absorption and PT Posties

[doorstepped]

Hi All.
First post so please be gentle ( although I am partial to a little bit of rough from time to time ;) )

I am on a 25 hour 5 day over 6 contract ( I used to be full time then two weeks before my 1st year was up they told me I was going PT )

I was wondering if any other pt posties have absorption to do on top of their normal walk?
also I was today given a second asobrption on top of the usual one. I have been told that not all offices are forcing pt staff to do an absorption, can someone clarify this for me
and also the official line with this matter

we are 5 members of staff down and the management wont get anyone else in until we have sorted our revision ( two years so far and still not sorted ) so I can see this extra absorption going on for quite a while.

Thanks all

[clashcityrocker]

Whether you absorb or not will depend on several things.

If you are on a 5hr/day contract you are entitled to a 30 minute break - leaving you 4hr 30.
Are you expected to prep at all? (Door to door?)
Do you tie down your own walk? (Redirections/dead letters etc)
Are you just a bag carrier?
How long is your delivery span? How long does it actually take you on a Tuesday assuming the mail is lighter.
Basically you are expected to work all your paid hours. They will try and fill it. It is up to you to decide what you can realistically achieve.
If they give you too much work for your allocated hours you have to decide if you want the overtime or not.

[london sub]

Absorption (lapsing) can only be done if you have time with in your contracted hours. You can do absorption on over time if you wish, but working over your contracted hours is voluntary. Don't be forced, pressurised, or even bullied in to doing more than is required. This is just tactics that the management think they can get away with.

I've also noticed recently that colleagues of mine being made up to full time from part time only on three month rolling contracts. Royal mail would rather have a part time work force than a full time one.

[doorstepped]

Are you expected to prep at all? (Door to door?) --- I prep / deliver all the d2d on the walk and also throw in some of the ips sorted mail and sort the packets etc.

Do you tie down your own walk? (Redirections/dead letters etc) --- yes, I bundle up, dead letter, redirect etc

Are you just a bag carrier? --- no

How long is your delivery span? --- I am on a full time delivery walk 3hr 15m rated

How long does it actually take you on a Tuesday assuming the mail is lighter. - - - almost the same time bar about 10 mins. normal day I am just about on my time or maybe 15 mins over. so over a week I work the 25 hours they pay me for.

[clashcityrocker]

So with your 4hr 30 you are expected to finish off prepping your duty and tie it down. - at least 45 minutes indoor work?
The delivery span is 3hr 15 - running total of 4hr work.
This leaves you 30 minutes which would normally be 15 minutes conveyance to the start of your walk and 15 minutes pouching off.
You don't have sufficient time within your duty to absorb at all.
Claim the overtime if you want it.

[fishtank]

Royal Mail are way behind on their savings targets.
The delivery methods revisions revisions are costing money not saving.
Managers are under extreme pressure to find savings from somewhere.
Lapsing is that somewhere....

ABSORPTION – SOME SIMPLE GUIDELINES.


• FIRST THING TO DO IS STOP COMING IN EARLY. START ON TIME

• MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR FULL MEAL RELIEF ENTITLEMENT

• MEAL RELIEF SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AT THE END OF DUTIES

• PUT ALL ADDITIONAL POUCHES OUT

• ADHERE TO THE POUCH WEIGHT MATRIX

• DO NOT USE PRIVATE CARS ON DELIVERY

Extract from National Agreement below.

‘Both parties are committed to introducing new ways of working throughout the business by April 2008. (Revised timescales have subsequently been nationally agreed) In order to achieve this there will be a trial in four offices per AGM area covering the following:
- New arrangements to cover for one another and develop sensible options to absorb absences, and increased workload, where time exists within normal hours
- To ensure all paid work hours are utilised
- To creates a working environment where employees, CWU reps and managers feel valued and motivated.
This flexibility could also facilitate arrangements for employees to make their own arrangements to cover and swap duties (subject to approval from their manager) – within contracted hours, providing quality of service is not adversely affected and there are no additional costs to the business’.

• Bombard managers with requests to finish early, start late and swap duties

• CWU reps should ask managers to demonstrate how they have identified spare capacity on a delivery. Also how have they come up with the amount of work that is being asked to absorb. Can we see the calculation? This is a perfectly reasonable request. If you are not happy invoke the IR Framework.

• Remember members cannot be forced to work beyond their time. The key is ABSORPTION not extension.