LTB 669/12 World Class Mail - Trialling New Kit & Equipment

[POSTMAN]

03 September 2012
LTB 669/12 World Class Mail - Trialling New Kit & Equipment






No. 669/2012
Ref: 714.06
Date: 3rd September 2012


To All Postal Branches

To All Divisional Representatives

To All Area Processing Representatives

To All Area Distribution Representatives

To All Area H&S Representatives

Dear Colleague

World Class Mail - Trialling New Kit & Equipment

The department has been receiving enquiries in relation to trial activity that has been either taking place or proposed in regard to new equipment including manual and automated solutions such as sorting frames, mail tippers and tugs etc.

Branches and representatives will be aware that the department's policy is to engage National management to work with us to establish exactly what equipment is being used in each Mail Centre. This would allow for the range of equipment being used to be standardised and provide a catalogue from which each Mail Centre could look to select from in the knowledge that they are agreed and SSOW have been developed, prior to looking at any other alternative or new solutions.

In pursuance of this objective it is important that we use the new National World Class Mail Agreement to instil the necessary disciplines back into the process being used to formulate new sorting office equipment. In addition we should also be ensuring that all parties not only adhere to the new WCM Agreement but also the National Generic Trial and Deployment Framework Agreements contained within the BT2010 Agreement.

The key principle of any activity relating to the development of new equipment must be the presentation of any proposals to the CWU at National level in advance of the progression of any local activity.

It is also apparent that as a result of the CWU policies for non involvement in WCM there has been a period where a significant amount of new equipment may have been introduced in various Mail Centres, which to some degree even National management have not been able to keep up with.

Against that backdrop regardless of what activity may have taken place prior to the WCM Agreement being reached we believe that it is extremely important that a National interface is established to coordinate the development and introduction of all new equipment throughout the Mail Centre network. The best way to achieve this is to ensure at Divisional, Regional and local level that appropriate National agreements are applied.

Your assistance in the above policy would be greatly appreciated and we ask that if any approach is made by management with any proposals in regard to the trialling of new or extending the use of any previously un-agreed equipment that it is made clear in the first instance it should be raised at National level in line with the aforementioned agreements and IR Framework Agreement must be utilised where necessary.

If you believe that you can assist the department in its efforts to develop a clear picture of all the kit and equipment being used in Mail Centres by providing us with a local audit/report of any bespoke equipment that has been introduced or trialled in your Mail Centre we would be very grateful and you would greatly assist our efforts.

Branches are requested to ensure that the content of this LTB is brought to the attention of all local/shift representatives.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Terry Pullinger, Assistant Secretary, e-mail: dwyatt@cwu.org or lwright@cwu.org quoting reference number:

Yours sincerely

Terry Pullinger

Assistant Secretary