WEEKLY INFORMATION FROM THE COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
SUMMARY
Attachments or LTB's can be
emailed or downloaded from the National Site
Volume 10 Issue 20 Paragraphs 319- 327 20 May 2005
SUMMARY
GENERAL
319 Headquarters Printing and Reprographic Services
320 Branch Magazine and Website Competition
321 Opportunities to Study for a University of London
Degree (Part-Time) by Open and Distance Learning
322 Reminder - Union Learning Representative Course
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
No items this week
HEALTH AND SAFETY
323 Union Safety Representatives in BT
TELECOMS
324 Telewest - Consumer Division - Performance
Improvement Plans
325 BT Wholesale Markets Ventures Announcement
326 Accenture HR Services - Carillion Signs 10-Year
Contract for Transformational Process Outsourcing Services
POSTAL
327 Royal Mail Pay - 2005/06 Productivity Scheme
(Mail Centre)
LETTERS TO BRANCHES
224 12/05/05 Mail Screening Grading/Staffing Arrangements - Martin Collins
225
13/05/05 Quadrant Pay Agreement 2005/06 Ballot Result - Terry Pullinger
226 13/05/05 John Lewis Style Privatisation - GS/DGS(P)
227
13/05/05 BT Pay 2005 - Ballot Arrangements - Jeannie Drake
228
13/05/05 Branch Direct Pay - Terry Pullinger
229
13/05/05 Alliance and Leicester Pensions - Nigel Cotgrove
230
16/05/05 Royal Mail Profit/Share in Success - Dave Ward
231
17/05/05 General Conference 2004 Motion 15 - GS/SS
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GENERAL
319
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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320
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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321
Opportunities to Study for a University of London Degree
(Part-Time) by Open and Distance Learning
Applications are invited from members of the Communication Workers
Union to undertake one of a number of degree programmes - at
Foundation, Honours degree and Masters degree levels - part-time, by
Open and Distance Learning.
This opportunity arises from well-established partnerships between
British Telecom, CWU, and Queen Mary, University of London to provide
opportunities for degree-level qualifications, studying part-time
from the workplace, from home, and at residential schools. New
inductions to these innovative programmes are scheduled for June 2005
and September 2005.
We invite applications from anyone with pre-requisite skills who is
keen to acquire advanced professional qualifications in Computing,
Computer Science, Business Management, Management Sciences and in
Information Management. No specific formal qualifications are
required for entry at Foundation level, 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.
BSc. Honours entrants will require prior qualifications equivalent to
230 - 260 UCAS tariff points.
Those applying for the Masters programme must already be graduates.
[Please note: whereas employer sponsorship for fees and study support
is available for Foundation and BSc entrants, employer support for
Masters entrants would have to be negotiated locally, or the entrant
may fund the degree themselves].
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 online
using a web-browser. Deadlines for receipt of applications are:
o Friday 3rd June, 2005 for the June intake
o Friday 26th August, 2005 for the September intake.
For more information about the degree programmes, visit the 'ODL at
QMUL' website at: www.odl.qmul.ac.uk/
To apply directly online, visit the 'ODL at QMUL' applications server
at: www.odl.qmul.ac.uk/applications/
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322
Reminder - Union Learning Representative Course
The Communication Workers Union have organised a Union Learning
Representatives Course, to be held at the Education & Training
Centre, Alvescot.
The course will be held from 4 - 8 July 2004
Please submit application forms as soon as possible
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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HEALTH AND SAFETY
323
Union Safety Representatives in BT
The TFS Executive Health and Safety team met with the Accident
Incident Reporting Group, (AIRG) and BT Group Safety Manager, Dave
Wallington to consider issues raised by Branches over current
accident reporting procedures. Two issues came out of these discussions:
1. The current USR database is not working
2. Accenture are having problems identifying where to send Accident Reports.
To improve this situation the CWU have agreed to re-validate the
names and data for all Branches and Union Safety Representatives.
Once validated the information will be put onto new software, people
soft 8, by Accenture which is due for roll-out in the next few months.
The Health and Safety team wish to emphasise to Branches that this
will not be a case of Branches re-appointing USRs. The validation
exercise is:
o To populate the USR data base with accurate information
o For the purposes of annual USR accreditation to allow for paid time
off, training, etc. as per the current consultative agreement.
Dave Wallington has also agreed that once this has been done,
Accenture will be in a better position to make all accident reports
available to the Branches. It is intended that accident reports will
be sent automatically to the relevant Branches at the same time as
the information is forwarded to the relevant Line Manager and should
end the current problem of delays that have been encountered through
the AIRG not having details for the Branches.
