WELLBEING: Royal Mail must update its dementia policy as the cost-of-living crisis fuels a record number of economically active older workers, CWU delegates have said.

A motion passed at the union’s conference in Bournemouth today warned that the abolition of the default retirement age in 2011 combined with rising pension ages are leading to an increase in over-65s at work, which topped 1.5 million in June 2023.

Newcastle delegate Stephen Hammall said that dementia is a disability and is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, but that “employers don’t always recognise dementia as a disability with the rights and responsibilities that go along with it.”

VETERANS: Many ex-service posties are not being properly supported by Royal Mail, delegates have warned, calling for “more robust” policies to protect veterans and reservists in the workplace.

When Royal Mail signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2015, it pledged that veterans should face no disadvantages and that “special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given the most, such as the injured or the bereaved.”

ROYAL MAIL: The firm needs separate guidelines for worker absences due to mental health issues, delegates have urged.

A motion calling for the union’s postal executive to negotiate a clear set of guidelines with the firm was unanimously passed at conference today.

The rules are to be implemented jointly between management and a mental health first-aid-trained CWU rep, with each case treated on its own merits.