FBU and posties Age 60

[Martin Walsh]

The FBU deserve our support against the pension attacks they face.

In 2008 I was disappointed along with a number of other delegates when we are argued at a National Briefing that the union should ballot the membership nationally over the attack on the final salary.

The debate was not supported by the majority of reps from Branch's all across the UK. Some argued that they were facing Mail centre closures such as the North West and Midlands review was being discussed some argued that we would not get the members up for pensions on its own.

The FBU now have far few fire stations and their attendances at serious call outs have increased as a result. Comparing a Postman's job with a firemen and women is ill thought and wrong.

Delivery Postmen and Women do a far harder job then was the Postman's job say 20 years ago. The use of equipment such as CDVs and removing bags off the shoulder has reduced back injury related sickness. The amount of accidents out on delivery has reduced but is still a concern as clearly some people still rush around and operate unsafe acts whilst on delivery and of course dog attacks are still happening.

Now there has been a fratigue study done in Chorley , Gateshead , Sheffiled and Stockport which included heart monitors and padometers. 32% exceeded their time , and the vast majority were within acceptable heart rate levels? There were tests on upper neck , lower neck , shoulder , upper back ,mid back ,lower back ,hips , bottom ,upper arm , elbows ,lower arm , wrist , hand ,thigh , knee ,lower legs , ankle and foot.

The CWU will be working on this report.

[fishtank]

The CWU will be working on this report.

I don't know why, It is statistically compromised.
A third of the data comes from a tuesday so the entire data set is skewed towards the lower end by a day where the workload does not reflect the norm.
Why the CWU agreed to include a tuesday is in a long term fatigue study is baffling.

Were they actually looking for lower statistics,was it just an oversight or did Royal Mail just lay down the law because from here it looks and smells like a whitewash?

[janitor]

For the same reason they agreed to take the model week from a quiet period and agree to flex up, rather than a heavy week and flex down, or even a moderate week. Union members need to stick together, no matter what union they are a member of, for every person on the picket line I met that supported us, I met three that told us we were lazy greedy bastards that should get back to work. That wouldn't have happened a few years back., as unionists used to stick together.

[dvbuk55]

Now there has been a fratigue study done in Chorley , Gateshead , Sheffiled and Stockport which included heart monitors and padometers. 32% exceeded their time , and the vast majority were within acceptable heart rate levels? There were tests on upper neck , lower neck , shoulder , upper back ,mid back ,lower back ,hips , bottom ,upper arm , elbows ,lower arm , wrist , hand ,thigh , knee ,lower legs , ankle and foot.

The CWU will be working on this report.

The CWU had an H&S Rep on the study and I can assure anyone who thinks this was a serious study not to hold out too much hope of any change resulting from the result. I wonder if the correct equipment was used on delivery, if ALL deliveries were weighed before departure and if the study was actually a bit of a jolly for some. Of course it will be touted as something of a success but even a cursory glance at the figures show that almost a third of those tested were over their time.

[Martin Walsh]

Fish the study was carried out over three days Tuesday Weds and Thursday. Why would a study not want to look at what the heart rate and fatigue is on the lightest day and compare that to the heaviest day Wednesday and Thursday ?

The trial ares some serious concerns and will not be the only bit of information the CWU will look at but clearly a number of walks are going past the planned revision span.

Clearly Geo route was wrong. Unless more delivery points have been put in. Part of the new agreement will be to look at new revision methods.

[dvbuk55]

Clearly Geo route was wrong. Unless more delivery points have been put in. Part of the new agreement will be to look at new revision methods.

Well if the new revision methods are anything like the last revision methods just order the mobility scooters now, you won't need a fatigue study. After 3 years it comes up with a clear indicator that duties are too big, something that delivery officers have been saying for years.

[Martin Walsh]

Dvbuk there is something called the PIR which should test the spans after introduction and there is something called the IR framework if the revision is wrong.

[fishtank]

Why would a study not want to look at what the heart rate and fatigue is on the lightest day and compare that to the heaviest day Wednesday and Thursday .

Because it tells us nothing and skews the data.
If you just take the figure of 32% exceeded their time out of say 100 duties over 3 days that's 300 deliveries meaning around 100 deliveries exceeded their time over the three days but I would doubt very many exceeded their time on tuesday so what that really means is roughly 100 out of 200 duties exceeded their time over the wednesday and thursday or 50% of duties not 32%.

[clashcityrocker]

And given that they had already done such trials in Glasgow and Dundee when they did the tenement study, why didn't they go back to these offices?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Fish the study was carried out over three days Tuesday Weds and Thursday. Why would a study not want to look at what the heart rate and fatigue is on the lightest day and compare that to the heaviest day Wednesday and Thursday ?

Because it screws the baseline - if you wanted to use the lowest traffic day out of 6 then a comprehensive study should have been carried out over the whole 6 days. Now you have a base line for 3 days and the lower figures will drag the statistical accuracy down, not up.

Also if it was a fatigue study why carry out it out in the middle of the week, fatigue is more acute at the end of any working week, and if they wanted to only do 3 days then Thursday, Friday and Saturday would have been a lot more representative and would have more statistical confidence.

[dvbuk55]

Dvbuk there is something called the PIR which should test the spans after introduction and there is something called the IR framework if the revision is wrong.

There is if they work and the study however skewed shows they clearly do not so what is to be done. The union and it's officers are all too eager to point out that there is this, that and the other but obviously do not ensure that there is any adherence to it.

[P13]

And given that they had already done such trials in Glasgow and Dundee when they did the tenement study, why didn't they go back to these offices?

Probably because Royal Mail did not like the results from the tenement study, my understanding of the tenement study resulted in staff's heart rates going through the roof and that was before park and loop and the longer delivery spans