LTB 384/13 - Workplace Coaches

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No. 384/2013
Ref: 717.04 or 230
Date: 4th June 2013


FOR THE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION OF:

Postal Branch Secretaries
Divisional Representatives
Area Processing Representatives
Area Delivery Representatives



Dear Colleague

Workplace Coaches

Further to the publication of LTB 331/13, circulated on the 15th May 2013, correspondence has been exchanged with the business and the relevant Officers outlining the CWU’s concerns regarding the approach being taken by the business to extend the role and number of Workplace Coaches, within the Processing and Delivery functions, prior to formal negotiation and agreement to amending the terms of the existing National Induction Training with Coaching Support Agreement.

A response has now been received from Peter Walls, Director ER/IR for Operations and Modernisation, seeking a meeting with the CWU to discuss its concerns and this is currently being arranged.

In his letter Mr Walls made it clear that he was keen to avoid any cause for potential disagreement, a position that both Officers were happy to support. In additional Mr Walls also advised that the geographies had been asked to hold off on interviews for additional Workplace Coaches for a couple of weeks or so ‘to enable our meeting to take place in a positive climate’.

Unfortunately we have however received information from the field suggesting that the business are pressing ahead with their planned changes to the role of Workplace Coaches and are continuing with their recruitment programme.

Against this backdrop it would appear that an initiative being sold to the union on the basis that it is just a straight forward learning and development initiative could be viewed as a covert attempt to reintroduce Team Leaders/uniform grade supervisors into the workplace under the umbrella of World Class Mail and without agreement.

In view of this Branches and representatives are advised that any attempt to proceed with the recruitment of Workplace Coaches aligned to the proposed new role should be challenged immediately via the IR Framework. If management refuse to adhere to the framework then unilateral disagreement should be registered and the issue referred immediately to the appropriate Officer, where consideration will be given as to how to progress the issue and any action to be taken.

Branches and representatives are requested to ensure that this LTB is given the widest publicity as a matter of urgency.

Any Processing enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Terry Pullinger, Assistant Secretary, e-mail: dwyatt@cwu.org or lwright@cwu.org quoting reference number: 717.04

Any Delivery enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Bob Gibson, Assistant Secretary, e-mail: hnutley@cwu.org reference number: 230

Yours sincerely




Terry Pullinger R Gibson
Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary

[BoltonPostie]

In his letter Mr Walls made it clear that he was keen to avoid any cause for potential disagreement, a position that both Officers were happy to support. In additional Mr Walls also advised that the geographies had been asked to hold off on interviews for additional Workplace Coaches for a couple of weeks or so ‘to enable our meeting to take place in a positive climate’.

Good grief how many times have the CWU HQ fallen for this guff!

Unfortunately we have however received information from the field suggesting that the business are pressing ahead with their planned changes to the role of Workplace Coaches and are continuing with their recruitment programme.

Wow what a surprise!
No wonder people are pissed off the union,grow some balls ffs!.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

They keep falling for the 3 cup magic trick scam.

[fishtank]

A response has now been received from Peter Walls, Director ER/IR for Operations and Modernisation, seeking a meeting with the CWU to discuss its concerns and this is currently being arranged.

I'm surprised at this.
I would have thought that given the number of issues out there and the ongoing negotiations Peter Walls and Bob Gibson would be in almost constant contact.

[General Mannerheim]

A response has now been received from Peter Walls, Director ER/IR for Operations and Modernisation, seeking a meeting with the CWU to discuss its concerns and this is currently being arranged.

I'm surprised at this.
I would have thought that given the number of issues out there and the ongoing negotiations Peter Walls and Bob Gibson would be in almost constant contact.

Maybe Bob has been busy?
Holidays to book,pies to order you know the usual things!

[steven100]

A response has now been received from Peter Walls, Director ER/IR for Operations and Modernisation, seeking a meeting with the CWU to discuss its concerns and this is currently being arranged.

I'm surprised at this.
I would have thought that given the number of issues out there and the ongoing negotiations Peter Walls and Bob Gibson would be in almost constant contact.

Maybe Bob has been busy?
Holidays to book,pies to order you know the usual things!

Aren't they both now dating!!!!

[oypostie]

As far as i can see Royal Mail are looking to turn Workplace Coaches into an even cheaper form of Deputy Manager

[pinza]

Workplace coaches as Deputy Managers!! Some at our place think they're Shift Managers.

