LTB 541/21 - Revisions, Resourcing, Earnings Packages and Vans : The full shebang!

[POSTMAN]

This one is so important, I have decided to go against all RMC rules and regulations and put this in here...

https://www.cwu.org/ltb/ltb-541-21-revi ... -and-vans/

LTB 541/21 – Revisions, Resourcing, Earnings Packages and Vans
No. 541/21

10th December 2021

Dear Colleagues,

Revisions, Resourcing, Earnings Packages and Vans

Increasing local level autonomy to allow local managers and CWU Representatives to agree and decide local solutions to the daily challenges rather than have to wait and rely on someone distant from the problem to make the decision, is a major part of our strategy in deploying the Pathway to Change Agreement.

The revision programme we agreed was always ambitious, deployed from a standing start and historically unprecedented in scale and timelines. That strategy was always going to expose any weakness in respect of systems and decision-making, but what it has also exposed is genuine managerial capability issues. Inaccurate data, inadequate planning and poor / slow decision-making has made life really difficult for Postal Workers. In the dispute years, these failings were disguised, however deploying the Agreement has forced them to come to the surface, allowing us to combat them one by one.

In contrast, Postal Workers have shone and put in an extraordinary effort. One thing is for sure and that is that none of the failings recently prominent in the media are the fault of Postal Workers, who have been exceptional.

Trying to maintain a great public service throughout the pandemic has been incredibly difficult for everybody, especially whilst deploying major changes and considering the great annual challenge of the Christmas period pressure.

Whilst our members have been absolutely brilliant, Postal Workers and the Public we serve deserve better. This LTB is being circulated to acknowledge this and to assure all CWU Representatives that we have been addressing these issues and agreeing a series of interventions to give local managers and CWU Representatives the tools and autonomy to respond locally and at pace, in order to tackle the current challenges.

1/ To ensure that local negotiations are not constrained by local managers insisting that we only deliver T24 and T48 products, we published the following in a Joint Statement on 29th November 2021:

‘Royal Mail Group is committed to the USO and the delivery, collection and processing of letters, packets and parcels with equal status of importance and where we are experiencing challenges it is important that any required contingencies are agreed locally and must include all commercial and USO products and not priorities T24 and T48 parcels’.

If your local manager is not discussing and agreeing coverage and contingences in line with the above, the IR Framework / Dispute Resolution Procedure (DRP) should be used to ensure an appropriate agreement is reached.

2/ If resourcing issues are a problem then we have agreed to speed up the recruitment process by utilising ‘friends and family’ referrals, as well as local advertising and social media groups, to accelerate what was a far too elongated and centralised HR process.

If your local manager is refusing to adopt these strategies in an effort to relieve the pressure on the local workforce and maintain Quality of Service, then the IR Framework / DRP should be used to ensure an appropriate agreement is reached.

3/ Regarding the lack of vans, local CWU Representatives should not accept ‘jam tomorrow’ promises from managerial sources further up the line. If firm supply dates cannot be given, Representatives should insist that local managers work with them to source local suppliers where possible.

If local managers refuse to respond pro-actively in this regard, the IR Framework / DRP should be used to ensure an appropriate agreement is reached.

4/ In respect of earnings packages, which would ensure robust coverage and maintain Quality of Service, any proposals from the local CWU Representative should be considered and not be unreasonably rejected.

If local managers are refusing to respond to potential solutions addressing Quality of Service failures and robust resourcing arrangements by utilising our own skilled workforce, the IR Framework / DRP should be used to ensure an appropriate agreement is reached.

5/ In respect of the 70hrs cap, the following has been communicated to all local managers.

‘We do communicate that there is a 70hrs cap and local managers should not automatically plan above this (including Peak). However, where there is an agreed need in a specific location the cap can be exceeded. So it’s a needs based approach, locally agreed via a sensible and pragmatic approach. There is definitely not an edict to not exceed the 70hrs cap’.

If local managers are refusing to respond to reasonable proposals aimed to maintain Quality of Service, ensure robust resourcing arrangements and taking the pressure off our members by utilising the above, the IR Framework / DRP should be used to ensure an appropriate agreement is reached.

