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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 42 Paragraphs 621-635 28 October 2005
SUMMARY
GENERAL
621 Liaison Meetings with CWU Group MPs
622 Headquarters Printing and Reprographic Services
623 Election of Regional Secretaries - 2006
624 Election of Retired Members Regional Council Secretary
625 Greater Manchester Amal
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
626 Harassment Complaints Database - Union Policy
627 Motions for TUC Women's Conference 2006
HEALTH AND SAFETY
628 Health and Safety Minister to Launch Acoustic
Safety Conference
629 Mini York Containers - Misuse of in Mail Centres
630 Pregnancy Discrimination - EOC Latest Findings
631 Motions for TUC Black Workers Conference - 2006
TELECOMS
632 Accenture HR Services and Accenture Learning -
Salary Review 2005 - Ballot Arrangements
633 BT Payment of Salaries - Cut Off Date
POSTAL
634 Agreement Between CWU & Parcelforce Worldwide
on Autumn Pressure and Christmas Remuneration Proposals for all CWU
Grade Depot Employees
635 Royal Mail Area Representatives and Substitutes - Elections
LETTERS TO BRANCHES
499
19/10/05 POL Sales Code of Practice - Andy Furey
500
20/10/05 Manpower Christmas/New Year Staff Arrangements - Sally Bridge
501
20/10/05 Agreement Between CWU and Parcelforce Worldwide on Autumn
Pressure and Christmas Remuneration Proposals for all CWU Grades
Depot Employees - Terry Pullinger
502
21/10/05 York Containers - Cardboard Sleeves - Dave Joyce
503
21/10/05 Branch Model Constitution - Steve Baguley
504
21/10/05 Anti-Privatisation - GS
505
21/10/05 Christmas and New Year Arrangements 2005 - Bob Gibson
506
25/10/05 National Briefing: Campaign Against Post Office
Privatisation - GS
507
26/10/05 Openreach - Resourcing - Ian Cuthbert
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GENERAL
621
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:
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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622
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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623
Election of Regional Secretaries - 2006
Nominations are invited for the position of Regional Secretary:
Eastern
Midland
North East
Northern Ireland
North West
Scotland
South East
South West
Wales & The Marches
London
The term of office for this position is one year and the successful
candidates will take up office following the 2006 Regional AGM, which
in line with the constitution will be held in January.
Nomination Forms are available on request from the National
Organising Department. Completed nomination forms, which must be
signed by the Branch Secretary and Branch Chair (or accredited
deputies) and the nominee, should be returned by no later than 22nd
November 2005 (14.00). If elections are necessary a timetable will be
published at a later date.
Any elections that are required for the above positions will be run
in accordance with the CWU guidelines for senior field official
elections, which are published below for your information. Branches
are advised that ballots will be conducted on a branch ballot basis.
Branches are also reminded that to be elected a candidate must
receive more votes than any other candidate and receive more votes in
their own constituency than any other candidate.
Any enquiries regarding the above should be directed to Steve
Baguley, National Organising Secretary
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624
Election of Retired Members Regional Council Secretary
In accordance with the constitution of the Retired Members Regional
Council, Nominations are invited from branches within the respective
Regions for the position of Retired Members Regional Council
Secretary for the following regions:
Eastern
Midland
North East
Northern Ireland
North West
Scotland
South East
South West
Wales & The Marches
London
Nomination forms are available on written request from the National
Organising Department.
The completed forms should be returned to Steve Baguley, National
Organising Secretary by Tuesday 22nd November 2004 (14.00).
If an election is necessary a timetable will be published and ballot
papers will be issued to each Branch who will be allocated a vote
according to membership size.
Any enquiries in relation to the election should be addressed to
Steve Baguley, National Organising Secretary
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625
Greater Manchester Amal
Branches are advised that the offices of the Greater Manchester Amal
Branch based at 409 Wilmslow Road will close for business on
Wednesday 2nd November 2005 at 16.00 hours and re-open on Wednesday
9th November at 9.00 at the new premises at:
302A Barlow Moor Road
Chorlton Park
Manchester
M21 8AY
The new telephone numbers will be as follows:
Office: 0161 860 4067
Fax: 0161 860 5278
E mail: mailhost@cwu-gmr.com
If you have any enquiries regarding this paragraph please contact the
National Organising Department on ext 203
Steve Baguley
National Organising Secretary
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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
626
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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627
Motions for TUC Women's Conference 2006
Branches are invited to submit motions for next years TUC Women's
Conference, which is being held on the 8-10 March 2006, in Eastbourne.
The TUC deadline date is 14th December 2005 for receipt of motions.
Taking this into consideration we would ask Branches to get any
motions in to Headquarters by the 25th November 2005. Please mark
them for c/o Equal Opportunities Department.
