WEEKLY INFORMATION FROM THE COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
Vol;ume 7 Issue 16. Paragraphs 227 - 235 26 April 2002
SUMMARY
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
227 STUC Women's Conference
FINANCIAL SERVICES
No Items This Week
GENERAL
228 Branch Magazine and
Website Competition
229 National Executive
Council Members Substituting for CWU Staff Members
230 CWU Strategic Review
Working Party
HEALTH AND SAFETY
No Items This Week
POSTAL
231 May Day Bank Holiday Arrangements
232 Cash Handling &
Distribution - Conduct Code
TELECOMS
233 Redstone Network
Management In-sourcing Contract
234 Network Transport
Field Operations Organisational Changes
235 Quality Assurance
Engineers for Internal Construction Activity within Network Build
LETTERS TO BRANCHES
LTB/194 Special Leave: BT and Carers (Jenny Ainsley)
LTB/195 Intranet Access (Nigel Cotgrove)
LTB/196 RMSD Pay (John Keggie, DGS{P})
LTB/197 Vehicle Services Pay Claim (Ray Ellis)
LTB/198 NEC Elections 2002: Nominating Branches (Eric Lovett)
LTB/199 Conduct Code: CHD (Paul Sharpe)
LTB/200 RoMEC Cleaners (Dave Ward)
LTB/201 SERTUC May Day March & Rally (Billy Hayes, G.S.)
LTB/202 Royal Mail Pay/Mediation/Arbitration (John Keggie, DGS{P})
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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
227 STUC Women's Conference
The 2002 STUC Women's Conference will be taking place in Perth City
Halls on Tuesday, 19th and Wednesday 20th November 2002.
The closing date for the receipt of motions is Friday, 6th September 2002.
In order for the National Executive Council to consider proposed
motions, Branches in Scotland are asked to submit either draft
motions or proposals for subjects to base motions on. These should be
sent to the Equal Opportunities Department by Friday, 16th August
2002. Motions should relate to issues of importance to women in Scotland.
Any enquiries should be addressed to Jenny Ainsley, Assistant
Secretary quoting reference 3.11.1.
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GENERAL
228 Branch Magazine and Website Competition
Web wonders and branch hacks take note! The best CWU branch websites
will be recognised for the first time at Annual Conference this year
with a new award to run alongside the annual branch magazine competition.
Nominations are now open, so it's time to think about getting
recognition for the branch editors and internet boffins who beaver
away to bring you the information you need at branch level.
Editors: All you have to do is decide which edition of the magazine
was your best of the last twelve months and send three copies to:
Marcia Murray, CWU Communications Department, 150 The Broadway,
Wimbledon, London, SW19 1RX.
Webmasters and mistresses: e-mail your details, including the branch
URL (website address) to: mmurray@cwu.org
Deadline for entries is May 20 so don't delay, particularly
considering substantial prizes at stake thanks to Hamilton Bank which
is once again sponsoring the competition.
This year the winners of both the branch magazine and branch website
competitions will walk away with £250 in software vouchers,
enabling them to improve their publications still further.
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229 National Executive Council Members
Substituting for CWU Staff Members
At CWU Annual Conference 2000, the following proposition was carried:
Prop.95
"Conference believes that the practice of annually elected NEC
members substituting for CWU staff members is not in the best
interest of the union for the following reasons:
1. It prevents annually elected NEC members from spending time
representing members and fulfilling their duties as NEC members.
2. It prevents the CWU operating a proper substitution process and
therefore obstructs career developments and places a ceiling on the
promotion prospects for the union's mainly female staff.
3. It involves the union in unnecessary expense, as employing NEC
members can be more expensive than temporary promotion.
4. It fails to meet the union's obligations as an Equal Opportunities Employer.
Conference therefore agrees to end the practice of annually elected
members substituting for the CWU's staff. Swansea Engineering"
At the NEC meeting held on 29th June 2000, the following motion was carried.
"That this meeting agrees the carriage of motion 95 at CWU
Annual Conference 2000 (substitution for Senior Clerks/Personal
Assistants). That this National Executive Council agrees that
negotiations with the CWU staff side trade union/s and the CWU
Officers Branch should not be on the basis of fiat.
That negotiations with the trade union representatives of all CWU
Headquarters employees and in particular with respect to motion 95,
the "status quo ante" should operate until such time that
an agreement has been secured which is equitable to all affected
persons and has been agreed by the recognised trade union/s within
the next three months."
The purpose of this paragraph is inform all potential candidates for
the National Executive Council election in 2002 of the following:
Negotiations continue with the trade union/s representing CWU
Headquarters staff with respect to the implementation of this policy.
Branch secretaries should bring this to the attention of their members. Any enquiries should be directed to the General Secretary's Department.
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230 CWU Strategic Review Working Party
Branches and members are reminded that the deadline for submissions
to the Strategic Review Working Party, which should be made to Keith
Ewing at keith.ewing@kcl.ac.uk, is no later than 1 June 2002.
Ian Wingfield, Political Officer (Acting)
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POSTAL
231 May Day Bank Holiday Arrangements
Attached* for the information of branches is a copy of a document
regarding the above subject.
Any enquiries regarding this particular paragraph should be addressed
to Terry Pullinger, Assistant Secretary, quoting reference P.BH.1.
Att: PE25
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232 Cash Handling & Distribution - Conduct Code
The Postal Executive at its March Meeting endorsed proposals for a
new Conduct Code for CHD.
This is to advise Branches that the Postal Executive also decided
that the Conduct Code and Joint Statement be put out to a Branch Ballot.
Arrangements are in hand for copies of the Conduct Code and Joint
Statement to be sent out to Branches with CHD Members with Ballot
Papers on Monday 29th April and that the ballot closes First Post on
Friday 10th May 2002.
