NATIONAL ATTENDANCE AGREEMENT DOCS

[POSTMAN]

No. 854/12
Ref: PTC/RE/srh/015
Date: 16 November 2012

As reported in LTB849/12, negotiations have now concluded on a new Royal Mail Group National Attendance Agreement and associated policy and guides. A Branch Briefing will take place at 11.00am concluding by 2.30pm on Wednesday, 21 November at the Friends House, Euston, prior to a Branch ballot.

Please find attached the following documents:


Draft National Attendance Agreement.
Attendance Policy and Guides
Attendance Policy
Absence Notification and Maintaining Contact
Welcome Back Meetings
Managing Short Term Absence and Informal Review Discussions
Attendance Review Meetings
Attendance Consideration of Dismissal
Managing Long Term Absence
Work following Health Problems
Managing Absence and Disability
How to Treat Absences due to Accidents at Work
Referral to Occupational Health Services
Employees who are Unable or Refuse to Attend Absence Related Meetings

Overview

In the Business Transformation Agreement Royal Mail and CWU undertook to review HR Procedures as part of a commitment to improve employee relations. The attached agreement and supporting documentation are the result of lengthy discussions over a period of more than two years.

The new agreement and the associated guides – which will replace the various unagreed national, regional and local policies for attendance management which have multiplied over recent years – represent a substantial improvement in content and tone and if deployed effectively, will result in fairer treatment and a more sensible approach to absence management.

Many of the policy objectives of the Union have been achieved, including notification and contact policies which will replace the various un-agreed contact strategies currently in place, a more systematic and supportive approach to long term absence and protections for those members with underlying health issues and the cessation of stoppage of sick pay without good reason and appropriate notification. It was not possible to achieve all of the Union’s policy objectives – for example we could not secure an appeal process at stages 1 and 2 of the procedure, but steps such as the introduction of an informal review normally be expected to take place before any formal action under the procedure represent a significant improvement.


THE AGREEMENT

The agreement is constructed in a logical sequence, beginning with:

Notifying Absence and Maintaining Contact

The relevant guide is Absence Notification and Maintaining Contact.

A major Union objective was replacement of unagreed management contact standards and an end to random stoppages of pay during absence. The negotiators believe the responsibilities of employees and managers are clearly outlined in the agreement and guide in a way which should ensure members are treated with dignity and fairness when off sick.

Welcome Back Meetings

The relevant guide is Welcome Back Meetings.

The purpose of the meeting is clearly defined. The focus is on informal discussion of the key return to work issues in contrast to the current “box ticking” approach. The Welcome Back Meeting is separate from any informal review and the formal procedure.

Informal Review Discussion

The relevant guide is Managing Short Term Absence and Informal Review Meetings

In the event that the manager has any concerns about the number or pattern of absences (or if the employee has any concerns) these should be discussed at an informal review discussion. This is a key addition to the procedure, based on the principle that in normal circumstances it is expected that perceived problems about attendance should be dealt with in an informal and supportive way, before the application of the formal procedure. Whilst there will be occasions when it is not possible or appropriate to hold an informal review meeting before a first stage review meeting, the clear expectation in the agreement and guide is that it will be the norm to do so.

Attendance Standards - Short Term

A fixed six months period in which to meet the standards after a Stage 1 and Stage 2 review replaces the current rolling period. A member who has received a Stage 1 review will come off the procedure after six months if the standards are met. A member on a Stage 2 review will come off the procedure if they have no more than one absence of 4 days or less in six months or revert to Stage 1 if the standards are met but the level of absence is greater than one absence of four days.

Attendance Review Meetings

The relevant guide is Attendance Review Meetings.

The agreement and guide are clear that:

The normal expectation is that a formal attendance review meeting at Stage 1 will only take place if there has been no improvement after an informal review.

Where standards are not met a formal attendance review is not automatic.

The purpose of the review is to explore reasons for absences, identify any help which can be given to improve attendance and take account of mitigating circumstances, in light of the employee’s previous record.

Consideration of Dismissal/Appeal

The relevant guide is Attendance – Consideration of Dismissal

The second line manager must consider their decision in the light of mitigating factors and the employees’ overall record. If a manager decides to dismiss there is a right of appeal to an independent appeal manager from HR Services.

Long Term Absence

The relevant guides are Managing Long Term Absence and Work following Health Problems.

Long term absence is a particular problem in Royal Mail. The agreement and associated guides provide for a more systematic approach to managing long term absence and also applies when repeated absence is due to a significant underlying health issue.

The role of the CWU Representative is emphasised, both in maintaining contact and in involvement in regular review meetings.

The emphasis is on facilitating an early return to normal duties, on a phased basis where appropriate, or if this is not possible to consider permanent job modifications or redeployment. Where none of these options are possible ill health retirement will be considered under the terms of the current IHR Agreement.

OTHER GUIDES

In addition to those guides referred to above under the relevant section of the National Agreement there are detailed guides on Referral to Occupational Health Service, How to Treat Absence due to Accidents at Work, Managing Absence and Disability and Employees who are unable or refuse to attend Absence Related Meetings. These, in common with the other guides, are all the result of lengthy negotiation and form business policy which cannot be changed below national level. Any proposed changes to the guides will be the subject of national discussion on the basis of seeking consensus for any change.

TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

This will be straight forward for most parts of Royal Mail Group. No one will be disadvantaged in comparison to what would have happened had they stayed on the current procedure. Where the new arrangements are of benefit by coming off the procedure more quickly, this will be implemented from the date of introduction.

DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS

A joint launch has been agreed, in the form of an initial meeting for senior representatives and senior managers, followed by a cascade process using a single agreed set of slides and leaflets for managers and representatives to ensure consistency.

In order to ensure that there is sufficient time to complete this process the launch date is likely to be 1st April 2013.

REVIEW

A series of reviews will take place at Head Office level after initial deployment and at six and twelve months after deployment.

TRIALLING FURTHER ARRANGEMENTS

It has been agreed to jointly identify ten trial offices, nominated equally by Royal Mail and the CWU, with the objective of developing further measures to benefit employee relations and control absence.

Joint review teams will be established in each office, supported and overseen by the National Review Team.

SUMMARY

The mistreatment of members incurring sick leave has been a continuous problem for over a decade. The harsh approach to absence management prevalent in much of Royal Mail Group has been amongst the biggest source of grievance to our members and representatives. The negotiators believe that the Draft National Agreement and associated policy and guides provide the opportunity to establish an approach to absence management which is centrally controlled in line with a new and improved National Agreement supported by detailed guides which are designed to send the right messages to line managers and employees. If deployed effectively, this should be a major contribution to improving employee relations.

Branch Ballot

Arrangements for a Branch ballot, to commence after the Briefing, are currently in hand and will be communicated to Branches separately.

Any enquiries should be addressed to Ray Ellis’s department, quoting reference PTC/RE/srh/015.
Email address: rellis@cwu.org

Yours sincerely



Ray Ellis
Assistant Secretary

12LTB854.doc

National Attendance Agreements.zip

[Thunderthighs]

is there an "English" version available too?

"KISS"...Keep it simple, stupid.

RM speak again, twinned with Klingon, apparently...

[jaypegg1968]

Is it 6 months from your last sick day or from when the stage was issues?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Is it 6 months from your last sick day or from when the stage was issues?

Issue date - but that can be back dated if the rep/boss agree that the time between sickness and warning was too excessive.

[jaypegg1968]

It would of been on old system 6/3/13 was my last day sick and stage was issued I think sometime in April

[TrueBlueTerrier]

unauthorised absence.docx