Executive Action: Royal Mail – Suspension of Face to Face Appeals
No. 479/2022
1st December 2022
TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS
Dear Colleagues,
EXECUTIVE ACTION: ROYAL MAIL – SUSPENSION OF FACE TO FACE APPEALS
We have received an email from Royal Mail informing us of executive action being taken in relation to all appeals now being heard virtually.
Branches, Representatives and Members will be aware of the very lengthy battle we had in reinstating the ability to have a face to face appeal following the lockdown rules during the pandemic.
We have attached for your reference and information the correspondence received from Royal Mail along with our formal response.
You will note the reason given for the suspension of face to face appeals by Royal Mail is the continued period of industrial action being taken by the CWU and its members. Independent case managers are now apparently too busy delivering or driving vans in order to hear appeals in person.
We do not believe this is their role.
Branches will note from our response, we believe virtual appeals to be discriminatory and detrimental to at least some of our members, especially those living with disabilities including poor mental health and/or who are covered by the Equality Act.
There is nothing in the email from Royal Mail which makes us think any circumstances have changed since we reached agreement on the joint statement on the 12th of August to reinstate face to face appeals and therefore believe they should continue.
The other purpose of publishing our response is to assist any member who feels they are suffering a detriment as a result of a virtual appeal and who will be making an application for an employment tribunal via the early conciliation process and ACAS, may wish to use the letter as part of the process to show virtual appeals have not been agreed.
Our advice to members and representatives is to continue making requests for face to face appeals in line with the joint statement of August the 12th and should any member feel they have suffered a detriment to enter the early conciliation process.
The joint statement is attached for ease of reference.
Any enquiries to this LTB please contact:
The PTCS Department reference 420, email address: snicholas@cwu.org
Yours sincerely,
Carl MadenAssistant Secretary
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