If you have any queries on the above please do not hesitate to
contact the department. Any enquiries regarding this paragraph to
Michèle Emerson at CWU HQ.
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628
Pregnancy Discrimination - EOC Latest Findings
The EOC launched a GB-wide investigation into this issue in September
2003, because of the high volume of calls to the EOC helpline about
problems at work during pregnancy and maternity and the large number
of pregnancy-related employment tribunal claims. The final report of
the EOC's investigation has uncovered the startling impact of
pregnancy discrimination including that more than seven in ten
pregnant women treated unfairly at work are suffering in silence.
30,000 women each year lose their jobs because of their pregnancy.
Only 3% of those who experience a problem lodge a claim at an
employment tribunal. Unless the current situation changes, one
million pregnant women are likely to experience discrimination at
work over the next five years.
The EOC's investigation found that the key causes of pregnancy
discrimination were:
Their campaign aims to build support for action to be taken so that
pregnancy can be managed more constructively in the workplace. The
campaign pages www.eoc.org.uk/pregnancy invite anyone concerned about
the issue to pledge their support, visitors can also post their
comments on the issue, take part in the pregnancy test and keep up to
date on all the campaign news.
In September of last year the interim report of the EOC was
published. Tip of the Iceberg is still available to download on their
website. The report examines how the responsibilities, costs and
benefits of pregnancy are currently shared between employers, the
state and individual women and their families.
The findings from the report recommend that the law needs to be
clearer and easily accessible and that both families and employers
require more support. The EOC has taken into account women's need to
be able to combine work, motherhood and practical difficulties faced
by employers in managing pregnancy in the workplace. There is also
recognition for the active role fathers take in looking after their children.
More information is available on this report on the EOC web site,
which is www.eoc.gov.uk
Any enquiries regarding this paragraph please contact Michèle
Emerson at CWU HQ.
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629
Motions for TUC Black Workers Conference - 2006
We are now inviting motions for the 2006 TUC Black Workers
Conference.
NB. All unions are permitted to submit one motion of not more than
200 words.
If any Branch wishes to submit a motion please ensure it reaches our
department by Monday 21st November 2005.
Any queries to this note should be directed to the department in the
first instance.(Michèle Emerson at CWU HQ.)
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HEALTH AND SAFETY
630
Health and Safety Minister to Launch Acoustic Safety Conference
Health and Safety Minister Lord Hunt has announced that he will be
launching the Acoustic Safety Conference which will take place at the
National Physical Laboratory HQ Conference facilities in Teddington
Middlesex on 7th and 11th November. The Minister will also be
announcing a new Industry Noise Awards Scheme of which CWU National
Health and Safety Officer Dave Joyce has been invited to be one of
the judges. The Acoustic Safety Conference event follows the
'European Safety and Health at Work Week' which this year focuses on
Noise at Work. Many key Call Centre employers, senior managers and
H&S managers from organisations including BT, Orange, Virgin,
T-mobile and O2 are attending as well as Directors from the DWP, DTI
and HSE. Until fairly recently not a lot of people had heard about
Acoustic Shock which perhaps is not surprising when you consider that
the call centre industry itself is less than 20 years old, during
which time it has sustained massive technological change. The CWU has
steadfastly campaigned for recognition of Acoustic Shock, a
devastating 21st century industrial injury problem and for a
technological solution. The roots of the Union's campaign go back
over 15 years when the first cases came to light. The size of the
Industry has more than doubled since then with a growing risk
affecting a million workers in Call Centres today. By 2005 £2
million in out-of-court Acoustic Shock injury settlement claims have
been secured in the UK with the CWU and PCS handling 700 cases
between them. According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI),
Call Centre Industry employers need to start taking the Acoustic
Shock risk very seriously. The ABI have highlighted new types of
claims such as Acoustic shock as representing a concern for the
future and they will require evidence of strict health and safety
arrangements and controls when agreeing Employers Liability Cover.
What the Union wants is to find solutions to the appalling hazard
through research and development and the introduction on acoustic
suppressor filters which block out the high frequency noise spikes
without affecting voice quality for call handlers. Places are
available for CWU Representatives wanting to attend the Conference
free of charge. All information is on the Acoustic Safety Programme
(ASP) website www.acousticshock.org or call David Lilly ASP Director
David Lilly on 01985 841 245 (Direct) or Mobile 07944 487226.
All Enquiries regarding the above should be addressed to Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer CWU HQ quoting
reference E2.
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631
Mini York Containers - Misuse of in Mail Centres
A number of Branches have reported recent misuse of Mini York and
ALPs by firstly moving traffic between processes within Mail Centres
unsupported and secondly in storing and transporting traffic from the
Mail Centre to Delivery Offices. In the cases reported to the Health,
Safety & Environment Department, flats, strapped bundles and
loose letter mail was being stored and moved in Min Yorks with ALP sleeves.
