LTB 278/20 – Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace
No. 278/2020
29th May 2020
Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace
Dear Colleagues,
On the 21st May, the Outdoor Department was advised by Royal Mail of the development of ‘GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace’ and informed that this initiative would go-live on the 26th May.
In light of this, immediate representation was made to Royal Mail on this matter and the view of the department is that the initiative needs to be covered by a Joint Statement which has now been concluded and is attached.
GPS location recording has been a feature of the PDA from inception and records the GPS location at the point at which an item is scanned (within 3 metres square). This information is retained centrally and is used primarily by Customer Experience in relation to customer enquiries or complaints.
The ‘GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace’ development now seeks to make this information directly available to both customers and managers, with the aim of this feature being to reduce the volume of “Find My Item” and “Denial of Receipt” enquiries into Customer Experience.
This development also reflects a further commercial offering by Royal Mail to customers which is seen in the parcel market as standard practice for ‘Track & Trace’ items.
Whilst the attached Joint Statement is self-explanatory the following are key points:
- The GPS information can only be viewed against each singular item and requires the relevant item barcode to access this data.
- The GPS information will only be available the next working day from the item being scanned (no real-time data reporting).
- The ‘GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace’ may increase levels of individual visibility and it is agreed that the new development is not being deployed for, or will be used as, a disciplinary tool. As such it will not be used to enhance the ability of managers, or the evidence available used for conduct purposes.
- The rollout of GPS Delivery track and trace will not change the current Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in relation to the doorstep “delivered” scan.
- The rollout of ‘GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace’ will be subject to a National joint review in August 2020.
For the purpose of competence, also attached is a copy of the Operational Briefing provided by Royal Mail on the 21st May.
The attached Joint Statement reflects wider National agreements between the CWU and Royal Mail on growing the parcel market and customer demands around extra features and greater information on how those items are handled. However, it does this against clear safeguards in place in terms of this increased level of visibility and ensures that this data cannot be used for disciplinary purposes.
Any enquires as to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, reference 230.03, email address: outdoorsecretary@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Baulch
CWU Assistant Secretary
LTB 278.20 – RM_CWU National Joint Statement GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace
RM_CWU National Joint Statement GPS Delivery Coordinates for Track & Trace