CWU Jargon Buster

When you are new to the CWU it can sometimes be difficult to get used to some of the language and terms that are used. This jargon buster has been created to help understand the meanings of the most commonly used CWU terms and acronyms. We hope it will be helpful, please contact the CWU Equality, Education and Development department at Equality&Education@cwu.org if you believe there should be any extra additions.

 

Term Acronym Meaning
Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service ACAS A non-departmental public body of the Government. Its purpose is to enhance organisations and working life through the promotion and facilitation of strong industrial relations practice.
Affiliate A Trade union with established formal links with other organisations that share common values. For example the CWU Affiliate to the Trade Union Congress by paying a subscription on behalf of its members.

The term Affiliate can also be used to describe the CWU app.
Amendment A minor change or addition designed to improve a piece of literature/text, motion or policy proposal.
Annual General Meeting AGM Annual union meeting at which union business, the financial accounts are presented, reports of the past year’s work are given, officer’s elections are ratified and standing orders/branch rules are debated and amended.
Any Other Business AOB Is the last item on the agenda of a meeting, it allows any attendees to raise any matter that has not been mentioned or discussed.
Area Delivery Representative ADR A CWU branch representative from the postal constituency that leads on Industrial Relations (IR) in Royal Mail’s Delivery function within the geographical boundaries of the branch.
Area Processing Representative APR A CWU branch representative from the postal constituency that leads on Industrial Relations (IR) in Royal Mail’s Processing function within the geographical boundaries of the branch.
Area Safety Representative ASR A CWU branch representative that leads on Health and Safety within the geographical boundaries of the branch.
Assistant Regional Secretaries ARS An elected senior officer responsible for leading on communications, campaigns and equality, including deputising for the Regional Secretary when needed, in one of the 10 CWU regions.
Assistant Secretary (National) AS A National senior officer responsible for carrying out and discharging

(Under the direction of the GS) union duties as they may be required to perform.
Auditors An elected body to examine the accounts and report to the membership.
Black and Asian Minority Ethnic BAME Reference used to group all Black, Asian & Ethnic Minority people.
Branch Section of the CWU based on geographical boundaries for local branch officers and representatives. All CWU members are allocated to a branch based on where they work.
Branch Meetings Are held on a regular basis compromising branch reps/branch committee members. These meetings allow for members issues to be raised, local discussions to take place and decisions to be made.
Branch Model Constitution BMC A set of minimum standards/rules for every Branch. The NEC are  responsible for

publishing the Model Branch Constitution and ensuring its adherence.
Card Vote A vote where delegates to a conference, policy forum or meeting vote by holding up a card.
Collective Bargaining Jointly agreed arrangements between the employer and the CWU for negotiating matters such as pay, terms and conditions of employment.
Communications Workers Union CWU Organisation Name of the Union
Composite A merger of  two or more motions or amendments on the same subject which do not conflict with each other to produce a single “composite motion”, avoiding wasting the time of conference in debating and voting on the same issues several times.
Comrade A term used to mean ‘mate’, ‘colleague’, or ‘ally’
Constituency Industrial section of the CWU E.g. Postal/Telecoms &  Financial Services
Constituency Labour Party CLP An organisation of members of the Labour Party who live in a particular parliamentary constituency.
Delegate Person elected to represent the CWU at other meetings, such as CWU Annual General Conference, UNI Global, TUC and Labour Party Conferences.
Deputy General Secretary Postal DGS(P) Elected Full-time principal Officer responsible for all issues solely within

the remit of the Postal Executive (PE)
Deputy General Secretary Telecoms and Financial Services DGS (T&FS) Elected Full-time principal Officer responsible for all issues solely within

