DELIVERY TRIALS/ SWW

[Celgar]

all five hours of SWW.

Five hours? 39 - 35 is four hours, surely?

We were originally on a 40 hour week. The first hour of SWW was implemented what seems like quite a long time ago - I can't remember when - and made the start times 12 minutes later for most DOs. The second hour of SWW was implemented I think in the first week of October this year and made the start times an additional 12 minutes later. Therefore to date we have had two hours of SWW .
The third hour of SWW will be implemented if RM can find time savings to enable further time savings. This is actually logical thinking which is unusual in RM and how it operates. RM will not be willing to pay extended across the board to cover the loss in time as a result of the union SWW campaign but are willing to add more hours in offices that are deemed to be 'efficient' if implementing the SWW means the job cannot be completed. As we all know RM are resistant to employing more staff or upping part timers to full time even where those hours are being worked and are needed. RM have come to the realisation there is little room for any more cost savings as we are literally cut to the bone now. The only possible ones I can see left are from using machines to package D2Ds in sets or amending/dropping the USO. Another possible one is amending rules on competition & business rules and data protection by leaving the EU but I don't think we will in the end.

[DGH]

RM have come to the realisation there is little room for any more cost savings as we are literally cut to the bone now. The only possible ones I can see left are from using machines to package D2Ds in sets or amending/dropping the USO. Another possible one is amending rules on competition & business rules and data protection by leaving the EU but I don't think we will in the end.

And another by getting rid of useless management - that's one thing I'm surprised they have not already tackled. Aside from any competence issues, there are at least two managers in my office who do no useful work at all (even stretching 'useful' to include RM's obsession with box-ticking being a useful exercise).

Yet another would be by a redistribution of work to be fairer. We have people claiming overtime/walks failing on a regular basis and yet at a conservative guess, 10%+ of delivery officers are either going home early or are sitting in their vans waiting for their finish time. I'm fully in favour of no early starting and everyone taking their breaks, etc. But the failure to tackle deliberate idleness or blatant time-wasting (while others are persecuted into working harder and harder) is costing RM in the hard cash needed to pay overtime or regulator-imposed fines for failure of the USO.

Even just better balancing work over the week would help. The way prep/delivery of D2Ds and lapsing are arranged doesn't, to my mind at least, help efficiency. Neither does the implementation of the SWW by just cutting 12 minutes from each day - a more nuanced approach would be more profitable.

But there's too much vested interest, politicking and petty empire building within RM for any of the above to easily change.

[clashcityrocker]

We were originally on a 40 hour week.

You don't remember the 42 hour week then?

[daveyeff]

I do. 6 days a week, in the house for dinner time mon-fri, and done for half 9 on a Saturday morn.....happy days.

[daveyeff]

two and a half hour delivery an all!!

[Celgar]

We were originally on a 40 hour week.

You don't remember the 42 hour week then?

I'm not sure. I have been a postie since December 1997. I don't think it was a 42 hour week then but I may be mistaken.

[Celgar]

I remember when we used to not deliver the 'dead' mail on Saturdays. We would get the first delivery done by 0900 or 0930 then go up to the canteen. Then afterwards go and do the second delivery. Others in my current office talk about going to the pub and tying the bundles up with brown string but that's way before my time.

The good old days as they say......

[Celgar]

RM have come to the realisation there is little room for any more cost savings as we are literally cut to the bone now. The only possible ones I can see left are from using machines to package D2Ds in sets or amending/dropping the USO. Another possible one is amending rules on competition & business rules and data protection by leaving the EU but I don't think we will in the end.

And another by getting rid of useless management - that's one thing I'm surprised they have not already tackled. Aside from any competence issues, there are at least two managers in my office who do no useful work at all (even stretching 'useful' to include RM's obsession with box-ticking being a useful exercise).

Yet another would be by a redistribution of work to be fairer. We have people claiming overtime/walks failing on a regular basis and yet at a conservative guess, 10%+ of delivery officers are either going home early or are sitting in their vans waiting for their finish time. I'm fully in favour of no early starting and everyone taking their breaks, etc. But the failure to tackle deliberate idleness or blatant time-wasting (while others are persecuted into working harder and harder) is costing RM in the hard cash needed to pay overtime or regulator-imposed fines for failure of the USO.

