WEEKLY INFORMATION FROM THE COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
SUMMARY
Volume 8 Issue 31. Paragraphs 456 - 469 22 August 2003
SUMMARY
GENERAL
456 Computer Science Degree
457 Headquarters Printing
and Reprographic Services
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
No items this week
HEALTH AND SAFETY
458 Database of Health and
Safety Representatives in the Postal Constituency
459 Cash Handling and
Distribution: Smoke & Dye Boxes
TELECOMS
460 Telewest Compromise Agreements
FINANCIAL SERVICES
No items this week
POSTAL
461 Royal Mail UK Pay
Dispute: Information and Resources
462 High Capacity Trolley
- On Deliveries
463 Door to Door Christmas 2003
464 Christmas Arrangements
- Saturday 27th December
465 Security on Delivery -
Revised Security Standards
466 Transport Review NDN
Strand - Terms of Reference
467 Simplified Sorting
Phasing Changes
468 Use of Private
Vehicles on Delivery
469 Special Delivery Items
LETTERS TO BRANCHES
LTB/501 Pay (Dave Ward, DGS{P} Elect)
LTB/502 02 Pay 2003 (Grace Mitchell)
LTB/503 Pay and Major Change (Dave Ward, DGS{P} Elect)
LTB/504 BT: Our Values Survey (Billy McClory)
LTB/505 National Discipline: BNP Cases (Grace Mitchell)
LTB/506 Motions for CLPs "Banking on You" Campaign
(Billy Hayes, G.S.)
LTB/507 TDS Update (Bob Gibson, Acting Assistant Secretary,
Outdoor Dept.)
LTB/508 CWU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Conference
2003: Saturday 11th October (John Donnelly, SOC General Conference Chair)
LTB/509 Sunday Times Article: August 10th (Billy Hayes, G.S.)
LTB/510 Royal Mail Key Points (Dave Ward, DGS{P} Elect)
LTB/511 BT Retail Training Delivery CCC (Keith Griffiths/Sally
Bridge/Ian Cuthbert)
LTB/512 Scheduled Attendance (Dave Ward, DGS {P} Elect)
LTB/513 Royal Mail Pay 2003 (Dave Ward, DGS{P} Elect)
LTB/514 BT SCP South West Strategy (Simon Sapper)
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GENERAL
456
Computer Science Degree
Opportunities to study for a University of London degree in Computer
Science (part-time) by open and distance learning.
Applications are invited from British Telecom employees, from members
of the Communication Workers Union for the next intakes to study for
an Honours degree in Computer Science by open and distance learning.
This opportunity arises from well-established partnerships between
British Telecom, CWU, Connect and Queen Mary, University of London to
provide foundation and degree-level qualifications, studying
part-time from home, the workplace and at CWU's Education and
Training Centres. The next inductions scheduled for the CWU Education
Centre, Elstead Hotel, are scheduled for the 20th - 24th October and
the 1st - 5th December.
We invite applications from anyone with pre-requisite skills who is
keen to acquire advanced professional qualifications in ICT and
digital technologies. Successful students will graduate with a full
Honours degree in Computer Science in an estimated 3.5 - 4.5 years.
No specific formal qualifications are required, but suitability will
in part be assessed from evidence of prior learning and experience,
and ability to demonstrate commitment to a long-term programme of
part-time study.
Applications are especially encouraged from those unable to undertake
full-time degree-level studies, through family/work-related or
personal commitments; those for whom traditional access routes into
study at degree-level have been limited; and those who are
under-represented in technological subjects: women, disabled
employees and members of educationally disadvantaged ethnic minority
groups. This opportunity is not restricted to specific occupational
grades within BT business units.
All applicants are required to submit their application forms on-line
using a web-browser. Deadlines for receipt of applications are:
5.00pm on Wednesday 10th September for the next intake.
Follow the link to www.odl.qmul.ac.uk/applications/general/index.html
for information on how to apply.
Trish Lavelle
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457
Headquarters Printing and Reprographic Services
Branches and Representatives will wish to know that CWU Headquarters
have recently acquired new reprographics equipment. The purpose of
broadcasting this information is to inform you that we are now able
to offer a print service to branches that we believe will be within a
price range that you will find competitive. Amongst the services we
can provide are colour or black & white posters, leaflets,
booklets etc. It is not possible to produce a price list as prices
will vary dependent on each individual job based on quantity,
timescale, delivery requirements etc. If you would like more
information about this service or wish to receive a quote for a
particular piece of work then please ring or email Jacquie Winter,
Acting Head of Post & Reprographics. 020 8971 7218
jwinter@cwu.org
Any comments on the principal contained within this paragraph should
be raised with Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary.