the remit of the Telecoms and Financial Services Executive (T&FSE)
Dispute Resolution CWU Internal Complaints procedure aimed to deal with any dispute arising from the rules or regulations of the Union affecting Union members.
Early Day Motion EDM A formal Parliamentary proposal submitted by a Member of Parliament for debate in the House of Commons. Early day motions draw attention to a particular subject or area of interest.
Early Voluntary Redundancy EVR Is an early retirement incentive that is offered to eligible employees who meet a certain criteria
Elections A process held at every level of the CWU depending on the position in question. Members are entitled to stand for elected positions.
Employee Relations ER A term used to refer to the relationship between employers and employees
Equality, Education and Development EED Equality Education and Development is a department at HQ which Leads on Equality and Education priorities and Strategies.
General Conference Yearly decision making body that oversees policy development with representation from all relevant sections of the CWU
General Secretary GS General Secretary.  Elected full-time head of the union.
Health and Safety H&S A term that generally covers the legal requirements that fall under the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974. The term is also generally used to describe Occupational Health and Safety, and relates to the prevention of accidents and ill health to employees and members who may be affected by work.
Human Resources HR Is a business function in charge of all employees and employee-related operations
Independent Appeals Panel IAP An elected body that is responsible for all internal appeal complaints requiring consideration and/or investigation, compromising 3 Independent CWU members.
Industrial Conference Yearly decision making body that oversees policy development for industrial matters, with representation from all relevant industrial sections of the CWU. For example, all elected branch delegates from the T&FS constituency attend the T&FS Industrial conference and all branch delegates from the postal constituency attend postal industrial conference.
Industrial Executives IE Industrial Executive are responsible for implementing Industrial Conference decisions and dealing with occupational and conditions of service issues. The CWU have two Industrial Executives: Postal and Telecoms & Financial Services.
Industrial Relations IR A term used to explain the relationship and interactions in industry between trade unions and management in regard to improving the management of the affairs and benefits in terms of workers’ rights, pay, terms and conditions.
Labour Party Conference LPC Annual decision and policy making conference held by the Labour Party.
Lay-member Any member not employed by the union
Left Click CWU educational website that provides a wide range of free online and distance learning courses for CWU members.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans people + Reference used to group all Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans people. The “plus” represents other sexual identities. For example, pansexual.
Letter To Branches LTB A form of communications sent directly from CWU HQ to branches.
Line Of Business LOB Is a general term more commonly used in the T&FS constituency which refers to a particular section or service of business
Mental Health First Aid MHFA Training which teaches people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be developing or experiencing a mental health problems.
Motion A piece of text agreed by a meeting or conference which expresses a policy or other decision.
National Disputes Committee NDC An elected body that is responsible for all internal complaints requiring consideration and/or investigation, compromising of NEC Members and an Appointed officer by the General Secretary.
National Executive Council NEC Governing body of the CWU, comprising elected members from all constituencies and Strands of the CWU, including key national officers of the CWU. E.g. the General Secretary, President, Heads of departments, National Officers etc.
National Officer Full-time officer, typically with national responsibility for one or more sections of the union.
National Policy Forum Body that oversees policy development outside of conference, with representation from all relevant sections of the CWU.
New Entrant A term used to describe a person who has recently become a new employee.
Northern Ireland Union Learning Fund NIULF Is a governmental fund which supports union learning projects in Northern Ireland. It helps CWU members from Northern Ireland explore learning, develop skills, achieve qualifications and promote lifelong learning opportunities within the workplace.
Organising Recruiting new members in the workplace, involving them in CWU activity and encouraging members to take up active roles within the CWU structures.
Point of Order An interruption during a conference or meeting to complain that the conference or meeting is not being conducted in line with the Standing Orders
Political levy A small deduction from members’ weekly contributions which is put in the Union’s Political Fund.
Postal Executive PE Governing Industrial body of the CWU postal constituency, comprising elected members from the postal constituency including key national officers of the CWU. E.g. the Deputy General Secretary Postal and Postal Assistant Secretaries.
President Chairperson of the National Executive Council (NEC) and General Conference. Elected by the whole membership.
Rebate Branch membership income received by CWU HQ General Fund.
Redesign A CWU Reorganisation modernisation programme to response to the financial and

organisational pressures faced from membership decline and

the pace of change in the

world of work
Region The CWU has ten geographical regions across the UK, which is the next level of organisation after the branch. Each has its own regional office. The regions are: Eastern, London, Midlands, North East, North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South East, South West and Wales and the Marches.
Regional Committee RC The main committee for each region, with representatives from each branch and strand. E.g., Equalities, Education, Political, Retired and Young Workers.
Regional Committee Officers RCO Principal Officers of the Regional Committee compromising the Chair,

Secretary, Assistant Secretary and Financial Secretary
Regional Conference Each region holds a regional conference every year that deals with regional issues and allows reps to have their say on the important issues.
Regional Executive Committee REC Regional Executive Committee

oversee the work of the Region in-between full Regional Committee meetings. Compromising Regional Secretary, Regional Assistant Secretary, Regional Chair

