About your Office.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

our 5 am starts now changed to 5:30
and now they want to change that to 6:30
any other offices going down this road

Yes. Last year we were 05.00 start, then we were told by the rep we had no choice but to start at 6.30 as Royal Mail were altering the times of arrival. The rep also signed away the night shift. So, we voted for 6.30 Mon-Fri and 05.30 on Saturdays because quite a few people watch or help running football teams or just like to spend a bit of time with the kids etc. In February, the rep changed the start time to 06.00 on Saturdays (he no longer watches live football). We are now told we could start at 07.00 Mon-Sat. There was an article in the last 'Courier' about how everyone in our office just absolutely love the late starts. Needless to say, noone who has a life outside of work was asked for their view and the one lad who was quoted says he was conned into giving an opinion as everyone else asked refused.
What we find is people now starting an hour earlier so as they can finish at the time they were used to finishing, but as nobody is allowed out early as management use delaying tactics (they're all off home at about 09.00 on Saturdays).
People we used to catch before they left home are gone by the time we arrive, so we are carrying around the walk packets, recordeds, specials etc which we used to be able to deliver. These customers are not too pleased. We are getting more harrassment from customers because we are late and they are waiting for mail. The fact that more people work from home and need their mail early has escaped the business brains at Royal Mail.
I can put up with later starts through the week, but who the hell wants to be stuck in work on a Saturday until 1 or 2 a clock? Our managers have every other Saturday off.
Personally, I would settle for the same as Crozier, Leighton, Billy Hayes and Dave Ward. Monday to Friday and a decent weekend.

[robd]

DOM handed out some questionaires about later starts today,didn't bother filling mine in.
But something struck me,i've repeatedly asked about the removal of our night shift,and the move to later starts but he's adamant(not 80's pop singer)
there's no change because we get loads of firms mail,so why bother handing them out at all?
anyway my point is, if we stay at 5.00 but i'd signed to say i was happy to start later,yet some postie at another D/O had to start at 6.15 but for mitigating
circumstances needed to start at 5.00,could they re-assign you to another office?

[F0zziebear]

Here is my theory, and could be wrong so please respond as I'm a little weak on this particular topic

If competition takes away large amounts of outward bound mail, then there is more room for the remaining mail and less pressure to meet deadlines, and more mail getting processed earlier? This means mail can reach inward and delivery offices earlier, and therefore there is less (not sure about NO) need for a night shift.

Secondly competitor mail arrives on the morning before being delivered at inward mail centres. They then have the whole day to process and distribute to their local DOs?

How does this mean you can start later then? HOw does the 56mph restrictions fit in?

Yours slightly perplexed

F0zz

[POSTMAN]

The Lie

After being confronted by the CWU over the driving times of our network lorries, Royal Mail has finally admitted that the introduction of the 56mph legislation to be implemented in August this year, will have NO impact on our network lorries at all.

To explain, when the driving times of our network lorries were originally tested, they were tested at a maximum speed of 56mph anyway. The 600 lorries that run mail from our mail centres to our delivery offices, were tested at an even slower speed i.e., 30mph or less due to local speed limits and traffic levels at the time they was driving, 16mph in places like London. So in reality the network lorries are already compliant with the new 56mph legislation.

The mail currently arrives at our mail centres at aprox midnight so there is a window of 5 hours to get that mail sorted and distributed to our delivery offices, so really there is work for people in delivery offices at 5am. It has also become apparent that mail is being held back at mail centres and RDCs. On top of this Royal Mail has also approached the airport authorities requesting that new later flight times are introduced. This is all to give the impression that there is no need to start any earlier than 6am.

What a Whopper

The Truth

The real reasons Royal Mail want delivery officers to start later is to save money on the early morning shift allowances over the next 3 years. Royal Mail are also planning to reduce network lorries by 6% and introduce new double-decker lorries, so instead of two lorries arriving at different times only one double-decker lorry will arrive at the later time. What Royal Mail are also trying to do is create a larger window in arrival patterns for the introduction of walk sequencing machines.

Why lie to us? When 5 day weeks were introduced we were told that we would soon be going to later starts and at the time people were begining to warm to the idea. If only Royal Mail were up front with the CWU right from the start, maybe an agreement could be reached to introduce flexible start times, which would suit the wishes of the individual members whether it be a later or early start time, whilst securing the early morning shift allowance in some way.

This just goes to show people like ALAN LEIGHTON & ADAM CROZIER CAN NOT BE TRUSTED

VOTE YES for industrial action and let's weed out the liars

[F0zziebear]

I know for a fact that the transport network was looked at a while ago, and double-deckers etc.... were looked at. It is also an open secret (in my opinion) that removing early shift allowances will help remove (peripheral/perks) that from a financial cost-cutting perspective are not necessary.

Postman based on my experience I reckon you are right. It's shame they don't feel they can be open and upfront about this. I am sure there is a reason, and it probably stems from the poor relationship between senior management and heads of the CWU.

