LETTER TO BRANCHES

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No. 1069/07
Ref: L.140.00(k)
Date: 5th December 2007

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS
For immediate circulation to all appropriate Area/Unit Representatives
Postal Divisional Representatives


Dear Colleague


Pay and Modernisation Agreement 2007 – Pay Increase, Lump Sum and Pay Arrears Payments


Further to LTB 1040/07 confirming the endorsement of the above Agreement we have now been advised by the business that the £175 lump sum payments, the new pay rates and any arrears due will be received on the following pay dates:


Weekly paid staff – 14th December 2007

Monthly paid staff – 24th December 2007



Any enquiries on the above should be directed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely




Bob Gibson Martin Collins
Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches


No. 1067/07
Ref: L.645.01(h)
Date: 5th December 2007

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS

For immediate circulation to all appropriate Area/Unit Representatives
Postal Divisional Representatives

Dear Colleague

Christmas and New Year Arrangements 2007/08

Please find attached for your information a copy of the National Agreement for Christmas and New Year Arrangements for the 2007/08 period, Planning Summary and Pay Timetable. The Union only finally received confirmation of the Agreement yesterday despite the fact that we wrote to the business 10 days ago requesting that they needed to urgently advise us of any changes they wished to make for this year to the agreed standard terms. It will be noted that apart from the normal calendar changes it is identical to the 2006 Agreement and those agreed in 2005.

Unfortunately however the day before the Union received the Agreement Representatives were contacting Union Headquarters regarding proposals they had received Locally for Clawback of hours following unagreed advice purported to have been given by Dale Lang and Glyn Rees. In view of this and the confusion this misleading advice was causing we requested a meeting with Gillian Alford, Head of Industrial Relations and Dale Lang, IR Manager last night to seek an explanation and clarify the position.

It was pointed out to the business that the advice that had been circulated was in direct conflict with the National Agreement established in 2004 on clawback and the terms of the National Agreement for Christmas 2007 which had been sent to the Union that very morning in particular Paragraphs 2.1 and 5. We made it clear to the business that the Union would not accept the business backtracking on National Agreements and sought their confirmation that they would honour the terms in full. After a lengthy discussion the Head of Industrial Relations did finally give us her assurance that the terms of the Agreement would not be abrogated by the business.

Branches should therefore ensure that local negotiations proceed and are concluded in line with the terms of the attached National Agreement and the principals/Local Agreements that have been applied since 2004. Any Executive Action proposed in respect of implementing staffing arrangements that conflict with the National Agreement e.g. compulsory movement of rest days, enforced Annual Leave etc should be progressed through the IR Framework. The status quo being the operational/attendance arrangements that applied for the Christmas and New Year period 2006/07.

Any enquiries on the above should be directed to the appropriate Occupational Officer.

Yours sincerely


Bob Gibson Martin Collins Terry Pullinger Ray Ellis
Ass Secretary Ass Secretary Ass Secretary Ass Secretary


Christmas Arrangements 2007

1. Introduction

This document sets out the arrangements for Christmas 2007and New Year 2008 based on the principles agreed for recent yeas. Robust staffing arrangements will be required during the Christmas period to ensure operational needs are covered in line with workload forecasts while taking into account the aspirations of employees. The agreement applies to OPG and OSG, Processing Engineering grades who are scheduled to shift working (fixed or rotating excluding fixed day jobs) together with those LAs whose current conditioned hours attract assigned shift allowances.

2. Attendances

2.1Throughout the Christmas and New Year Period, rest days will apply in line
with normal year round arrangements. Attendances may be varied by local agreement to take account of workload forecasts and service requirements. People who volunteer to work their normal rest day, or are required to work an additional attendance on a Bank Holiday, will be paid as overtime or credited a day’s holiday in lieu. When someone’s rest day falls on a Bank Holiday, they will receive an additional day’s holiday in lieu. (including people working a week off in six)

2.2The detailed scheduling of these arrangements will be subject to negotiation at local level.

2.3Weekend duty holders will have separate scheduling arrangements based on the same principles adopted in 2006.

2.4Any additional days of holiday arising from these arrangements will be taken by 15 March 2008.

3. Christmas Bonus Supplement

The Christmas bonus supplement will be £100 for full time OPG and OSGs (pro-rated for part timers). The eligibility criteria for the Christmas bonus payment will be the same as last year, based on the four December weeks and with same abatement criteria for industrial action as used previously, drawn from the PBS agreement. Payments in 2006 will be made on Friday 21 December.

4. Scheduled Attendance

Scheduled attendance rates can be paid for pre-scheduled overtime worked during the Christmas period but these will not attract paid meal breaks.

5. Local Negotiations

In order to secure sufficient and reliable staffing and so deliver quality services to our customers throughout the Christmas period, local negotiations will consider the following options:

People to work their normal rest day in return for a day in lieu or scheduled attendance/overtime.

Pre-scheduling hours against forecast workload.

Scheduled attendance or pressure overtime.

Use of temporary / casual staff to supplement other resource.

Local negotiations will ensure that everyone has a fair and manageable workload.

6. Pay arrangements

Revised pay arrangements are attached. The improved systems now in place for processing overtime claims means there is no longer any need for advances in overtime pay.


………………………………….. …………………………..
Mike Eady Royal Mail Letters Martin Collins, CWU

…………………………..
Bob Gibson, CWU

…………………………..
Terry Pullinger, CWU

…………………………..
Ray Ellis, CWU

November 2007









Christmas planning summary

Introduction
The purpose of this paper to provide the LET with a summary of planning that has been undertaken for Christmas this year. This covers all the key stakeholders in the Christmas plan.

