WEEKLY INFORMATION FROM THE COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
SUMMARY
Attachments or LTB's can be
emailed or downloaded from the National Site
Volume 10 Issue 18 Paragraphs 289-302 06 May 2005
SUMMARY
GENERAL
289 Headquarters Printing
and Reprographic Services
290 Branch Magazine and
Website Competition
291 Equality &
Diversity Mandatory Training for Branch Officials
292 Union Learning Reps
Stage II Course
293 TUC Certificate in
Employment Law Course
294 Legal Services
Department: Annual Conference - June 2005
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
No items this week
HEALTH AND SAFETY
295 Workers' Memorial Day
- 28th April 2005
296 Hazards Campaign -
16th National Hazards Conference
TELECOMS
297 BT Announces Preferred
Suppliers for 21st Century Network Programme
298 Accenture HR Services
- BT Learning Contract
299 Network Operations -
Attendance Patterns Take Up
300 One IT - Promotion Process
301 21CN Presentation to
the Activists - 25 April 2005
POSTAL
302 Election Material Agreements
LETTERS TO BRANCHES
199
28/04/05 Royal Mail and Logistics Pay 2005 - Dave Ward
200
28/04/05 Workers' Memorial Day - Dave Joyce
201
28/04/05 NEC and National Representative Elections 2005/6 - Steve Baguley
202
04/05/05 Annual Leave - Hayes BT Contract - Sally Bridge
203
04/05/05 Retired Members' Advisory Committee/Youth Committee - Steve Baguley
204
04/05/05 Eurest Pay Review 2005 - 02 Contract - Sally Bridge
205
04/05/05 Eurest Pay Review 2005 - Accenture HR Services Contract -
Sally Bridge
206
040/5/05 Royal Mail Pay Ballot Results - Dave Ward
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GENERAL
289
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
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290
Branch Magazine and Website Competition
Web wonders and branch hacks take note! The annual awards rewarding
the very best CWU branch magazines and websites are up for grabs once
again - and as normal the competition will reach its climax at Annual
Conference in Blackpool.
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: email your details, including the branch
URL (website address) to: mmurray@cwu.org
Deadline for entries is Friday, May 20 so don't delay, particularly
considering substantial prizes are 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 a total of £300 in software
vouchers, enabling them to improve their publications still further.
Simon Alford
Communications Dept. HQ
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291
Equality & Diversity Mandatory Training for Branch Officials
In line with Conference policy, we now require branches to submit
applications for the following mandatory Equality & Diversity courses:
This course is being held in Gloucester
Tuesday 24th May - Gloucester
Further dates and venues for other regions will be published in due course.
Nominations should be made on an application form for Union courses
and returned as soon as possible to Trish Lavelle, Head of Education
& Training, CWU Education & Training Centre, Alvescot Lodge,
Alvescot, Bampton, Oxon OX18 2PY. Telephone: 01993 843373; Fax: 01993
840960; email: mtodd@cwu.org
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292
Union Learning Reps Stage II Course
The Communication Workers Union have organised a Union Learning Reps
Stage II Course, to be held at the Union's Education & Training
Centre, Alvescot.
The course will be held from 19 - 23 September 2005
The closing date for nominations is 4 August
This course is aimed at lead ULRs and Learning Centre Co-ordinators,
who have already completed Union Learning Reps Stage I and have been
a Union Learning Rep for over 18 months.
The course will cover:
o Negotiating skills for learning.
o Working with learning providers.
o Planning and running a Learning Centre or project.
o Learning and organising.
o Learn Direct and Trade Unions.
All courses at Alvescot are residential. The cost of tuition, food
and accommodation will be met from the General Fund. Branches are
required to meet the cost of travelling and subsistence payments.
Branches requiring financial assistance from the General Fund to
enable them to send students to the course must submit the request
with the nomination, to enable the Trustees to consider the request
in time.
The Education Centre can offer child-minding facilities for a maximum
of three under school age children at any one time. If any applicant
from your branch would like child-minding facilities, can you please
advise the age and sex of the child on the application form. Further
information on the child-minding arrangements will then be sent to
successful applicants.
