LTB 364/24 – Royal Mail – Christmas Arrangements 2024
No: 364/24
20th November 2024
For the Immediate Attention of All:
Postal Branches
Divisional Representatives
Area Delivery Representatives
Area Processing Representatives
Area Distribution Representatives
Dear Colleagues,
Royal Mail – Christmas Arrangements 2024
Branches are advised that discussions have been ongoing with Royal Mail for some time with regards to a Christmas Arrangements document for 2024. The CWU sought an early agreement and initial discussions took place during September/October 2024.
An initial draft was received from the business on 1st October which included a number of difficult areas and omissions from previously agreed documents, the last of which had been agreed in 2023.
Those areas of concern included the approach to Customer Service Point Opening, Sunday Delivery, proposed temporary changes to workplan and additional wording on Working Time Directive (WTD), which could restrict the hours our members could work during peak. Wording around Cyber Weekend, new entrants and the imposed change to monthly paid employees pay date being moved to 31st December.
A meeting took place on 14th November 2024, where the CWU raised concerns and sought clarification in a number of areas.
The final draft retains the structure from previous agreements and addresses the majority of the areas of difficulty in the initial drafts. The revised section on National Peak Workplan now includes commitments which ensure that all internal Mail Centre Resource, including current Supernumerary employees, are fully utilised in line with the Peak Resourcing arrangements prior to any movement of work and confirms any agreed change to workplan with regard to 2c / T48 is temporary for peak only.
Words have been included with regard to CSP opening during peak and the ability for local agreement to adjust attendance times and this will be subject to local discussions.
On the Attendance and Resourcing arrangements, the Bank Holidays this year fall on the least complicated pattern with no additional non USO days. The words in this section mirror previous years.
The document confirms that Christmas Supplement and the additional £100 ex Colleague Share payment will be made as usual and are unaffected by the Peak Incentive Scheme. The traditional paragraphs on Scheduled Attendance, SA Holiday Pay and Temporary Variation to Contract have been retained unaltered in the final draft.
Traditional paragraphs on Scheduled Attendance, SA Holiday Pay and Temporary Variation to Contract have been retained, cyber weekend working is also covered. The agreement also addresses the imposed change to the monthly paid employees pay date, members can now request their December salaries to be paid as per normal on 24th December. This was reported to Branches via LTB 361/24, issued on 15th November and further information on the full process will follow in due course.
We believe that the final draft will provide guidance to Reps and Branches.
Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to:
Processing/Distribution: Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: jrodrigues@cwu.org; quoting reference LTB 364/24.
Deliveries/Collections: Tony Bouch, Assistant Secretary, email: pharacz@cwu.org; quoting reference LTB 364/24.
Yours sincerely,
Davie Robertson
Assistant Secretary
Tony Bouch
Assistant Secretary
LTB 364.24 – Christmas Arrangements 2024