CWU agreement on ink

The CWU communication workers' union has secured an agreement with Royal Mail on the use of fluorescent coding ink.

After CWU safety reps raised concerns about ventilation, risks from handling the ink - which contains ethanol - and the information provided about it, Royal Mail agreed to review and improve ventilation generally and meet a higher industry standard than it is legally obliged to.

CWU safety officer Dave Joyce said that independent safety consultants had "given absolute assurances that the new ink is not hazardous".