Courier August 2013 - myroyalmail

email: courier@abcomm.co.uk daily news: myroyalmail.com latest news: watch RMTV twitter: @RM_COURIERAugust 2013 3PRIVATISATION: WHAT WILL CHANGE?There’s lots of activity as we prepare the company for a sale. But what will Royal Mail look like post privatisation?Inevitably there will be some change under new ownership. It’s a big change for all of us. But a great deal will stayexactly the same. Courier investigates…THINGSREMAININGTHE SAMESTAYING THE SAME✓✓✓✓✓✓Your terms andconditionsThe Universal ServiceOur service standardsOur strategyFocus on ourcustomersYOUR JOBYour terms and conditions willremain the same. The currentlegal position is that all terms andconditions that apply to you wouldremain in place, on the same basis,when the company is privatised.We want to provide furtherreassurance.We continue to have talks withUnite. We are committed tomaking progress on a range oftopics, and will keep you updatedas discussions develop. Thediscussions are for all middle andjunior managers in Royal Mail, withseparate negotiations for managersin Parcelforce Worldwide.YOUR CUSTOMERSNeither will the Universal Service or ourservice standards. In a very competitivemarket, Quality of Service is one of thekey drivers of our success.We’ll continue to deliver to rural areas– it’s the law – and our services willremain good value for money.Good value for moneyWe want to create a legally bindingand enforceable contract for threeyears with the CWU. This is greaterprotection than exists today.YOUR COMPANYOur strategy won’t be changingwhen we privatise. It’s deliveringand we’re making good progress.Finally, our focus on doing what isright for the customer will alwaysremain our top priority. They pay ourbills: both now and into the future.THINGS THATWILL BEDIFFERENTHOW THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT✓✓✓✓✓✓In charge of our owndestinyCommercial strategicfreedomBalancing the needs ofnew shareholdersStaff owning a significantstake in Royal MailNew focus on growingthe businessMore regular financialreportingYOUR JOBYou will need to get used to beingshareholders. It will bring a newfocus to how we think aboutthe company and making surewe’re absolutely focused on allopportunities to grow.You’ll be able to see the shareprice every day that the stockmarket is open, and vote on keyissues. You’ll also receive anydividends that are paid by RoyalMail.YOUR COMPANYIn the public sector, our hands aretied in a way that our competitors’are not. We should not have togo, cap in hand, to ministers formoney to invest and innovate.Our future will be in our ownhands. We’ll create our ownfuture. We’ll have the commercialstrategic freedom, free of theshackles of the Government andits spending priorities, so thatwe’re well-positioned to make themost of all opportunities.You’ll be able to see our shareprice and know exactly how it isperforming every day.By being listed on the LondonStock Exchange, it will mean thatwe have different shareholders.Like every other company, we’llneed to balance their interests withthose of our other stakeholders.Once we’re privatised, we’ll alsobe subject to more regular financialreporting – telling the world and ourshareholders how we’re performingas a business.

4 August 2013 email: courier@abcomm.co.uk daily news: myroyalmail.com latest news: watch RMTV twitter: @RM_COURIERAugust 2013 5YOUR FREE SHARESTheGovernment intends to give 10% of Royal Mail shares at the time it floats on the London Stock Exchangeto eligible employees – for free! It’s the largest free stake of any major UK privatisation. Approximately 150,000employees are eligible to receive Free Shares. All full-time eligible employees will receive the same number of shares,irrespective of grade. Here, we look at what we know already about Free Shares and what we’ll find out in due course.FREE SHARES: WHAT WE KNOWFREE SHARES: INFORMATION TO COMEAUTOMATICALLY RECEIVING FREE SHARESWHO IS ELIGIBLE?DATE OF FLOTATIONNUMBER OF FREE SHARESI’M IN I’M OUTIf privatisation goes ahead, eligible employees won’t need to apply forFree Shares. You will get them automatically if you are eligible.The overwhelming majority of Royal Mail Group Limited employeesin the UK, including Parcelforce Worldwide employees, will be eligibleif they meet certain criteria. Employees of GLS and other subsidiariesand joint ventures are not eligible.It is up to the Government to decide if and when it will float RoyalMail on the London Stock Exchange. It plans to do this before theend of March 2014.The number of Free Shares each eligible employee has received willbe confirmed after the business floats on the London Stock Exchange.QUALIFYING PERIODNO CHANGE TO YOUR EMPLOYMENT RIGHTSYOUR ALLOCATIONNOTICETHE EMPLOYEE PRIORITY OFFERYou must havebeen employedby Royal Mail on10 July 2013and on the datethe companyfloats on theLondon StockExchange to beeligible for FreeShares.This formaldocument willshow how manyshares employeeshave been givenand their value onthe day on whichthey were giventhem. This willbe sent to eligibleemployees’ homesafter the flotation.Your employment rights will NOT change in any way under thenew share scheme. They will not be affected by the Growth andInfrastructure Act 2013.Eligible employees can also take part in the Employee Priority Offer(EPO). This gives priority over the public to apply to buy additionalRoyal Mail shares. Details are yet to be confirmed by the Government.

6 August 2013 email: courier@abcomm.co.uk daily news: myroyalmail.com latest news: watch RMTV twitter: @RM_COURIERAugust 2013 7Your pension an d our proposalThe company has a proposal to safeguard the Royal Mail Pension Plan for at least the next five years. Our proposal is the only way we can see to keep the Plan open.CONDITIONS IN FINANCIALMARKETS MEAN WE MUST ACTOUR PROPOSAL MEANS:PRIVATISATIONThe cost to companies of maintaining definedbenefit pension schemes has gone up a lot inrecent years. That is because of the recession andthe Government’s policy of printing money to helpthe economy, known as quantitative easing (QE).Royal Mail is impacted by this as much as anyother company.As a result of QE, government bonds (known asgilts) now earn less. Gilts are used by pensionsprofessionals to calculate the future costs of planslike the RMPP. In total, QE is estimated to haveincreased UK pension fund liabilities by more than£200 billion.If the economic situation improves sufficiently overthe next five years, we would hope to keep thePlan open on the same terms following the nextreview in March 2018.£200billion• The Plan will remain open, at least untilthe end of the next review in March 2018• There will be no increase in yourcontributions• There will be no increase in yourretirement age• There will be no change in your accrualrate• Your basic pensionable pay will increasein line with RPI, up to 5%, irrespective ofwhether your actual pay went up by moreor less than this amount• These commitments are subject to theconditions set out in the consultationdocument.We need to act regardless of whether or not RoyalMail is sold.We have told potential investors about ourconsultation. If we can reach agreement with ourunions, it would be legally binding on the companyirrespective of any changes in ownership.We will continue to pay around £400 million into thescheme each year, combined with members’ annualcontributions of around £135 million.This proposal is not about privatisation. But ifthe Government had not wanted to prepare usfor privatisation, it would not have taken on theliabilities we had in 2012. If the Government hadnot taken on those liabilities, we would now beconsulting on closing the Plan with immediate effect.It is the preparation for privatisation that has givenus the opportunity to keep the Plan open.£400millionWHAT’S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE?• DHL has announced that it will close itsdefined benefit pension scheme. It is alsoreviewing its defined contribution pensionscheme.• Some of the UK’s biggest companies, includingAviva, Tate and Lyle, BAE and Kingfisher,closed their defined benefit schemes toexisting staff in 2012.• HSBC, Sainsbury’s, AXA and many other bigBritish brands are consulting on the future oftheir defined benefit schemes.• Tesco will be increasing the retirement age formembers of its pension scheme from 65 to67, with further increases possible.• Associated British Foods is increasing thecontribution its members pay and has reducedthe accrual rate – the rate at which membersbuild up benefits.WE KNOW HOW MUCHYOU VALUE YOUR PENSIONBecause the Government has taken away the historicdeficit, we are in the fortunate position that we don’t havedeficit recovery payments to make.However, if we doubled the contribution that membersmade and increased the retirement age to 67, we stillwouldn’t be able to close the funding gap that will exist.The £2 billion was left in the Plan to meet the cost ofpossible future pensionable pay increases. Using the£2 billion does not reduce any benefits you have alreadyearned.Our proposal gives members confidence that theirpensions will – subject to the 5% cap – keep pace with RPI,whether or not their actual pay increases by more or lessthan that amount.Contributions will remain at 6% of your pensionable pay.As part of our proposal, we will increase our contributionto the Royal Mail Defined Contribution Plan, which around20% of Royal Mail employees are members of.RPI OR CPI?The Retail Price Index (RPI) and the Consumer Price Index(CPI) are used to measure the increases in the cost ofliving, or inflation.They are used by pension funds, state organisations andother bodies to calculate how much increases in pensionbenefits, state benefits and other payments should be.Put simply, both the RPI and the CPImeasure a ‘basket’ of goods to see howmuch their prices have risen. These basketsare slightly different – for example, RPIincludes interest rates on mortgages – whichmeans that the figures they come up withare different.Typically, RPI inflation figures are around 0.5to 1% higher than CPI inflation figures.

8 August 2013WHAT PRI VATISATIONMEANS FOR YOU:MYTH BUSTERCourier looks at the key areas of recent debate around the privatisationof Royal Mail, including your terms and conditions. Here are the facts.Myth: The proposed threeyearagreement with the CWUisn’t worth the paper it iswritten on.Fact: All terms and conditionsthat apply to you wouldremain in place, on the samebasis, when Royal Mail is sold. To providefurther reassurance, we want to create a legallybinding and enforceable contract with CWU.If an agreement were to be reached, pay andprotections could not be changed for the periodof the contract, without CWU agreement. This isa significant commitment from the business. Itprovides greater protection on the continuity ofterms and conditions than exists today.Myth: The proposed agreement with the CWUwould not be in the interests of colleagues.Fact: That is not the case. In addition to termsand conditions remaining the same, it wouldconfirm:• We will continue to have a predominantly fulltimeworkforce• No change to the current structure or additionaloutsourcing of services• Enhanced voluntary redundancy and excesstravel terms extended for the life of themodernisation revisions.3SATURDAY YEARDEALMyth: It’s unclear what wouldhappen when the three-yeardeal with the CWU is over.Fact: Three years is a verysignificant commitment by thebusiness. We will continue towork with the CWU and willseek to reach a new agreement based on theneeds of the business at that time. This is thesame way we have always worked with the CWU.Myth: Colleagues will lose employment rights ifthey accept Free Shares in Royal Mail.Fact: No, this isn’t the case. Your employmentrights will not change in any way under the FreeShares scheme. They will not be affected by theGrowth and Infrastructure Act 2013.Myth: The application process for Free Shareswill be long and complicated.Fact: No. The Government has decided toautomatically allocate Free Shares to eligibleemployees. Eligible colleagues just need toensure Royal Mail has their current addressdetails. If your address has changed, pleaseinform your line manager, call the HR advicecentre on 0845 606 0603/5456 7100, or updateyour details on PSP if you are office-based.Myth: Privatisation will lead tojob losses at Royal Mail.Fact: The ownership structureof Royal Mail has no bearingon the number of peopleemployed in the business.Whether we’re in the public orprivate sector, we’ll need to be smaller and moreefficient. Since March 2003, the core UK businesshas reduced its headcount by 50,000. Theexisting Job Security Resourcing and ManagingChange agreement with CWU will remain. Thisstates that we will look to continue with ouroverarching commitment to managing changewithout recourse to compulsory redundancy onan ongoing basis, subject to two-yearly reviewswith the CWU. Ultimately, our ability to sustainlong-term employment prospects depends on thesuccess of the business.Myth: The company has failed to maketransformation payments. How can it be trustedover privatisation?Fact: As part of our business transformationactivity, more than 107,000 colleagues havemade most or all of the changes expected,and have received all or most of the payments.Approximately 4,272 people, in 77 offices acrossthe country, are yet to make the changes and sohave not started to receive payments. In a recentjoint statement with the CWU, we announcedour commitment to getting outstanding changesand payments introduced. Payments, linkedto modernising the business, are made tocolleagues as soon as possible.Myth: The deal made with the Government overpensions has not been honoured.Fact: The Government stands behind benefitsaccrued until 31 March 2012. The pensionbenefits you built up in the Plan to 31 March 2012are considerably more secure. The Government islegally responsible for the pension you built upuntil that date.

10 August 2013 email: courier@abcomm.co.uk daily news: myroyalmail.com latest news: watch RMTV twitter: @RM_COURIER August 2013 11Our 2013Chairman’sAwards forExcellencewinners have been crowned.Chairman Donald Brydon andchief executive Moya Greenejoined the winners and finalistsat an event hosted by TVpresenter Gethin Jones. Theevent also saw World ClassMail bronze awards presentedto Craigavon and Norwichdelivery offices.Star service...Gethin presentsthe award to DilipCustomerExcellenceWINNER: DILIP BHAKTA,DRIVER, NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTRE (NDC)DILIP WON the award for his proactive approach to customerservice, making their happiness his personal responsibility.A Highly Commended Award went to James Head, customerservice provider in Parcelforce Worldwide.‘It’s great to be recognised for going the extra mile with customers,but this is definitely a team award,’ says Dilip.‘I couldn’t provide the service I do without everyone at NDCbacking me up and helping me do my job the very best I can; all Ido is the last mile.‘This is for people like the collections team: Sally, Matt, Colin;the bay staff: Jules, Fred, Lynn, Sue, Ragbir, Andre, Shakey, Lee;the team in stores: Beverley and Heather; the mails verificationteam; Trish and Lynn who work in the afternoon, and my distributionmanagers Phil and Cecilia – all of whom make my job easier!I had some tough competition and it shows what a greatcompany we work for.‘I’ve just celebrated 24 years with Royal Mail and the companyhas been good to me. Joining was one of the best decisions I’veever made, after marrying my wife and having two beautiful children– and long may that relationship continue.’OUR STARSTAFF SHINEWINNER: LOUISE SANDERSON,CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER,SUNDERLANDALWAYS WILLING to help her colleagues,Louise won the award forbeing continually professional andadding the personal touch to makeher workplace better for everyone.A Highly Commended Award went toAndrew Fenton, postman from Bath.‘When I saw the list of nominees and metsome of the finalists, I never thought Iwould win,’ says Louise. ‘I come into workevery day and do the best job I can. I enjoywhat I do and treat everybody as an individual– as I would like to be treated.‘I was diagnosed with breast cancer 18months ago, followed by an operation, radiotherapyand drug treatment. Being onthis journey has made me a stronger personand I always do my best and live life tothe full.‘I’m a people person and recognise mystaff for a job well done. If there’s an issue,it’s dealt with and we move on.‘All I do is acknowledge everyone andbuild good relationships based on trustwith all my colleagues. That filters downand helps everyone to improve theirrelationships in the team and across thebusiness.’Caring colleague..Gethin and LouiseBestColleagueBraveryAwardWINNER: KEN BOON, DRIVER,NORTHERN HOME COUNTIESDISTRIBUTION CENTREDriving force...Ken with MoyaCEO MOYA Greene commended all thenominees and the five finalists for theirextraordinary feats of bravery, beforepresenting the award to Ken Boon. Hehad used his lorry to steer an out-ofcontrolcar safely out of the traffic onthe M25 after the driver had collapsed.‘There are better people than me whoshowed more bravery than me. I was neverin danger because my lorry would haveprotected me,’ says modest Ken.‘As soon as I saw the car driving all overthe road and realised that the driver hadcollapsed at the wheel, I knew I could usemy vehicle to guide it away from traffic andavoid a collision. When we eventuallystopped, I administered first aid to the driverand waited for the emergency services.‘I just did the right thing at the right time,but I didn’t put myself at risk by rescuingpeople from a fire, or tackling a robber, orgoing out to Afghanistan with the TerritorialArmy. I’m humbled by the other nomineesand feel so honoured to have won theaward. I was just doing my job and respondingto an unusual situation.’WINNER: TOMMY LITTLE,POSTMAN, GLASGOWTOMMY CREDITS his role as aworkplace coach and People Developmentpillar deputy lead as a keyfactor in his award win. He was especiallyrecognised for creating theBig Picture communication tool thatvisualised Glasgow’s World Class Mail(WCM) transformation, helped the mailcentre achieve the highest engagementscore in the country and led the activitiesin the inaugural WCM academy.‘I’m more engaged with the businessnow than ever before due to my role asworkplace coach and my involvement inPutting others first... Dave(centre) receives his awardfrom Gethin and DonaldWINNER: DAVE CARR, POSTMAN,MORECAMBETHE AWARD went to Dave for animpressive amount of work in hislocal community and for helpingsave a man’s life after he collapsedoutside the office.‘All the nominees work very hard andmake a difference in their community,’says Dave.‘I was up against tough competitionfrom the finalists and all the other nomineesaround the country.‘I’m ecstatic and so grateful, but myChangeChampionWCM,’ says Tommy.‘I’ve been with Royal Mail for 25 years,working both in London and Glasgow,and since our WCM journey began I’veseen a tremendous change.‘I wanted to embrace the change andwork to make it happen effectively forcolleagues and customers. I neverthought I’d be standing here, because ofthe work I’ve seen from the other nomineesand finalists, especially in applyingWCM tools and techniques in their ownparts of the business.‘This is dedicated to the talented teamof people I work with in Glasgow, butalso everyone in the business who’s makingchange happen.’CommunityChampionWorld class winner... Tommy(centre) with Gethin and Donaldmain aim in life has always been to giveas much as possible and not take. Thereare always things you can do to helpother people and to promote communityspirit and wellbeing.‘I used to live on the streets beforejoining the Army in 1977. Now I try todo all I can to help charities that help thehomeless, soldiers and their families. Ialso love growing vegetables and givingthem to others who are in need.‘For me, getting the award is recognitionthat what I do is the right thing, andwill help me promote the areas wherehelp is so valuable.’Shaken... Parmindercouldn’t believethe newsPOSTWOMANPARMINDEREARNS MBEUNION LEARNING rep Parminder Kauris set to become an MBE in the Queen’sBirthday Honours list.The Heathrow Worldwide distributioncentre (HWDC) postwoman was nominatedfor services to adult education.Parminder was at work when the honourslist was announced.‘I just couldn’t believe it!’ she says. ‘Icouldn’t stop shaking for 10 minutes.’Parminder runs the Learning Centre atHWDC, which has seen more than 500staff graduate with certificates in IT.‘I started going to classes at college,and then the union told me I could setup my own classes,’ she explains. ‘I tookover an old shop, took the shelves down,painted the walls, and set up the LearningCentre.’IT courses up to Level 3 are offered tostaff at the centre for free.Parminder says: ‘It’s so satisfying tosee people achieve what they want toachieve.’Parminder’s also raised more than£2,000 for our Charity of the Year. Withmatched giving, that’s more than £4,000going to Prostate Cancer UK – much of itthanks to samosas!‘People call me the Samosa Lady!’says Parminder. ‘I sold more than 2,000homemade samosas in one day overthree shifts.’Parminder has also joined the CWU’sannual trip to Bulgaria to deliver muchneededsupplies, food and bedding toschools.

