Branches will be aware that the CWU has been campaigning for some time to have the requirement, for those to whom it applies, to give up to 60 minutes of their time at each end of the working day. As a result of all that activity, we have now received correspondence from the company confirming that this requirement will be removed across Openreach from 3 February 2022. This is to allow the appropriate briefings, system changes, etc. to take place. It is also confirmed that this will apply to all new recruits going forward. The letter from the company is attached for information, as is the Briefing to members and company comms.
This has only been achieved as a result of the fantastic response from members and Branches during the campaign. The members in particular have continued to put pressure on both the company and the CWU at all levels for this issue to be resolved; that pressure has paid off and shows what can be achieved when we act as one. The intervention of Andy Kerr (DGST) has also greatly assisted the National Team resolve this issue once and for all.
From a practical perspective, it means the following. The company will lift the specific requirement which stipulated that any individual could be expected to have a personal travel time of up to 60 minutes plus 15 minutes’ log on/off at start and end of day.
Individuals will continue to have a PWA based in line with the Parking at Home policy, and will have a nominated location that assigns a commute time for them on Taskforce. They will be expected to operate within this PWA commute time on a daily basis.
The critical change is that where individuals are required to travel beyond their commute time, unpaid personal travel time will not kick in and travel outside of the person’s commute time will now be in paid time. The 15 minutes’ log on/off time at each end of the day will continue in line with the overarching Working and Parking from Home policy. In practice this will mean that the maximum travel an individual will complete will be the time that has been established as part of their annual Parking at Home review, this time will be the same at either end of the day. Any travel outside of this will be paid time. Branches should ensure that these reviews are only carried out annually and inform the National Team should the company differ from this approach.
This means that the inequality that existed across the field workforce with regard to personal travel time will be removed across all business units in Openreach.
The National Team would like to place on record their thanks to members, Branches and Regional Co-ordinators for their input to what has been a long and difficult campaign to resolve this issue, and shows that anything is possible if we work as one and we look forward to that solidarity continuing as we face the inevitable challenges that the months and years ahead will bring.
Any enquiries from Branches regarding this LTB should be referred to my office in the first instance.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Bowman
Assistant Secretary
