JOINT STATEMENT – IMPROVED SCHEDULED ATTENDANCE HOLIDAY PAY

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No:267/14

23rd April 2014

To: All Branches with Postal Members



Dear Colleague

ROYAL MAIL/CWU NATIONAL JOINT STATEMENT – IMPROVED SCHEDULED ATTENDANCE HOLIDAY PAY

Please find attached to this LTB a National Joint Statement confirming arrangements for implementation of improved SA Holiday Pay, a commitment made under the Agenda for Growth Agreement.

The Statement has been delayed due to the need for further discussions with the company to standardise the payment system. As part of these latest discussions the Union has now been successful in securing a further improvement through the inclusion of all Bank Holidays in the calculation for improved Scheduled Attendance Holiday Pay.

The enhanced arrangements, including the new Bank Holiday calculation, will all be backdated to April 2013. Given that this involves significant numbers of individual adjustments to pay, the aim will be for payroll to complete all back pay due before the end of June 2014.

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

Yours sincerely




Dave Ward
Deputy General Secretary (P)
ROYAL MAIL/CWU NATIONAL JOINT STATEMENT

Agenda for Growth Agreement - Improved Scheduled Attendance Holiday Pay


The purpose of this National Joint Statement is to clarify how improved Scheduled Attendance Holiday Pay will be implemented and what the arrangements are for backdating these payments to the 1st April 2013.

We can also confirm that it has now been agreed that Scheduled Attendance due to be performed on public Bank Holidays will also be included in the calculation for improved holiday pay and again this will be backdated to the 1st April 2013.

The terms of this National Joint Statement are applicable to all Royal Mail employees currently in receipt of Scheduled Attendance payments. This Statement does not determine the operational requirements for Scheduled Attendance in any unit. If there are any operational issues relating to Scheduled Attendance this is a matter for local discussion in accordance with the Industrial Relations Framework.

THE AGREEMENT

The Agenda for Growth, Stability and Long Term Success Agreement provides for improved levels of holiday pay in respect of Scheduled Attendance in the Core Business. Currently the first four weeks of annual leave qualify for Scheduled Attendance Holiday Pay which is paid, depending on the unit, either in lump sums of 2 x 2 weeks in May and August each year or as leave is taken.

The relevant paragraph in the new agreement says:

Scheduled Attendance payments in Royal Mail core operations during periods of annual leave will be improved from four weeks a year to the employee’s annual leave entitlement, up to a maximum of six weeks a year. Once the payroll system is adjusted this will be backdated to the 1st April 2013.

For clarity, the intention of the agreement is as follows:

Payment will be made in relation to the hours that would have been worked on Scheduled Attendance had an individual not been absent on contractual annual leave or on a public holiday on the day or days they are otherwise due to work Scheduled Attendance. As a result, individuals holding an agreed Scheduled Attendance undertaking will receive the same amount of

Scheduled Attendance payments in weeks or months when they are on leave or there is a public holiday as they earn when they are at work. This does not apply to additional annual leave purchased as the purchase price does not include the cost of Scheduled Attendance.

IMPROVED HOLIDAY PAY ARRANGEMENTS GOING FORWARD

In order to standardise payment arrangements the following will apply. From 31 March 2014 payment of Scheduled Attendance holiday pay will be triggered as it becomes due, and paid in line with normal arrangements for additional payments. Payroll processes and payslips will be modified to indicate ordinary Scheduled Attendance payments and any Scheduled Attendance Holiday Pay separately.

An exercise in refreshing the standard documentation for Scheduled Attendance arrangements will be now be undertaken in local units in order to ensure that correct holiday payments are made.

Where employees perform Scheduled Attendance on a rotational basis the amount of Scheduled Attendance holiday pay paid during annual leave will be the average amount of Scheduled Attendance payments for the rotation.

Further discussions will take place to ensure there is no adverse impact with these new arrangements on employees who perform Christmas specific Scheduled Attendances.

BACKPAY

As with the rest of the agreed reward arrangements these improvements are backdated to April 1 2013. Scheduled Attendance holiday pay for 2013/2014 will be recalculated against the new entitlement using April 2013 rates, and any early additional Scheduled Attendance holiday pay for the first part of 2014/15 will also be calculated and paid. The aim is to pay all arrears due before the end of June 2014.

REVIEW

These new payment system arrangements will be reviewed at the six month and twelve month stage to ensure they are working as intended and deal with any issues identified.



Peter Walls Dave Ward
Director Employee & Industrial Relations Deputy General Secretary
Operations & Modernisation CWU
Royal Mail

[cloherty1976]

Can't say fairer than that and it will be a nice surprise in june's pay packet.

[broughts]

Well at least someone is happy and dont hold your breathe its only what your owed from last april

[mr hil.]

I received £130 this week, a nice surprise. All the lads in the office who do scheddy got some.