12 August 2013COURT IN THE ACTOur regular round-up of convictionsaround the country. Phil Gerrish,director of investigations, says: ‘Inall these cases, the judges havemade comments around the breachof public trust and abuse of positionwhen one of our employees steals orinterferes with the mail, and that thepublic expects us to employ peoplewith 100% honesty and integrity.The sentences demonstrate that thecourts will deal with our cases veryseriously when people fall short ofthat expectation.’SEE THE BENEFITDO YOU contribute to the Royal Mail PensionPlan?If so, look out for your personalised Benefit Illustration,which the Plan Trustee will be sending to your home atthe end of August.It will show Plan benefits as at 31 March 2013, basedon pensionable pay as of that date.See www.royalmailpensionplan.co.uk for more informationon the Royal Mail Pension Plan. There will bea list of frequently asked Benefit Illustration questionson www.royalmailpensionplan.co.uk throughout Augustand September.FROM METO YOUDouble delight... Jim receives his award from Ricky McAulay, processing andcollection director for the East, and honorary CWU membership from CWUnational president Jane Loftus to mark his 50 years as a memberAhmed Hasan ABDULRAZAK, a nightsorter at Milton Keynes ParcelforceWorldwide depot, stole a laptop, a mobilephone and an HD box. Abdulrazak pleadedguilty to three charges of theft at MiltonKeynes Magistrates’ Court on 10 May. Hewas sentenced to a total of 36 weeks’imprisonment.John Anthony William BADEN,postman at St Helens delivery office, stole883 postal packets and intentionallydelayed a further 9,857, together with20,139 Door to Door postal packets. Hepleaded guilty to one charge of theft andone of intentional delay at Liverpool CrownCourt on 24 May. He was sentenced to atotal of 18 months’ imprisonment.John BULLEY, a delivery manager atAshford delivery office, Middlesex, whostole an official Royal Mail projector andsold it, was found guilty of theft after a trialat Guildford Crown Court. Bulley received asentence of five months’ imprisonment.Paul DOUGHTY, a postman driver fromNorth West distribution centre, stole mailbagscontaining cash and jewellery. Doughtypleaded guilty to five charges of theft and oneof money laundering at Warrington CrownCourt on 16 May. He was sentenced to a totalof three years nine months’ imprisonment.Royal Mail has started Proceeds of Crime Actaction to recover losses well in excess of£100,000 through property of Doughty’s,which is held under restraint.Paul Martin FIELDER, a postman atSarisbury Green delivery office, stole DVDs,CDs and other online shopping items andsold them through online auctioncompanies. He pleaded guilty to threecharges of theft and one of convertingcriminal property at Southampton CrownCourt on 13 May. He was sentenced to 16months’ imprisonment on each charge, torun concurrently.Darren Mark LOWE, a postman atOldham delivery office, stole £6,000 in cashfrom Special Delivery postal packets. Lowepleaded guilty to theft at Minshull CrownCourt on 9 April and was sentenced to 14months’ imprisonment.Dally-Privat WOGUI, postman atWoolwich delivery office, who stole 30mobile telephones, pleaded guilty to theft atKingston Crown Court on 14 May. He wassentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment.FIVE ENGINEERS fromNottingham and Derbymail centres haveretired after clockingup 200 years’ servicebetween them.Paul Mayfield, NickO’Ballance, Mick Gregoryand Steve Phillipsjoined in 1971 – Paul,Nick and Mick started onthe same day. Phil Bates,who joined in September1982, completes thelong-serving line-up.Paul says: ‘I’ve enjoyedit all, from working onFive go on a new adventure… (from left) Phil,Mick, Steve, Paul and Nick amassed200 years in the businessFIVE FOND FAREWELLSCONGRATULATIONS• Kenneth Ashburn, Norwood delivery office• Christopher Baker, Epsom mail centre• Stephen Bicker, Gatwick mail centre• Keith Bradley, Dudley delivery office• Martin Brennan, Leeds mail centre• Collin Bridgeman, Greenford mail centre• Karen Brinkman, Royal Mail Group HQ• Kelvin Brooks, Cobham delivery office• John Brown, Glasgow contact centre• John Bullock, Woolwich delivery office• Stephen Burnham, Norwich mail centre• Derek Caley, Southend MLO• Nicholas Carter, Clapham delivery office• John Chambers, Hampstead delivery office• John Charman, Oxted delivery office• Dave Charville, Teesside mail centre• Kevin Clifford, Bliston delivery office• Nigel Connell, Bristol South delivery office• Richard Cook, St Leonards delivery office• Keith Corley, St Albans delivery office• David Cousins, Stoke-on-Trent delivery office• Martin Cox, Plymouth mail centre• John Crofts, Halfway delivery office• Barry Crook, Preston mail centre• Tony Darkin, Bolton mail centre• James Doyle, Romford mail centre• Richard Dunn, Enfield delivery office• Geoffrey Dyke, Taunton delivery officefield maintenance tohandling the new technology.It’s provided mewith a good lifestyle andcareer that I’ve enjoyed.’Nick says: ‘The biggestchange has beenthe influence of technology.We’ve moved fromvery primitive circuitry tostate-of-the-art systems.’Mick adds: ‘I couldn’thave wished for a betterjob.‘I’m looking forward tomy retirement, but alsosad to be leaving.’WHEN COLLECTION driverJim Hardbattle first got onhis bike as a messenger boyin Hull on 20 May 1963, TheBeatles were riding high atnumber one with From Meto You.‘I remember being pleasedthat I started at 9am for the firstcouple of weeks,’ says Jim.‘Then I was trained and soonwent onto shift work.’Over his 50 years at Hull mailcentre, Jim was on sorting dutiesand then deliveries.‘I’ve been driving a van oncollections for quite some time.Whatever job I’ve done, I’vealways enjoyed it, he says. ‘I’vealways worked to the best of myability – these are great peopleto work with!’Staff celebrating 40 and 50 years’ service in July and August:• Kelvin Escott, Taunton delivery office• Gary Everitt, Preston mail centre• Geoff Fish, Tyneside mail centre• Peter French, Chelmsford delivery office• Eric Friend, Halifax delivery office• Jepson Foye, Mount Pleasant mail centre• James Graham, Antrim delivery office• Stephen Green, South Kensington delivery office• Keith Grimshaw, Thornton-Cleveleys delivery office• Stephen Hammerton, North Tyneside mail centre• Keith Harker, Palmers Green delivery office• David Hattam, Parcelforce Worldwide HQ• John Hawbrook, Lincoln delivery office• John Herbert, Heswall delivery office• Trevor Hughes, Worcester mail centre• David James, Llandysul delivery office• Alan Jones, Wakefield delivery office• John Jones, Llandysul delivery office• Brian Keetley, Nottingham vehicle service centre• Gordon Kennedy, Glasgow mail centre• Maurice Kidd, Derby mail centre• Warwick Knight, Newbury delivery office• Alan Lawler, Birmingham mail centre• Guy Lewis, Hereford delivery office• Melville Lidstone, Islington delivery office• Frederick Light, Mount Pleasant mail centre• Trevor Lower, Colchester delivery office• Andrew Lowrie, Peebles delivery office• Tony Lummis, West London delivery centre• Pat Maidment, Norwich mail centre• Brian Makin, Warrington mail centre• Joe Malone, Perth delivery office• Phil Manton, Castle Bromwich delivery office• Inderjit Marway, Mount Pleasant mail centre• Ian McCourt, Colchester delivery office• Declan McDonnell, Strabane delivery office• Martin Miles-Berry, Romford mail centre• John Morgan, Islington delivery office• Alexander Morris, Crosby delivery office• Kevin Nelson, Preston vehicle service centre• John Newall, Glasgow mail centre• David O’Connell, Greenford mail centre• Mike O’Donovan, Mount Pleasant mail centre• Stephen Ongley, Croydon mail centre• Paul Parson, West London delivery centre• Phil Payne, Bristol City delivery office• Frank Phelan, Sheffield mail centre• Joseph Power, Belfast South and City delivery office• Ian Preston, Birmingham mail centre• Stephen Pritchard, Swansea mail centre• Michael Redington, Kingston-upon-Thamesdelivery office• William Reynolds (50 years), Cranleigh deliveryoffice• Janice Robinson, Chester mail centre• Maurice Rogers, Wheatstone House• William Russell, Leven delivery office• Ivan Rwatschew, Stoke-Hanley delivery office• Stephen Seagrave, Rowland Hill House• Alistair Slidders, Dundee West delivery office• Richard Smith, West London delivery centre• Colin Snowball, Seaham delivery office• David Stevens, London E1 delivery office• Michael Swinglehurst, Carlisle mail centre• Brian Taylor, Eastleigh delivery office• Michael Thompson, Greenwich delivery office• Stephen Tuck, Taunton delivery office• Terence Turner, Redhill HR Services centre• Dennis Varley, Weybridge delivery office• Bob Vaughan, Boston delivery office• Richard Vaughan, Thetford delivery office• Sam Virdi, Walsall delivery office• Alex Walker, Dundee Central delivery office• Brian Walker, Whitby delivery office• David Walker, Swindon mail centre• Brynley Walters, Middlesbrough delivery office• Jay Ward, Tyneside mail centre• Paul Watkins, Brighton delivery office• Kevin Watts, London WC1-2 delivery office• Glenn Webster, Norwich mail centre• Peter Wild, Brentwood delivery office• Paul Weston, Croydon mail centre• Michael Woods (50 years), Cranbrook deliveryoffice

