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WEEKLY INFORMATION FROM THE COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
SUMMARY
Attachments or LTB's can be emailed or downloaded from the National Site
Volume 10 Issue 40 Paragraphs 589-603 14 October 2005

SUMMARY
GENERAL
589 Liaison Meetings with CWU Group MPs
590 Headquarters Printing and Reprographic Services
591 Defend The Time Limit - Defend a Woman's Right to Choose
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
592 Harassment Complaints Database - Union Policy
HEALTH AND SAFETY
No items this week
TELECOMS
593 Accenture Learning - Redeployment Back to BT
594 Accenture HR Services - Hotel and Conferencing TUPE to Compass
595 Accenture HR Services - Career Management
596 Telewest - Sick Absence Reviews (SARs)
597 Traffic Management Act 2004 (England & Wales)
598 Accenture Learning
599 BT Wholesale - Support Function Review Documents
600 Resource Moving from Wholesale to Openreach
POSTAL
601 Royal Mail Way - Trial
602 Delivering Improvements Yourself (DIY) - Integrated Quality Approach
603 Revised National Workplan
LETTERS TO BRANCHES
480 05/10/05 Revived National Workplan - Martin Collins/Bob Gibson/Terry Pullinger
481 07/10/05 Errata to 474/05 - Steve Baguley
482 07/10/05 BT Global Services - Proposed Disposal of TES, Satnet and OU - Bill McClory
483 07/10/05 CWU Disability and Special Needs Conference 2005 - Tony Kearns/John Donnelly
484 10/10/05 New Grid Increments - Urgent Request - Grace Mitchell
485 12/10/05 POL - Postcomm's 5th Annual Report on Network of Post Offices - Andy Furey
486 12/10/05 Health and Safety Inspections Guide - Dave Joyce
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GENERAL
589
Liaison Meetings with CWU Group MPs
Meetings with CWU supported MPs have now been arranged for the remainder of 2005 and, for your information, I list below the dates of the meetings and those nominated to attend:
18 October: Graham Colk, Maria Exall, Dave Warren, representative from South West Region
8 November: Beryl Shepherd, John Holmes, Phil Waker, representative from North West Region
13 December: Graham Colk, Andy Kerr, Dave Warren, representative from London Region.
Billy Hayes
General Secretary

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590
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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591
Defend The Time Limit - Defend a Woman's Right to Choose
A Public Meeting is due to take place in the House of Lords, Westminister, Committee Room 3, on Wednesday 26th October.
Access to birth control and abortion is crucial for women's equality. Abortion rights are now under sustained attack, on both sides of the Atlantic, from an anti-choice lobby strengthened by George Bush. The sensationalist focus on later abortion is designed to confuse public and political opinion on a women's right to choose and win support for incremental restrictions. Actually, very few women need later abortion - for compelling reasons - and need the protection of the law.
Don't let the clocks be turned back on women's rights.
Speakers include: Polly Toynbee, Guardian Columnist; Melody Drnach, National Organisation for Women, USA; Baroness Joyce Gould, Chair of All Party Parliamentary/Pro-Choice and Sexual Health Group; Chris McCafferty MP; Laura Moffat MP; Emily Thornberry MP; Diana Holland, TGWU.
Please bring this Public Meeting to the attention of our members.
Any enquiries on this paragraph should be addressed to the General Secretary's Department quoting the reference GS 15.0

