Need Advice

Stronginthearm · Post by **Stronginthearm** » 27 Nov 2008, 18:26

Hello, I need advice on my rights on flexibility. Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

Basically, I work at Grimsby DO as a reserve postie, one of about 35 at office. There is another small office at Immingham about 11 miles away which is constantly understaffed. So over the last 3 months for some reason (probably because I'm an easy target, being young and relatively new), I am always the one reserve who is sent to Immingham at literally zero notice, even if I'm down on the sheets for a duty at my own office.

I have no car and I'm on a 25 hour contract. I constantly have to wait to get a lift at Grimsby and frequently walk up to an unprepped frame at 9.30am. Or like the last 2 weeks to unprepped frame WITH half the round from the day before undelivered, plus all the packets. Often like today I get finished around 4.30pm and return to Immingham Office to find no one willing to take me back home, often being told to "wait for the bus".

I want to know if I have the right to refuse to sent to a different office, or if I don't, if I can work to my time (5 hours a day), since I have had enough. I have other commitments, religous and family related, and am now coming home tired and late, and I think one more day of it and I will have to reluctantly hand in my notice.

Thanks for reading.

brothermagrew · Post by **brothermagrew** » 27 Nov 2008, 18:29

Sure Teebs or POSTMAN can offer you great advice on this one, or at least point you to the relevant agreements.

Stronginthearm · Post by **Stronginthearm** » 27 Nov 2008, 18:36

brothermagrew wrote:Sure Teebs or POSTMAN can offer you great advice on this one, or at least point you to the relevant agreements.

Cheers. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We were told about a year ago that some people would be 'asked' if they can go on loan to another office, but they don't seem to take no for an answer when it comes to me. I need some help on this one...

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 27 Nov 2008, 18:46

Stronginthearm wrote:Hello, I need advice on my rights on flexibility. Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

Basically, I work at Grimsby DO as a reserve postie, one of about 35 at office. There is another small office at Immingham about 11 miles away which is constantly understaffed. So over the last 3 months for some reason (probably because I'm an easy target, being young and relatively new), I am always the one reserve who is sent to Immingham at literally zero notice, even if I'm down on the sheets for a duty at my own office.

I have no car and I'm on a 25 hour contract. I constantly have to wait to get a lift at Grimsby and frequently walk up to an unprepped frame at 9.30am. Or like the last 2 weeks to unprepped frame WITH half the round from the day before undelivered, plus all the packets. Often like today I get finished around 4.30pm and return to Immingham Office to find no one willing to take me back home, often being told to "wait for the bus".

I want to know if I have the right to refuse to sent to a different office, or if I don't, if I can work to my time (5 hours a day), since I have had enough. I have other commitments, religous and family related, and am now coming home tired and late, and I think one more day of it and I will have to reluctantly hand in my notice.

Thanks for reading.

Welcome Stronginthearm.

1. I want to know if I have the right to refuse to sent to a different office - Sorry No you can't refuse as its in the national agreement.

2. If I can work to my time - yes you can your contract is 25 hours and its illegal for them to force you to work any longer. They may try the 30 minute flex which is also part of the agreement but this is also voluntary and even if you say yes they have to give you it back within the same week.

Pay and Modernisation agreement 2007 - 2009
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... php?id=451

Working in nearby offices – Areas will identify and agree with the CWU
locally a approach (which could include the use of volunteers and
reserves) to working in nearby offices within employees’ contracted
hours which will include travel times and appropriate travel and
subsistence arrangements.

The bit above means that they have to include travel to and back to your own office within your working hours.

Variation of hours – Where necessary, for example when traffic
volumes are unexpectedly high or resourcing issues arise, individuals
may be asked and may themselves request to vary their duty times by
up to 30 minutes on a swings and roundabouts basis. Again, individual
circumstances will be taken into account and total weekly contractual
hours would not change.

This is the section I referred to about 30 minutes flex.

I will give you fair warning that if it was anything like when I first started to say "NO" or tried to stick to my rights, they will put you under pressure to complete and will mention delay of mail and all sorts of other things, but if you stick to your guns and remember the Golden Rule "Never speak to a manager without a witness or Rep" you will be ok.

Good luck Mate.

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 27 Nov 2008, 18:48

If you have a part-time permanent contract you can hold to your hour's of your contract you may well have too insist on this but i believe it to be so!. You also have the right to turn up at you normal place of work and you maybe moved to another office but you should be returned too your normal place of work at your normal finnish time!. If i am wrong please feel free to correct me on this. hope this help's.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 27 Nov 2008, 18:53

k979aaa wrote:If you have a part-time permanent contract you can hold to your hour's of your contract you may well have too insist on this but i believe it to be so!. You also have the right to turn up at you normal place of work and you maybe moved to another office but you should be returned too your normal place of work at your normal finnish time!. If i am wrong please feel free to correct me on this. hope this help's.

