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Writing in a personal capacity, CWU member and Unionsafety website editor asks 'Does the intention of Re-Design remain to be the abolition of the Union's National Health & Safety Dept? There is nothing worse for any Trade Union than to be controlled by its employed officials in deference to the wishes of the Union's activists and membership. To the extent of the damnation such an act deserves, it is seldom a situation that occurs - far less than the accusations sometimes made through frustration and lack of meaningful communications. But that is not the issue being discussed here - or is it? Some 4 years ago, and due to the state of the Union's finances, there was a need for the CWU like many Trade Unions; to re-determine it's priorities and in some cases its actual structures. As a result, the CWU produced its consultation document entitled 'Re-Design' in which the new structures for the Union and it's priorities were put to it's Branches and eventually discussed at special conferences. From the outset, Health & Safety was seen to be side-lined and the intention for the national H&S dept was thought to be at least amalgamation with another dept - both education and Legal departments were initially in the focus. However, this quickly became the least of worries for Health and Safety Reps across the Union, when rumours emerged that in reality the 'Executive' was looking to place the whole issues of Health and Safety within the remit of Industrial Relations and abandoning altogether of the inherent principle of a dedicated National Health & Safety Dept with a dedicated National Officer. Furthermore, the near-abandonment of one constituency of the Union in it's use of the standard and tracked Letters To Branch's system of communications on the issues of Health & Safety, and the real lack of information on H&S representation and agreements with the employers; saw the need for Branches to question completely the Union's commitment to workplace health and safety. It resulted in the carrying of a Conference policy which instructed the executive of the Constituency to use the LTB system for communications to Branches regarding Health & Safety issues. Despite this, the use of the catalogued LTB system by that constituency executive has been replaced by a system of specific sectional information going only to Branch Officials and with patchiness in the flow of that information to their USRs. Such was the concern for the lack of specific and dedicated communications on health & safety using the LTB system, which is now an acute abandonment of the communications system outside of the Postal section of the Union; that a document specifically on the method of providing health & safety specific information to USRs and Branches, was devised and presented to the Union's General Secretary some 3 years ago.
The history of IR reps leaving the conference hall whenever the H&S section of the Conference Agenda showed that outside of the Health and Safety community within the Union; there was little understanding of and recognition of the knowledge, professionalism and legal rights of Union Safety Reps and the issues they deal with every day at work. Even worse was the gradual ignorance of the Union Safety Reps and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and the legally required 'time-off' in order for Safety Reps to deal with safety concerns arising, their expertise and training required; that apparently many Branches started to include 'Safety Rep time' as being part of the local facility agreements; when in fact it is entirely separate and independent as determined by the USRSC Regs 1977. These regulations are a fact of UK law. If the Union does not adhere to UK H&S Law, how can the employer be expected to do so? As a result, Union Safety Reps time is now seen to be diminishing and squeezed out by IR facility time, with the subsequent result in a lesser number of members becoming active safety reps. This has been recognised by CWU HQ, with a campaign aimed at female union members being encouraged to become Union Safety Reps within the constituency of T&FS. However, it is hardly going to be an easy task to recruit USRs and then retain them, if the time off they need to perform their activities and responsibilities to the full; is squeezed by Branches including this H&S time in local facility agreements assigned to IR reps. Which brings me to the point of contention - the belief by many USRs that IR reps do not understand the role of the USR, see it as a priority role that saves lives and makes workplaces safer. It is argued that their time cannot be controlled by Branches and that H&S is simply another IR role like any other! That lack of understanding or perhaps even interest was exemplified by, as stated above, by the empty seats left by delegates leaving the conference hall just as the H&S Section of the Conference Agenda was announced. However, more recently, the lack of Health & Safety motions to the Union's Annual Conference shows the decline in prioritisation of health & safety issues within Branches in preference to IR issues. In short, the complete ommision of national organisation of Health & Safety within the Re-Design documentation and the continuous silence from the Union's HQ on the future of Health & Safety structures within the Union and HQ; effectively completely sidelines H&S as a Trade Union issue. Many may now feel that this has led to the diminishing understanding and prioritising within Branches of the main reason why people join trade unions - the promotion of, and defending of their health, welfare and safety at work. When you look at some of the national agreements made without input from the Health & Safety Dept or USRs around the country from PPE to Uniforms, from equipment and tools design, to even office equipment and placing of display screen equipment and provision of telephony equipment; it brings home the need for dedicated trained Union Safety Reps necessary to protect and promote worker's health and safety or to consider the H&S implications of equipment and work procedures, and the undeniable fact that IR reps do not understand the issues involved. Nor indeed has the specific expertise of the IR role been designed to deal with health and safety problems, concerns and issues, nor has USR's roles been designed to include IR issues. The Government in 1977 recognised this fact in designing legal rights for Union Safety Reps and Safety Committees along with paid time of work for the role specifically, and divorce from 'facility time' for IR reps. In answer to the intention to abolish the National Health & Safety Dept, and to usurp IR above H&S, the Save Our Safety campaign was born, resulting in a detailed and fully explained policy document being developed and submitted to CWU's General Secretary. A further more detailed report was asked for and submitted - some to years ago!
But perhaps more importantly for the CWU's Health & Safety community, this year's winner of the TUC Safety Rep Of The Year, Jamie McGovern; was the main founder of the Save Our Safety campaign which he started on Merseyside and grew to a national campaign and developement of the policy document presented to Dave Ward CWU's General Secretary a couple of years ago. Along with Safety Reps from the Postal constituency, Jill Coulson and John McMurray, Jamie ensured that the SOS Campaign was representative of all constituencies of the CWU, with T&FS Health and Safety Committees, firstly in the North West and then country-wide; joining in on the campaign. Yet almost 4 years after the initial concerns for the future of Health & Safety within the CWU - THE issue which gave rise to the Trade Union movement in the first place - and that of the future of the CWU national Health and Safety Department was raised following the Re-Design Document publication to Branches which totally absented Health & Safety from the Re-Design project; the Union's safety reps remain marginalised, without a voice with regard to the future of both the Department and that of how the CWU will pursue Health & Safety at Work with the membership and their employers. Despite, what turns out to be mere platitudes following national meetings, the production of a major document from the Health and Safety Co-ords and Forums across the country 2 years ago; complete silence on the subject and total ignoring of the issues by CWU HQ continues. Meanwhile, the undermining of the post of Union Safety Representative and disregard for the legally determined role of the USR and the responsibility and power of the role vested in the USCSR Regs 1977; completely compromises the effectiveness of the CWU in protecting and advancing the Health & Safety At Work needs of it's members. Whilst, representation, organisation and the downwards cascading of Health and Safety information, agreements and activities at national level with the various employers within the Postal Constituency, continues to flow unabated to USRs and Branches; the same level of accountability does not appear to exist within other constituencies or the level of representation with the employers, on what is the main reason for worker's to join a trade union and which can lead to injuries, illness and even death if not addressed and resourced fully by Unions. It remains to be seen, STILL, if the response to the concerns of the Save Our Safety campaign across the CWU is met with continuous disdain towards those who raise these concerns, or whether or not the expertise of Union Safety Reps in the issues with which they are responsible for addressing and promoting is finally recognised as the often life-saving work done by the CWU nationally that it is; and reflected accordingly in the structures of the Union and the standing of it's USR's and appropriate national officers.
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