    

           SW11 2LN

 

 

Branches are responsible for the travel and other associated costs for this type of meeting and, where an ADR has responsibility for an area which covers more than one Branch, these costs should be shared proportionately. However, if a Branch has any particular financial difficulties for these specific briefings and a case for assistance is made to this department this will be given the fullest consideration. Any such requests should be made prior to the meeting taking place.

 

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 535

Email address: hnutley@cwu.org or Mstewart@cwu.org

 

Yours sincerely
Bob Gibson
COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION 

URGENT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS 9

CWU Assistant Secretary

Sunday Services – Enquiry Offices 

Branches and Representatives will be aware of the national trial currently taking place regarding the above, and that we agreed to an extension of the current trial until 28th June 2015 to allow more time for national discussions to take place and reach an acceptable way forward.

 

Those discussions have become more protracted than anticipated and are at a critical stage of negotiation. Branches need to be aware that there are some fundamental differences between the CWU and Royal Mail that impact on existing terms and conditions and until those differences are resolved the CWU will not be supporting any extension of Sunday opening, or the introduction of new services at Enquiry Offices.

 

A further meeting has been arranged with Royal Mail on Tuesday 18th August 2015. Branches will be updated ASAP following that meeting.

 

In the meantime any approaches from Royal Mail regarding Sunday Opening, general opening times, and the introduction of new services should be reported to your CWU Divisional Representative and/or the CWU Outdoor Department without delay for further guidance. No agreement should be given to any proposal that encompasses any of the initiatives referred to above and should be resisted utilising the IR Framework if necessary.

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office quoting reference 530. Email address: hnutley@cwu.org or mstewart@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Bob Gibson
COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION 

URGENT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS

CWU Assistant Secretary – Outdoor  

RE: MR BOB EVANS RETIRED MEMBER AND FORMER BRANCH SECRETARY 

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that Bob Evans, CWU Retired member and trade union officer and activist for over 50 years, passed away peacefully on the 8th August 2015 at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

 

Bob served the union as branch secretary of the Luton Post Office Engineering Union (POEU) Branch. Through various mergers in the region he continued to be branch secretary for the Luton and North Herts Branch and the Beds Herts and Bucks Branch. Over the years Bob also held various District and regional positions. He was a retired member of the Central Counties & Thames Valley Branch.  

 

His dedication and commitment to the union was recognised by the CWU on his retirement when he was awarded the union’s Gold Badge.

 

Bob was a very well respected Branch officer and was also held in very high regard nationally. He will be sadly missed by all his friends and colleagues in the union.

 

At this sad time our thoughts are of course with Bob’s family and friends and to those we convey our deepest sympathies.

 

The funeral will take place on Wednesday 2nd September 2015 at 3.15pm in the Vale Cemetery & Crematorium, Butterfield Road, Luton, LU2 8DD. Refreshments will be available afterwards at Hilton Garden Inn, Butterfield Business Park, Hitchin Road, Luton, LU2 8DL.

 

If you have any enquiries on this LTB, these should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office at gsoffice@cwu.org quoting the reference GS1.1/LTB 527/15.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

​​​ ​​

 

Dave Ward​​​​​​

General Secretary

           

Delivery – Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Verification + Terms of Reference   

We have agreed to a review of the existing set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which were first developed using “Unipart” principles in 2003 using a 95% of the people 95% of the time rule. In many instances this has led to SOPs only providing an overview of activities/key tasks. For full operational details various other supporting literatures need to be referenced which has brought about in some instances confusion and misunderstanding.

 

As part of the on-going improvement work we are undertaking, the SOPs are being updated to provide improved clarity and depth of detail in a more visual format, as it is in the best interests of all parties for employees to understand the correct procedures/processes within the Delivery operation.

 

Additionally, simple to follow instructions, precise descriptions and visual aids in the form of pictures showing the procedures/processes can be used as a training aid for new entrants, individuals who may need re-training or transferees from different functions.

 

As such we have agreed that a verification process will be conducted in West Wickham, Orpington and Basildon Delivery Offices. These Offices have been selected on the basis of their geographical locations and range of size, and is also based on the ease of access for those individuals involved in constructing, collating, designing and submitting the final designs.

 

The overall aim is to produce a set of documents that are easily understood and can be used in any Delivery Office nationally which show how particular procedures/processes should be carried out.