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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
592
Harassment Complaints Database - Union Policy
Branches are again reminded of the need to fill in the Harassment Complaints Database (HCD) Forms, as illustrated in LTB 450/04.
Please ensure that all reps have a copy of LTB 450/04 as it contains useful guidance as well as the form itself. Branches may also find LTB 289/04 useful which contains information on the Harassment Helpline and the Harassment Advice Network as well as the HCD. The completion of the HCD forms is part of our agreement with the Equal Opportunities Commission and is, therefore, CWU policy. (The full agreement can be found in LTB 292/04)
The Equal Opportunities Commission has raised concerns with us regarding the completion rate, which we need to address, otherwise we will fall foul of the agreement. Therefore, please ensure that any complaint raised with branch reps by members that involves possible Harassment should be notified to HQ via these forms.
We appreciate that this will add to an already busy work schedule for those reps that have the responsibility for completing them, but there is no scope for non-compliance. We must accept that this will become an accepted culture in terms of harassment reporting.
The data that will come through to HQ will be vital in enabling us to analyse and identify any obvious patterns where problems exist.
We extend our appreciation to all those branches already complying with the policy and look forward to the co-operation of all Branches in this matter.
Any enquiries regarding this paragraph please contact Michèle Emerson at CWU HQ.

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TELECOMS
593
Accenture Learning - Redeployment Back to BT
The closing date has now passed for employees to confirm redeployment back into BT. At the closure of the window of opportunity, the agreed numbers of employees by grade that BT is prepared to offer employment to are:
AS2 1
AS1 18
SA2 20
SA1 11
There are four individuals that AL are not prepared to release due to critical skills. It is believed that these posts which have been blocked are Connect represented grades.
In some cases due to the pre-programmed training, a number of the releases particularly in technical training delivery, will be staggered in order to meet the commitments given to BT. This will be completed by December.
Documentation packs are currently being prepared for distribution to the employees that BT is offering employment back into the company. It is expected that these will be distributed at the least by the end of next week.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary

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594
Accenture HR Services - Hotel and Conferencing TUPE to Compass
Head Office has been formally notified of the intent to transfer the Hotel and Conferencing functions of Accenture HR Services to Compass.
Accenture HR Services currently operates a hotel management system, which is a mix of manual processes and the Stardate system; both systems are currently operated by Compass Group UK Ltd and Accenture HR Services. The company has taken the decision to implement a new hotel management system with a view to improving business efficiency and technological capability.
Accenture HR Services has asked Compass Group UK Ltd to in future manage hotel and conferencing books on the new system. The hotel is now a fully commercial establishment not only serving HR Services clients but also the general public. As such Accenture management believe that Compass Group UK Ltd are better placed to manage this service on Accenture's behalf.
The Accenture HR Services employees who are employed in Business Services and are currently operating the hotel management booking system immediately prior to the transfer date will automatically transfer into the employment of Compass Group UK Ltd. There are currently two employees who are in scope and likely to be transferred to Compass Group.
Contact has been made with the branch to ascertain the aspirations of the members affected and will be taken up in with the company in further discussions.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary

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595
Accenture HR Services - Career Management
Branches may wish to be advised of an Accenture HR Services internal notice which is attached. This reminds managers and our members that the deadline for submitting their ACS forms to the dedicated mailbox has now passed and that they should forward the completed forms if not already done so.
It also gives advance notice that management are proposing to make some minor adjustments to the Career Management processes. The subject in question is that management are planning to look at the career management processes in order to identify where they can align with the Accenture Career Framework for the Services Workforce. Over the past few weeks they have been developing their proposals (which include things like standardising the forms and categorising objectives where they apply).
This work has already taken place in Accenture Learning as reported to Branches and proposals from Accenture HR Services will be reported upon likewise.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment

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596
Telewest - Sick Absence Reviews (SARs)
In the Telewest absence policy document, it states that employees can be put on SAR after 3 periods of absence in any rolling 6-month period or where managers have concerns regarding the level or authenticity of the absence. However, it has come to the attention of the Union that in Consumer Division, HR management in their "How to Manage" documents, state that line managers can implement SAR after 3 periods of absence or after 5 days of absence. So, after an exemplary attendance record members could, after a week, be faced with a SAR, which when reading the policy statement would suggest that this will not happen.
This issue has been taken up with HR management, to which they have responded. They report that Consumer Operations took the decision at the time of implementation to provide line management with a guideline on the 'level of absence' trigger in the policy statement. This was required to ensure consistency of application across the country. This was announced and communicated at the time and subsequently in 2 Team meeting briefs and the Consumer Operations Focus magazine.
However, management want to stress that "a level of management discretion still remains in these cases" although a 5-day absence is flagged to the appropriate manager "he/she can still decide not to take any action dependent on the nature of the absence and previous absence history". Branches and local Union representatives should take note of the guidance, that there is a discretionary element and that they should challenge where the discretionary element has not been taken up in reasonable circumstance.
Management accept the perception of disciplinary action being taken in the context of a process that has warnings, timescales and a similar stepped number of levels. They believe however, that the policy is distinct and is completely separate from the company's disciplinary process. Their stance is backed up by past and recent events. Past levels were double the current 7.8% and are the best performance levels recorded to date. Notwithstanding the progress made by the company in reducing sick absence using SARs, it is questionable whether it will be a tool to achieve further reductions to the high levels of absence and whether work organisation and the consequent stress levels are a significant contributory factor in these levels of absence.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary

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597
Traffic Management Act 2004 (England & Wales)
This is an update on the developments since the report in Branch Officials Bulletin No.16/2005, paragraph 268 on activity that has taken place on the enabling legislation (regulations and code of practice).
Following further representations by the National Joint Utilities Group of which BT and Telewest are members, certain elements are being deferred in favour of a pilot scheme to be run in London.
Attached for the information of Branches is an internal BT briefing giving further details. Any further developments in this area will be owned by the Union's Openreach Executive team. Branches who have shown an interest in their area and lobbied at the political level locally as suggested, are thanked for their efforts.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment

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598
Accenture Learning
Issues around the mapping into the Accenture Service's Career structure were reported in Branch Officials Bulletin No.39, paragraph 586. The Union's comments on its observations on the level mapping across have now been responded to by the HR management. The career level criteria indicated a view that the AHRS Associate 1 level had elements that map to the Accenture E level. The scope, responsibilities, deliverables of the roles in question have consequently been reviewed by management and the AL position remains unchanged and that those previously mapped to Associate 1 within Accenture HR Services map appropriately to Level F within Accenture Services.
The management rationale for this decision is that whilst it is accepted that in all roles there may be some degree of overlap between the levels, the scope, responsibility and deliverables of the roles in question reside predominantly within the F level criteria. The roles in question mainly focus on the completion of standard and non standard tasks within the scope of the function. In resolving tasks, individuals would select the most appropriate procedures from a given set of solutions/procedures, but are able to recognise and act on non standard situations and adapt work to business goals. The expectation would be that issues are escalated and advice sought when job holders were faced with complex issues/problems. This is not to say that F level personnel are not required to possess a good standard of knowledge/experience as the criteria includes 'sufficient understanding of a range of standard processes/individual complex procedures to enable application of existing practices and minor modification where approved'.
There may be an element of overseeing the work of others and checking quality, but priorities should in the main be set by the E Level or above. The role of the F level 'team lead' for example is more 'May co-ordinate the work of a small team in areas of high transactions'.
An F level may have regular contact with users which may well be 'clients' around first line queries/requests for information.
This now closes the issue of any ambiguity in the areas of overlap.
Attached for the information of Branches is a copy of an internal announcement that has gone out to AL employees.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment

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599
BT Wholesale - Support Function Review Documents
It would appear that consistent with the poor delivery of this initiative to date - that there have been more than one set of associated documentation in circulation or that there is denial by line management that any documentation exists. So that there is no doubt or confusion and to take into account issues that have arisen, the attached documentation are the official documents associated with this imitative; any others should be discounted.
Furthermore it would appear that the server hardware hosting the dedicated site has failed and not been available; it has been subject to hardware replacement by Hewlett Packard and has recently been restored. The manner by which this project has been run, the consistent failings in what has been promised and the timeframes by which it is being implemented is the subject of a high level complaint with BT Wholesale.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment A Attachment B Attachment C

