Joint Statement – RMSS Driver Awareness Training

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Letter to Branches




No. 654/14
Ref: 218.18
Date: 22nd October 2014

To: All Postal Branches with RMSS Members
Parcelforce Regional Organisers
RMSS Representatives



Dear Colleagues

Joint Statement – Royal Mail Specialist Services (RMSS) Driver Awareness Training

The department and Royal Mail Specialist Services (RMSS) held a Joint Strategic Briefing on the 25th September 2014. The key message from this event was a joint commitment to reinvigorate the IR interface and opportunities for the CWU and its members to contribute at all levels of the RMSS business unit, in a similar manner to the successful Table of Success process that is already employed in Parcelforce.

In line with the above ethos the first initiative to be launched in RMSS is a Driver Awareness Training package and the attached Joint Statement details both the background to the new Working Together programme and the detail of the trial deployment of this initiative.

Following the trial deployment the training package will be jointly reviewed prior to any subsequent roll out across the RMSS Network.

Branches are asked to ensure that the Joint statement is brought to the attention of our RMSS members.

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 number218.18.

Yours sincerely



Terry Pullinger
Assistant Secretary



Joint Statement between RMSS Relay and the Communication Workers Union on Joint Employee Engagement initiatives and Driver Awareness Training


Working Together

RMSS Relay and the CWU held their annual Joint Strategy Briefing event in September, where Depot managers and local representatives received updates from senior RMSS and CWU leaders on current performance, commercial initiatives aimed at growing the business and the priorities for the rest of the financial year.

After a very successful year in 2013/14, the signs are that RMSS are still on course to achieve another set of excellent results, which is a testament to the continued hard work from everybody across the whole business unit.

A key theme throughout the event was the mutual desire to strengthen the joint working relationship at all levels of the RMSS-CWU structure. As part of the development of our strategic relationship, we also want to increase employee engagement to enable the generation of good ideas and improvements at local level to be shared with the National Specialist Services Steering Group (NSSSG). The best ideas will be developed through joint working groups and deployed nationally to deliver improvements across the RMSS network. We are currently developing separate joint communications to explain how this process will work in practice.

Driver Awareness Training

In line with the above principle a great example of how a good idea has been developed through feedback received from drivers via local engagement roadshow sessions is the Driver Awareness Training package.

This initiative has been developed and piloted in the Southern Region over the last couple of months and is primarily designed to improve driver risk awareness. Initial feedback has been positive with constructive feedback from drivers, representatives and managers.

Against this backdrop RMSS Relay and the CWU are pleased to announce that we have jointly reviewed the content of the Driver Awareness Training presentation and have agreed to move to a formal trial of the package. The trial deployment of the training will take place at the Nottingham Depot and feedback from all participants will be sought and jointly reviewed to ensure that the format of training package is viewed as robust, effective and engaging.


Following this trial deployment a final package will be agreed by the NSSSG and endorsed for further roll out nationally across the RMSS depot Network.



Alex Warner Terry Pullinger
Managing Director Assistant Secretary
RMSS CWU


Date: 17th October 2014

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Letter to Branches




No. 682/14
Ref: 218.08
Date: 29th October 2014

To: All Postal Branches with RMSS Members
Parcelforce Regional Organisers
RMSS Representatives



Dear Colleague

Joint Statement – Royal Mail Specialist Services (RMSS) Driver Awareness Training Deployment

Branches will be aware from LTB 654/14 of the trial deployment activity that has been taking place in respect of the above subject.

We can now inform you that the trial activity has been successful and attached to this is LTB is a Joint Statement which now facilitates the deployment of the initiative across the RMSS network.

Branches and representatives are requested to ensure that our members are made aware of this LTB and the attached Joint Statement

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 number218.18.

Yours sincerely



Terry Pullinger
Assistant Secretary



Joint Statement between RMSS Relay and the Communication Workers Union on the national roll out of Driver Awareness Training


Further to our Joint Statement of the 17th October 2014, building on our commitments to the development of mutual interest initiatives, the Driver Awareness Training trial was held at RMSS Nottingham on 20th & 21st October 2014.

Over the two days RMSS drivers were taken through the package which was in two sessions lasting approximately two and half hours. The trial activity was jointly supported by Andrea Burdette, RMSS Regional Manager and Chris Johnson, CWU Representative and feedback was sought from all participants.

Drivers were asked to complete an evaluation form which covered the workshop, knowledge & skills and making a difference. The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive and has been reviewed by the National Specialist Services Steering Group (NSSSG). Against this backdrop we have now agreed to roll out the training across the RMSS Depot Network.

We would like to thank all our drivers who participated in the trial and offered feedback.

Details of the training schedule in your office will be published locally.






Alex Warner Terry Pullinger
Managing Director Assistant Secretary
RMSS CWU


Date: 29th October 2014