[CLINTEASTWOOD1]

I am a coach and I'm on the verge of giving it up, I thought it was about inducting new starts but recently I've been asked to test jobs, go out and patrol people to make sure they are following H&S and other tasks I feel should be done by managers. Not to mention getting taken of my walk and treated as a some kind of office sweeper.

Inductings new starters is all our coach does and that s 1 every 1 or 2 years i think coaches should to more for there etra money.

[General Mannerheim]

I am a coach and I'm on the verge of giving it up, I thought it was about inducting new starts but recently I've been asked to test jobs, go out and patrol people to make sure they are following H&S and other tasks I feel should be done by managers. Not to mention getting taken of my walk and treated as a some kind of office sweeper.

Just say no.not hard is it?

[WalkSort]

I'm a coach in our DO and the variation between jobs carried out by the wpc in other offices is madness, some do everything some nothing. I like to think i do whats expected of me as a coach however the main reason i applied for the position was because i didn't want to get into management with RM. I have been asked to check D2D forms and also check up to see if people have weighed bags, both times i've refused, as far as i'm concerned i can train people on how to do these things properly but any checks which can lead to conduct charges are always to be dealt with by management. Personally I took the job to show others how to do the job right not get them in trouble for getting it wrong.

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

I am a coach and I'm on the verge of giving it up, I thought it was about inducting new starts but recently I've been asked to test jobs.

The WPCs are regularly asked to test walks at my depot, but the whole process is flawed, all it shows is what the coach could deliver on that day and the breakdown of the actual workload (number of letters/packets; call rate; number of actual attendence calls for oversize and signature items; number of failed attendence call items etc.) are not recorded. And there will be nothing conclusive to compare against from the other ~364 days the duty holder and cover do the walk.

The indoor work cannot be given a true test because the coach is often prepping the frame "blind" and as far as I'm aware, they do not do the duty's "general indoor work" (IPS; packet sorting; portering etc., which can be upto ~1hour40mins on "guideline" times) as a way of offsetting throwing in the walk blind!

It is just like those random one or two weeks a year when they get duty holders to record non-call rates; attendence calls etc., they happen so rarely that the results are statistically flawed to use as a basis to judge the typical duty workload, the whole job is a game of who is the better crystal ball reader on any given day... Where the OPG is often far better than the lino or planners.

[Danelectro]

and also check up to see if people have weighed bags, .

impressed that the DOM in your office is concerned about posties carrying too much weight -or maybe the motive is to conduct code/get rid of undesirables.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches





No. 397/2013
Ref: 717.04 or 230
Date: 7th June 2013

To: Branches with POSTAL Members
CWU Divisional Representatives
Area Processing Representatives
Area Delivery Representatives

Dear Colleague

Workplace Coach Events & Briefings

Further to LTB 384/13, circulated on the 4th June 2013, it has been brought to our attention that existing WPC vacancies are being recruited against on the basis of the new unagreed terms. This is not acceptable to the CWU and is a clear breach of the existing national agreement. We are therefore requesting all of our CWU representatives and existing and prospective WPC’s not to attend any more events or briefings regarding WPC’s until such time as we have met with Royal Mail and resolved our differences.

If management refuse to accept this position then the National Industrial Relations Framework should be used to register a unilateral disagreement, and the issue referred immediately to the appropriate Officer, where consideration will be given as to how to progress the issue and any action to be taken.

A meeting has been arranged with Royal Mail for the 28th June 2013 and Branches and representatives will be updated on the position following that meeting.

Branches and representatives are requested to ensure that this LTB is given the widest publicity as a matter of urgency.

Any Processing enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Terry Pullinger, Assistant Secretary, e-mail: dwyatt@cwu.org or lwright@cwu.org quoting reference number: 717.04

Any Delivery enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Bob Gibson, Assistant Secretary, e-mail: hnutley@cwu.org reference number: 230

Yours sincerely





R Gibson Terry Pullinger
CWU Assistant Secretary CWU Assistant Secretary

[General Mannerheim]

A meeting has been arranged with Royal Mail for the 28th June 2013 and Branches and representatives will be updated on the position following that meeting.

So on the 29th we can all expect another `joint` statement telling us all what a good idea workplace coaches are.