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600
Resource Moving from Wholesale to Openreach
The BT Wholesale Executive team have been advised that following the move of the majority of people from Wholesale to Access Services which was concluded in September, there are further developments. BT has stated that as it continues to understand fully the implications of the TSR there will inevitably be some fine tuning of the organisational boundaries and is now making further changes.
With effect from 2nd November, approximately 260 people will be moving from Wholesale (from the Wholesale Products, Markets, Commercial and Network Operations teams) into Openreach in order that BT can fulfil its obligations to the regulator on the Product set to be offered by Openreach. Communications of the move to those affected will be sent week commencing 17th October and the union has requested further detailed information with regard to numbers by grade and location.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary

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POSTAL
601
Royal Mail Way - Trial
Reproduced below for the information of Branches/Representatives are the Nationally agreed Terms of Reference that cover the above trial which were unanimously endorsed by the Postal Executive. They have already been circulated to representatives who attended the Quarterly Divisional/Area meetings that have been held during September/October.
It should be noted that Royal Mail Way should not be introduced in any office or other function outside of the Mail Centres within the Terms of Reference for the trial. Any attempt by local management to deploy Royal May Way outside of the national agreement should be brought to the immediate attention of your Divisional Representative and CWU HQ.
National Terms of Reference Royal Mail Way - Trial
1. Introduction/Background
It is widely recognised that Royal Mail needs investment to survive and thrive in a competitive market. This requirement for investment is not just capital for new equipment but also for investment in our people e.g. management capability and front line engagement/involvement. It is essential we embed improved capability, with a fresh mindset and approach within our management population to achieve this engagement.
At Chester Mail Centre with initial help from external consultants they introduced the improved management training to provide them with the skills in communication, production control and problem solving. This has proved very successful in establishing a motivated management team, a marked increase in employee satisfaction and greater operational efficiency in the unit. It has been agreed therefore that we should jointly trial the new approach in a further six mail centres.
2. Aims & Objectives
The purpose of the trial is to:

• Demonstrate that investment in our people is equally important if we are to respond to the challenge of competition.
  

• Improve the union/management relationship.
  
• Encourage employees to become involved and contribute towards improvements in the operation to enrich their own experience at work, provide a better service for the customer and business results.
  
• Make the Mail Centre a place where all employees feel their views/efforts are recognised and rewarded financially as appropriate.

3. Principles
The initial building blocks to achieve the cultural change and embed the new approach are based on the following principles:

• Management training in leadership and communication.
  

• A good IR relationship between the management and union representatives.
  
• The provision of processing tools/techniques that are fit for purpose.
  
• A good physical environment.
  
• Joint problem solving methods.
  
• Reward and recognition.

4. Trial Locations/Period
The Mail Centres selected for the trial are: Bristol, Swindon, Chelmsford, East London, Tyneside and Leeds. It will be a twelve month trial commencing in October 2005.
5. Implementation Arrangement/Support

• Each office will receive financial support to enable improved communication material is provided and a project manager to assist with the planning/deployment of the trial.
  

• Help from external consultants will be given where required.
  
• A learning centre will be available on site.
  
• A computer and access to the intranet and an email account will be provided for the CWU union representatives.

6. Key Strands
The three main strands to be developed are:

• Management, representatives and people development.
  

• Increased employee involvement, engagement and problem solving.
  
• Application of efficient processing tools/techniques.

External consultants will be available for initial managerial support but it was proved in Chester that it is very important that the local parties drive the initiative and do not rely on the Consultants to deploy the change. The aspects that form the basis of the Royal Mail initiative are outlined in the associated Appendix.
7. Deployment Process/Timetable
The trial will be for twelve months because it is recognised that it will be a considerable challenge and require detailed forward planning/preparation to deploy/embed the new approach. The following target timetable outlines the deployment process:

• Planning (months 1-2) - Assessment of current state, training and development, targets set and launch communications and involvement e.g. Work area Communication Cells on each shift.
  