 

In the three verification units stated above, local involvement from the Delivery Office Manager, Line Manager (s) and local CWU Representatives is key and they will be invited to take part in the verification process and encouraged to get involved. In addition a joint questionnaire will be developed by the National Standard Operating Procedures Group to gauge feedback and suggestions from these offices which will then used to construct a potential ‘new’ and agreed Standard Operating Procedure format.

 

The outputs from the verification process will be reviewed regularly at the SOP Working Group to understand whether there is an improvement in the understanding, usage and design of the proposed new format for SOPs.

 
COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION 

URGENT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS

9

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 530.07

Email address: hnutley@cwu.org or mstewart@cwu.org

 

Yours Sincerely

​

​

Bob Gibson

CWU Assistant Secretary – Outdoor

 

National Agreement On The Use Of Telemetry Equipment Within Regional Logistics (Area Distribution) – Telemetry Training Implementation Plan 

Branches and representatives will recall that LTB 056/15 reported on an agreement and trial activity that had been agreed in regard to the use of Telemetry equipment within Regional Logistics (Area Distribution). Further to this LTB 305/15 provided information in relation to the status of the use of Telemetry equipment and that deployment had been delayed until outstanding issues relating to the associated training package had been concluded. In particular the absence of face to face in-cab instruction on the use of the equipment was a concern along with the lack of a structured deployment plan for each site.

 

Following the initial trial at Nottingham further trial activity on a revised training package has been taking place at Leeds, Plymouth and Mount Pleasant Distribution Units. Following the conclusion of this activity the department can now report that the attached Training Implementation Plan to support the telemetry deployment has been agreed and was endorsed by the Postal Executive at its meeting on the 4th August 2015.

 

Branches and representatives are asked to note that the attached will ensure that the Telemetry training is deployed in a manageable and consistent manner across the Regional Logistics (Area Distribution) network nationally and incorporates the following:

 

• Enshrines the CWU at every stage

• All distribution representatives will receive full training in all aspects of the equipment and systems including the traffic office elements, which will ensure that our representatives are fully equipped to deal with any issues arising from the deployment.

• In-cab training which will take the driver through a “nominal duty” from log in to log out and ensures that tuition is received on all aspects of the system and the necessary responsibilities of the driver at each stage.

• Completion of training at each site is a matter for agreement and joint sign off.

• The establishment of a joint Post Implementation Review (PIR) to pick up any issues or learning points.

The department now believe that any issues in relation to the quality of the training and the process for deploying it have been resolved and that the deployment of the Telemetry equipment can proceed.  

 

Representatives are therefore asked to engage with their managers in line with the terms of the National Agreement Between Royal Mail Logistics and the CWU on the Deployment and Use of Telemetry Equipment Within Regional Logistics (Area Distribution) and the attached Training Implementation Plan.

 

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to: Joe Malone, Acting Assistant Secretary, e-mail: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 518.02

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Joe Malone

Acting Assistant Secretary

 

 REGIONAL LOGISTICS – TELEMETRY TRAINING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

 

 

Further to the completion of trial activity at Nottingham, Plymouth, Leeds and Mount Pleasant Distribution Units discussions have been continuing between Royal Mail and the CWU in relation to a revised training plan to effectively support the deployment of the Microlise telemetry equipment in the Royal Mail MGV fleet. Those discussions have culminated in the following defined approach for the delivery of a training package being agreed.  

 

The phased process described below will provide a template for the consistent delivery of both agreed training materials and in-cab tuition and support in regard to Mircolise telemetry equipment.

 

 

Phase Zero:

 

1. The Lead Distribution Manager and CWU Area Distribution Representative will meet the designated Telemetry Superuser for the site to discuss and identify the Telemetry Trainers. It is expected that in units with Area Distribution Workplace Coaches that they will be the primary resource, which will be supplemented as required by Managers, CWU Representatives. Where there remains a shortfall of available trainers, volunteers will be sought from the Professional Driver or Traffic Office functions.

 

2. Once the Telemetry Trainers have been identified and agreed, arrangements for their training by the Superuser will be scheduled. To ensure that this training is delivered at pace appropriate release will be agreed for all affected to attend and fully participate.

 

3. To ensure the widest understanding of the Training packages and materials, the Superuser will also be available to provide training to the CWU Representatives at the site, even where they have not been identified as a Telemetry Trainer.

 

 

Phase One:

 

1. As defined above all Trainers and CWU Representatives will complete both the driver in-cab and the Traffic Office training packages. Once this has been completed the Lead Distribution Manager and CWU Area Distribution Representative will sign off the process to confirm that the site is ready to deploy the training package.