Nominations should be made on the form for Education Courses, and
returned to Alvescot Lodge by the closing date shown. If a member is
refused a place, due to oversubscription, then indicate this on a
subsequent application for another date.
We particularly encourage branches to nominate women, ethnic
minorities, people with disabilities and young members who are often
under-represented on the CWU Education and Training Programme.
Application forms should be addressed to: Trish Lavelle, Head of
Education & Training, CWU Education & Training Centre,
Alvescot Lodge, Alvescot, Bampton, Oxon OX18 2PY. Telephone: 01993
843373; Fax: 01993 840960; email: mtodd@cwu.org
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293
TUC Certificate in Employment Law Course
Further to item 275 TUC Certificate in Employment Law advertised in
BOB 17/05 on 29 April 2005.
Would you please note that anyone wishing to apply for this course
are to contact Maxine Todd at Alvescot on 01993 843373 or email mtodd@cwu.org,
for an application form.
Trish Lavelle
Head of Education & Training
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294
Legal Services Department: Annual Conference - June 2005
The normal arrangements for interviews will be made at Annual
Conference 2005. Due to the ever increasing number of requests for
interviews, Branches who wish to avail themselves of this facility
should write or email the Department on trupa@cwu.org,
quoting the case reference number and the member's name, marking the
envelope "Conference Interviews". This will enable the
Legal Services Department to have the necessary file of papers
available at the Conference venue.
The interview facility is for personal injury cases and employment
law issues.
In addition, there will be a Legal Services stall and various forms
and information will be available. Messrs. Simpson Millar will also
provide free legal advice and I trust this facility will be of
assistance to all branches.
Any enquiries on the above paragraph should be referred to Mr Tony
Rupa, Legal Services Officer, 150 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London,
SW19 1RX or via email on trupa@cwu.org.
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HEALTH AND SAFETY
295
Workers' Memorial Day - 28th April 2005
Addressing a London Workers' Memorial Day event and rally Dave Joyce
Communication Workers Union National Health and Safety Officer said
today:
"Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. Workers
dying because of work related ailments, or in tragic 'accidents'.
"They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn't
that important a priority.
"Today on Workers' Memorial Day we remember those workers as do
trade unionists, families and friends of the lost ones every year all
over the country and the world in events and demonstrations like this.
"That can best be done by building trade union organisation, and
campaigning for stricter safety law enforcement, corporate
accountability and higher penalties from the courts for the reckless,
negligent breaches of health & safety laws.
"This year's theme 'Employer Accountability' is particularly
appropriate and in tune with CWU Policy.
"Our union remembers communications workers killed whilst going
about their everyday jobs - postal workers like postal engineer Ian
Dicker who fell to his death in the West London Sorting Office in
Paddington, Roger Jenkins the Postal Distribution driver killed a
fortnight ago, Stephen Tovey killed whilst delivering parcels, BT
Engineer Donald McAndrew crushed to death last year whilst repairing
phone cables, Tara Whelan BT Engineer pulled to her death from a
telegraph pole and we pray for Roger Footman postal Cash in Transit
Driver shot in Birmingham last week whilst delivering coins to a post office.
"We are calling for the Government to stop its shilly-shallying
and introduce new positive health and safety duties for managers and
directors - as it promised five years ago.
"The new proposed Corporate Manslaughter Law is but a
watered-down version of the original proposals and will be a 'cop-out'
if it doesn't deal with the lack of accountability for company
directors after admitting that this was a major concern back in 2000.
"Death at work caused by carelessness and negligence will remain
a mundane part of industrial life until those exercising ultimate
boardroom power know that they could be held accountable for the
maladministration of safety in their company. When all those who are
responsible for workers' health and safety are truly held to account,
there will be a significant improvement in the safety and
occupational health of workers - the longer Government backs away
from those changes the longer we will return to events like today
commemorating unacceptable numbers of deaths and injuries at work.
"CWU has asked the Prime Minister for formal recognition of
Workers' Memorial Day but we would rather have proper recognition of
death, illness and injury at work and a proper effective remedy -
tough on crime - tough on the causes of crime."
All enquires concerning the above should be addressed to Dave Joyce,
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer quoting ref: N4.