• Engaging (months 3-4) - Involving people in problem solving, customer awareness and using visual displays.
  
• Implementing (months 5-6) - Applying efficient tools and techniques, eliminate waste, process mapping and review layout.
  
• Embedding (months 7-12) - Employee ownership of new approach to work in and introducing improvements, moving from programme to "this is how we do things here".
  
• The commencement of the deployment will be on a phased basis from September but all offices completed will have been deployed by November 2005.

8. Success Measures

• Improved union/management relationship. Source - Survey from the management team and local representatives.
  

• Better trained, motivated and engaged managers. Source - "Have your Say" results and local survey from frontline employees.
  
• Opportunity to suggest improvements for own work area. Source - As above.
  
• Opportunity to increase employees input into their ways of working. Source - As above.
  
• Good information share in an open and honest way. Source - As above.
  
• A more informed workforce regarding the business and the current competitive environment. Source - As above.
  
• Cleaner, safer working environment. Source - Joint inspection and local accident statistics.
  
• Improved customer satisfaction and maintenance of local contracts and employees earnings. Source - local customer surveys and statistics on traffic and staff hour costs.

9. CWU Involvement
There will be full involvement of the CWU at all levels in all aspects of the trial.

• At local/area level the CWU will be given the facility to attend all Communication Cells/Work Time Learning sessions to enable them to also improve their communication on Industrial Relation issues/proposals for change as appropriate.
  

• It is fully recognised that the new approach to employee communication should not include dealing with issues of a negotiable nature and that these will continue to be dealt with via the IR Framework in the normal way.
  
• The new approach should enhance the industrial relations and joint involvement within the unit and not be used as a substitute for management/union collective bargaining or to amend terms of national agreements e.g. The Way Forward, Weekly Resourcing Meetings, Work Time Learning sessions.

10. Chester Experience
It is recognised that the experience of the local management and CWU representatives at Chester on the approach should be used to the maximum. They will be given the facility to offer additional guidance and support to the trial offices on request from either party. It is hoped that this will reduce the need for any external consultants in the long-term.
11. Review
11.1 The trial will be jointly reviewed on a regular basis at local level to ensure the deployment programme is being introduced in line with the trial objectives.
11.2 In addition the national parties will meet monthly to share progress and evaluate whether the success criteria are being met.
11.3 At the conclusion of the trial a Formal Joint Review will be held to determine if the approach should be adopted and rolled-out to other Mail Centres.
11.4 The review will also assess if the same approach would be appropriate for other Royal Mail functions.
Kevin Green, Royal Mail
Martin Collins, CWU

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602
Delivering Improvements Yourself (DIY) - Integrated Quality Approach
Branches and Representatives should note that we have recently been advised by the business of the above initiative. We have requested a meeting which will be attended by representatives from the Indoor, Outdoor and Logistics Departments to establish further detail on the initiative and the criteria for the involvement of the CWU.
We are aware however that the business have already held managerial workshops on the initiative and that a small number of uniform grades also attended. This has resulted in a number of enquiries being received at union headquarters seeking clarification of the union's position.
In view of the above we would like to confirm the following:

• That no agreement has been reached on the involvement of the CWU or its members in this initiative.
  

• It will be the intention of the union to seek an agreed Terms of Reference to cover any participation in the project.
  
• Branches/Representatives should ensure that no local initiatives based on the DIY approach are agreed until advised from CWU HQ that a National Terms of Reference have been secured.
  
• Any attempt by local management to deploy any IQA/DIY initiative without an agreement in place should be processed via the IR Framework and reported to the appropriate Divisional Representative and CWU HQ.

