Tracked 48 High Volume Extended Collection Later Acceptance

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches





No. 417/15
Ref: 709.02
Date: 26th June 2015


For the attention of:

All Postal Branches
Divisional Representatives
Area Processing Representatives
Area Distribution Representatives
RDC Representatives


Dear Colleagues

Joint Statement Between Royal Mail And The CWU Covering Tracked 48 High Volume Extended Collection Later Acceptance Times (LATS) For Regional Distribution Centres (RDCS)

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 Terms 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. The Joint Statement attached to this LTB is consistent with that commitment and provides an operational change which proactively responds to online shopping trends and the clear demand for customers to have later access into our RDC network for high volume Tracked 48 product posters.

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.

Against that backdrop a Joint Statement covering the introduction of Late Acceptance Times (LATs) into RDC’s, for both existing and potentially Royal Mail Tracked 48 customers, has been agreed and is attached for your information.

This new service will enable the RM Tracked 48 customers to benefit from a collection up to 23.59 Monday to Friday, so allowing them to process orders later into the day and via the existing Royal Mail network achieve delivery of items to their consumers within the Tracked 48 service window times.

Operational arrangements will be determined by the success of this initiative. However it is anticipated that initially and for the most part, current arrangements will accommodate this change and if adjustments are required then discussions should be conducted in line with the IR Framework.

I am sure that Branches and representatives will agree that this product offering is a step in the right direction in enabling Royal Mail to respond to the competitive challenge and grow traffic in our network. In addition I believe our members and in particular those working in the RDC network, will be pleased to see this new product offering which enhances the utilisation of the current RDC network.

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


Terry Pullinger
Assistant Secretary

JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL AND THE CWU COVERING TRACKED 48 HIGH VOLUME EXTENDED COLLECTION LATs FOR RDCs


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 in order to improve delivered service times. Therefore we are introducing an improved collection option for Royal Mail Tracked 48 high volume 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 had access to, additionally we can also retain volumes that might otherwise go to our competitors. This is good for our company and our people.


What Are Changing

Against that backdrop we are improving our weekend collections and distribution for high volume Tracked 48 customers accessing a Regional Distribution Centre.

To continue offering customers greater choice and flexibility we are launching further improved collections times for Royal Mail Tracked 48 customers. These customers can benefit from a collection until 23.59 Monday to Friday.

Exceptions for a 23:59 customer departure time are as follows: Areas served by Aberdeen and Inverness MC’s must have a latest arrival into the MC by 21:00 and Truro MC Acceptance time at 00:00.


When Are We Changing

Currently the sales teams are being briefed and customers will be able to access this enhancement to collection from June 2015.


Operational Impact

This enhancement to customer collections may have an impact on RDC’s from High Volume Customers and collection services which will depend on the customer take up.

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.


Involvement

Timely engagement will take place between local managers and CWU IR representatives in regard to 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.


Terry Pullinger
Assistant Secretary
CWU
Francis Williams
Head of Parcels Design
Royal Mail


Date: 25th June 2015

[SpacePhoenix]

I wonder if any MC will have the staff to be able to process them or whether the items will just sit in a MCs warehouse until their early shift