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HEALTH AND SAFETY
458
Database of Health and Safety Representatives in the Postal Constituency
It is essential that we have an accurate database record of all of
our Safety Reps in Branches. Attached is G17 a form that will provide
us with the information we require for the database.
I would ask that Branches ensure that a copy of this form is filled
in for all Safety Reps and sent to the Health and Safety Department
by post or electronically at lhance@cwu.org
as soon as possible. Please ensure that all sections are filled. The
purpose of this exercise is a validation exercise to update our database.
Any enquiries on this issue should be addressed to Dave Joyce,
National Officer, quoting reference NS83
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459
Cash Handling and Distribution: Smoke & Dye Boxes
Branches should be aware that earlier this year two fatalities
occurred in relation to an incident of an exploding smoke and dye
box, which was handled by Securicor staff operating within the
security business.
The Securicor staff member survived, but two employees working in a
pawnshop in Wembley, London died when the smoke and dye box exploded.
In view of the seriousness of this matter, the Health, Safety and
Environment Department made direct representation to the Head of
Safety CHD at national level, in relation to possible implications
for CHD, our members and customers.
Attached is an exchange of correspondence with CHD in relation to
this matter.
It can be seen from the response received from the CHD that the HSE
have been involved in this matter and whilst the risks within CHD,
and to its staff and customers, are low control measures were
introduced which include a special news brief to all users of the box
and the fitting of smoke baffle plates.
The HSE does not consider this type of smoke and dye box to represent
a significant hazard and the performance of the box will continue to
be monitored and other methods of note degradation will continue to
be trialled.
Any enquiries should be addressed to Dave Joyce, National Officer,
Health, Safety & Environment quoting reference No. CH1.
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TELECOMS
460
Telewest Compromise Agreements
Shortly before the ballot for trade union recognition for the field
operations broadband engineers, colleagues will be aware that the
national Union became involved in promoting the interests of a number
of individual members who had been offered certain terms for leaving
the company.
The motives for the compromise agreements were not clear and the
Union was concerned at the lack of dignity being afforded to those
individuals. Deputy General Secretary (Telecoms), raised the matter
directly with the company Managing Director, Charles Burdick, who
called for a full review of each case by a senior member of his team.
As a result of these representations, as well as the direct
assistance of the Telecom organising team and the Employment Law
Department, we are pleased to report that all of the outstanding
cases have now been resolved with the full agreement of each
individual member involved.
The terms of settlement varied in each of the cases, which were
subject to a confidentiality clause. However, colleagues may be
assured that, in all cases handled by the Union, the settlements were
in excess of their original offers. Given the difficulties involved
with the cases, we were pleased that senior Telewest management were
dealing with the issue until conclusion.
Donald MacDonald
Assistant Secretary
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POSTAL
461
Royal Mail UK Pay Dispute: Information and Resources
Need more information about the union's industrial action ballot and
campaign for better pay in Royal Mail?
There is a new regularly updated page on the union's website giving
the union's latest position, media responses, downloadable posters
and leaflets, plus copies of the campaign newsletter, The Truth.
There is also a Questions & Answers document, Fast Facts section
and loads of other really useful stuff.
Access it at: www.cwu.org/paydispute
You can also get to the page by going to cwu.org (the union's home
page) and clicking on the black and white button marked Royal Mail UK
Pay The Truth.
Derek Suffling, Acting Head of Communications
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462
High Capacity Trolley - On Deliveries
Further to LTB 383/03, Noel McClean, NEC, met with the business on
24th July to explain in detail our concerns on the use of this trolley.
Following this meeting the correspondence below was received. This
satisfactorily covers all of the issues we have raised and is in line
with the conference decisions:-
At its August meeting the Postal Executive Committee agreed that the
HCT be cleared for use.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson, A/Assistant Secretary, reference 540.05.
"24th July 2003
Noel McClean
Postal Assistant Secretary
RM Outdoor
Dear Noel,
Use of High Capacity Trolley
In response to your letter to Steve Hannon dated 27th June on the
above subject, and following our useful discussion this morning, I
write to confirm Royal Mail's position on the matter and to address
the areas of concern that you raised. The HCT is the latest piece of
equipment designed specifically for use on delivery, which addresses
some of the needs and aspirations of our delivery colleagues and will
be used by those that want to use them. Royal Mail now wishes to
deploy the HCT nationally.