 

2. Local Distribution Managers and the Local CWU Representative will review existing 318’s to ensure that they accurately reflect the current state. Once complete the Lead Distribution Manager and the CWU Area Distribution Representative or nominated deputy will sign off the data set. The agreed 318 set will then be used to populate the Telemetry RSL. 

 

3. To avail the full functionality of the system during the in-cab training a nominal RSL/Geofence will be agreed and created.

 

 

Phase Two:

 

1. The Training plan will be scheduled and agreed based on 100% driver participation. Training will be scheduled to take place in duty time however should this not be practical alternative arrangements will be agreed to ensure all drivers are able to receive the training. It is recognised that the size of the unit/number of drivers will be taken into account when agreeing timescales. However, both parties will aim to complete this at pace.

 

2. Date for training to commence and finish to be agreed.

 

3. Telemetry system to be switched on and the RSL uploaded, including the designated RSL training site.

 

 

Phase Three:

 

1. Driver training delivered in line with agreed plan.

 

2. Drivers will use the Telemetry equipment from the point that they have been trained.

 

3. Lead Distribution Manager and CWU Area Distribution Representative will review the training plan on a weekly basis and will sign off the plan when training has been completed.

 

 

Phase Four:

 

Following the completion of the training plan a full deployment will be agreed in line with the National Telemetry Agreement.

 

Drivers will be asked to feedback any faults regarding RSL/Geo-fence via an issue log kept within the traffic office. These issues will be addressed as BAU by the Superuser and the Local CWU Representative and reviewed on a weekly basis by the Lead Distribution Manager and the Area Distribution Representative along with any other deployment issues.

 

A Post Implementation Review (PIR) undertaken by the Lead Distribution Manager and CWU Area Distribution Representative will take place six weeks following the completion of the training plan.

 

Any issues of interpretation of this process will be referred to the Area Distribution Working Group (ADWG) for resolution.

 
Euan McMurdo ​​Joe Malone

Director Royal Mail Logistics​​​ ​​Acting Assistant Secretary                                                                      

Royal Mail Group​​​ ​​CWU

 

 

Date: 3rd August 2015 ​

​

 
 
 

 

RE: COGNOLINK CONSULTANTS 

I am writing to alert branches to the activity of Cognolink a market research company based in New York. Under the title “Consulting Opportunity” Cognolink has written to a number of our postal organisers to say they are “working on behalf of a New York based hedge fund interested in the UK postal industry and labour relations in particular” and asking them to take part in “a paid 45 – 90 minute phone consultation”.

 

While market research is a long established activity in the commercial world, it is clear that the privatisation of Royal Mail and the liberalisation of the UK postal market is encouraging interest from potential investors, including massive US hedge funds looking for a profitable rate of return on any investment.

 

Aside from questioning the business motives of hedge funds and their future interest in the UK postal sector, there is clearly a risk that any Royal Mail employee taking part in any paid private consultation of this sort could be in breach of RM’s Code of Business Standards by potentially disclosing confidential business information. The Code (which is attached, see pages 15-17) states that employees must “not communicate with the media, shareholders or analysts unless they have been specifically authorised to do so” and that “RM employees with access to inside or potentially inside information must keep it strictly confidential and treat in accordance with Royal Mail’s Royal Mail’s Continuous Disclosure and Communications Policy”. Providing sensitive company and market information to hedge fund investors could also constitute a contravention of the UK’s competition rules. Both Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have competition law powers and will take action against companies who are acting on a way that damages fair competition.

 

In light of these concerns, we are writing to all CWU Branches to alert you to Cognolink’s activity and ask you not to participate in any consultations. We also intend to alert Royal Mail to these developments, warning them about the potential risks to the business and to report this activity to Ofcom in the context of their obligation to ensure fair competition in postal services.

 

 

 

 

 

Against this backdrop, all Branches should ensure that the content of this LTB are circulated and brought to the attention of all Representatives and members.

 

Branches are encouraged to alert the DGS (P) Department of any future requests from Cognolink. Any queries about the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS (P) Department quoting reference LTB 516/15.

 

Yours Sincerely, 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

 

 

REPORT ON ROYAL MAIL GROUP AGM – 23RD JULY 2015 

 

Further to LTB 476/15 which contained information for branches regarding the RMG AGM. Please find attached for your information a summary report from the meeting held the 23rd July in Cardiff.

 

In addition to the attached report a breakdown of the decision and voting on the various propositions consider at the meeting can be located via the following link.