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296
Hazards Campaign - 16th National Hazards Conference
The 16th National Hazards Conference will be taking place at the
University of Leeds from 29th - 31st July 2005. The Greater
Manchester Hazards Centre has again been delegated to organise the
event on behalf of the National Hazards Campaign.
The annual Hazards Conference is the UK's biggest event for trade
union safety representatives and activists. Hazards Conference is a
mixture of activities including plenary sessions, campaign and
information meetings and workshops. 500+ delegates means there is
plenty of opportunity to network, make a wide range of contacts and
exchange experience and information on health and safety issues.
There is a large exhibition area with unions, personal injury
solicitors, the HSE, and campaigning organisations having stalls.
Attached to this BOB paragraph is a leaflet advertising this event,
and it would be useful if Branches could widely publicise this event.
Any enquiries should be addressed to Dave Joyce, National Health,
Safety & Environment Officer, quoting reference No. EX9.
Att: G07
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TELECOMS
297
BT Announces Preferred Suppliers for 21st Century Network Programme
The long-awaited decision on the invitation to tender for 21CN
equipment has been announced.
The following are on the final list of eight preferred suppliers
chosen to work with BT in five strategic domains:
1. Fujitsu and Huawei have been chosen in the access domain which
will link BT's existing access network with the new 21CN.
2. Alcatel, Cisco and Siemens have been selected as preferred
suppliers for metro nodes which provide routing and signalling for
21CN's voice, data and video services.
3. Cisco and Lucent will be 21CN's preferred suppliers for core nodes
providing high capacity and cost efficient connections between metro nodes.
4. Ericsson has been selected in the i-node domain - in essence the
intelligence that controls the services.
5. Ciena and Huawei have been chosen in the transmission domain to
supply the optical electronics that will convert the signals carried
at high capacity over the cables connecting the metro and core nodes.
o Access - the access domain in this context is the aggregation
equipment (multi-service access node - MSANs) which will link BT's
existing access network, initially carrying voice and data services
from end users on to the 21CN core IP based network.
o Metro nodes provide the routing and signalling functions for the
unified 21CN network for voice, data and video.
o Core nodes are the high capacity, large scale routers providing
cost efficient connections between metro nodes.
o Node is where the service execution functionality is located - in
essence the intelligence that controls services. In the 21CN context,
this includes soft switches, network intelligence and bandwidth
management capabilities.
o Transmission includes the optical fibre transport infrastructure
that connects all nodes in 21CN but also the electronics that
converts the signals carried at high capacity over the cables
connecting the MSANs, metro and core nodes. Much of the optical fibre
infrastructure is already in place.
Arrangements are in hand to press upon the previously sourced
committees to maximise the use of direct labour involved in this programme.
A report will be given in due course.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
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298
Accenture HR Services - BT Learning Contract
Branches may wish to be aware of a briefing being released to those
employees in Learning Services in a conference call. The attached
briefing covers a statement on the draft principles that the draft
contract negotiations are structured on. The Union does not expect to
be making any further announcements until such time as the
negotiations between the two companies becomes clearer. Whatever the
outcome there are issues that will have to be addressed such as the
TUPE or transfer terms and this will be determined in part by the
decisions of what work is being executed where.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment
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299
Network Operations - Attendance Patterns Take Up
Attached for the information of Branches is an update to the
information provided in Branch Officials Bulletin No.16/2005,
paragraph 266 on the voluntary take up of options for the new
attendance patterns.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment
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300
One IT - Promotion Process
With the confusion generated by the creation and mapping process for
One IT, issues arose as to precisely what were the promotion
procedures. This has been raised by the Union nationally and attached
for the information of Branches is a copy of a recent internal
communications released within One IT.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment
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301
21CN Presentation to the Activists - 25 April 2005
Attached as promised are slides used during the 21CN presentation
held on 25 April 2005 to RDA representatives.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment
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POSTAL
302
Election Material Agreements
Branches are reminded that all agreements made in connection with the
General Election this year should be copied in to this department in
order to assist our continuing efforts to achieve the Union's policy
of a unified, improved, earnings level for this work.
Our thanks to those Branches which have supplied this information.
All others are requested to provide a response by 24th May.
Any enquiries to Bob Gibson's Department, Reference 535.09.