York Cardboard Sleeves - Normal Operations and Christmas Use

[TrueBlueTerrier]

LTB 797/13 York Container Cardboard Sleeves - Normal Operations and Christmas Emergency/Contingency Use:


No. 797/13
Ref C25/13
Date: 4 December 2013

To: All Branches with Royal Mail Members


Dear Colleagues,


York Container Cardboard Sleeves - Normal Operations and Christmas Emergency/Contingency Use:

As Branches will know, the misuse of York Container Cardboard Sleeves is not acceptable.

Any misuse should be taken up immediately requesting that the Mail Centre Manager stop it immediately and ensure the use of Container equipment is as per the York Container SSoW V2.6. A copy is attached.

Normal Operations (Outside Xmas - other than Emergency/Contingency Use)
In short York Container Cardboard Sleeves have been and remain withdrawn from general use and for very good reasons. The reasons Cardboard Sleeves were withdrawn was:-

1. The use of Cardboard Sleeves for packet traffic was having an adverse affect on the network
2. Safe Systems of Work were not being followed
3. Increased York Container demands (Cardboard Sleeve only holds 65% of a full York with an ALP Sleeve)
4. Reduced vehicle utilisation
5. Large amounts of unwanted, waste cardboard requiring repatriation. (Also environmental issue)
Fresh reminder instructions were issued to all Mail Centres by Royal Mail HQ in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Amazon Contract
The only approved contract for continued Cardboard Sleeve use is currently is Amazon and the SSoW states that the Cardboard Sleeves must be in good condition and must be used with a cross-member and false base fitted.

Mail Centres must not misuse Cardboard Sleeves or allow other customers to use Cardboard sleeves and neither should customers be supplied Cardboard Sleeves. The SSoW must not be ignored and York Containers with Cardboard Sleeves must not be used without the cross members and false bases fitted for Amazon Contract work.

Christmas 2013 Emergency/Contingency Use arrangements.

Turning now to Christmas 2013 arrangements. In 2011 Royal Mail Assets centrally purchased ALP Sleeves in large numbers which was welcomed by the Union. 80,000 additional York Containers and 97,000 additional ALP Sleeve were put into the network prior to Xmas 2011. In 2012 a further 67,000 York Containers and 25,000 ALP Sleeves were purchased and were put into the network during the year. This year 2013 Royal Mail have purchased a further 93,000 York Containers and 18,500 ALP Sleeves, delivered into the December operation.

However, as Royal Mail have moved further into the busiest period at Christmas, and packet volumes begin to peak, the need to move packets through the network quickly becomes critical and demand for ALP Sleeves increases. Despite the fact that Royal Mail have put 240,000 additional York Containers and 140,500 additional ALP Sleeves in to the network over the last three years, additional to the existing 200,000 Yorks in circulation with over half of those containing an ALP Sleeve, Royal Mail have informed us that they are beginning to see problems with sites struggling to get sufficient numbers of ALP Sleeves to meet their operational requirements as the growth in packets/parcels continues. Royal Mail have assured the CWU that they will do everything possible to ensure Regions repatriate as many York Containers and ALP Sleeves as possible out of Delivery Offices, but the business is seeing the continued increase in packet/parcel volumes and traffic which is good for the business and jobs but continues to put pressure on kit and equipment. As a result the Regions are struggling to get sufficient ALP sleeves back into the Packet/parcel sort centres operations and loosing Mail Centres to meet demand.

As a critical, emergency situation has been reached in many Offices, Royal Mail have proposed that as a Christmas contingency only, the use of Cardboard Sleeves/York Inserts will be permitted as a last resort as follows:-
(a) For Inward despatches or transfers from Mail Centres to Delivery Offices.
(b) For Outward despatches by Mail Centres and Parcel/Packet Sort Centres/outhouses.
(c) For 2nd class parcel/packet despatches from Mail Centres to PSCs.
(c) Before this contingency is implemented however the site must ensure that all efforts have been made to get ALPs back from their DO's and that permission has sought and been given by the Regional Asset teams.

IMPORTANT:- If Cardboard Sleeves/York Inserts are used as a contingency, the site must ensure that:-
(a) the CWU Area Safety Representative and Area Processing Representative are consulted should this contingency need to be implemented.
(b) that the SSoW is followed and
(c) that the mandatory cross-members and false bases must be fitted and used correctly in Cardboard Sleeved York Containers.

Any offices found not to be compliant with this instruction will be asked to investigate reasons why this has happened and furnish
a report on remedial action taken with the report shared with the CWU Area Safety Representative. Such breaches of the SSoW by Management will be viewed as serious!

Once the Christmas pressure period is finished, the contingency use of Cardboard Sleeve inserts will be withdrawn and Offices will revert back to Business as usual with Cardboard Sleeves used on the agreed Amazon Contract only and the packet operation must revert back to using ALP Sleeves for Inward transfers to DOs and Outward despatches to Mail Centres and Regional Distribution Centres.

Cardboard Sleeves SSoW summary from York Container SSoW:-
· DO NOT use sleeves for packets weighing more than 10kg
· Use the false base and cross support at all times.
· When sorting from a sleeve, open the lower part of the sleeve to improve access to packets at the bottom.
· When sorting from a sleeve, position the York to minimise twisting - use your feet to turn and not your body.
· DO NOT tip bags into cardboard sleeves
· Before moving the York, close the sleeve to retain the contents.

The SSoW must NOT be ignored.

New Equipment Developments
Royal Mail and the CWU are continuing discussions on a New design York Container Sleeve and a New design York Container for Packets, Parcels Bundles and it is hoped to start joint trials on the new "Packet/Parcel " York Container and new type York Container Packet Sleeve in the near future. One of the key objectives of the new kit will be to dispense with the Cardboard Sleeve completely. Further reports will be sent to Branches in due course.

Yours Sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

[POSTMAN]

copy/paste change the date/ignore - copy/paste change the date/ignore - copy/paste change the date/ignore

[fishtank]

Fresh reminder instructions were issued to all Mail Centres by Royal Mail HQ in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Did someone forget to copy/paste last year?