email: courier@abcomm.co.uk daily news: myroyalmail.com latest news: watch RMTV twitter: @RM_COURIERAugust 2013 13LOST ANDFOUNDGEMOF AHEROby HILARY ROBERTSONTimely intervention... Alistair receiveda watch from the jewellers forhelping to catch a suspectby LISA MOBLEYDISTRAUGHT MUM Corinna Jenningshad never been so relieved when shesaw her local postie Steve Creshamappear around the corner with hermissing son in his arms.Five-year-old Alfie is severely autistic andhad got out of the house while Corinna washaving a new fridge-freezer delivered.She’d called the police and they weresearching for Alfie – to no avail.Steve was out on deliveries. He says: ‘I’donly just parked the van and started deliverieswhen I saw the boy walking towardsme. Because we know our customers sowell, I know where he lives and that he isautistic.‘He walked past me and I realised that noone was with him. I didn’t want to just grabhim as this could have startled him. But heTo the rescue… hero Steve with Corinna and Alfiewalked to the corner right next to a busydual carriageway.‘He can’t communicate very easily anddoesn’t always understand what you aretrying to say, so I couldn’t explain to himthat he shouldn’t go into the road. In theend, I just had to pick him up – although heresisted at first.’Steve rushed to Corinna’s house, to ahero’s welcome. Corinna was so overwhelmedshe couldn’t speak at first.She later wrote in to thank Steve, saying:‘He is like a guardian angel. Alfie’s autismis so severe that he would not have knownnot to just wander into the traffic, so Stevepotentially saved his life.’It was all in a day’s work for unassumingSteve.‘It was pot luck that we did our roundin that order on that day as otherwise Iwouldn’t have been there,’ he says.WHEN A JEWEL thiefsnatched a £10,000bracelet from Horrocksand Webb Jewellers inBlandford, Dorset, it wasunlucky for him that localpostman Alistair Bakerhappened to be passing.‘I heard shouts for helpand just started chasing theguy,’ says Alistair. ‘As I wasrunning, I phoned the policeand, even though the suspectdropped his coat and hat, Iwas able to tell them wherehe was all the time. Eventuallythey caught him.’The diamond and sapphirebracelet was returned to theshop and Alistair received aFIRST CLASS DELIVERYWHEN AXMINSTER postman Andrew Gagehad to step in to help his wife Zoe deliverearly arrival baby Mason, the midwifepraised his excellent delivery.‘I couldn’t believe it all happened soquickly,’ Andrew says. ‘The whole experiencewas overwhelming and I was just gladthere were no complications. Afterwards,the midwife said it was a first class delivery –yes, we’ve heard all the jokes.‘I have the perfect son to show for it, andwe’re all so grateful to colleagues, friends andfamily for all the support and kind gifts. Evenbetter, Mason arrived on Zoe’s birthday, sothey share the same special date.’Is yours a lucky ticket?Fancy a new wardrobe, a mini iPad, oreven a holiday? You could spend £250on whatever you like if you’re one of the20 lucky winners in our One4all vouchergiveaway.You’ll find a ticket enclosed with this issueof Courier, and each ticket carries aunique number.Simply go to www.myroyalmail.com andfollow the instructions to enter, to see ifyour number matches one of the 20 winningcodes.See your ticket for terms and conditions.watch and a meal in a localrestaurant as thanks.‘They were very grateful,but I just followed my instincts.Because I know thetown well, I was able to workout where he was going. I’mglad the suspect has beencaught and charged withshoplifting.’Delivered ahead of schedule…baby Mason was a surprisespecial delivery for Andrew and Zoe£250 OFONE4ALLVOUCHERS UPFOR GRABSGUEST EDITOR’S COLUMNAnn Nixon, PA to plant manager,South Midlands mail centreBEING AFFORDED the fantasticopportunity of guest editor at Courier,I saw first-hand the hard work andintricate detail required to create eachmonthly edition that I, as one of thereaders, had certainly taken for granted.After 13 years in the business, thecontribution that our people make bothwithin the business and in the communitynever fails to impress me. It is pleasing tosee in this edition the recognition of ourpeople through the Chairman’s Awardsfor Excellence.During this period of uncertainty andchange, this month’s newspaper providesinformation around all aspects ofprivatisation, including reasons to protectour business, Free Shares, pensions and,more importantly, highlighting the truefacts through the myth buster and ‘whatprivatisation means for you’.Unsung heroes exist throughout thecompany, and the activities undertakenand support shown in fundraising forvarious charities is truly admirable.Seeing the celebration of ProstateCancer UK, Royal Mail’s nominatedCharity of the Year, reaching the£1 million milestone is a reflection ofsuch dedication.Despite the challenges throughout thistime, it is comforting to read about ourpeople continuing to promote activitiesto improve and share best practice toensure that we deliver our customerpromise.I learned a great deal from my time withthe Courier editorial and design team,and would recommend this opportunityto all budding journalists and peopleinterested in the communications side ofour business.Fancy filling theguest editor’s chair?You’ll enjoy anexpenses-paid trip tothe Courier office inLondon to see howit’s put together, anda sneak preview ofthe pages beforethey go to press.Email courier@abcomm.co.uk or call020 7922 5670

14 August 2013READALLABOUTITWE’VE BECOME a championof the ImaginationLibrary, set up by singerDolly Parton to giveyoungsters better accessto books.Fire their imagination... we’veadopted Dolly’s book schemeWe’re the biggest business ever to open up the Imagination Library toour own employees, providing funding for hundreds of children of RoyalMail employees to receive a book every month for a year. Children mustbe aged four or under.Until 1 November, administrative and frontline colleagues will be givenpriority on a first-come, first-served basis. After that, all applications will beprocessed on a first-come, first-served basis.Your child will receive a book eight to 10 weeks after the application isapproved. Children accepted for the scheme will receive a book a monthfor one year or until their fifth birthday, whichevercomes first.Each book arrives in its own package, is addressedto your child from Dolly, and deliveredby Royal Mail.Dolly Parton says: ‘This is a unique partnershipand I truly believe Royal Mail will motivateother employers to do the same, so oneday every child in the UK will grow up with ahouse full of books.’The application form is available atscrappage www.myroyalmail.com/imagination-libraryback.qxp 22/08/2013 10:14 Page 1LASTING LEGACY‘AN INSPIRATION to the end’ is howcolleagues described Timothy HarcusStout (‘Harky’), a postman atWestray on Orkney for more than 22years.Harky lost his battle with cancer earlierthis year. He was a keen fundraiser for a multitudeof causes, even when he was ill.Colleague Edith Costie says: ‘He was alwaysready to help anyone who needed itand could turn his hand to almost anything.A genuinely nice guy.‘Instead of Harky and wife Rita getting presents for their silverwedding anniversary, friends and family donated £1,000 for Prostate CancerUK. Donations at his funeral raised a staggering £1,800, divided betweenCLAN cancer support and Macmillan House cancer support unit on Orkney.‘We all miss Harky very much.’Conquering fears...Mark’s fundraising skydiveMuch missed…HarkyFREE-FALLINGFUNDRAISERDUNMOW POSTMAN Mark Westbrookeis glad to have his feet backon solid ground after completing atandem skydive for charity.Despite a fear of heights and flying,Mark threw himself out of a plane toraise money for the Friends of WimbishSchool.He said: ‘As we leapt out I did thinkto myself “What have I done?”. But theexperience was magical and I wouldrecommend it to anyone.’Mark raised £1,200 for much-neededschool equipment, including a wallmountedprojector and screen.RAT RUN HELPSYOUNGSTER WALKTHIGH-HIGH mud and 150 obstaclesfailed to stop business change analystSara Jones from completing a 13-mileassault course for the charity TeamJess.Sara, who is more used to wearing heels,competed in the Rat Race Dirty Weekendin Burghley.She raised £1,016 for four-year-oldJessica Howard, who suffers from cerebralpalsy and needs an operation to help improveher chances of walking unaided.The course involved jumping into skipssubmerged in muddy trenches, climbingscaffolding, swimming across a lake andrunning into a headwind through an openfield.Sara says: ‘This was a huge personalchallenge for me, but while I faced a bit ofadversity for one day, Jess has life challengesto deal with daily.’SCOUTING OUTFUNDSGENEROUS DONATIONS from staff atPeterborough and Warrington mail centresmean 1st Moulton and WhaplodeScout Group can sleep more soundly.Claire Murphy, who works in distributionat Peterborough, sold copies of a Disneyanagram quiz sheet to raise funds for newtents for her sons’ scout group.Her friend Debbie Howes, a networkdriver, helped her, and the pair raised £408with matched funding.‘The donations exceeded my expectations,’says Claire. ‘Once I explained themoney would go to the scouts, people werevery generous.