LTB 065/24 - Joint Communication Covering Seasonal Variation and Joint Statement on Resolving Surplus and Displaced Employees in Processing
No 065/24
13th February 2024
TO: ALL POSTAL BRANCHES
Dear Colleague,
BRT&G Agreement – Royal Mail/CWU Joint Communication Covering Seasonal Variation and Joint Statement on Resolving Surplus and Displaced Employees in Processing
Branches and members will be aware that the CWU is actively seeking to resolve a number of outstanding issues with the business to ensure we continue to rebuild trust with our Reps and Members in the workplace.
As reported at the National Briefing last week through the agenda updates, discussions have continued on a daily basis and we have now finalised two documents with the business as outlined below:
Seasonal Variation and Agreed Joint Communication with the Following Key Summary:
After examining the latest workload forecasts, Royal Mail and the CWU have agreed to extend this Low Season by four weeks, supporting better resourcing to workload outcomes and offering further opportunities to give employees back time owed from the High Season in 2023. To ensure employees’ seasonal variation hours are balanced out by December 2024, the Summer 2024 Low Season will be reduced by 4 weeks. In summary:
Winter Low Season 2024
Between weeks 49 – 52 (26th February 2024 until 24th March 2024 – 4 weeks) full-time employees will continue with reduced 35 hours per week attendance.
Full-time Delivery employees will start 14 minutes later and finish 10 minutes earlier during this period.
For part-time employees their attendances will reduce by 10 minutes.
Summer Low Season 2024
During the Summer 2024 period, during weeks 13 – 23 (24th June 2024 until 8th September 2024), full-time employees will typically work at 35 hours, in line with the agreement, for 10 weeks.
This will mean that full-time employees will start 14 minutes later and finish 10 minutes earlier and part-time employees will work 10 minutes less per day.
The peak period for 2024, where full-time employees will typically increase their hours to 39 hours, will remain for 5 weeks (18th November 2024 – 22nd December 2024).
The same principles as agreed in previous joint communications also flow through to the updated position above and allow changes to be made to the PSP/DDS systems.
The full Joint Communication can be accessed via https://www.cwu.org/seasonal-variation.
Joint Statement on Resolving Surplus and Displaced Employees in Processing – Key Summary
This has been a longstanding issue between both parties and we have continually made it clear to the business that we need to resolve the matter and the current impasse was not conducive to improving industrial relations.
Furthermore, it has been subject to significant debate at CWU forums and briefings in respect of the mental wellbeing of CWU members affected across the Mail Centres impacted and that was further echoed at the National Briefing last week via CWU Branches and Reps outlining some outrageous examples within their areas.
As such we have now been able to agree the attached Joint Statement in order to progress the following key points:
The Joint Statement includes the following key points:
That no displaced staff have to leave the mail centre to attend the redeployment pool.
That displaced staff can sign for overtime and vacancies in the mail centre.
That bump VRS will take place to allow displaced staff to pick up their duty.
That they will be able to use their seniority to sign for other duties in any resign.
That we will review the redeployment moving forward.
We believe the above will be welcomed by the members in the affected Mail Centres and likewise for our Branches and Representatives this is a big step in the right direction to support them in addressing this longstanding issue. However whilst this will be welcomed, we acknowledge there is still more work to do in this area and will be doing this as part of the National review contained with the Joint Statement.
The full Joint Statement can be accessed via https://www.cwu.org/resolving-displaced-employees-in-processing/.
Both parties have today jointly launched the contents of the above Joint Statement/Joint Communication with the RM Regional Operations Directors and CWU Divisional Reps to ensure both parties have briefed the content jointly and that we further demonstrate the willingness on both parties to resolve issues between us and seek to work together going forwards.
We would like to thank the Branches, Representatives and the Members for their continued support and especially those impacted by the issues created in Mail Centres by being deemed surplus and we will continue to provide updates following the National reviews.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Patryk Haracz on pharacz@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Walsh Deputy General Secretary(Postal) | Mark Baulch Assistant Secretary | Davie Robertson Assistant Secretary |
|