LTB 025/18 - PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPER : OPPORTUNITY MODEL ACTIVITY REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTRES AND WALK BUNDLING CENTRES

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LTB 025/18 - PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPER – OPPORTUNITY MODEL ACTIVITY REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTRES AND WALK BUNDLING CENTRES

No. 025/2018

12th January 2018

For the Immediate Attention of All:



Postal Branches

Divisional Representatives

Area Distribution Representatives



PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPER – OPPORTUNITY MODEL ACTIVITY

REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTRES AND WALK BUNDLING CENTRES



Dear Colleagues

Branches and representatives will be aware that Royal Mail has previously engaged Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) to advise their managers in activity utilising the “Opportunity Model” in Mail Centres (LTB 609/16 refers).

The Opportunity Model was designed by RM to assist managers in identifying opportunities to re-establish standard layout and operating procedures and apply business as usual (BAU) processes to improve the efficiency plants. The business decision to engage a third party was not a matter of consultation or agreement with the union. However, following a number of enquiries from the field in regard to the role of PWC, the department sought clarification on the nature of the PWC activity in Mail Centres and assurances that their involvement did not affect nationally agreed processes for the consultation and negotiation of workplace change.

Following discussions with Processing management written assurances were received from the business that PWC’s remit was solely to assist Royal Mail in identifying where the application of the Opportunity Model may be of benefit. Any projects or proposals identified by the plant team after reviewing the spreadsheet would then become part of the unit’s business plan, which would be the subject of consultation with the CWU in line with the terms of the IR Framework.

In addition the business also confirmed in correspondence that the following advice was communicated to their managers in relation to the role of PWC:

To help educate team in understanding the opportunity model
To help coach your team in how to use the outputs from the model to focus
attention in the right work areas

To coach your team in how to review the selected work areas, observe the
operation and undertake root cause analysis to help identify the causes of

loss. This activity is supported by Industrial Engineers and other RM

operational managers

Alongside the IEs, to coach the plant team in the undertaking of activity and
observation sampling

To help you and your team to turn the root cause analysis into meaningful
action plans which can be deployed in a relatively short space of time.



The PWC team are not in your plant to undertake any of the following:

Manage either your management team or front line staff
Direct your management team or front line staff
Lead on team briefings or huddles, although they can be called upon to
assist these

Lead consultation with the staff representatives
Provide industrial engineering skills and/or advice.
If members of your front line team do not wish to engage with the PWC team members when on site that is their choice and they will not be forced to engage. Similarly if staff representatives do not want to engage that is also their prerogative. However, if either members of the front line or their representatives do approach the PWC team they will respond in a positive and cooperative manner.

Throughout the process, the Mail Centres will have support from the IEs and the support from CWU IEs is also welcomed as with all BAU activity.

Any recommendations that come out of this process will form part of the unit’s business plan and will follow the BAU process and discussion with the CWU, in line with established IR arrangements and agreements.

Following on from this activity the department has now been notified that the initiative is now to commence from Monday 15th January 2018 at the following sites:

SDC (Perth/BT WBC)
NDC
YDC
PRDC (Rochester WBC)
SWDC (SN WBC)
The business has confirmed that the process adopted for Mail Centres is to be replicated for the RDC and WBC activity.

The department would therefore recommend that representatives engage with the business and PWC in the Opportunity Model, in order that the nature of the specific activity at each site is fully understood and can be monitored, ensuring that all relevant agreements are being adhered to. We would reiterate however that any workplace changes that are identified or proposed as part of the Opportunity Model should be progressed in line with the IR Framework and existing agreements.

Should any Branches or representatives require the assistance of a CWU Industrial Engineer you are requested to contact the department in order that the relevant arrangements can be made.

Branches and representatives should note that the PWC Opportunity Model initiative is separate from any AVA activity.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 052



Yours sincerely



Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

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