The issue of USR details not being forwarded to Accenture for input
to the database should be resolved by the re-validation exercise, and
in future the process for recording any newly elected USRs is to be
amended. The process will be for the Branch to email details direct
to Accenture as well as the Line Manager. Accenture will then log new
USRs as "temporary" until the accreditation form is
returned to them by the Line Manager. It is also intended that
Accenture will monitor the managers' responses and issue reminders
when there is a delay in the forms being returned, and also when it
is time for the re-accreditation
of USRs. The TFS Safety Committee believe that the re-accreditation
should be completed annually, preferably around April, further
details will be issued once a final decision has been made on this.
Attached to this document is a copy of the BT USR Accreditation Form
that Branches should use for the re - validation exercise, all
branches should aim to have the form returned to the Health and
Safety department by the end of June. Please send by email all
completed forms to lhance@cwu.org
Further details on this process will announced following further
discussions with Dave Wallington.
All enquiries should be addressed to Dave Joyce, Assistant Secretary,
Health, Safety & Environment Department quoting reference NS83.
Att:
G8
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TELECOMS
324
Telewest - Consumer Division - Performance Improvement Plans
A number of members and Branches have sought clarification on the use
of the company's Performance Improvement Plan and whether it had been
withdrawn in favour of the discipline code.
Attached for the information of Branches is a copy of management's
response setting out its position. A response from Networks is
awaited and Branches will be advised in due course.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment
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325
BT Wholesale Markets Ventures Announcement
Branches were advised in Branch Official's Bulletin No. 19/2005,
paragraph 311 of developments in the size of the Ventures team.
Further supporting evidence was required from BT to the background
driving these changes. The following is greater clarity of the events.
One of the Ventures, BT Contact, supports part of a Universal Service
Obligation (USO) upon BT Group to provide a database to support
Directory Enquiry providers be it voice (118 services), printed
directories (Yell etc.) and unmediated services (web based). The
voice market has declined by approximately 50% since this market was
deregulated by Oftel 20 months ago.
As it stands the cost of providing this service to industry is
recovered by the prices BT set for licencees to search or buy the
data. Included in this cost stack are labour costs. As the volumes
are decreasing it is becoming more and more difficult to justify the
number of people employed in this area. There are currently 5 people
supporting some of the sales/service management team and it is
difficult to justify this number continuing. Therefore, BT Contact
need to consider merging some of the roles together and becoming more
efficient. It is anticipated that two people would be sufficient to
support the current teams. This scenario will be explained shortly to
the existing 5 team members but no action is being taken currently to
reduce the size of the team and the
position will be reviewed over the next few months. This will give
the people in the team the time to consider other opportunities if
they wish. Where possible BT Contact and Ventures will look to
retrain the team members concerned, as part of an agreed development
plan, to enhance their capability to work in other roles.
The CWU will be advised in advance of any proposal to implement a
selection process. The team members remaining at the time of the
selection will be considered for these roles.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
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326
Accenture HR Services - Carillion Signs 10-Year Contract for
Transformational Process Outsourcing Services
Branches may wish to be made aware of Accenture HR Services signing a
significant new contract in the UK. Arrangements are being made with
regard to access to the new workforce to transfer in later this year.
Attached for the information of Branches is a copy of an internal
briefing announcing the new contract.
Brian Healy
Assistant Secretary
Attachment
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POSTAL
327
Royal Mail Pay - 2005/06 Productivity Scheme (Mail Centre)
Branches/Area Representatives will be aware that this year's Pay
Agreement allowed for the introduction of voluntary unit/office based
productivity schemes.
Paragraph 4 of the agreement deals specifically with the payment
arrangements in particular the facility for co-located functions/units
to pool any bonus payments that are received so an average payment
can be made to all members. The agreement also provides the facility
for non-postal grades (LAs) who directly support the operational
units/office to be included in the scheme.
For ease of reference the terms of paragraph 4 have been reproduced
below. Area Representatives should note that signed local agreements
must be in place by 31st May 2005 if they wish to pool bonus payments
in their office in this way.
4. The bonus pool will be divided by the number of eligible employees
(pro-rata to hours for part-time staff) giving individuals their lump
sum payments. Payments will be made twice during the year, once just
before Christmas 2005 and once in late May 2006.
Co-located operational units will have bonus assessed separately but
can average the actual payments across both units provided this is
agreed locally before the end of May 2005. This may be extended to
include within the divisor employees in non-postal grades who
directly support the operation, if agreed locally by the end of May.
Any difficulties should in the first instance be raised with the
appropriate Divisional Representative.
Any enquiries regarding the content of this paragraph should be
addressed to Martin Collins, Assistant Secretary, Indoor Department,
quoting reference L.