Post Office safety reps’ facilities deal improved

A health and safety agreement promoting collaborative working and providing substantially improved facility time for safety reps at Post Office Ltd is now in place with the election of a seventh area health and safety representative last month.

The agreement was reached between the company, the CWU communications union and the Unite general union, which represents management grades. The new structure for trade union health and safety representation includes four CWU reps and three Unite reps and puts into place a collaborative way of joint working on health and safety between safety reps and safety managers, with safety reps’ inspections more closely aligned to management’s safety auditing system.

In addition, the seven full-time, dedicated area health and safety representatives have 100% facility time, with their terms and conditions protected. Among other facilities they have paid travelling and subsistence costs; a car; a laptop computer and a substantial package of safety rep training. They also get paid time off to attend training to gain the NEBOSH general certificate.

CWU national health and safety officer Dave Joyce said “the facility time is a substantial improvement and puts this agreement at the cutting edge.”