Seasonal variation of hours

[Acca Dacca]

Thank you, wish the offices/union would get communication out and put up in offices, and confirm this for everyone to know and see so it's simple and clear.

I'm sure the period at the shorter weeks in the summer went on for way longer than the shorter period at peak last year.
I think it's been equalised.
All been squared up to now.

but last summers weeks were to make up for 2023s winter weeks

This summer was supposed to make up for 2024s winters longer weeks

Would need to look back and see how many weeks we did longer and shorter each period in 2023/24 to see if it has equalised

[Mickeybrowneyes]

Yeah, I thought it had to be fair but not 100 per cent.
But I'm sure that would have been picked up by the union in the communications if we were owed hours.

[matrix123]

So we are still none the wiser. Nothing confirmed? 6.30 start 1.30 finish, or are we still messing with start and finish times until a certain date. This needs confirming officially really, it's just not clear what the suspension fully means here.

[A2B]

Seasonal Variation has been suspended for 2025 at least but probably won't be coming back.

Your start/finish times won't change for now but could with the new way of working but heh that could be scrapped as well, it is the RM way

Waiting on clarification on if time is owed to us from winter 2024

[kazardaimenu]

Oh well it was an interesting experiment. Looking forward to cutting off with even more when November comes.

[Jaggs]

So we are still none the wiser. Nothing confirmed? 6.30 start 1.30 finish, or are we still messing with start and finish times until a certain date. This needs confirming officially really, it's just not clear what the suspension fully means here.

It has been confirmed officially. A letter to branches has been sent out by the CWU and we had it confirmed in work time learning today.

[stars2025]

how is the trials going? u getting double mail a lot?

[yellowbelly]

The update LTB is a message thread on the BRTG board:

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=115986

[Martin Walsh]

All hours were balanced. Royal Mail found from an accounting measure they could not go into the new financial year of 24/25 with owing hours so they reduced to 35 hours in the lead up to April.

Meaning that after last summer it was our members who owed hours which was recovered in peak.

Under the proposed USO reform where workload will be different due to non priority mail being delivered every other day means that there is not as big a fluctuation in traffic to need seasonal variations.

But no one is owed any hours it was balanced in December.

[Martin Walsh]

In year 1, the High Season ran from week 24 (4th September 2023) to week 38 (17th December 2023). 15 weeks
There was a Low Season from week 44 (22nd January 2024) to Week 52 (24th March 2024). 9 weeks.
The next low period will run from week 12 (17th June 2024) to Week 22 (1st September 2024). 11 weeks
There will be a High Season (18th November to 22d December or 25th November to 29th December. 5 weeks.
Based on full time 37 hr contracts
20 weeks worked at 39 hours
20 weeks worked at 35 hours
(same principle applies to part time contracts)
No loss to members.
Equally, we do not owe the business!

[Acca Dacca]

In year 1, the High Season ran from week 24 (4th September 2023) to week 38 (17th December 2023). 15 weeks
There was a Low Season from week 44 (22nd January 2024) to Week 52 (24th March 2024). 9 weeks.
The next low period will run from week 12 (17th June 2024) to Week 22 (1st September 2024). 11 weeks
There will be a High Season (18th November to 22d December or 25th November to 29th December. 5 weeks.
Based on full time 37 hr contracts
20 weeks worked at 39 hours
20 weeks worked at 35 hours
(same principle applies to part time contracts)
No loss to members.
Equally, we do not owe the business!

Thank you for the clarification - thats exactly the information I was hoping would be posted

[Jaggs]

In year 1, the High Season ran from week 24 (4th September 2023) to week 38 (17th December 2023). 15 weeks
There was a Low Season from week 44 (22nd January 2024) to Week 52 (24th March 2024). 9 weeks.
The next low period will run from week 12 (17th June 2024) to Week 22 (1st September 2024). 11 weeks
There will be a High Season (18th November to 22d December or 25th November to 29th December. 5 weeks.
Based on full time 37 hr contracts
20 weeks worked at 39 hours
20 weeks worked at 35 hours
(same principle applies to part time contracts)
No loss to members.
Equally, we do not owe the business!

Martin,

It would have been good if info like that had been included in the letter to branches as the first thing I was asked by people today was whether hours were owed either way.

[GRS]

I thought Seasonal Variations were heralded by RM & the CWU as the second coming. RM told us it’s the only sensible way to run the business & the CWU told us………….We’ve got to change. We told them it’s a load of nonsense & wouldn’t work (it didn’t). Now all of the sudden it’s been ditched after F******g everyone about for the last 2 years. Are these A holes the biggest bunch of useless cretins to have ever walked the bastard earth……..Jesus effing Christ just stop cocking about with everything you imbeciles!!!!!

[Mickeybrowneyes]

It was designed around the variations of workload the current USO structure reflects.
There was no structure or knowledge of how the new way of working or USO would look like back when it was agreed.
Things change

[Mr Rush]

I still have no answers regarding anyone who changed hours of attendance while 'the experiment' was underway (eg, PT to FT before the commencement of high season). It's no great mystery why some colleagues retiring last year departed early after being told they would never get those Winter hours back.