It also makes sense for the walk sequencing machines.

So let's say all of this is true and they were upfront. Said that 40,000 jobs would go as they are not needed. What do you reckon the re-action would be?

F0zz

[Big Daz]

I have recently had a battle in my office over start times.

Manager backed down on IPS duties as 98% of them start at 5am when the wagon from the mail centre was due to arrive and my insistence that we could do IPS, PREP, IPS, PREP if we run out of IPS between mail arrivals.

0500 non IPS rurals moved to 0530 starts (very unpopular) but all the info was that the first van would be arriving at 5am rather than the pre 0400 and 0430 meaning no work available for non IPS duties.

Area aggrement had decided run times out of mail centre and there would be two vans in total with first van due at 5am when the majority of office start this was to ensure we could keep 0500 starts across the branch area. Didnt stop my manger pushing for later starts though. The area aggreed changes were designed to take account of losing the cut and tip to the mail centre and network changes.

0400 IPS duties (we have 8 of them) moved to 0430 due to supposdley later mail arrivals again manager wanted them on 0500 but i insisted that there would be enough mail come through the previous day for the next day (M3 and M2) that would keep 8 people going untill first van at 0500.

During the planning the driver from the mail centre insisted that his duty wasnt changing and he would still be arriving by 4am.

Told area del rep, he came back to me that it was definetly first van 0500 as per area aggrement etc etc DOM did the same with the DSM and had the same answer as myself.

First day of changes delivery manager opens up 0400 and the van is waiting outside since 0330 with driver asleep, it seems this run was done by a night shift driver and his duty/run times were unaffected. The 2nd and 3rd arrivals of mail into our office came as per area aggrement. Somehow mangament in disrubution overlooked this and led us all up the garden path to a load of flak from the mbrs. Mail centre still not took over all the cut tip work yet, so still left wondering the effect on how much mail will arrive on last van when this is fully taken on by the mail centre.

Non IPS rurals got stroppy about the firms continuing to start at 0500 as firms are no IPS, howver i used artcile in voice to keep firms at 0500 rather than move to later start time. In a ideal world the mbrs would have been pleased that their colleagues on firms had been saved from later starts, but no they got very stroppy and we almost had open warfare!

United we stand divided we fall did not hold any meaning for some mbrs untill RM started all their bull shitting changes they want and now we are all united against the crap RM are spewing out.

[Big Daz]

RM are now saying shift allowance is ring fenced and will be going into basic pay next year.

If its the night allowance figure that they will use then bring it on!

But if its not what about all those who get more than the 0401 to 0500 shift allowance they lose out whilst those starting 0501 to 0530 will gain.

[phantomshare]

delivery re-engeneering was trialed and it lasted for 1 week.

[trojan]

Big Daz,
RM also said about this time last year that they wanted to raise the status and value of their postal workers, they also said that our pay deal would be done and dusted by APRIL 07.

look where we are now they cannot be trusted

[MAILSORT]

van arrived late today!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kernewek Lytherva]

CORRECTOMUNDO Tommo,
We got 'em coming in sometimes 50 minutes early to throw off their rounds, racing around, going out in their cars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BLOODY WINDS ME UP!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Plodder]

I work in an spdo, with a 5:30 start,
start time was moved to 5.30 as the van was not getting mail down untill that time,
Now the van arrives before me, no sign of anyone requesting a move back to 5am start time, suppose i better stir the s**t up again.
could tell you so much more but the managers etc are prob reading this and he is a malitous bastard and i would get propper feked over for this.

All the offices seem to have the same prob's people starting early to get the job done in time to allow for a social life etc, not bring mail back because of the knock on effect to the next day, we should have a set down standard to which all work to.
but then that aint practical is it?

Still we will see what thursday brings.

My own comments FECK'EM

[hoofer]

Hi plodder,
You should not be worring about delivering any mail that you don't have time to deliver.
That mail should not be there the next day its down to the managers to get that mail delivered
if they have;nt got any staff to go and do it then the butt stops with them!!! they have to put
the bag on and go and do it themselves other wise they have to explain why they have a USO
failure and that is serious s**t for them hence why they are constantly on our back to finnish our dly's
they certainly don't want to go out with a bag on their back, because they have to realise what a hard day's
graft is all about. so don't be BULLIED.

[Plodder]

Cheers hoofer

[billypants]

RM are now saying shift allowance is ring fenced and will be going into basic pay next year.

If its the night allowance figure that they will use then bring it on!

But if its not what about all those who get more than the 0401 to 0500 shift allowance they lose out whilst those starting 0501 to 0530 will gain.

Yeah right. . . . if that money was going into our basic pay then why didn't they do it within this pay deal and make the deal look better from a Royal Mail perspective.

they didn't do it because, as usual, it's another empty promise designed to keep you and me quiet.

Well Alan and Adam looks like the postmen and women just aren't gonna fall for that "bullshit" any more.

Either put it in the basic pay now or shut up