‘We are a very small group and rely onfundraising to subsidise trips and pay forcamping equipment.’ScrapPage is backAffinity will buy your car and give you thefollowing allowance on the cars below...New Vauxhall Astra 1.4Turbo 140psSRi GTC Coupe manual(Including Free Met paint)New Vauxhall Corsa 1.216vSxi Air con 5 Door manual(Including Free Met paint)Call us now on:084 50 57 57 50Visit Our Website:www.affinityvehicleleasing.comOr Email us:sales@affinityvehicleleasing.comNew Vauxhall Astra 1.6 16vSRi 5 Door manual(Including Free Met paint)From: £199.99 NO VATFor either of the above Astra modelsNew Vauxhall Corsa 1.216vLimited Edition 3 Door manual(Including Free Met paint)£2500 Scrappage Allowance £2000 Scrappage AllowanceFrom: £149.99 NO VATFor either of the above Corsa modelsText: "2Lease" to88802 for a call backTerms of scrappage:• At least 3 months MOT• Must be taxed.(Unless in classic road tax category)• Must be driveable (If not driveable considerations will be made,by agreement)• Commercial Vehicles or motor-homes cannot be more than 3.5 Tonnes(Exceptions for Motor-homes can be up to 7.5 Tonnes)• Other vehicles will be considered.Prices are per month. 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email: courier@abcomm.co.uk daily news: myroyalmail.com latest news: watch RMTV twitter: @RM_COURIERAugust 2013 15TROLLEY GOODModernisationby LISA MOBLEYYOUR FEEDBACK aboutissues with High CapacityTrolleys (HCTs) has prompteda nationwide programme ofmodifications.Postmen and women usingthe Mark 2 HCTs highlightedissues mainly with the front wheels,brakes and locks when they usedthe trolleys out on deliveries.Tim Shipley, from the DeliverySupport team, says: ‘We’ve listenedto feedback from users, operationalmanagers and the CWU.‘We teamed up with Royal MailEngineering, RoMEC and externalsuppliers to understand the rootcauses of the various issues anddevelop solutions. These weretested at Birch Park, Gosforth andGlasgow G13 & G14 delivery offices,and with RoMEC we’ve nowupgraded all the existing Mark 2HCTs in the operation.‘A few units have reportedissues with the modifications sowe’re continuing to work on theseto improve them further. Any newtrolleys we introduce will be kittedout with the modifications.’Courier dropped in to Bristol North delivery office to hearhow staff are getting on with the modified trolleys…No more wobblywheels... Malcolmis happyMalcolm Beedle,postman for 35 years‘The wheels were alwayscoming loose while youwere out and about – it waslike handling a supermarkettrolley with wobbly wheels.Now, they’ve definitely improved.I haven’t had anyproblems with them on theimproved trolley.’Steve Butcher,postman for 14 years‘The lock on the mail compartmentused to break after a whileand fall into the compartment.We couldn’t lock it, which wasn’tgood for security. There’s a better,stronger design now.‘The brakes also used to fail, but thenew trolley has a better pull-up one. Itseems we’ve been listened to and theproblems have been put right.’Lock and load... Stevesays the new locksare more secureWalk this way... Chris isimpressed with the new designChris Butcher,postman for 14 years‘The new trolley is muchbetter than the previousone. It’s easier to manoeuvreand it’s brilliant out onthe walk. The lock is muchbetter too.’– the story so far574Compact Sequence Sorters(CSS) to put mail in exactwalk order9573,176High capacity trolleys34,05866Intelligent Letter SortingMachines12,276VansLightweight trolleys56,819PDAs across deliveries andcollectionsFully modernised units and counting(Figures as at end of July 2013)Ultimate PC ProtectionEXCLUSIVE TO ROYAL MAIL50% OFFRRPSave a massive 50% on Kaspersky Labproducts by visiting the website:kaspersky.co.uk/royalmailKaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security deliversthe ultimate PC protection, combiningeverything you need to ensure the safetyof anyone using your PCs and the Internet.EVERYTHINGTO PROTECTYour PCs, Identity,Financial Data,Children & More£49.99ONLY NOW£24.991PC 1 YearProtecting you from identity theftKaspersky’s latest cloud-based and proactive antiphishingtechnologies defend you against onlinefraudsters — unique technologies deliver additionalprotection against keyloggers, hackers and identitythieves.Password ManagerSimply remember one master password, and wetake care of the rest — generate strong passwords,encrypt account information, and automaticallylog in to websites.Safe MoneyProvides additional layers of protection duringfinancial transactions, such as online banking andshopping, and using payment systems.We have come together to offer Royal Mail staff an amazing 50% OFF the latest Kaspersky Lab software.Whether you need to protect your desktop PC, Laptop, Mac, Android Tablet and/or Smartphone fromviruses, phishing and other malware... Choose from our range of award-winning products.© 2013 Kaspersky Lab ZAO. All rights reserved. Registered trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.kaspersky.co.uk/royalmail

16 August 2013Gwynfor & Barbara JonesWINNER!Derrick Tipple, Brian Provan, KevinSmith & Iain Coull on Snowdon......and on Ben Nevis!Aimee MorrisMichael ColdwellFaisal SadiqOur prize is an Olympus VG-170 featuring 14 megapixels, 5x wide optical zoom, 720p HD movieand 7.6cm/3.0” colour LCD.● Send your snaps to courierphotos@abcomm.co.uk or post to Courier photo competition,24-26 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0UE. Please include your home address.WE’RE HEADING down the aislefor this month’s winning snap.Aimee Morris, née Parvin, adminsupport at Swansea delivery office,writes: ‘My husband and I arepictured reading Courier duringour wedding. We had to take timeout of our special day to catch upon the latest news at Royal Mail!‘Every person in the photo is a RoyalMail employee, from postmen to seniormanagers. My dad, sister, cousins,uncle and two brothers-in-law allwork at Royal Mail, and it’s also whereI met my husband.’More wedded bliss from GwynforJones, delivery office manager atBangor, and wife Barbara, cluster deliveryoffice manager at Amlwch/Llangefni,pictured on their honeymoonin Cuba. Gwynfor says: ‘We felt theheadline on the front cover was appropriateas we began our new marriedlife together.’Meanwhile, Michael Coldwell, parttimepostman at Atherstone, keepsthe locals posted on what’s happeningin the business on a safari in Kenya’sMasai Mara.Two intrepid charity fundraisingphotos from Snowdon next. DerrickTipple, Brian Provan, Kevin Smith andIain Coull from Parcelforce Worldwidein Perth raised more than £4,000for Prostate Cancer UK, which will bematched by the business, by tacklingthe Three Peaks Challenge. Derricksays: ‘We had intended to take theshot on Ben Nevis, but weather conditionswere appalling, and we werescared Courier would be gone in seconds!It was so cold our water bottlesfroze – I’ve included a photo anyway.’And Faisal Sadiq, from Yorkshiredistribution centre, scaled Snowdonin three hours to raise £280 towardsbuilding new schools for disabled childrenin Pakistan.FUEL YOURFUNDSIF YOU’VE opted for a ‘stay-cation’ this summer, youmight need a spot of help with your fuel costs.Courier has £150 worth of supermarket fuel vouchersup for grabs for each of four lucky winners.All you need to do is answer the question below andsend your entry to couriercompetitions@abcomm.co.uk by27 September, putting Fuel in the subject box. Rememberto include your name, home address and contact number.You can also send your entry on a postcard to Fuelcompetition, 24-26 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0UE.The first four correct entries out of the hat will win.Q: HENRY FORD REPUTEDLY SAID OF HIS MODEL TCARS: ‘ANY CUSTOMER CAN HAVE A CAR PAINTED INANY COLOUR HE WANTS, SO LONG AS IT IS _______.’WIN A £100 GIFT CARDWIN!YOU COULD win a £100 One4all gift card– and now you can spend it at even moreplaces!One4all boasts a string of new retailers on itsever-growing list of partners, including Amazonand fashion retailers Oasis and Warehouse.The gift card is now accepted at more than 70 majorretailers and 17,000-plus stores throughout the UK. One4allcustomers can convert their gift card into an Amazon.co.ukgift certificate claim code to shop online at Amazon.co.uk..All you have to do to be in with a chance of winningis answer the question below and send your entry tocouriercompetitions@abcomm.co.uk putting One4all in thesubject box, and please remember to include your name,home address and a contact number. You can also sendyour entry on a postcard to One4all competition, 24-26Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0UE. Entries must bereceived by Friday 27 September 2013. The first correctentry drawn will win the prize.Q: HOW MANY STORES CAN THE ONE4ALL GIFTCARD NOW BE USED IN?WIN!THE ONE4ALL CROSSWORDWIN A £10 ONE4ALL GIFT CARD IN OURCROSSWORD COMPETITION1571014 151718112 3 481619612 139NameHome addressPostcodeWe have 10 £10 gift cards up for grabs. Once again you’llfind some help with your answers to the crossword within this issue of Courier.Post your entry to August crossword, 24-26 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0UE toarrive by Friday 27 September 2013. See below for full terms and conditions.CLUESAcross5. Host of our 2013 Chairman’sAwards for Excellence event (6,5)7. Award for HWDC’s ParminderKaur (3)8. And 2 Down. ChangeChampion at the 2013 Chairman’sAwards for Excellence event (5,6)9. ____ Friday, Robinson Crusoe’sservant (3)10. Rodent (5)12. White substance found inpotatoes (6)15. Underwater vessel (3)17. Close to the actual number(11)18. In good health (3)19. Lay hold of (4)Down1. Bravery Award winner at the2013 Chairman’s Awards forExcellence event (3,4)2. See 8 Across3. Wimbledon champion capturedon four stamps earlier this month(4,6)4. And 16 Down. World’s fastestsprinter (5,4)6. Captain of the starship USSEnterprise (5,1,4)11. Acidic (4)13. African mammal known forits laugh (5)14. Young cow (4)15. Small, round mark (4)16. See 4 DownMay’s answersACROSS 4 Tuba. 6 Delivery.7 Minneapolis. 