Hopefully this combination of interventions will strengthen the ability of local managers and CWU Representatives to make the right decisions where it matters, in the workplace on a daily basis. The failure of not doing all that we can to support Postal Workers through these very difficult times will further impact on the workforce morale and result in Customers and the Public not receiving the service they deserve.

We encourage all local Representatives to push hard for the most robust possible arrangements and contingencies to be put in place in order to ensure the best achievable Quality of Service, even if this means using the IR Framework / DRP when local managers are failing to adequately respond.

In closing, we wish to thank all CWU Representatives and our members for their magnificent daily efforts throughout one of the most difficult times in our history. Do not let the failings of systems, data or managerial capability define you. You all do any excellent job and it is a future worth fighting for. We will address all of these barriers and weakness, in order to deliver a Royal Mail Group fit for the next generation.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Terry ' Sorry I've been busy' Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

[pieoftheday]

Interesting to see that Tracked items shouldn't be prioritised, should be amusing pointing that out to my line manager

[fb1969]

Three of our van shares only have one person on them tomorrow - and all have already been told to "just do the Tracked on both rounds". The only advantage to clearing the Tracked is that you wouldn't move in the office if they built up too much!

Lies, lies and more lies courtesy of the company and the CWU.

[JKSmudge]

My walk didn't go out today, been told I willjust be doing parcels for both tomorrow. ' But Terry said......'

[Clappedoutpostie]

So nothing changes but we can do more than 70 hours a week to clear our rounds if we want?

[postslippete]

You can't kid us Terry

This should have been said and acted upon MONTHS ago. Duties have been failing since last year with offices deliberately understaffed and managers consistently prioritising tracked parcels over mail. Sure we had lockdown but for much of this year Covid was just being used as a convenient excuse to lapse duties that the managers knew would never get covered.

Is it suddenly different now that its just 3 weeks to Xmas or has deploying the Agreement really been that slow to recognise them??

[toonshola]

Seems pretty clear Terry is off on his 4/5 weeks Xmas break so thought it would be best to release a token statement before putting down tools. I’m surprised it wasn’t a joint statement with his new love Simon.

[ArtG]

70 hours! I’m excited by this plan and thrilled to be part of it!

[postieblueshirt]

So we've spent all this time trying to get a shorter working week and that was a feckin calamity of a thing to get set up.and now I can work 70.....70 hours gtf..

[fb1969]

Terry Bullshitter's contribution to solving the Royal Mail Christmas Shitstorm is to tell union members they can work more than 70 hours a week if they want!!!

PULLINGER YOU ARE A DISGRACE.

[world class male]

Terry Bullshitter's contribution to solving the Royal Mail Christmas Shitstorm is to tell union members they can work more than 70 hours a week if they want!!!

PULLINGER YOU ARE A DISGRACE.

this absolute tool needs outing asap, he's a liability to the cwu members
he negotiated a pay rise where we basically get feck all for doing more work in less hours but hey, i get an extra cup of tea in the morning that now costs more at the shops!
i can honestly say i hate tp more than any rm employee/executive because he continually delivers on screwing us over whilst i'm paying him to do this!
but now he's endorsing a 70+ working week whilst trying to reduce our hours! the mind boggles

[Sir Henry]

[Jahpostie]

Terry Bullshitter's contribution to solving the Royal Mail Christmas Shitstorm is to tell union members they can work more than 70 hours a week if they want!!!

PULLINGER YOU ARE A DISGRACE.

this absolute tool needs outing asap, he's a liability to the cwu members
he negotiated a pay rise where we basically get feck all for doing more work in less hours but hey, i get an extra cup of tea in the morning that now costs more at the shops!
i can honestly say i hate tp more than any rm employee/executive because he continually delivers on screwing us over whilst i'm paying him to do this!
but now he's endorsing a 70+ working week whilst trying to reduce our hours! the mind boggles

Stop Paying Your Subs.

[norris9]

Who the fook does 70 hours... or even 50 hours...

They must go home, put some food in their mouths and fall asleep on the sofa to wake up the next day and do it all again.

Those people must be physically ruined and no life.