 

Click to access Results%20of%20the%20AGM%2023%20July%202015.pdf

 

Any queries about the contents of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS (P) Department quoting reference LTB 499/15.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry Pullinger​​

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)​​

 

  

Royal Mail AGM, 23rd July 2015

 

Introduction

 

Royal Mail’s AGM 2015 was held on 23rd July in Cardiff. There were approximately one hundred people in attendance and the meeting lasted one hour, with most of the time dedicated to answering questions from shareholders. Chairman Donald Brydon and CEO Moya Greene opened the meeting with an overview of Royal Mail’s progress and future strategy, reflecting its annual report and financial statements 2014-15.  

 

Chairman’s report

 

Donald Brydon reported that he will be stepping down as Chairman on 1st September 2015 after six and a half years in the role, to be replaced by Peter Long who is currently a non-executive director. He called 2014-15 a ‘landmark year’ for Royal Mail – its first full financial year as a private company, in which it has faced the challenge of an increasingly competitive market. He said Royal Mail has been investing in improving its efficiency, growth and innovation, and that this is reflected in improved operating profits and increased margins.

 

Chief Executive Officer’s Report

 

Moya Greene reported that Royal Mail has been recognised as one of the UK’s most trusted brands, and that customer satisfaction had improved over the year. Operating profit in 2014/15 was in line with expectations largely due to attention to efficiency and cost control which had secured a better than expected 1% reduction in UK costs. She said that cost savings have a human face including job losses, and that Royal Mail would continue to work very closely with the unions to make these difficult changes.

 

Moya Greene thanked Donald Brydon for his work in helping to transform the company and said she was looking forward to continuing that transformation work with Peter Long. She noted Royal Mail’s success in achieving a 2.5% improvement in productivity over the last year and said the company is now poised to step up the pace of change and drive not only efficiency but also growth and innovation.

 

CWU Questions

 

There were five questions posed by local and regional CWU representatives on behalf of the union, as follows:

 

1. The CWU asked the board whether the company remained committed to the principles set out in the Agenda for Growth agreement in respect of maintaining decent employee terms and conditions post privatisation and in an increasingly competitive market.  

 

Donald Brydon replied that the company’s relationship with the union is now vastly improved to the credit of both management and the union. He said that a new phase of discussions with the union was beginning and therefore it would not be wise to expand on his comments in any detail. However, he said Royal Mail is proud that it pays people properly and does not use zero hours contracts and that is at the heart of what it wants to achieve.

 

2. The CWU asked how Royal Mail is going to ensure that the public continues to have a voice in how the postal service is run as the government prepares to sell off its remaining stake in the company.  

 

Donald Brydon responded saying that it is the government’s decision to sell Royal Mail, not the company’s, but he said that the way the public has a voice is as customers. He believes that customer influence is the strongest form of pressure people can bring to the company. He also said Royal Mail is proud to be the company selected to deliver the universal service obligation (USO).

 

3. The CWU asked whether Royal Mail supports the union’s People’s Post campaign to prevent cherry picking in the postal market and a race to the bottom on employment standards.  

 

Moya Greene answered by saying it would be wrong to impede the independence of the CWU’s view on its campaign, but that Royal Mail is on record saying that the USO is fragile and that the cherry picking of easy to serve areas means the financeability and sustainability of the USO will be threatened. She said the company agrees with the CWU’s position on cherry picking and is on public record with respect to that.

 

4. The CWU highlighted the unfair treatment of part time staff who regularly work beyond their contracted hours but are only paid their contracted hours as holiday pay. We asked the board how the company can justify this.

 

Moya Greene responded by saying the vast majority of its positions are full time but that the company needs some part time staff to provide a measure of flexibility due to the way the business is structured. She said Royal Mail offers the best pay and conditions in the industry and they are proud to do so because they enjoy the loyalty of their people. Moya Greene said she was not prepared to get into the detail of the issue, but that the company has ongoing meetings with the unions and if there is a concern it will be raised at those meetings.

 

The CWU followed up by saying that the issue does get raised locally but that nothing is done. Moya responded by acknowledging the point and indicating that it had been noted.

 

5. In light of a government review next year of the current USO, the CWU asked whether Royal Mail supports the existing minimum requirements of the USO and will not be calling for any reduction to those provisions.

 

Donald Brydon answered by stating that Royal Mail is not seeking a downgrading of the USO and that they are happy to be the company that delivers the USO. His answer was brief, saying he could not be any clearer than that.

 

Other questions from shareholders

 

A number of other questions were raised by shareholders that are of interest to the CWU.