9 Do.10 Birdwatcher. 11 Snoopy.14 John. 15 Rye. 16 Rwanda.17 Barnes. DOWN 1 Revision.2 Signed For. 3 Nevada.4 Typo. 5 Armstrong.8 Pots. 11 Slab. 12 Pyre.13 Yews. 14 Junk.GENERAL COURIER TERMS & CONDITIONS: Unless otherwise stated, the following terms and conditions apply: 1. Prize draws and competitions are open only to Courier readers who are UK-based Royal Mail employees over the age of 18 or UK-based Royal Mail pensioners. 2. Closing date for receipt of entries is Friday 27 September 2013(unless otherwise stated). Only one entry per person. No third party or bulk entries. Entries must include entrant’s name, home address and contact details such as telephone number or email address. 3. No responsibility can be accepted for entries incomplete, delayed, wrongly delivered, damaged or not received for any reason. Proof of posting is notproof of receipt. 4. Prizes must be accepted as offered and are subject to availability. No cash alternative or cash difference will be offered and prizes are not transferable. Values of prizes correct at time of going to press. 5. Winners will be notified by post 28 days after closing date. 6. Winners of prize draws are the first names drawn at random or the firstcorrect entry drawn at random by an independent person after the closing date. 7. If a prize is not claimed within three months of the closing date, a redraw will take place. 8. Promoter’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. 9. Entry implies acceptance of these rules. 10. The promoter reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal orgreater value, if necessary. 11. Winners’ details are available 28 days after closing date. Send an SAE marked Prize Draw/Competition Results to Courier, AB Publishing Ltd, 24-26 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0UE. 12. Winners may be required to take part in publicity for promotions. 13. Promoter is Royal Mail Group Ltd, 100 Victoria Embankment,London EC4Y 0HQ. 14. Neither AB Publishing Ltd or Royal Mail are responsible for any third party direct marketing or third party offers or services. 15. Prize supplier may want to contact you directly for marketing purposes. If you would like to unsubscribe from marketing mail, please contact prize supplier directly. If you do not want to receive furtherinformation from the prize supplier and you enter by post, please write ‘no’ on your postal entry. If you do want to receive information from the prize supplier and you enter by email, please write ‘yes’ in the subject line of your email entry.

email: courier@abcomm.co.uk daily news: myroyalmail.com latest news: watch RMTV twitter: @RM_COURIERFLIGHTS OF FANCYDO THELOCOMOTIONWINWin thestampsFAVOURITE BRITISH butterflieswere the subject of aspecial stamps set in July.Philip Parker, head of stamps strategy,says: ‘The last time we issued aset of stamps devoted to butterflieswas 1981, so it was high time wereturned to this subject. We have oftenchosen to highlight the plight ofthreatened species, so Britain’s butterflieswere a natural choice.’Three-quarters of UK species ofbutterflies have declined over thelast 10 years according to charityButterfly Conservation.The wildlife theme continuedwith our latest Post & Go stamps,featuring six creatures from UKfreshwater lakes, issued at the endof June.A SET OF four stamps celebratedClassic Locomotivesof Northern Ireland.They marked the third in aseries of four miniature sheetsthat began in 2011.Working in collaborationwith railway experts, ourstamp design team reviewedthousands of photographs.PERFECTMATCHWIMBLEDON CHAMP since Fred Perry 77 years ago.Andy Murray’s historic It’s Andy’s second appearancevictory was captured onour miniature sheet of fourstamps earlier this month.The stamps feature a mix ofimages of Andy with the trophyand action shots from the final.Andy became the first Briton towin the gentlemen’s singles titleon a special stamp issue,following his Olympics goldmedal stamp last summer.Andrew Hammond, managingdirector – stamps and collectibles,says: ‘Andy’s historicwin at Wimbledon made thenation proud, and we’re delightedto celebrate his successwith this stamp issue. Andy’sstamps join just a handful ofspecial stamps we have issuedto mark unique moments inBritish sporting history.’www.royalmail.com/tennisWE HAVE 10 presentationpacks of each of the BritishAuto Legends, AndyMurray, Butterflies andClassic Locomotives ofNorthern Ireland specialstamp issues to give away.Please email your entry towww.royalmail.com/butterfliesThe chosen locomotives wereused both on the public railwaynetwork and in industry.Many lasted several decadesbefore diesel and electrictechnology took over.www.royalmail.com/railwaysLATESTSTAMPScouriercompetitions@abcomm.co.uk and state Auto Legends,Andy Murray, Butterflies orLocomotives in the subjectbox, and remember to includeyour name, home addressand contact number.You can also send a postcardDRIVE TIMEWE’RE CELEBRATING six of the bestin British motor manufacturing in aset of special stamps, out now.The British Auto Legends set stars theJaguar E-Type, Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow,Aston Martin DB5, MG MGB, Morgan Plus 8and Lotus Esprit.Examples of the vehicles in virtually factory-freshconditions were tracked down,and expert car photographer James Manncaptured the images for the stamps.There’s also a four-stamp mini sheetfeaturing iconic ‘workhorses’ – the MorrisMinor van in Royal Mail livery, Austin FX4black cab, Ford Anglia 105E and Land RoverDefender 110.Andrew Hammond, managing directorof stamps and collectibles, says: ‘These carsare classics in every sense. We’re delightedto bring a reminder of them to the nation’sdoorsteps through this stamp issue.’www.royalmail.com/autolegendswith your details to Courierstamp draw, 24-26 Great SuffolkStreet, London SE1 0UEstating clearly which stampset you’d like to win. Pleasenote that a single entry cannotbe entered into more thanone prize draw.August 2013 17CONTACTSHow to getin touchBULLYING &HARASSMENT HELPLINE0800 587 4777SPEAK UP(WHISTLEBLOWING)Report a breach of ourlicence or legal obligationsto a confidential externalhotline.Call 0800 097 1131 or visitwww.intouchfeedback.com/royalmailDISABILITY HELPLINE0800 028 6142 or emaildisability.helpline@royalmail.comPENSIONS HELPLINEPostline 5456 4545or 0114 241 4545(employees)0845 603 0043 (pensioners)HUMAN RESOURCESRoyal Mail business units:Postline 5456 7100 or 0845606 0603/0114 241 8890HELPEmployee assistanceservice for free advice.Call 0800 688 8777Visit www.rmghelp.co.ukSECURITY HELPDESKTel 020 7239 6655 or emailsecurityhelpdesk@royalmail.comROYAL MAIL UNIFORMSHELPLINE0800 731 5137Email royalmail@dimensionscorporatewear.co.ukQUESTIONS/IDEAS TOMOYA GREENEEmail Justsayit@royalmail.comOr write toFreepost Just Say ItWATCH&WINPO Box 1356, SunderlandSR5 9NJFreephone 08000 32 1144Emailwatch&win@royalmail.comCHARITY FUNDINGSUPPORTEmailroyalmail@charitiestrust.orgTel 0151 284 1221PROPERTY & FACILITIESHELPDESK(reporting building faults)0844 800 9191SPRINGBOARDDevelopment programmefor women in nonmanagementgrades. Formore information, call RoseJolliffe on 01788 208208(Postline 5926 8208) or emailrose.jolliffe@royalmail.comSHIFT INTO SPORTSwww.shiftintosports.compasscode: post2012FEELING FIRST CLASSwww.feelingfirstclass.co.ukpasscode: FFC1ROYAL MAIL ON SITE GYMSwww.royalmailfitness.co.ukA RAIL TREATTHE BRITISH POSTAL Museum & Archive(BPMA) is exhibiting never-before-seenphotographs of the iconic Mail Rail.Taken recently by photography agency BradleyPhotography, the images capture the amazinginteriors of The General Post Office’s captivatingunderground mail network, in operation between1927 and 2003. The photographs provide astunning visual account of the network, fromtunnels hundreds of feet below ground todisused underground stations.They are displayed in an exhibition at theBPMA’s Search Room, next to MountPleasant in central London.PICTURE: BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHYFind out more about transporting themail with two books from the BPMA,‘Mail Trains’ and ‘Moving the Mail’, bothwritten by BPMA curator Julian Stray.They areavailableto Courierreadersfor £11 forthe pair,with freeFROM THE ARCHIVEpostage, until 30September 2013.SPECIALREADEROFFEROrder online at www.postalheritage.org.uk/giftsets and enter discount code‘CRMTHMT0813’ at the checkout,by phone on 020 7354 7272, or post,sending a cheque made payable to‘Postal Heritage Services Ltd’ to BPMAProduct Sales, Room 309, 5 AlmeidaStreet, London N1 1AA.Win whatyou want!If you could win anyprize (up to a value of£300) what would it be?If you don’t alreadyfollow Courier onTwitter, follow us@RM_Courier andtweet us your prizeidea. The best ideawill win that prize!