Prior to these reports the Mini York Container Safe System Of Work
(SSOW) was subject to amendment following discussions at the Royal
Mail National Joint Materials Handing Steering Group. The updated
Mini York Container SSOW is reproduced below for Branches and Safety
Reps information should other Mail Centres experience similar
problems. As you will see "Mini York Container Auto Level Packet
Sleeves have been designed for mixed packet mail, and are not
suitable for the transport or storage of dense mail streams such as
those consisting purely of flats, strapped bundles or letter mail and
they must also not be used for single items over 7.5 Kg, bags or
trays". "Faulty ALP sleeves must be removed from service
and sent for repair". "Where it is necessary to transport
unfaced mail, flats or letter bundles between processes within an
office Mini York ALP sleeves can be used provided the base of the ALP
sleeve is supported with one or two stacks of 3 nested letter trays.
The mail should be unloaded in handfuls rather than scooping it out
in armfuls".
Use of Auto Level Packet Sleeve for Yorks and Mini Yorks
Auto Level Packet Sleeves have been designed for mixed packet mail,
and are not suitable for transport or storage of dense mail streams
such as those consisting purely of flats, strapped bundles or letter
mail. Do not use for single items over 7.5 Kg, bags or trays.
Faulty ALP sleeves should be removed from service and sent for repair
to the appointed contractor in accordance with the published repair
procedures.
As a short term measure, trays can be placed, upside down, under the
base of the sleeve if the return mechanism is not working.
ALP Sleeves should be closed to retain the contents before the York
Container is moved.
Bags should not be tipped into York ALP sleeves. Where bag tipping is
carried out with Mini York ALP sleeves the Safe System of Work for
bag tipping to ALT's should be followed.
When sorting from an ALP sleeve the container should be positioned to
minimise twisting when unloading. Working from alternate sides and
rotating to other activities also helps to reduce the effects of
twisting and bending.
Where it is necessary to transport unfaced mail, flats or letter
bundles between processes within an office Mini York ALP sleeves can
be used provided the base of the ALP sleeve is supported with one or
two stacks of 3 nested letter trays. The mail should be unloaded in
handfuls rather than scooping it out in armfuls.
All enquiries should be addressed to Dave Joyce National Health,
Safety & Environment Officer quoting ref: C25.
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TELECOMS
632
Accenture HR Services and Accenture Learning - Salary Review 2005
- Ballot Arrangements
Branches may wish to note the process and timeframe for the email ballot.
If members have any queries regarding PIN numbers and passwords,
please contact annehock@popularis.org
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
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633
BT Payment of Salaries - Cut Off Date
We have been notified by BT that the following announcement on the
payment of December salaries and the relevant cut off date will be in
the next edition of People News.
"To confirm arrangements put in place last year, BT will pay
December salaries 3 (three) working days before Christmas Day each
year. Salaries for December 2005 will therefore be paid on Wednesday
21 December 2005. Line managers and HR should therefore note that pay
cut off will be Wednesday 7 December 2005."
Grace Mitchell
Assistant Secretary
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POSTAL
634
Agreement Between CWU & Parcelforce Worldwide on Autumn
Pressure and Christmas Remuneration Proposals for all CWU Grade Depot Employees
Reproduced below for the information of Branches is the above
mentioned agreement and PFWW Christamas/New Year Operational Arrangements.
Any enquiries regarding this matter should be addressed to Terry
Pullinger, Assistant Secretary, quoting reference 106A or emailed to dwyatt@cwu.org
Terry Pullinger
Assistant Secretary
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635
Royal Mail Area Representatives and Substitutes - Elections
Branches will be aware that in line with the arrangements published
in 2004 the National Organising Secretary is required to publish a
standard timetable for all Area Rep elections (The timetable applies
to positions that cover more than one branch area, i.e. those Area
Rep elections, which are currently organised by the Regional
Secretary). Accordingly the timetable for the 2005 Area Rep elections
is as follows:
Nominations Open 1st November 2005
Nominations Close 22nd November 2005
In line with the above I have asked Regional Secretaries to
co-ordinate these elections and to contact branches and advise them
of the arrangements for the elections within their respective areas.
Branches are reminded that Candidates must have received the
nomination of their own branch and if ballots are required we will
advise the respective branches of the timetable for despatch and
receipt of ballot papers.
Branches are also reminded that any ballots will be conducted on an
individual member basis of those members eligible to vote and that
the costs incurred for the ballots would have to be met from Branch
funds. The Regional Secretary will discuss the detail of this with
the Branches.
Please note that elections for Area Representatives that fall wholly
within one Branch boundary are the responsibility of the Branch,
however if required, assistance can be sought from the Regional Secretary.
Any enquiries regarding this paragraph should be directed to Steve
Baguley, National Organising Secretary.
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