Letter to Branches
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General Secretary: Billy Hayes (www.billyhayes.co.uk)
No. 854/12
Ref: PTC/RE/srh/015
Date: 16 November 2012
TO ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL GROUP MEMBERS
NATIONAL ATTENDANCE AGREEMENT
As reported in LTB849/12, negotiations have now concluded on a new Royal Mail Group
National Attendance Agreement and associated policy and guides. A Branch Briefing will
take place at 11.00am concluding by 2.30pm on Wednesday, 21 November at the
Friends House, Euston, prior to a Branch ballot.
Please find attached the following documents:


Draft National Attendance Agreement.
Attendance Policy and Guides
- Attendance Policy
- Absence Notification and Maintaining Contact
- Welcome Back Meetings
- Managing Short Term Absence and Informal Review Discussions
- Attendance Review Meetings
- Attendance Consideration of Dismissal
- Managing Long Term Absence
- Work following Health Problems
- Managing Absence and Disability
- How to Treat Absences due to Accidents at Work
- Referral to Occupational Health Services
- Employees who are Unable or Refuse to Attend Absence Related Meetings
Overview
In the Business Transformation Agreement Royal Mail and CWU undertook to review HR
Procedures as part of a commitment to improve employee relations. The attached
agreement and supporting documentation are the result of lengthy discussions over a
period of more than two years.
The new agreement and the associated guides – which will replace the various unagreed
national, regional and local policies for attendance management which have multiplied
over recent years – represent a substantial improvement in content and tone and if
deployed effectively, will result in fairer treatment and a more sensible approach to
absence management.
Many of the policy objectives of the Union have been achieved, including notification and
contact policies which will replace the various un-agreed contact strategies currently in
place, a more systematic and supportive approach to long term absence and protections
for those members with underlying health issues and the cessation of stoppage of sick
pay without good reason and appropriate notification. It was not possible to achieve all
of the Union’s policy objectives – for example we could not secure an appeal process at
stages 1 and 2 of the procedure, but steps such as the introduction of an informal review
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normally be expected to take place before any formal action under the procedure
represent a significant improvement.
THE AGREEMENT
The agreement is constructed in a logical sequence, beginning with:
Notifying Absence and Maintaining Contact
The relevant guide is Absence Notification and Maintaining Contact.
A major Union objective was replacement of unagreed management contact standards
and an end to random stoppages of pay during absence. The negotiators believe the
responsibilities of employees and managers are clearly outlined in the agreement and
guide in a way which should ensure members are treated with dignity and fairness when
off sick.
Welcome Back Meetings
The relevant guide is Welcome Back Meetings.
The purpose of the meeting is clearly defined. The focus is on informal discussion of the
key return to work issues in contrast to the current “box ticking” approach. The
Welcome Back Meeting is separate from any informal review and the formal procedure.
Informal Review Discussion
The relevant guide is Managing Short Term Absence and Informal Review
Meetings
In the event that the manager has any concerns about the number or pattern of
absences (or if the employee has any concerns) these should be discussed at an informal
review discussion. This is a key addition to the procedure, based on the principle that in
normal circumstances it is expected that perceived problems about attendance should be
dealt with in an informal and supportive way, before the application of the formal
procedure. Whilst there will be occasions when it is not possible or appropriate to hold
an informal review meeting before a first stage review meeting, the clear expectation in
the agreement and guide is that it will be the norm to do so.
Attendance Standards - Short Term
A fixed six months period in which to meet the standards after a Stage 1 and Stage 2
review replaces the current rolling period. A member who has received a Stage 1
review will come off the procedure after six months if the standards are met. A member
on a Stage 2 review will come off the procedure if they have no more than one absence
of 4 days or less in six months or revert to Stage 1 if the standards are met but the level
of absence is greater than one absence of four days.
Attendance Review Meetings
The relevant guide is Attendance Review Meetings.
The agreement and guide are clear that:

The normal expectation is that a formal attendance review meeting at Stage 1
will only take place if there has been no improvement after an informal review.
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
Where standards are not met a formal attendance review is not automatic.

The purpose of the review is to explore reasons for absences, identify any help
which can be given to improve attendance and take account of mitigating
circumstances, in light of the employee’s previous record.
Consideration of Dismissal/Appeal
The relevant guide is Attendance – Consideration of Dismissal
The second line manager must consider their decision in the light of mitigating factors
and the employees’ overall record. If a manager decides to dismiss there is a right of
appeal to an independent appeal manager from HR Services.
Long Term Absence
The relevant guides are Managing Long Term Absence and Work following Health
Problems.
Long term absence is a particular problem in Royal Mail. The agreement and associated
guides provide for a more systematic approach to managing long term absence and also
applies when repeated absence is due to a significant underlying health issue.
The role of the CWU Representative is emphasised, both in maintaining contact and in
involvement in regular review meetings.
The emphasis is on facilitating an early return to normal duties, on a phased basis where
appropriate, or if this is not possible to consider permanent job modifications or
redeployment. Where none of these options are possible ill health retirement will be
considered under the terms of the current IHR Agreement.
OTHER GUIDES
In addition to those guides referred to above under the relevant section of the National
Agreement there are detailed guides on Referral to Occupational Health Service,
How to Treat Absence due to Accidents at Work, Managing Absence and
Disability and Employees who are unable or refuse to attend Absence Related
Meetings. These, in common with the other guides, are all the result of lengthy
negotiation and form business policy which cannot be changed below national level. Any
proposed changes to the guides will be the subject of national discussion on the basis of
seeking consensus for any change.
TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
This will be straight forward for most parts of Royal Mail Group. No one will be
disadvantaged in comparison to what would have happened had they stayed on the
current procedure. Where the new arrangements are of benefit by coming off the
procedure more quickly, this will be implemented from the date of introduction.
DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS
A joint launch has been agreed, in the form of an initial meeting for senior
representatives and senior managers, followed by a cascade process using a single
agreed set of slides and leaflets for managers and representatives to ensure consistency.
In order to ensure that there is sufficient time to complete this process the launch date
is likely to be 1st April 2013.
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REVIEW
A series of reviews will take place at Head Office level after initial deployment and at six
and twelve months after deployment.
TRIALLING FURTHER ARRANGEMENTS
It has been agreed to jointly identify ten trial offices, nominated equally by Royal Mail
and the CWU, with the objective of developing further measures to benefit employee
relations and control absence.
Joint review teams will be established in each office, supported and overseen by the
National Review Team.
SUMMARY
The mistreatment of members incurring sick leave has been a continuous problem for
over a decade. The harsh approach to absence management prevalent in much of Royal
Mail Group has been amongst the biggest source of grievance to our members and
representatives. The negotiators believe that the Draft National Agreement and
associated policy and guides provide the opportunity to establish an approach to absence
management which is centrally controlled in line with a new and improved National
Agreement supported by detailed guides which are designed to send the right messages
to line managers and employees. If deployed effectively, this should be a major
contribution to improving employee relations.
Branch Ballot
Arrangements for a Branch ballot, to commence after the Briefing, are currently in hand
and will be communicated to Branches separately.
Any enquiries should be addressed to Ray Ellis’s department, quoting reference
PTC/RE/srh/015.
Email address: [email protected]
Yours sincerely
Ray Ellis
Assistant Secretary
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