LTB 417/20 – Royal Mail: Customer Experience – Fixed Term Contracts

No. 417/2020

10th August 2020

Dear Colleagues

ROYAL MAIL: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE – FIXED TERM CONTRACTS

I am pleased to advise Branches that following discussions with Customer Experience management, an agreement has been reached to extend 33 Fixed Term Contract (FTC) positions within the Dearne, Doxford, Plymouth and Stoke Contact Centres (there are no FTCs in Bangor or Glasgow). Following a resourcing review, these positions, which were due to expire in September will be extended until the end of February 2021.

The following Joint Statement has been agreed and published today:

Dear Colleague,

Customer Experience Temporary Resourcing Update

In recent months, the impact of COVID-19 has affected the levels of service we provide. We’re confident the recent changes announced about the gradual, step-by-step return to safe office working will improve matters and help ensure we’re supporting customers as effectively as possible. We do, of course, recognise this will be a measured move forward over time, particularly with reduced capacity in our sites as we make them as risk-free as possible ensuring a productive environment for you and the benefit of our customers.

We regularly look at our resource requirements and have reviewed current demand as a result of the Covid-19 situation. Consequently we have agreed to extend most of the Fixed Term Contract (FTC) positions currently in CE. These positions sit within our Dearne, Doxford, Plymouth and Stoke Contact Centres and were due to end in September. We’re pleased to advise these contracts will be extended to the end of February 2021. As well as supporting us as we work through the gradual returning to offices, these changes will also assist the unit as we progress technology enhancements and see the return to work of a number of permanent CE people who are currently on maternity leave.

We continue to make progress towards our overall goal of driving the customer to the heart of our business and servicing their needs in the most efficient way. Alongside this we continue to improve and upgrade technology, to enable the streamlining of our processes and provide further opportunities to better align our resource to meet both our customer and commercial needs.

This is good news for the individuals concerned and for the rest of CE during these challenging times. We know this continues to be a demanding year and we thank you for your continued customer focus and your efforts to handle our customers.

Kind regards

Susan Howlett – CE Director                                                        

Andy Furey – CWU Assistant Secretary

We will continue to monitor the resourcing situation in conjunction with our Reps and will be seeking an agreement to make these FTCs permanent where appropriate in due course.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

20LTB417 – Royal Mail – Customer Experience – Fixed Term Contracts