Thats the way I read it as well k979aaa

Yahoorsur · Post by **Yahoorsur** » 27 Nov 2008, 18:55

Surely there has to be a period of notice involved? before someone is sent to another office or moved from their duty even under the pay and modernisation agreement.

Stronginthearm · Post by **Stronginthearm** » 27 Nov 2008, 19:02

Thanks TBT and K979. Well I guess I will continue to endure being sent to a different office. I will mention that they should get me there AND back though, within my working times (even though the rounds they put me on are often part-time 34 hour walks) which means I'll likely have to cut off or they'll have to give me a 25-30 hour duty. I'll ask for a witness when I tell my manager too. Thanks again, although I still hold resignation as an option since I am not willing to sent all over the place for my work - all the time.

ad0128 · Post by **ad0128** » 27 Nov 2008, 19:03

happened to me often this summer but i was happy to claim th OT.

The one time i demanded to finish on time (a sat) the manager didnt know the aggreement and had to phone the rep.....and then the area manager to check. All the time 20 mins.....i sttod doing nothing.

In the end he had to stay back and give me a lift back to my own office within my duty time.......and it was a easy walk which i finished anyway

ad0128 · Post by **ad0128** » 27 Nov 2008, 19:04

P.S

i've not been sent to another office since

Stronginthearm · Post by **Stronginthearm** » 27 Nov 2008, 19:08

ad0128 wrote:happened to me often this summer but i was happy to claim th OT.

The one time i demanded to finish on time (a sat) the manager didnt know the aggreement and had to phone the rep.....and then the area manager to check. All the time 20 mins.....i sttod doing nothing.

In the end he had to stay back and give me a lift back to my own office within my duty time.......and it was a easy walk which i finished anyway

Yeah some days the OT is OK, but others like Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have to attend college and my religous meetings, it's very dishearting to be far from home at 4pm knowing you're going to have to miss them. I don't want to appear lazy - work is just ruining my life at the moment though.

Stronginthearm · Post by **Stronginthearm** » 27 Nov 2008, 19:09

ad0128 wrote:P.S

i've not been sent to another office since

Good plan then!

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 27 Nov 2008, 19:14

Stronginthearm wrote:
ad0128 wrote:happened to me often this summer but i was happy to claim th OT.

The one time i demanded to finish on time (a sat) the manager didnt know the aggreement and had to phone the rep.....and then the area manager to check. All the time 20 mins.....i sttod doing nothing.

In the end he had to stay back and give me a lift back to my own office within my duty time.......and it was a easy walk which i finished anyway

Yeah some days the OT is OK, but others like Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have to attend college and my religous meetings, it's very dishearting to be far from home at 4pm knowing you're going to have to miss them. I don't want to appear lazy - work is just ruining my life at the moment though.

You need to get your work-life balance in check sod the overtime life is for liveing work is for paying the bill's and sod the manager's your life is more important than their goal's!.

shaunman · Post by **shaunman** » 27 Nov 2008, 19:16

Hi there from what we were told by our manager and union rep, being moved should not be limited to 1 person, it should be shared, firstly volunteers should be found, then on a rota basis. You only have to work your contracted hours, and im sure if you started telling them this every day then they would sort it out. Also just as a matter of interest have they done health and safety at the new office with you, i.e. fire exits, fire drills, contact names and numbers in case of accident? If not I would report them to the health and safety executive.

Stronginthearm · Post by **Stronginthearm** » 27 Nov 2008, 19:47

shaunman wrote:Hi there from what we were told by our manager and union rep, being moved should not be limited to 1 person, it should be shared, firstly volunteers should be found, then on a rota basis. You only have to work your contracted hours, and im sure if you started telling them this every day then they would sort it out. Also just as a matter of interest have they done health and safety at the new office with you, i.e. fire exits, fire drills, contact names and numbers in case of accident? If not I would report them to the health and safety executive.

Well I know everyone else who has been asked to go has refused so I don't know why they don't just put up a rota, for everyone to do their share. Or, logically, sort out Immingham office so they don't need to borrow staff every day.

Also, no, those sonsabitches didn't show me anything to do with health and safety.

You need to get your work-life balance in check sod the overtime life is for liveing work is for paying the bill's and sod the manager's your life is more important than their goal's!.

Haha, yeah, I need a good de-stressing period!