Even just better balancing work over the week would help. The way prep/delivery of D2Ds and lapsing are arranged doesn't, to my mind at least, help efficiency. Neither does the implementation of the SWW by just cutting 12 minutes from each day - a more nuanced approach would be more profitable.

But there's too much vested interest, politicking and petty empire building within RM for any of the above to easily change.

Anyone who thinks they are being clever by hanging about somewhere in the van then arriving back at the DO just before end of duty time should think again. RM know this is happening and the PDA actuals will tell them where and who is doing it. The main problem will be that instead of RM sorting out the people doing it they will just add up the time and take it off the office budget. Then posties who are on walks that are too long will get more work on top because others won't do the job properly.

[DGH]

Anyone who thinks they are being clever by hanging about somewhere in the van then arriving back at the DO just before end of duty time should think again. RM know this is happening and the PDA actuals will tell them where and who is doing it. The main problem will be that instead of RM sorting out the people doing it they will just add up the time and take it off the office budget. Then posties who are on walks that are too long will get more work on top because others won't do the job properly.

I agree entirely. But they won't think again because they're just told 'don't come back before your time or you'll be sent back out' by union reps as well as managers. The cleverer ones just string out their deliveries by 'doing the job properly' in an exaggerated manner - there's not many of them (I think) but they're also cheating their colleagues.

[Woody Guthrie]

The cleverer ones just string out their deliveries by 'doing the job properly' in an exaggerated manner

How does that work?
You're either doing the job properly or you're not.
It doesn't matter whether you're running or pissing about, neither is "doing the job properly".

[number one]

Office budgets will not be altered due to PDA actuals. I finish early, always have always will. Don’t kid yourself that pda actuals will change this. When I am off my cover person goes over by an hour, so should my round be made smaller? Pda actuals are a waste of time, I’ve never been sent back out and if I am asked to do extra I get paid overtime for it.

[SpacePhoenix]

Office budgets will not be altered due to PDA actuals. I finish early, always have always will. Don’t kid yourself that pda actuals will change this. When I am off my cover person goes over by an hour, so should my round be made smaller? Pda actuals are a waste of time, I’ve never been sent back out and if I am asked to do extra I get paid overtime for it.

They'll look at how early you're finishing, say that was 1/2 an hour, they'd work out approx how many delivery points that is and then add that number to your walk

[number one]

Office budgets will not be altered due to PDA actuals. I finish early, always have always will. Don’t kid yourself that pda actuals will change this. When I am off my cover person goes over by an hour, so should my round be made smaller? Pda actuals are a waste of time, I’ve never been sent back out and if I am asked to do extra I get paid overtime for it.

They'll look at how early you're finishing, say that was 1/2 an hour, they'd work out approx how many delivery points that is and then add that number to your walk

Hahah no they won’t. Where will these magic extra delivery points come from?

[Brandy]

I do. 6 days a week, in the house for dinner time mon-fri, and done for half 9 on a Saturday morn.....happy days.

Happy days and bikes as well.

[Ozzvaldo]

Office budgets will not be altered due to PDA actuals. I finish early, always have always will. Don’t kid yourself that pda actuals will change this. When I am off my cover person goes over by an hour, so should my round be made smaller? Pda actuals are a waste of time, I’ve never been sent back out and if I am asked to do extra I get paid overtime for it.

Er, not in my office. Individuals who, for whatever reason, have been regularly finishing early since Actuals began (and usually for years prior to this) have been called into the DOMs office and been told that they WILL be sent back out, or made to set up D2Ds if they come back before finishing time....and he has stuck to this. Overtime isn't being paid until after finishing time,either, meaning that ghosting has stopped. The individuals who used to be going home, or doing ghost overtime, up to 2 hours before finishing time are now working to time before leaving the office.

The office budget has been altered insomuch as a large number number of part-timers have had their hours increased so that they now work 5 days rather than 4, which has a knock on effect of reducing the need for ghosting. The next step is that the Rep and Dom are going to be using Actuals to investigate and alter the massive imbalances in delivery workload introduced at our P&L revision.

Our rep,' who has never been one to shy away from an argument with RM, is on board with this and thinks at some point in the future all Doms will be pushed into this way of thinking. Just saying what's happening where I work.