CWU Agency Campaign - Closing the Loopholes – Campaign Pack

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TB 844/12 - CWU Agency Campaign - Closing the Loopholes – Campaign Pack

No. 844/12
Ref: SB/sd/jq
Date: 12 November 2012
To All Branches

Dear Colleague

CWU Agency Campaign - Closing the Loopholes – Campaign Pack

It is the intention of the Agency Campaign Team to issue a campaign pack in order to assist branches and members to understand the reasons why the CWU is campaigning and what they can do to join in and participate in the campaign.

The campaign pack is currently at the printers and will be with you shortly.

However, the purpose of this LTB is to give you advance notice of the content of the agency campaign packs and to give you understanding of the relevant documents that will be included.

The campaign pack consists of the following:

· An Individual letter sent to all agency members at their home addresses via the Voice - this letter is aimed at our agency members and will be sent direct to their home addresses via the Voice in order that they are aware that the CWU is campaigning to amend the Agency Regulations and to encourage them to write to their own MPs to revise the current legislation.

· An Information Document – this document has been prepared as background material to enable branch activists to fully understand the case for closing the loopholes and give some background information regarding the adoption of The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (TAWR) which lead to the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (AWR).

· Aims and Objective – these are the key aims of the campaign which include raising the awareness amongst our agency members as well as applying political pressure to enable to secure amendments to the UK Agency Regulations.

· Leaflet- a simple leaflet is contained with the pack and further leaflets will be despatched to the branches shortly.

· A Guide on How to Lobby your MP – to assist branch activists and members to approach their MPs and effective lobbying.

· Questions and Answers – a list of general questions relating to the use of Pay Between Assignment (PBA) contracts.

· Answering Hostile Questions – This Q&A has been compiled for branches in order that they can deal with hostile and opposition questions that are likely to be asked by those employers and media against amending the UK Agency Regulations along with the CWU view in response.

· Draft Letter to MPs – there are three draft letters that can be adapted or just signed and sent to MPs as follows:

1. for agency members that are currently on a PBA contract;
2. for other agency members not on a PBA contract;
3. for branch representatives and other members.


Branches

Branches should note it is not the intention for all agency members to receive a pack although we are recommending that one should be sent to all those on a PBA contract. It will be for branches to use as a recruitment tool or use the agency pack to send to MPs or interested parties.

It will be your responsibility to tailor the pack depending on the audience; for instance it would be totally inappropriate to send out the opposition question and answer document to certain parties as it is purely a document prepared for branch activists.

It will be the branches role to assist and encourage members to write to their MPs and for those branches that have call centres it will be useful if you found out the relevant MPs within the location to send them a pack and lobby for their support.

All branches should note that they will need to adapt the pack in order to fill in branch contact information on the space provided on the back of the agency campaign pack. This should include a contact name, address, telephone number, web page/email address.

A dedicated agency campaign page has now been set up on the main CWU web page http://www.cwu.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and will provide updated reports as well as electronic copies of the agency pack for those interested parties who may require further information on the campaign.

Political Activity

The General Secretary is taking an active role in leading the fight to ensure the protection of workers and enable this to be a major policy priority for the Labour Party’s national forum.

The Union is represented on this body by the General Secretary, Billy Hayes and the National President, Beryl Shepherd so we will have real opportunity to directly influence the formulation of policy going forward to the next manifesto.

Summary

Individual letters to agency member’s home addresses will be despatched via the Voice week ending 22 November and further updates on the campaign and initiatives will be announced shortly along with when the campaign pack is back from the printers and is ready for despatch.

Any queries to be addressed to Sally Bridge, Assistant Secretary, at sabridge@cwu.org

Yours sincerely



Sally Bridge
Assistant Secretary