Any Branch enquiries in respect of the ballot should be addressed to
Eric Lovett; National Organising Secretary and enquiries in respect
of the Conduct Code should be addressed to Steve Richards, Acting
Assistant Secretary.
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TELECOMS
233 Redstone Network Management In-sourcing Contract
Project Z is an in-sourcing contract to provide Network Management
services to Redstone Telecom. The contract is for up to 6 years and
will involve the transfer of assets and the resultant transfer of
people under TUPE legislation. The Union was taken into BT's
confidence during the sensitive contractual negotiations and we are
pleased to report that BT has won the contract.
BT will take ownership of Nokia switches and associated network
infrastructure based in locations at Borehamwood, Paddington,
Glasgow, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham.
The undertaking will involve 18 people transferring to BT, consisting
of 14 Newgrid equivalent and 4 managerial equivalent employees. There
will also be one Newgrid equivalent STC, who will be given an initial
3-month contract with BT. All employees are located at the Redstone
head office at Borehamwood.
BT and Redstone are seeking to follow both the letter and the spirit
of the TUPE legislation in their handling of the transfer of
employment contracts and a programme of informing and consulting has
been agreed.
The operational plan is to have a 3-month verification period, during
which time all operational processes and systems will be evaluated
and Redstone's service levels confirmed. There have been contractual
problems with Redstone's landlord, which has necessitated BT being
contractually obliged to move the people and equipment from the site
within 12 months. Specific plans for this have not been made, but the
understanding is that when the move takes place, BT will seek to do
so in line with usual operating practices.
Commitments have been given to the Union nationally regarding access
to the site and arrangements will be made to recruit them into the Union.
Brian Healy, Assistant Secretary
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234 Network Transport Field Operations
Organisational Changes
Network Transport Field Operations have, over the past few months,
been reviewing the organisational structure of Network Transport
Field Operations. That review is now complete and the following is
that which has been advised to the Union nationally of the changes
that they will be making in April.
The current organisation is deemed to have served them well over the
past few years with clear benefits arising from the focus on Key Node
Sites. Without losing this focus, Network Transport Field Operations
now need to move to an organisation which is geographically based and
will promote the more flexible use of resources, in line with the
move to Single Domain Working on Work Manager. It has been stated
that this will better enable Network Transport Field Operations to
rise to the challenge laid down by Ben Verwaayen, the BT Group Chief
Executive, for one million ADSL broadband connections by the summer
of 2003 and five million by 2006.
In an effort to minimise distraction and concerns, the Board have
decided to move quickly to the new structure which will be on the
basis of minimum change with whole Tier 1 teams moving in the
majority of cases. It has been stated to the Union that most of our
members will see no changes to their current structure, OUC or
responsibilities. The biggest impact will be on NLG8, Network
Operations which will no longer exist in its current form.
The following shows the NLG Tier 3 structure, which will come into
effect on 11 April 2002:
NLG3 New Services Development - Mike Bedworth - no change
NLG4 Resource Management, WM Optimisation, Productivity - Barry
McDonnell - no change
NLG5 North and Scotland (Customer and Core), Cellular Facilities
Management - Gerry Parsons
NLG6 Midlands, Wales and West (Customer and Core) - David Tidd
NLG7 Home Counties (Customer and Core) - Terry Hughes
NLG8 London Switch, Transmission & International, UK Wide Power -
Liam Kelly
NLG9 London Customer - Bob Woolford
NLGD Satcomms Facilities Management - Paul Sands - no change
Outside London NLG8 Core People, excluding Power People, will move in
their current Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams en bloc to NLG5, 6 or 7
depending on their location.
NLG 8 Power People outside London will move in their current Tier 1
teams to two new Power Tier 2s teams still reporting to NLG8. The
NLG8 structure inside London will remain as it is now.
Branches with any concerns or other issues identified with the
changes above should raise them immediately with my office.
Brian Healy, Assistant Secretary
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235 Quality Assurance Engineers for Internal
Construction Activity within Network Build
Network Build has notified the Union that a trial took place, testing
the use of Quality Auditing for Internal Construction activities.
This trial was undertaken using existing resource within the Internal organisation.
They state that the trial proved that there was value in undertaking
Quality Audits on this activity, but it was concluded that using
separate resource, managed within the Quality Assessment team, would
be a more effective way of discharging this responsibility.
This briefing details the intent to introduce this process nationally
and the selection process for these Quality Assurance Engineers.
A total of 18 Quality Assurance Engineers will be appointed to the
Quality Assessment Teams, which form part of Business Operations.
These will be located in various locations around the UK, and will
have a mix of specialisms. There is a need for 3 Power Quality
Assurance Engineers, the remaining 15 posts will cover Switch and
Transmission. The Quality Assurance Engineer will have the following responsibilities:
To understand the standards required for Internal Construction activity
Management's intention is that these posts are filled on a secondment
basis. This means that individuals will be seconded to Business
Operations for a period of twelve months. At the end of this period,
secondees will return to their current operational unit. However,
where it is mutually acceptable to both the individual and the
business, permanent appointments will be considered. This has been
challenged by the Union and evidence of why secondment, as well as
raising the contradiction that these posts may be made permanent and
to what end will measures be put in place to prevent abuses.
Management have reported that all Network Build internal C3s are
invited to express an interest in these secondment opportunities.
Individuals in grades below C3 are not eligible to apply. The Network
Build Internal Management Team will determine who can be released
from their current activities for these opportunities. There is
likely to be less opportunity for this to happen in some of the major
conurbations around the UK where work volumes are greater. The
aspirations of individuals, along with the benefit that would be
derived from these secondment opportunities will be taken into account.
The Union has rejected the banding/remuneration of C3 and further
evidence has been requested.
Brian Healy, Assistant Secretary