CWU strongly worded letter time : Royal Mail Group Attendance Procedure

Post by **POSTMAN** » 29 Mar 2020, 19:57

Royal Mail Group Attendance Procedure

In the last few weeks we have been in negotiations with Royal Mail on attendance issues linked to the Coronavirus.

(9th March 2020 we wrote – RM responded 12th March, we met on 13th March and implemented 16th March. – At this point, Maximum isolation period 14 days).

(Over the weekend of 20th March 2020, Government announce vulnerable people need to self-isolate for 12 weeks. Again we wrote to RM on 23rd March, requesting the review be brought forward due to this change. Royal Mail were not prepared to move the review date forward.)

We took the initiative and wrote to Royal Mail requesting:

· Members with less than 12 months service will get paid sick leave for Coronavirus Covid-19 sick absence

· Any sick absence due to Coronavirus Covid-19 absences to be discounted from the Attendance Procedure

· Members who are on half / no pay – get full pay for Coronavirus Covid-19 sick absence.

· Where members have to take time off to look after dependents – Paid Special Leave.

· We have secured:

* Full pay for members isolating with coronavirus symptoms – including those who have worked for RM for under a year

* Full pay for members falling into the vulnerable category (as defined by receiving government letter) for 12 weeks isolation

* Coronavirus sickness absence to be discounted from the attendance agreement.

We are in disagreement over:

* Royal Mail do not want to offer pay to those who isolate due to vulnerable person being part of their household

* Royal Mail do not want to offer FULL pay to Members who are on half / no pay having exhausted sick pay due to being ill previously.

To be absolutely clear we are not in agreement with Royal Mail on these issues and will press them again ‪tomorrow morning‬. I will be able to update members ‪at 4pm tomorrow‬ (Monday) on our Facebook Live Q&A.

Carl Maden
Acting Assistant Secretary

Post by **POSTMAN** » 29 Mar 2020, 20:00

I want members to be aware that we have written to the company this weekend seeking urgent action on;

- The lack of PPE in workplaces
- The mixed implementation of social distancing rules
- An end to the delivery of retailers D2D products during this crisis
- Making it clear to the public not to approach postal workers on their rounds or on the doorstep

I have also made it very clear the consequences to our members both in terms of welfare and morale are massive and we will not tolerate this continuing.

I will share any responses with members as I receive them and I will give a full update on the delivery Facebook live session at 4pm this Tuesday.

Mark Baulch
Assistant Secretary

LouBarlow · Post by **LouBarlow** » 29 Mar 2020, 20:03

I'd much rather they concentrated more on health and safety at the minute. I appreciate people need paying, but being able to work safely should be the number one priority, considering people will be getting paid for two weeks minimum at this point. We could all go in tomorrow and be infected, because the CWU isn't doing enough to ensure safety procedures are being implemented correctly.

goddard7 · Post by **goddard7** » 29 Mar 2020, 20:42

To be clear RM are saying the vast majority of coronavirus absences will be discounted under the attendance procedure.However if the duration is considered excessive or the absences become frequent there will be further investigation.
As we all know on the ground RM routinely abuse the attendance procedure and no amount of hot air from CWU HQ has altered that fact.

geordieboy123 · Post by **geordieboy123** » 29 Mar 2020, 21:02

What about the vulnerable group who get the free flu jab every year ie people with diabetes, heart disease etc?

geordieboy123 · Post by **geordieboy123** » 30 Mar 2020, 07:09

geordieboy123 wrote:
What about the vulnerable group who get the free flu jab every year ie people with diabetes, heart disease etc?

I can’t believe this group has been forgotten about what’s going on

Peejay8T8 · Post by **Peejay8T8** » 30 Mar 2020, 07:30

geordieboy123 wrote:
geordieboy123 wrote:
What about the vulnerable group who get the free flu jab every year ie people with diabetes, heart disease etc?
I can’t believe this group has been forgotten about what’s going on

I'm in this group. Diabetic. I'm not deemed to be at risk so won't be receiving a letter. Ketoacidosis, possible loss of limbs, sight, kidney failure, death. But no, crack on! The world health organisation deem diabetics to be vulnerable in this time, public health England doesn't though. No chance I'm going near work, I'd sooner lose my job or pay

geordieboy123 · Post by **geordieboy123** » 30 Mar 2020, 07:41

Peejay8T8 wrote:
geordieboy123 wrote:
geordieboy123 wrote:
I'm in this group. Diabetic. I'm not deemed to be at risk so won't be receiving a letter. Ketoacidosis, possible loss of limbs, sight, kidney failure, death. But no, crack on! The world health organisation deem diabetics to be vulnerable in this time, public health England doesn't though. No chance I'm going near work, I'd sooner lose my job or pay

Me too but we seem to have been forgotten about by our own union

templar · Post by **templar** » 30 Mar 2020, 08:32

There must be hundreds of postmen/women off at the minute through stringent social isolation measures due to them receiving the free flu jab because of conditions like asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease etc..