Regional Financial Secretary,

Regional Political Officer

Regional Lead – Women,

Regional Lead – BAME,

Regional Lead – LGBT+,

Regional Lead – Disability,

Regional Lead – Young Workers, Regional Lead – Retired Members, Regional Lead – Health and Safety,

Regional Lead – Education, Learning and Training, Regional, Territorial and Field Industrial Leads and a designated NEC Member
Retired Members Committee A National Committee aimed to protect the interests of pensioners and advise the NEC on any matters pertinent to Retired Members of the Union. Compromising the Vice President, NEC Retired Members (2 from Wales, 2 from Northern Ireland, 2 from Scotland and 6 from England).
Regional Model Constitution RMC A set of minimum standards for every Region. The NEC are  responsible for

publishing the Model Branch Constitution and ensuring its adherence
Regional Organising Committee ROC An established forum in the T&FS constituency aimed at revitalising membership and organising efforts. ROC’s are

assisted by a T&FS Organiser and a member of the T&FS Executive
Regional Secretary An elected senior full-time officer responsible for a CWU region.
Regional Sub Committees Each Region has 6 Regional Sub Committees: Equality, Health and Safety, Young Workers, Retired Members, Political and Education, Learning and Development
Senior Deputy General Secretary SDGS Elected full-time Officer responsible for deputising for the GS as when required, including assisting the GS in financial, administrative and strategic organisational matters.
Single Point Of Contact SPOC Acts as the main contact point in workplaces within the T&FS constituency. SPOC’s are the bridge between the workers and the branch. They report issues to the workplace rep, distribute information in the workplace and help with membership mapping.
Standing Orders Committee SOC An elected body responsible for arranging the timetable and order of each session of CWU Conferences.
Standing Orders A set of rules to govern the conduct of a Conference/Meeting
Scotland Union Learning Fund SULF Is a governmental fund which supports union learning projects in Scotland. It helps CWU members from Scotland explore learning, develop skills, achieve qualifications and promote lifelong learning opportunities within the workplace.
Suspend Standing Orders An agreement by meeting/conference participants that for a period of time the Conference/meeting will not adhere to the Standing Orders, for example by running past the official end time of the meeting, or to allow someone to speak for longer than normally allowed.
Telecoms & Financial Services T&FS Telecom & Financial Services is a constituency within the CWU.
Telecoms & Financial Services  Executive T&FSE Governing Industrial body of the CWU Telecoms &Financial Services (T&FS) constituency, comprising elected members from the T&FS constituency including key national officers of the CWU. E.g. the Deputy General Secretary T&FS and T&FS Assistant Secretaries
Trade Union and Labour Relations

Consolidation Act 1992

 TULRCA Piece of legislation that regulates Industrial relationships between Trade unions and Employers.
Trade Union Congress TUC An overarching organization which represents most affiliated UK trade unions, including the CWU.
Union Learning Fund ULF Is a governmental fund which supports union learning projects in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It helps CWU members to explore learning, develop skills, achieve qualifications and promote lifelong learning opportunities within the workplace. ULF Funding was removed from England in March 2020
Union Learning Representative ULR Are specialist reps who organise local learning initiatives and provide advice, encouragement and information to members about learning opportunities
Unit Safety Representative USR A CWU representative that leads on Health and Safety within the local workplace. Also referred to as a Workplace Safety Representative.
Unlock A CWU Website aimed at providing members with information on how the union operates including advice for members on how to become more active in CWU activity.
Vice president A national elected position, acts as a deputy for the President.
Voluntary Redundancy VR Is a retirement incentive that is offered to eligible staff members who meet a certain criteria
Workplace Safety Rep WSR A CWU representative that leads on Health and Safety within the local workplace. Also referred to as a Unit Safety Representative.
Wales Union Learning Fund WULF Is a governmental fund which supports union learning projects in Wales. It helps CWU members from Wales explore learning, develop skills, achieve qualifications and promote lifelong learning opportunities within the workplace.
Young Worker A CWU Member or Representative who is 30 or under.
Young Workers Committee (formally known as the Youth Advisory Committee) YWC (Formally YAC) A National Committee aimed to protect the interests of Young Workers and advise the NEC on any matters pertinent to Retired Members of the Union. Compromising 2 Young Worker NEC members and 20 elected lay members Under 30: 1 from each constituency from each of the 10 CWU regions.