All enquiries on the content of the above paragraph should be addressed to Martin Collins, Assistant Secretary Indoor quoting reference L.600.54, Bob Gibson, Assistant Secretary Outdoor quoting reference 530.03, Terry Pullinger, Assistant Secretary Logistics quoting reference 214

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603
Revised National Workplan
Reproduced below for the information of branches/representatives is the content of LTB 480/05, that was circulated on the 5th October 2005, the contents of which are self-explanatory.
Dear Colleague
Revised National Workplan
Further to our last report to branches in BOB 8 Para 145 discussions have continued to secure an acceptable commitment from Royal Mail regarding their approach to competition, prior to the deployment of the new Workplan. Following this finally being obtained from the business on the 12th August 2005 negotiations have progressed to conclude a national agreement that provides the maximum involvement of representatives and protection for our members who may be affected by the changes.
The agreed National Terms of Reference for Deployment are detailed below and the National Officers/Postal Executive feel that these two principle objectives have been achieved i.e.

• CWU will be fully involved at all levels in the deployment.
  

• Appropriate paid facility time to ensure informed discussions.
  
• At local/area level representatives will be initially briefed on the details of the national workplan, why it is necessary and the forecast impact the proposed changes may have on the unit.
  
• Consultation on network/service level agreements.
  
• A commitment to minimise the need for radical duty changes/times of attendance.
  
• No changes to workplans or attendance patterns in Delivery Offices as a direct consequence of the Workplan.
  
• Maintenance of regular earnings.
  
• Any duty changes required including start and finish times will be subject to the IR Framework.
  
• Regular review of the deployment at both Divisional and National level.

The target timetable for the commencement for local discussions on the deployment is the 10th October 2005 with an objective of full deployment by 27th February 2005. We are confident the agreement will enable our representatives to actively engage with management to introduce the changes necessary and enable Royal Mail to provide an assurance to existing customers and, hopefully, new customers on reliability, quality and cost.
National Agreement on the Terms of Reference for the Deployment of the National Workplan
1. Background
The following terms of reference detail the terms agreed between Royal Mail and the CWU in respect of the phased deployment of the revised national workplan and its application at all operational units. The workplan supports the joint Royal Mail and CWU objective to retain and increase our business in the face of increasing competition and is aimed at helping to meet our customer's demands for a reliable and secure pipeline delivered at a competitive price.
2. Objectives
The reasons for the revision and re-launch of the national workplan are as follows:

• To create a clear focus on the quality of all our mail streams and to maintain and improve quality of service.
  

• To ensure the network provides a more effective service than any competitor can offer.
  
• To ensure the workplan reflects the standard operation throughout the pipeline.
  
• To ensure there are clear and consistent reporting arrangements in place to support overall performance improvement.
  
• To deliver a cost effective service to our customers with workplan standards consistently applied across our product streams.
  
• To ensure that no unit is exempt from the standard operational workplan unless it has first been reviewed and authorised in line with the procedure.
  
• To face up to competition and enable flexible competitive solutions to retain customers/revenue and provide a full end to end/customer to customer product offering.

3. Consultation and Negotiation Arrangements
The CWU will be fully involved in all aspects of the deployment at all levels.

• At local/area level representatives will be initially briefed on the details of the national workplan, why it is necessary and the forecast impact the proposed changes may have on the unit.
  

• Any proposed duty content (including start and finish times) and shift changes required as a result of network changes will be subject to negotiation and agreement in line with the IR Framework. The appropriate paid facility time, in line with normal IR arrangements, will be provided to ensure full CWU involvement and informed discussions are carried out.
  
• Whilst the workplan needs to reflect the commercial realities of processing and distributing the work in a cost effective way consistent with all National operational agreements. Royal Mail is committed to maintaining regular earnings opportunities/levels as part of any revision in line with previous national agreements and to minimise the need for radical duty changes/times of attendance. There will be no changes to workplans or attendance patterns in Delivery Offices as a direct consequence of the revised national workplan.