They probably won't receive an nhs letter as the criteria for receiving these seems to have narrowed, probably because government underestimated the sheer numbers. I assume there would be plenty of real "Key workers" in this group.

They have no symptoms of the virus so won't be able to obtain a doctor's note but are much more at risk of serious illness if they return to work.

What is the union doing about pay for these people?

We need a definitive answer on this .

viking1488 · Post by **viking1488** » 30 Mar 2020, 08:37

geordieboy123 wrote:
What about the vulnerable group who get the free flu jab every year ie people with diabetes, heart disease etc?

yes i totally agree with you this group has to take much extra care at work and outside,i have been going on about this issue for weeks and it seems to have been swept under the carpet by the union and rm its a disgrace in this day and age that this is happening when a list has been published by the government which includes theses groups the problem is the wording "strongly advice" which means sweet fa to rm according to rm you have to be told before rm will act so if you go off they just wont pay you ..... and even this far into social distancing this issue within rm is not getting brought up ...... ive even heard managers say to people if your as bad as you make out you should of received a nhs letter but for those with a bit of common sense know theses are for people who god forbid get this virus will probably die but on the back of that royal mail have a duty of care and i say should be looking after in some way or form the other vulnerable groups but i cant see this happening any time soon or even ever ..... maybe there is a lot of employees that fall into theses groups which if they have to do something which they should will cause rm a huge problem, bit that gets me is when you apply for a job at rm this is a question have you got any health issues they know dam fine well who theses people are but they still employ and when something goes wrong like it has they turn a blind eye

mjd24 · Post by **mjd24** » 30 Mar 2020, 08:44

LouBarlow wrote:I'd much rather they concentrated more on health and safety at the minute. I appreciate people need paying, but being able to work safely should be the number one priority, considering people will be getting paid for two weeks minimum at this point. We could all go in tomorrow and be infected, because the CWU isn't doing enough to ensure safety procedures are being implemented correctly.

Even if RM and the CWU do everything possible to make as safe a working environment as possible for us, its still hugely exposing ourselves to the virus by going to work instead of isolating at home like the majority of the country are.

Peejay8T8 · Post by **Peejay8T8** » 30 Mar 2020, 08:52

I'm not too mad with royal mail, or the CWU. It's the government that have put me and other "at risk, but not at risk enough" people in this grey area. They need to be more clear

viking1488 · Post by **viking1488** » 30 Mar 2020, 09:09

LouBarlow wrote:I'd much rather they concentrated more on health and safety at the minute. I appreciate people need paying, but being able to work safely should be the number one priority, considering people will be getting paid for two weeks minimum at this point. We could all go in tomorrow and be infected, because the CWU isn't doing enough to ensure safety procedures are being implemented correctly.

lets talk home truth "getting paid for two weeks minimum at this point" i would think a lot are just off with f**k all wrong with them just to get 2 weeks off work .... and this might just backfire on them if they do in the future develop symptoms or get this virus for real what are they going to do then as they are saying you cant get it twice as you get anti bodies come to work pass it on while people who in vulnerable groups are living on a knife edge with no back up and being told they wont get paid for protecting there health the whole thing stinks and this is where i find the whole thing getting very dangerous and a health risk to all as all theses people are about to return to work this week and they have all been self isolating some will be have been doing it for the reason it was intended for others who have just been off for the sake of it they could just of caused a huge problem for us all ........... i hope people are getting my point

mrcurve · Post by **mrcurve** » 30 Mar 2020, 09:26

I don't want anyone showing symptoms near me at work, they may well have something else, that's rather the point of staying off incase they do have it.

viking1488 · Post by **viking1488** » 30 Mar 2020, 09:37

mrcurve wrote:I don't want anyone showing symptoms near me at work, they may well have something else, that's rather the point of staying off incase they do have it.

so if you have been off for 2 weeks common cold might be covid 19 symptoms go back to work next week you get a cough also covid 19 symptoms what will rm do send you home again with pay or not... you have already used your online note ..... do you see what im getting at