LETTERBOXUNSUNG DETECTIVESI am continuously amazed by the numberof items that pass through my delivery officewith a wrong or incomplete address on them!We then typically enquire, do a bit ofdetective work and the letter finds its way tothe customer successfully.However, I don’t believe the customereven notices that the address on the frontis wrong. Why don’t we produce a brightsticker we could pop on the front of theitem clearly highlighting the good work weachieved in getting the item to them?Stewart Mcvicar, Clydebank deliveryofficeAndy Hughes,Operationscustomerexperiencemanager,replies:Indeed we doalready have a policyin place for vagueaddresses and asticker (the P6586)we can use toindicate this, so thismyroyalmailThe Royal Mail people siteis a great opportunity to remind everyoneabout them.The labels can be applied to stamped,meter and Postage Paid Impression mailin general, and items such as utility bills,bank and building society and local authoritymail and handwritten social mail, where we are ableto establish the correct delivery address. These labelsshould not be applied to Mailsort items though, or if itwill obscure other important information such as thedelivery address, return address, date stamp or PPIlicence number.All delivery offices should have supplies of theSTARLETTERlabels. Contact Swindon Stores to order ‘Vague AddressLabels’ quoting item number P6586.NOT SOSPECIALYesterday I delivered a SpecialDelivery package, but there wasno reply. So I left a P739 card,and walked back to my van afterscanning the item.The customer then opened thedoor and said they had been in thegarden.I phoned the management andwas told to tell the customer I had toreturn the item to the delivery office.You can imagine the customer’sresponse, when I was there holdingit!To give the best customer service Icould, I agreed to take it to the localpost office for them to pick up withinan hour. This made Royal Mail lookas if it did not care, and made meangry that I could not do my job anddeliver the item.This situation must occur daily withSpecial Deliveries, which are meantto be our flagship service.Why is there no time window onthe PDA to allow for this, or aremanagement too worried aboutKey: Employees onlyRoyal Mail Benefits are getting bigger and better, with more discounts on more products.Register for the latest deals at myroyalmail.com/benefits from 9am on 2 September 2013.£5 extra when you top up £50 on a PizzaExpress reloadable card until 11 Oct 13!Save 22% off at Treatme.net includingdriving experiences and weekend breaks!The new benefits site on myroyalmailhas been specifically created to offeryou a wide range of fantastic savings,with over 8,000 discounts available allyear round. There are also new dealsbeing added every week so make sureyou check back regularly.You can also obtain childcare vouchers,and join the new and improved cycle towork scheme, featuring a wider rangeof bikes and stores across the UK, andthe new higher value limit of £1,000.Registering is easy:STEP 1: Visit myroyalmail.com/benefitsand click on the ‘Login’ linkSTEP 2: Enter your payroll numberand follow the instructions to createyour accountClick on ‘Register’ on the login page.Possibly replace with advert onOnce registered return to ‘Benefits’ toexplore new all benefits the offers available! –TBCOr for myroyalmail registered users:• Login by clicking on the ‘Login in’ iconin the top left on myroyalmail• Go to the Benefits page and login• Click on Benefits to explore the offersavailable!Some corporate discounts are availableonly to current employees. Royal Mailpensioners will still have access to thesame offers that have previously beenoffered to them in Courier.items failing on their reports?David Popplestone, postman,Hedge End delivery officeGraham Wonham, premiumproducts improvement manager,replies:The correct procedure in this instance is toscan the barcode on the item again, scanthe item as delivered, obtain the customer’ssignature and then hand over the item (inother words, simply repeat the deliveryprocedure as you would for a new item).The reporting systems for Special Deliveryand Royal Mail Tracked take the first doorstepscan event to stop the Quality of Serviceclock, so quality will not be affected if youuse this procedure.I hope this helps to clarify things andshould prevent this situation from happeningin future.Employees and pensionersWin a £250 B&Q card when you top up £50on a B&Q reloadable card by 30 Sept 13!Save up to 14% on a summer getaway,winter ski trip, package holiday or city break!All letters printed win a £25 One4All gift card, with a £50 gift card for eachmonth’s star letter. We try to include as many publishable letters aspossible, but due to space we are unable to publish all of them.FORWARDTHINKINGWith the business constantly focusing oncash and business opportunities, wouldCourier be able to run an article on whywe “allow” unofficial redirections to beforwarded on every day without beingsurcharged?It’s a subject that frequently raises itshead when we discuss cash in WorkTime Listening and Learning sessions,and is obviously an area we can control!At a guess, we handle about 1-2,000items a day like this, so if that wasmultiplied across all mail centres andareas it would amount to quite a bit.Paul Walker, Team North early manualletters process managerPenny Wilbourne, head of dataoperations, replies:We are indeed reviewing the impact of this andlooking at a solution that won’t negatively impacton our customers’ ability to receive their mail.Currently, customers can forward an itemwhen the person it was intended for has movedaway, providing certain conditions are met. Anyforwarded items should be delivered to the newaddress, without surcharge, with the followingconditions:• The item must not be opened and resealed andthen forwarded; if so, the surcharge procedureshould be applied and the item endorsed “itemopened” next to the surcharge label• The item must only be forwarded to theaddressee; if a new addressee has been added,the surcharge procedure should be applied andthe item endorsed “new addressee” and a circledrawn around the new addressee. (If a customerlater complains about the surcharge becausethey have changed their name, for examplethrough marriage, we should refund the amountpaid.)• Items can only be forwarded from a residentialaddress• If it is unclear whether a surcharge should beapplied, the item must always be given the benefitof the doubt and forwarded without surcharging.GIVENSHORTSHRIFTMy partner is a postman, andwhen he started he was givena really generous amount ofuniform to cover all weathers.We thought this would lastthe two years until he couldhave his next allocation ofuniform. But we saw in a fewmonths how quickly the shortswear through.He was allocated one pairof shorts and two pairs of longtrousers but, in true postmanstyle, he has only worn longtrousers once.He has had the long trousersVAN-TASTICIDEASI am a delivery driver on a rural round inCambridgeshire.I’ve noticed a few things that mightmake my round a lot easier and safer.Some courier drivers have a sticker onthe back of their vans stating: ‘This vehicleis prone to stop start’. Could we have thesame warning signs on our vans?Also, we are told to keep doors andwindows locked at all times for safetyreasons when we leave our vans todeliver mail.In the summer, this makes our vansvery hot. Is there any reason why wecan’t have rotating air vents on the top ofour vans, like others that you see around?David Lyon, Ely delivery officeMike Stockton, head of Zero AccidentProgramme, replies to David’s first point:We have been looking at how to make vans moreFAILING FLEETI am writing to highlight my concern aboutthe state of our somewhat old and unsafevans. Some years ago, our vans werereplaced every three years. Although keptclean and tidy, they do take a poundingday in, day out, on rural deliveries.I see some offices do get new vans, andwonder what the criteria are for this?Almost on a weekly basis a van from ouraged fleet breaks down, and we revert tobeing white van man (not a great advert).When a van finally gave up the ghost,we got a 13 plate, but only until an olderreplacement van can be found!Rob Whitton, Petworth delivery officeRichard Wiggins, head of fleetmanagement, replies:Our small van fleet is replaced on a seven-yearcycle, which was extended around two years ago –made into shorts, but nowhas three pairs of worn-outshorts, and trying to find theright grey shorts in the shops isimpossible; we have searchedonline and all sorts.Becky, ‘post widow’,CambridgeJulie Brown, uniform andprint supply adviser, replies:All our uniformed employees areentitled to three pairs of bottomsevery two years, and the mix betweenshorts and trousers is down topersonal choice.visible to other road users and reducing collisionswhere our vans are hit.We are currently rolling out new high visibilityreflective livery to approximately 6,800 vehicles.Feedback from both drivers and the public duringthe trial was very positive, with drivers feeling thatthe livery had increased their vehicle’s profile whileout on delivery.Customers also noticed the additional livery andsaid it enhanced the visibility of the vehicle.Look out for more on this new livery in a futureissue.Nigel Lawson, fleet and assettechnical services adviser, adds:There is no benefit to the driver or passengerfrom fitting a rotation vent into the vehicle roof.The vent needs to be fitted in the centre of theroof to access the maximum airflow across thevehicle, so