4. Exemption Procedure
The Exemption Procedure should identify any concerns with non-compliance, and the CWU will be consulted where such instances arise. Where moving to workplan compliance will lead to Industrial Relations difficulties, these will be resolved in line with the terms in paragraph 3 and the IR framework. Points of principle/interpretation will be raised at National level in line with paragraph 11 below. Where units report that they cannot meet the national workplan standards their case will be dealt with via the National Exemption Procedure (see Appendix). Details of the difficulty will be shared at the National Review Meetings to understand the specific reasons why adjustments need to be agreed. The aim is to keep the number of exemptions to an absolute minimum.
5. Training
Employees and CWU representatives will be given the appropriate training required prior to any of the changes being introduced.
6. Network/Service Level Agreements
Where SLA's between distribution centres/mail centres and delivery offices already exist, these will be updated to reflect the changes required by the revised workplan. Where they do not exist they will be implemented in the normal way by consultation with the CWU to ensure that all concerned understand them and to provide the opportunity to review/discuss any duty changes that may be required. In both instance paragraph 3 above will be taken fully into account. The SLA's will include planned run times and the volumes of mail to be exchanged between the offices. Once the SLA's have been finalised and shared with the CWU any consequential duty changes will be negotiated, locally in line with normal arrangements/IR Framework.
7. Reporting
The structure and timing of management reporting will be designed to ensure that once introduced, the new standards will be maintained. Any changes in reporting arrangements will be shared with CWU at national level.
8. Facing Up To Competition (DSA)
Both parties accept that successfully deploying the workplan is only a part of providing the necessary protection for Royal Mail to retain their current customers and grow the business. The broader aspects of Royal Mail's and the CWU's response to the competitive threat are therefore being dealt with and developed against the backdrop of Royal Mail's recent statement to the CWU.
9. Timetable
The target timetable for local discussions on deployment of the workplan to commence is 10th October 2005 with an objective for full deployment by 27th February 2006.
10. Review
There will be regular joint reviews of progress on the deployment of the workplan at national and Divisional level, which will also include monitoring the new reporting guidelines/results.
11. Agreement/Deployment
Any questions of interpretation, implementation or application of this agreement shall be referred to the respective HQs as a matter of urgency and will be dealt with inside the provisions of the IR Framework.
Neil Henderson, Royal Mail
Martin Collins, Communication Workers Union
Paul Tolhurst, Royal Mail
Terry Pullinger, Communication Workers Union
John Fisher, Royal Mail
Bob Gibson, Communication Workers Union
Appendix
Royal Mail Letters Exemption Process
Exemption to Workplan required:

1. The unit manager completes an Electronic Exemption form.
   

2. An automatic email is sent to the relevant Area Manager/Deputy.
   
3. The Area Manager/Deputy Accepts/Rejects.
   
4. At the same time as '2' an automatic email is sent to the relevant Auditor.
   
5. The relevant Auditor/Deputy adds comments.
   If rejected the Original Requestor is notified by email.
   If accepted the process continues:
   
6. An automatic email is sent to the Territory Director requesting Accept/Reject
   If rejected the Original Requestor and relevant Area Manager is notified by email.
   If accepted the process continues:
   
7. The Change Control Manager/Deputy checks the exemption form ensuring everything has been filled in correctly, resolves if not, then forwards the exemption to the Pipeline Standardisation Manager/Deputy.
   
8. The Pipeline Standardisation Manager/Deputy adds comments and Accepts/Rejects.
   
9. An email with the decision is sent to all parties concerned i.e. Original Requestor, Area Manager, Territory Director, and Auditors.
   
10. Exemptions to workplan and the rationale for any change requests are shared with National CWU who reserve the right to challenge decisions regarding exemptions.
    
11. Any issues in respect of the exemption are raised for resolution with the Director of Quality/ Network.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be addressed to Martin Collins' Office, quoting reference L.600.50 email address: mcollins@cwu.org or to Bob Gibson's Office, quoting reference 530.03 email address: hnutley@cwu.org or to Terry Pullinger's Office, quoting reference 214 email address: dwyatt@cwu.org as appropriate
Any enquiries regarding the content of the above paragraph should be sent to the appropriate Assistant Secretary quoting the relevant reference number as detailed above.

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