Service Aim
The service aim is to deliver all mail posted on, or before, the latest recommended posting dates by the last delivery date before Christmas, Monday 24th December 2007.

Latest Recommended Posting Dates (LRPD) – by product

Inland Standard Tariff traffic and Special Delivery
First Class
Thursday 20th December
Second Class
Monday 17th December
Special Delivery
Saturday 22nd December
Inland pre-sorted & contract traffic
Mailsort 1 & Presstream 1
Thursday 20th December
Mailsort 2 & Presstream 2
Monday 17th December
Mailsort 3
Thursday 13th December
Royal Mail Tracked
Monday 17th December
Packetpost/ Packetsort 1c
Thursday 20th December
Packetpost/ Packetsort 2c
Monday 17th December

Traffic Clearance Plan (TCP)
The Traffic Clearance Plan is designed to maintain the integrity of 1c Business mail during the Christmas period. 1c Business mail is cleared to normal workplan, but due to the volume of 1c Social mail during the Christmas period the specification for Social mail is changed, in that 1c Social mail is cleared by 06:00 day B, and due delivery on day C

Commences - 06:00 Monday 10th December
Finishes - 06:00 Friday 21st December

Clearance Specification
22:00 all 1c Meter/ PPI mail
06:00 (day B) all 1c Stamped mail
14:00 (day B) all 2c mails
In the w/c 3rd December Mail Centres will boost resource towards the end of this week as pressure on clearance will build with the increase in traffic volumes

International
International Christmas arrangements commence on 19th November when offices will be asked to change letter, flat and packet sortation, and will cease on Monday 24th December
Letters & Flats - comprises an additional selection for letters and flats.
Packets - offices are required to make additional packet selections for key destinations up to a maximum of 33 selections
Additional to this and to relieve further congestion at HWDC:
A hub operation at PRDC is being set up to despatch traffic to key European and some American destinations.
An outhouse has been established to handle any unsorted packet residue, this site will be shared with the Home Counties West Area
International Traffic Clearance Plan commences 3rd December.

International outhouse not connected directly to main Network, working on 7.5t shuttle network between Outhouse, Greenford MC and HWDC





Network
The following table shows the timetable for the variations to the normal year round Network requirements.
W/C
Variation to year round
12th November
Additional flights on selected days. (5 additional aircraft)
19th November
More additional flights (still 5 additional aircraft however flight frequency increases) use of road & rail for export packets
26th November
Full flight package (increase to 7 additional aircraft)
2C/1C hub relief plus train plan
3rd December
Q of S not counted – no formal TCP
Post midnight Contingency network using existing services
Air quotas in place, more rail & contingency network
International TCP commences
10th December
TCP starts, 06:00 Network commences

Bank Holiday Road Network (RCN) to operate on 26 Dec & 1 Jan
Weekends
No commitment to move Sunday cleared traffic during TCP, however Areas will clear and process Sunday to minimise impact on Monday volume.

Sunday 23rd December – Back to “normalâ€

[meweavy]

so do we get our back pay and £175 on the 14th?????

[TrueBlueTerrier]

so do we get our back pay and £175 on the 14th?????

AFAIK YES

[meweavy]

so do we get our back pay and £175 on the 14th?????

AFAIK YES

ok cool..cheers
(what does AFAIK)mean??

[TrueBlueTerrier]

so do we get our back pay and £175 on the 14th?????

AFAIK YES

ok cool..cheers
(what does AFAIK)mean??

Internet Lingo for

As
Far
As
I
Know

[DGP1]

so do we get our back pay and £175 on the 14th?????

AFAIK YES

ok cool..cheers
(what does AFAIK)mean??

Internet Lingo for

As
Far
As
I
Know

Phew!! I thought you were talking about Prince

[kill Joy]

Letter to Branches




No. 1069/07
Ref: L.140.00(k)
Date: 5th December 2007

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS
For immediate circulation to all appropriate Area/Unit Representatives
Postal Divisional Representatives


Dear Colleague


Pay and Modernisation Agreement 2007 – Pay Increase, Lump Sum and Pay Arrears Payments


Further to LTB 1040/07 confirming the endorsement of the above Agreement we have now been advised by the business that the £175 lump sum payments, the new pay rates and any arrears due will be received on the following pay dates:


Weekly paid staff – 14th December 2007

Monthly paid staff – 24th December 2007



Any enquiries on the above should be directed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely




Bob Gibson Martin Collins
Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary

Does this now nail the myth that there was no pay increase without pension changes???

I hope all those that gave me abuse for suggesting this was the case are now eating humble pie - well it is christmas!!!

[DirtyHarry]

Letter to Branches




No. 1069/07
Ref: L.140.00(k)
Date: 5th December 2007

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS
For immediate circulation to all appropriate Area/Unit Representatives
Postal Divisional Representatives


Dear Colleague


Pay and Modernisation Agreement 2007 – Pay Increase, Lump Sum and Pay Arrears Payments


Further to LTB 1040/07 confirming the endorsement of the above Agreement we have now been advised by the business that the £175 lump sum payments, the new pay rates and any arrears due will be received on the following pay dates:


Weekly paid staff – 14th December 2007

Monthly paid staff – 24th December 2007



Any enquiries on the above should be directed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely




Bob Gibson Martin Collins
Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary

Does this now nail the myth that there was no pay increase without pension changes???

I hope all those that gave me abuse for suggesting this was the case are now eating humble pie - well it is christmas!!!

As it's Christmas can I make mine a mince pie, any other time of the year I'd happily make do with a slice of humble, but you know how it is.