 

 

• A private shareholder asked what Royal Mail’s strategy was to capitalise on the collapse of City Link and the poor rates of customer satisfaction in the courier sector. Donald Brydon replied that customer satisfaction at Royal Mail is rising and that its strategy is to improve satisfaction and quality further so that it can outperform its competitors.

 

• Another shareholder asked what consequences might result from Ofcom’s fundamental review of the regulation of Royal Mail. Donald Brydon answered that it was a matter for Ofcom to set out its plans. He said that Royal Mail is engaged in dialogue with the regulator on this issue but he did not offer any information or opinion on the potential outcomes of the review.

 

• The issue of executive pay was raised by one private shareholder who singled out Donald Brydon’s 2015 salary of £210,000 as being excessive, calling it a ‘disgrace’, particularly given the role was part time. He highlighted the disparity between pay on the board and that of part time staff at Royal Mail. Donald Brydon said that his pay and that of other board members is set by the remuneration committee, and he said it was standard practice for the Chair of a listed company to be a part time role.

 

• A shareholder who was also an employee said that in the area where he works there are a lot of ‘casuals’ employed at the company who were not properly trained in their role. He said that a commitment to training and development for these staff would be helpful. Moya Greene acknowledged the point and indicated she would give it some attention.

 

• A question was posed by an individual shareholder about why Royal Mail continued to provide first and second class delivery services when in their view it would be more efficient to simply provide one standard service. Donald Brydon responded that customers have made it clear they want both first and second class services and that Royal Mail will succeed by meeting customer needs.

 

• There was a question about whether it was prudent to use shareholders’ money to fund political donations. Donald Brydon replied that the company does not make donations to individual political parties but that the passing of Resolution 15 on what is legally termed ‘political donations’ would authorise Royal Mail to fund its political activities such as lobbying at party conferences.

 

Resolutions

 

Following questions, the Chair moved on to the resolutions which are set out in the Notice of AGM and recommended by the Directors as being in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. The results received from votes cast in advance of the meeting were displayed, with each resolution overwhelmingly supported. Individual shareholders present were asked to complete and hand in their voting cards after the meeting.

 

Donald Brydon then closed the meeting saying what a privilege it had been to be Chairman of Royal Mail, calling it an unusual company which was a real business combined with a real social purpose. He said he believed there was more ‘togetherness’ in the company today than there has been at any time.  

 

 

 

 

Orna Ni-Chionna, non-executive director, thanked Donald for his contribution saying that he had done what was right for the company and that it had been transformed for the better under his leadership.

 

Moya Greene, Peter Long and other members of the board made themselves available to the audience for questions over tea and coffee both before and after the meeting.

 

The results of the votes were published on the afternoon of 23rd July, with each resolution being carried. They are available at the following link:

 

http://www.royalmailgroup.com/sites/default/files/Results%20of%20the%20AGM%2023%20July%202015.pdf  

 

 

 

CWU

23rd July 2015

 

Joint Statement Between Royal Mail And The CWU Covering Tracked 24 High Volume Extended Collection LATs At NDC 

Branches and representatives will be aware that Royal Mail and the CWU are working together in order to develop mutual interest solutions and factor into them opportunities to deliver on the core commitments contained in the Agenda for Growth, Stability and Long Term Success Agreement.

 

That agreement recognised the need for a greater focus on growth via introducing enhanced customer offerings on current product range, creating growth through better utilisation of our existing pipeline and exploring more radical solutions.  

 

It has been decided to introduce an improved collection option from Monday to Friday which will allow our customers to process orders later into the day and get the item to the consumer faster.

 

This positive development will enable Royal Mail to compete for more of this business and in doing so it is hoped to build and retain traffic volumes that might have otherwise been lost to other competitors.

 

It is against this backdrop that a Joint Statement covering the introduction of Tracked 24 High Volume Extended Collection LATs at NDC has been agreed and is attached for the information of Branches and representatives.  

 

The improvements to Monday to Friday collections and distribution for high volume Tracked 24 customers accessing the National Distribution Centre (NDC) will incorporate the following from mid August/early September 2015 and will put the business on par with its competitors:

 

• NDC extend LATs by 1 hour from 20:00 to 21:00 for National next day coverage;

• NDC extend LATs by 1.5 hours from 22:00 to 23:30 for core coverage;

• Core will now include parts of Scotland, i.e. EH1-17 & G1-84

 

The attached Joint Statement provides information in relation to the operational changes. The main effect of this service change will be experienced by NDC and the Mail Centre operated distribution services at the following sites:

 

• Edinburgh MC

• Glasgow MC

• Bristol MC

• Cardiff MC

• Carlisle MC

• Dorset MC

• Exeter MC

• Ipswich MC

• Manchester MC

• Newcastle MC

• Norwich MC

• Portsmouth MC

• Southampton MC

• Swansea MC

 

Branches are requested to ensure that this LTB and its attachment are circulated to the attention of all affected representatives as a matter of urgency.