The issues that you outlined to me are explained below, so for the
record can I clarify:
Use of HCT on Hilly Terrain. It is not proposed that the HCTs
will be used in these circumstances. The Unit Planning Guide
(attached to email) confirms this. The HCT is intended to be used on
'level or undulating' surfaces where small inclines do not cause any
additional force to be exerted. Use of HCTs in all circumstances will
in any case be subject to local risk and safety assessments
undertaken by local representatives.
I hope that this clarifies the position on the items that we
discussed, and that you are now in a position to communicate to your
branches that the HCT is now cleared for use.
Yours sincerely
Alan Hallowes
Asset & Equipment Mgr"
"Date: 27th June 2003
Mr Steve Hannon Royal Mail
Dear Steve
Use of High Capacity Trolley
You wrote to Dave Ward on 3rd June, primarily in relation to the
provision of OMVs. Your letter however, went on to cover delivery
equipment in general.
We will respond to your letter in due course and I have no doubt we
will cover some of the issues your letter raises in our discussions
on TDS.
There is however one issue that seems to be more pressing, and I have
had to respond to it as a separate issue.
Within your letter you make reference to the fact that one high
capacity trolley has been sent to each of the 93 Phase A units for
"familiarisation purposes". I have recently received a
number of reports from branches which seem to suggest something
beyond "familiarisation purposes".
For the sake of clarity, I wish to state that the present position is
that the HCT has not been cleared for use outside of the original
trial sites. There is still joint work and discussion to be done in
terms of terrain, suitability and security and until such time as
this is done and cleared by us, the HCT should not be in operational use.
I would be grateful if you could confirm that this is also your
understanding of the present position? Given the number and nature of
enquiries on this subject, I would also advise you that I have given
publicity to this matter through our branch communication channels.
Yours sincerely
Noel McClean
Acting Assistant Secretary"
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463
Door to Door Christmas 2003
Branches will be aware that last year, having consulted via the BOB,
we concluded an agreement on extending the delivery of Door to Door
by one week into the Christmas pressure period.
Having completed a similar exercise this year, but using Divisional
Representatives rather than the BOB to obtain branch replies, the
attached agreement has been reached.
It will be will noted that apart from the dates and the areas
involved the agreement is identical to last year's.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson, A/Assistant Secretary, reference 535.07
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464
Christmas Arrangements - Saturday 27th December
Further to BOB No.22, para 303, an approach has been made to the
regulators that Saturday, 27th December should be a non-service day.
We have been advised informally that this proposal is likely to be
favourably received, however, the letter from Royal Mail reproduced
below, has now been received which maintains this can only be done on
the same basis as that which took place the last time the calender
fell in this way, which was 1999. The statement agreed for 2000
stated:
"The impact of non-service days is covered by the 1999 agreement, and any potential implementation issues arising from this are unlikely to occur again until 2003. Any such issues will be discussed sufficiently prior to 2003 to resolve any outstanding concerns. This will involve an RM/CWU joint examination of the reported concerns. The joint examination will produce a report during 2001, which will provide best practise on how units can deal with concerns in the context of the National agreement".
The Joint report on concerns concerning non-service days was never made because management did not show any interest in doing so. The report to Annual Conference concerning Christmas Arrangements 2001, stated:
"This has again been raised with the Business and although it has been agreed that a review will take place in 2002, their position has not changed on this issue. It will be our intention therefore to continue to represent our policy at this review to hopefully resolve the matter in the future".
Unfortunately, management again failed to involve themselves in such
a review during 2002.
Finally the Christmas agreement for last year committed:
"To review any issues of concern in relation to the impact of non-service days in advance of April 2003, on the basis that we agreed in 2000".
At its August meeting, the Postal Executive Committee agreed that we
should reply in the terms set out in our reply which has now been sent.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson, A/Assistant Secretary, reference 170 or
Phil Browne, A/Assistant Secretary, Postal Indoor Department,
reference L 640.01
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465
Security on Delivery - Revised Security Standards
In June 2002 the PEC adopted an approach to achieve national security
standards for our members on deliveries. The preamble to that
document is reproduced for ease of reference as an attachment
(Appendix A), together with revised standards which have been worked
on over the intervening period (Appendix B).