the vent would draw air into the loadarea.All of our vehicles have a solid bulkheadseparating the cab/load areas, so the cab areaitself would not receive any additional airflow.In warm weather, the air vents in the vehiclesshould be set to the open position when thevehicle is parked, as this will allow air fromoutside to circulate into the cab area.generating a £200 million saving that supported thebusiness during a key period.We have just completed the replacement of almost30% of our panel van fleet, and this year will see afurther £60 million invested in new vehicles (most ofthem are already ordered).We have introduced a series of changes in ourpreventative maintenance routines to boost vehicleavailability. There is also significant technicianrecruitment under way, which brings work back inhousefrom more costly external repairs.When/if uniform becomesunwearable, an order forreplacements can be placed throughthe online ordering system, as longas a valid reason is entered in theadditional comments box. Theseshould be approved in the normalway.I can only apologise that incorrectinformation has been supplied,but I hope this answer helps himto finally source the necessaryreplacements.Royal Mail managers can checkuniform policies and processes on theAssets intranet pages.LETTERBOXEMAILCOURIERLETTERS@ABCOMM.CO.UKWRITE TO COURIER LETTERS,24-26 GREAT SUFFOLK STREET,LONDON SE1 0UETEXT COURIER TO 80800(MAX 160 CHARACTERS)PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR HOMEADDRESS WITH YOUR LETTERPLEASE MAKE YOURLETTER NO MORE THAN100 WORDS AND ABOUTONE CLEAR TOPICTHE HEAT IS ONI know we don’t have that much goodweather in the UK, but when we do get aheatwave it would be nice if we could wear aRoyal Mail T-shirt.The polo shirts are too thick for hotweather and the short-sleeved shirts aren’tmuch better, especially when wearing a hi-visjacket on top.Can Royal Mail think about offering T-shirtsas part of the uniform? As well as being greatin summer, they could also be used in winteras an extra layer.Tom Watson, Malton hubJulie Brown, uniform and print supplyadviser, replies:We have been fortunate this year to have had somelovely weather!We do offer a wide range of uniform that bestaccommodates the needs of our frontline staff.We did consider T-shirts when we were designingthe new uniform range, but it was felt that the T-shirtdid not reflect a professional workforce; we wanted toensure a consistent, branded appearance for all frontlinestaff that will drive customer perceptions of Royal Mailas a more modern and progressive organisation.So the idea was considered, but at this point in timethere are no plans to introduce a T-shirt to our range.GET SHIRTYWhat has happened to the once very wellmadered polo shirt?The ones I ordered two weeks ago inthe same size as usual are very different.The material is half as thin and baggy,so it sticks to you. The badge is tiny, thepen holder is huge and there is no shapeto them.It’s not just a faulty batch either, asDimensions says you have changedsupplier and so now these are all that’savailable.David Sinclair, Hove delivery officeJulie Brown, uniform and print supplyadviser, says:Thank you for sending in the sample. On furtherinvestigation, it is quite clear that the polo shirts youwere supplied with do not meet our current specificationin terms of both colour and quality.We have met with our supplier and asked themfor explanations as to why this has happened andreassurances that it will not happen again.As soon as the correct specification is available, I willensure yours are replaced. Once again, thank you forbringing this to our attention.RoyalMailAdv.1.indd 1 20/08/2013 15:24

THANKS A MILLIONWe’ve now raised £1 million for Prostate Cancer UK,our charity of the year. Well done!YOUR GENEROSITY has helped us raise £1 million for ProstateCancer UK – enough to fund 25 specialist nurses.Five nurses are already up and running, in Glasgow, Birmingham,Croydon, Stockport and Newcastle. A nurse has been recruited inWest Sussex and starts next month, and another starts in October atthe Royal Marsden (Chelsea and Sutton) in London.Funding has been allocated for a further nine nurses and the ProstateCancer UK team is finalising the agreements for these posts.Jo Crowley is one of the nurses, based in Birmingham and coveringthe Midlands. She says: ‘It’s just brilliant that Royal Mail staffacross the UK have really got behind the fundraising drive to supportProstate Cancer UK.‘Having an active and visible role in the community enables me totackle prostate cancer head-on. I’ve been able to support men andtheir families, making a valuable difference to the way people dealwith the disease, both physically and mentally.‘I’ve also been able to educate people and raise awareness aboutthe signs and symptoms of a disease predicted to become the mostcommon cancer of all by 2030.‘I listen to men and their families affected by prostate cancer andoffer my advice. As well as raising awareness of the disease, I alsowork with local services to ensure that men get access to the carethey need and deserve.’Owen Sharp, chief executive of Prostate Cancer UK, says: ‘We arethrilled to mark this milestone in our partnership. This is testament tothe dedication of Royal Mail and its employees who have embracedthis challenge.‘Thank you to everyone who has helped to raise such anincredible amount. With Royal Mail’s help we are able tosupport the 250,000 men, and their families, who arecurrently living with the disease in the UK.’Thank you!Making a difference...Jo is one of thenurses we’vefundedLooking forfundraisinginspiration?You’ll find an A to Z ofideas on myroyalmail.com– scan this code with yoursmartphone or tablet tosee for yourselfDID YOU KNOW?With match giving, here’s howsome of our biggest eventshave contributed:Movember 2012 raised£525,000, funding13 specialist nurses aloneOur £100 Challenge raised£49,000Graduate and apprenticefundraising programme raised£44,000Give a Quid Day raised£39,000The Royal Mail choir raised£30,000Events with free charityspaces raised£82,000SPACESAVAILABLEGuaranteed places for Royal Mail toraise money for Prostate Cancer UK.WHAT: Virgin MoneyLondon Marathon2014WHEN: 13 AprilWHERE: LondonSPACES: 15 – first come, firstservedMINIMUM FUNDRAISINGCOMMITMENT: £1,500 beforematch fundingAPPLY BY: 27 September, butlimited places so pleaseapply earlyHOW TO APPLY: email events@prostatecanceruk.org or call thecharity hotline 020 8222 7657for an application formSUCCESSFUL APPLICANTSNOTIFIED: by 18 OctoberFootie fundraisers no.1A team from Maidstone delivery office raised£900 for Prostate Cancer UK and got to playalongside ex-Gillingham pros Andy Hessanthaler andNicky Southall.Postman John Keeley helped put the match againstMaidstone Veterans FC together. He says: ‘Althoughwe didn’t win, it was a great day. It’s great that matchfunding from Royal Mail means we’re giving £1,800 tosuch a good charity.’Teamwork…the Londonplayers prepare to do battlePOSTIES WON’TPLOD ALONGThe police have challenged of cyclists fromRoyal Mail to a 100-mile cycling across Royalchallenge.Mail, led by MattBoth organisations have Bottrill fromhistorically covered the country Coalville – billedby bike, and now it’s time to as the fastest postie in the UK.see who’s faster. The teams will More details will be availablecompete in the New Forest to soon at www.myroyalmail.com/decide. Both teams will be community. In the meantime,raising money for Prostate you can support our teamCancer UK.by donating online at www.Defending our honour on 6 sponsorme.co.uk/posties/October will be a 20-strong team posties-v-plod.aspxMovember is coming…Reaching their goal… the Maidstone team with Nicky (backrow, third from left) and Andy (front row, second from left)Footie fundraisers no.2Three charities, including Prostate Cancer UK,benefited from £2,600 raised thanks to a postiesv managers football match at West Ham Academy.Players came from various locations across London toraise money for Prostate Cancer UK, Stammer UK andLeukaemia and Lymphoma Research UK.Richard Attoe, plant support manager at MountPleasant mail centre, says: ‘The final score was 4-1 tous managers, but the real winners were the charities.The money was raised through selling programmes, anauction, raffles and the players contributing £20 each toplay, plus match funding from the business.’Footie fundraisers no.3Six football teams battled it out at PowerleagueStoke to raise £200 for our charity of the year,which was matched by Royal Mail.The tournament featured two teams from Stafforddelivery office, two from Stoke manual data entry centre(MDEC), a team from Burslemand another fromCustomer Services inStoke.Nicholas Webster,customer serviceadviser, says: ‘Everyoneenjoyed the day, despiteit being one of thehottest days of the yearto be running around afootball pitch!’Burslem emergedvictorious, beating theStafford managers 3-0on penalties.We were the mo-st successful single company worldwide in Movember 2012. What a mo-mentous achievement! We raised more than £525,000 including match funding, and hadthe biggest single network of Mo bros and sistas – 2,570 more than any other single company worldwide! This year, we want Movember to be even bigger and better. Plans includea registration bonus, so you earn money for charity just by registering, match giving for all colleagues taking part, and great prizes for the top fundraising individuals and teams.Look out for more info on myroyalmail.com and in Courier…Valiant victors...the Burslem squad