 

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Joe Malone, Acting Assistant Secretary, e-mail: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 709.02

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Joe Malone

Acting Assistant Secretary

JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL AND THE CWU COVERING TRACKED 24 HIGH VOLUME EXTENDED COLLECTION LATs AT NDC

 

 

Background

 

Royal Mail (RM) and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are working together in developing key business policies, mutual interest solutions and a new culture, all of which are at the core of the commitments in the Agenda for Growth, Stability and Long Term Success Agreement.

 

Both parties recognise that creating the right joint working environment is key to the success of the business and the commitment to provide employment security in all operational functions of the business.

 

Both parties recognise the pressures of the increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving environment and are committed to the strategic objective of creating and developing an agenda for traffic, product and revenue retention & growth, as a positive alternative to simply managing decline across the RM operational network and defining a tangible competitive response.

 

Introduction

 

Parcels competition continues to increase with competitors expanding their networks and delivering enhanced customer services. Royal Mail is responding to the market challenges through a number of initiatives designed to defend and grow revenue & traffic, and to extend Royal Mail service capabilities.

 

Online retail is increasingly becoming 24/7 with shoppers ordering later into the evening. Retailers are now picking and packing their orders later into the evening to improve delivered service times. Therefore we are introducing an improved collection option for Royal Mail Tracked 24 high volume to retailers, which will allow our customers to process orders later into the day and get the item to the consumer faster.

 

We are introducing these changes so that we can compete more effectively with competitors who are already offering this facility. These changes will enable Royal Mail to compete for business we would otherwise not have access to and in addition we can retain volumes that might otherwise go to our competitors. This is good for our company and our people.

 

What We Are Changing

 

Against that backdrop we are improving our weekday collections and distribution for high volume Tracked 24 customers accessing the National Distribution Centre (NDC) i.e.

 

a) NDC extend LATs by 1 hour from 20:00 to 21:00 for national next day coverage;

b) NDC extend LATs by 1.5 hours from 22:00 to 23:30 for core coverage;

c) Core will now include parts of Scotland, i.e. EH1-17 & G1-84;

d) Available Monday to Friday.

 

This puts us on par with our competitors.

 

 

 

When Are We Changing

 

Currently the sales teams are being briefed and customers will be able to access this enhancement to collection from mid August/early September 2015.

 

Operational Impact

 

This enhancement to the service will have the following impact on operational units:  

 

a) Vehicle Operating Centres will plan and resource T24HV customer collections according to customer demand;

b) National Distribution Centre will plan and align resource to later collection arrivals and process to revised LAT T24HV workplan 23:30;

c) An investment in despatch to final wave of T24 Mail Centre services (including 12 new shuttle services);

d) Mail Centres operating 12 new shuttle services from NDC departing 01:30;

e) Services timed to connect with MC to DO and MPU feeders with no changes, apart from the EH1-17 and G1-48 postcodes where connectivity to the DO’s will be supported with additional feeder services (where current CSS waves cannot be utilised);

f) G & EH – Operate 1 shuttle service to Carlisle Mail Centre for mails transfer;

g) Glasgow Deliveries operate up to 35 DO feeder runs into Glasgow Mail Centre to depart 07:50 (fewer if CSS feeder runs already exist);

h) Edinburgh Deliveries operate up to 10 DO feeder runs into Edinburgh Mail Centre to depart 08:11 (fewer if CSS feeder runs already exist).

 

The introduction of any revised duty/attendance arrangements will be negotiated at local level in line with the IR Framework to meet customer collection times.

 

This service enhancement does not affect any part of the National workplan, including deliveries.

 

The change of service will have a minor impact in regard to Network services which will be dealt with in line with existing agreements.

 

Involvement

 

Timely engagement will take place between local managers and CWU IR representatives in the process for taking on new customers and appropriate Union release time will be provided for the CWU representatives to ensure meaningful involvement.

 

Any questions of interpretation, implementation, or application of this Joint Statement shall be referred to the respective Headquarters for resolution.

 Joe Malone​Francis Williams

Acting Assistant Secretary​Head of Parcel Design

CWU​Royal Mail

 

Date: ​4th August 2015