LTB 163/20 – POST OFFICE: UPDATE ON THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
No. 163/2020
27th March 2020
Dear Colleagues
POST OFFICE: UPDATE ON THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
I wish to update Branches with regards to the Post Office’s Coronavirus contingency planning for our members.
The Post Office, CWU and Unite are holding daily conference calls to ensure they deal with all issues that arise at this critical time.
- • There have been major problems in obtaining supplies of face masks, gloves, sanitisers and bacterial wipes. Nevertheless supplies are slowly arriving into Swindon Stock Centre. These will be despatched as and when they arrive and should be arriving in Crown Offices, CViT depots and Cash Centres over the coming days.
- • As a key worker, members in the Crowns and in the Supply Chain operation have continued working whilst the rest of the High Street has virtually ground to a standstill. As a consequence we have been in talks and reached an agreement on new opening times of Crown Offices. Please see the joint statement below:
Joint statement Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Post Office Limited, CWU and UNITE have been working together collaboratively and urgently on all issues relating to Coronavirus (Covid-19).
We believe this joint approach is in everyone’s best interests to ensure your wellbeing which is first and foremost in our thinking.
We are therefore pleased to inform you that agreement has been reached for revised opening times of DMB Offices, whilst ensuring the continued maintenance
of the essential community service the Post Office offers, as well as limiting the time staff are in direct contact with the public. These new maximum opening hours will also allow you more time away from workplace with your families.
From Monday 30th March, the DMBs opening times will be:
Mon – Fri: 9am – 3pm
Sat: – 9am – 12:30pm
There will be no making up of hours and everyone will have been assumed to have worked the hours they were scheduled to do.
Due to the rapidly changing situation this agreement will be under constant review so as to enable a speedy response where appropriate and of course taking into account the environment across the UK.
We wish you all the very best and thank you for your amazing contribution in these exceptionally challenging times.
We will communicate this Joint Statement via our Representatives and social media. Hopefully this development will be viewed as a positive at the end of a week which has undoubtedly been the most traumatic we have faced. We anticipate further communications will be reported next week.
Further developments will be reported.
Yours sincerely
Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary