Blog Post

Trust? Time to Check In

Mark Fairhall • 19 January 2022

How has it been for you? Let Royal Mail know and change your workplace

8 months ago we had a chance to to have our say. Some took the opportunity to voice their opinion, many didn't. Now we are in a new year it is time to see whether we have done what we said and we have built trust in offices and listened to your concerns.
I know in my office we have had a really challenging year and we are most definitely not where we want to be. Unless you tell it how it is, how are we going to address the issues?
Where Royal Mail are doing things right, let them know. But more importantly, we need to engage with the survey to show where we need to improve.
If staff are are not bothered about telling Royal Mail about the issues that affect them on a daily basis, don't be surprised if issues remain unresolved and we keep working the same way when we could have it so much better.

This survey has joint agreement with the CWU and if anyones needs support to fill in the online survey, please contact your local Rep and we can try to help.

You have to chance to influence what happens in your office, don't waste it. Look out for the posters in your workplace for further information.
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Every month of the year Royal Mail focusses on a particular safety issue that affects workplaces nationally. It is important that these joint messages are disseminated widely. Want to know what should be being talked about and completed in your office? Want further information on safety? Contact Conrad Hunt your Area Safety Rep on 07479241730 or asr@shropsmidwales.com February 2022 - This month the safety focus is..... 31 January – Waste Disposal. 7 February – Drive and Thrive (Drugs and Alcohol) 14 February – Slips and Trips 21 February – Dog Attacks SHE Huddle FY22 00 5 Environment Week On the week of 24 January SHE Huddle FY22 005 Environment Week was issued. Employees were requested to share some of the sustainability good practice from their sites. Please share any of the good work you are doing to workplace using #EnvironmentWeek. SHE Flash – FY22 001 Machine Isolation An Engineer had part of a finger amputated after reaching into a live machine without having isolated it. SHE Flash – FY22 002 Asbestos Incidents In the last few months there have been several incidents where asbestos containing materials have been disturbed. SHE Huddle FY22 006 Waste Disposal In December 2021, Royal Mail was issued with an environmental intention to prosecute letter following a waste incident. The letter was received after a Local Authority Inspector identified Royal Mail waste outside one of our buildings.  January 2022 - This month the safety focus is..... Collection SSoW/Risk Assessments completed Walklogs are updated and 20% are checked Fire alarm & safety lighting monthly checks Safety committee meeting held
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Today, we are proud to be launching the CWU Candidates programme. This exciting programme will help prepare members from across the union to run as Labour candidates in future national elections and help strengthen the interests of working people in the political arena. The Labour Party was created by the trade union movement but it has lost its way. We are tired of out-of-touch, career politicians – we have too many of them as it is. This programme is about working people taking the Labour Party back and putting real people, like you, back into politics. Applications from all members will be welcomed – the only requirements are that applicants have a strong background in industrial activity, links to their local community, and a sincere desire to change our country. We encourage all members to apply and welcome applications that reflect the diverse nature of our membership. The CWU will support successful applicants with their accessibility requirements and will cover the cost of travel and board. All applications and queries must be sent to candidates@cwu.org . Applications will close on Monday 7th February. Yours sincerely, Dave Ward General Secretary
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On 29th September 2021, the inaugural Mental Health Roadshow arrived at Chester Delivery Office. The roadshow was run by the CWU, including local management and endorsed by the SDL Ady Fielding, who visited the office during the presentation and participated in the activities. The event was also supported by WWW.PWRPAS.COM with the founder Julian Hughes promoting the free site and the benefits, also sitting down with people on a 1-2-1 basis. Ruth Meadows, Regional LGBTQ+ Lead, came up with this idea shortly after becoming a Mental Health First Aider. The idea was to use large interactive games to initiate conversations and then distribute leaflets and signpost people to help and support. With the assistance of the regional leads, we worked together in creating the roadshow and are looking to expand it to other venues across the region. We're pleased to say that the day was a real success, with three individuals asking to speak to the CWU sponsored MHFA Instructors who could signpost them to various charities and work-related OH Assist for support. We also found that some members were interested in becoming Mental Health First Aiders themselves, so at future events, we will provide a sign-up sheet to check the level of interest in a branch and provide training as soon as possible. Ady Fielding, a keen advocate for mental health, recounted some personal stories and added to the joint approach that mental health should be taking within the business. The management team at Chester D.O were outstanding in supporting the event, and our thanks go out to all concerned for allowing us to hold the pilot event at Chester Delivery Office. The involvement from ASR's Jamie McGovern and Andrew Hickerman, both MHFA Instructors, proved invaluable with advice and how we could best engage with staff. Also, it showed the positive advantages of working with other branches outside of the region. Next, the roadshow will be calling at Royal Mail in Swansea on the 21st/22nd October (further RM/BT dates/venues to follow), and we hope to visit our BT colleagues in Bangor, Swansea and Cardiff soon. We would also like to recognise the work done by the Bangor 999 team in taking emergency calls throughout the pandemic. If you want any additional information about the roadshow or would like us to visit your workplace, don't hesitate to contact Conrad Hunt at asr@shropsmidwales.com, Ady Prins at ady.prins@royalmail.com (07801370104) or Ruth Meadows at equality@shropsmidwales.com (07968210746) Jamie McGovern at james.g.mcgovern@royalmail.com (07790245543) or Andrew Hickerman at andrew.s.hickerman@royalmail.com (01782 743289)
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