This work has involved a number of trials throughout the country and
the experience gained has been fed through to the final draft which
was considered by the PEC at its August meeting. The feedback from
the offices that have taken part in the trials has been
overwhelmingly positive, however, the documentation in that respect
is too voluminous to reproduce. The reports are, of course, available
to branches should they wish it.
The PEC believes that the final draft represents a significant
improvement from the jumble of local arrangements (where they exist
at all) and should be supported in terms of national implementation.
It is only fair to point out that the question of the use of panniers
on cycles has been a matter of controversy for some years and these
standard arrangements will clear the way for general use of the
panniers, as we are satisfied that the cycles themselves, if used in
the proper way, pose no risk to our members and has the benefit of
easing the problems caused by carrying weight on the shoulder.
The PEC therefore decided that subject to the communications exercise
being agreed at the meeting with management scheduled for 14th August
resulting in agreement on the communications programme, the standards
are endorsed.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson, A/Assistant Secretary, Postal Outdoor,
quoting Reference 590.
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466
Transport Review NDN Strand - Terms of Reference
Reproduced below for the information for branches/representatives is
a letter circulated to Branch Secretaries and Divisional
Representatives on the 15th August 2003, the content of which is
self-explanatory. Could branches please ensure that the information
published below is circulated in accordance with the instructions
contained in the letter:-
"To: Branch Secretaries
Divisional Representatives
Dear Colleagues
Transport Review NDN Strand - Terms of Reference
I would be grateful if Branch Secretaries ensure Area Distribution
and Area Processing Representatives receive the attached Terms of Reference.
The Terms of Reference allow for local discussions to take place;
however I must stress that although local discussions should
commence, no agreements should be finalised.
CWU Headquarters require the total savings broken down into staff
savings and non-staff savings.
The phased deployment timetable has yet to be agreed. I would also
ask representatives during any discussions to pay particular
attention to the appendix and annex to the Terms of Reference as well
as the Terms of Reference itself.
Please contact my department if you have any queries.
Yours sincerely
Phil Browne
A/Assistant Secretary"
All enquiries regarding the content of this paragraph should be
addressed to Phil Browne, Acting Assistant Secretary, quoting
reference number L.600.07(e).
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467
Simplified Sorting Phasing Changes
Further to previous BOB Paragraphs published on this subject,
Branches and Representatives are advised that Royal Mail has written
to the Union advising us of a change in the date that the Mail
Centres in Phase 7 of the SISO Project will convert to the new
sorting system. The date previously advised to these offices was that
deployment would take place in the week commencing 29th September
2003. This date has now been advanced by one week with deployment now
taking place on the 22nd September 2003.
The decision to accelerate the deployment of SISO into these units in
one week is in order to reduce the impact of additional inward
residue traffic in the run up to Autumn when traditionally traffic
growth is experienced in advance of the Christmas period.
I would apologise to branches for the late notification to this
change to the Phasing Program and I hope that no major inconvenience
will be caused as a result of this change to the Phasing Program.
Unfortunately the original notification of this change was not
received at CWU Headquarters and we were therefore unaware of any
further amendments of the Phasing Program until an Area Processing
Representative bought it to our attention.
All enquiries regarding this paragraph should be addressed to Phil
Browne, Acting Assistant Secretary Indoor Department, quoting
reference number L.140.23(a).
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468
Use of Private Vehicles on Delivery
Contrary to misinformation being circulated by Royal Mail, the Union
has not agreed to the use of private vehicles on delivery.
Correspondence on this matter has been exchanged between the Outdoor
Department and Royal Mail and a meeting is due to take place on
Friday 12th September 2003. Branches will be informed of developments
following this meeting.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson, Acting Assistant Secretary, Postal
Outdoor Dept. quoting reference 300.26.
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469
Special Delivery Items
Due to the current state of deliveries and the consequential increase
in time on the street for many of our members. This BOB paragraph is
to remind Branches of the maximum number of special delivery items to
be carried on each delivery and the procedures applicable.
All foot and cycle deliveries - 8 maximum.
Identifiable high value - 3 maximum (this does not mean 5 lower value
can also be taken).
All deliveries should be risk assessed in order to protect members
from potential attack where high value items are identified. In some
cases this may require single items to be delivered by other means
e.g. vehicle delivery.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson, Acting Assistant Secretary, Postal
Outdoor Dept. quoting reference 530.