DOM called me into office

[eastie]

The DOM called me into the office as he has noticed that I have been going over daily since I have been working with a floater .
He asked me why I have been getting back later and I told him that my partner for the past 2 weeks (aged about 63) was slower than me and uses a trolley which he is entitled to do.
He asked me is he slow and I said it was more a case of me being faster than him as younger and faster leg speed and I asked him what does he mean by slow.
He then asked me if I helped him deliver some of his loops if I finished mine 1st and I said I did after I had finished the large parcels, boxes and specials as me being the driver.
The DOM wants me to write down where I am helping my partner and to give it to him at the end of the week.
I said to the DOM that I did not want to dob onone of my work collegues and felt uncomfortable about it
The DOM said that he had also done this with his previous people he had worked with on other weeks.
Don't know what other posters think about this and should I involve the union?

[Darren Bent]

Probably looking to get rid of older workers and need excuses.

[osgoody1970]

get union involved asap, this is the thin end of the wedge!!!!

[rehabron]

RM have this continual habit of making comparisons on how other employees times are on completing the same duty because they themselves have no hands on experience of the route and rely on this method or a colleague complaint to assist them because as far as they are concerned going over your finishing time is an individual cause and nothing to do with placing colleagues on an unfamiliar walk, office leaving time, daily difference in mail volumes with additional items requiring addressee signature and as you age your body does not work to the same capacity. Your post does not state the length of time you have being going over on a daily basis and do you feel in relation to other partners that you have had that the delay is excessive and basically being down to this floater being slower than others who has only been covering this part pf the P&L for 2 weeks. Your floater in this instance has decided to use a trolley which is his entitlement whereas previous partners may have done this part of the P&L differently. Has there been complaints from others when this floater is covering other duties? By asking you to write down the assistance you are giving this floater is your DOM building up enough evidence against this 63 yo colleague to take further action or is your DOM in a caring manner looking to reduce this colleagues workload. I would think it would be the initial reason and not the latter. I would involve your union rep and advise him/her what you have been requested to do from your manager before you put anything into writing.

[Pompey Boy]

This type of bullying of older posties must be coming from high up nationally. We have the same in our office and unforunately the "runners" side with the guvnors, who often whinge about being back late if paired with an older person. In our office the guvnors openly talk about it "being a young persons job" these days, particularly the hybrid duties.

Your guvnor is asking you to spy on, assess and report back on the older guy. Could be the start of a process where they say he is not up to the job and medically retire him as there are no "light" duties any more.

[tommyrep]

Eastie
Tell him to ram it ! Are you so stupid as to fall for that s..t ?
He is asking YOU to do what he does not have the balls to do and you can be assured when he approaches the old guy he will tell him it was YOU complaining. He uses the methods, ? does/did your previous partner use a trolley ? There is no case here. It is not your place to judge a colleagues work, especially on speed of delivery. The younger speedsters who start early and run about jumping fences etc are being used as examples of what posties should be. They compete lie school children for a gold star and pat on the back from useless, lazy ex failed posties themselves? Once you are on a zero hour contract with minimum wage and no pension worth having, look at your new "older" partner and remember that managers request. They really are scumbags and will try any trick in the book to justify their own over rated existence.
Grrr the very thought sickens me !

[clashcityrocker]

Could be the start of a process where they say he is not up to the job and medically retire him as there are no "light" duties any more.

How could they medically retire him?
I would be more worried that as part of any talks RM want to revisit the NCI process (and this has been mentioned on these pages) which isn't fit for purpose.

[cobrakai]

Eastie
Tell him to ram it ! Are you so stupid as to fall for that s..t ?
He is asking YOU to do what he does not have the balls to do and you can be assured when he approaches the old guy he will tell him it was YOU complaining. He uses the methods, ? does/did your previous partner use a trolley ? There is no case here. It is not your place to judge a colleagues work, especially on speed of delivery. The younger speedsters who start early and run about jumping fences etc are being used as examples of what posties should be. They compete lie school children for a gold star and pat on the back from useless, lazy ex failed posties themselves? Once you are on a zero hour contract with minimum wage and no pension worth having, look at your new "older" partner and remember that managers request. They really are scumbags and will try any trick in the book to justify their own over rated existence.
Grrr the very thought sickens me !

Exactly this. He's trying to use you to build up a case,don't fall for it. Royal Mail gaffers are worse than scumbags to me give or take a couple I have met over the last 20 years,they are all bullies and failures at life.

Never ever believe a gaffer!!

[Pompey Boy]

Could be the start of a process where they say he is not up to the job and medically retire him as there are no "light" duties any more.

How could they medically retire him?
I would be more worried that as part of any talks RM want to revisit the NCI process (and this has been mentioned on these pages) which isn't fit for purpose.

I don't know enough details, but at 63 he may have the odd thing wrong with him. If they went down the ATOS route who knows what might happen, but if they decide that he can't do his job he is of no use to them

[WOBBLY]

Just when I though RM management couldn't get more underhand....... They never cease to amaze me the lengths they'll go to!!

[bustedflush]

Have you spoken to the older guy? Maybe he has intimated (privately) he wouldn't mind being ER'd as the job's a bit tough now. Remember he would have been mid 50's when P&L came in and that's quite an age to start walking 8 miles a day for years. Speak to him and 'dobbing him in it' may be doing him a favour? I know several of the 60-somethings I spoke 2 couldn't wait to get out early if the opportunity arose.

[barneyrotts]

They are playing one against the other,dividing the workforce,not good.

[eastie]

He has only been a postie for 6 months and is the same speed on all walks .
Does the job by the book and uses the tools provided.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If this guy is as canny as he appears to be, the older postie that is, then the manager may be hoisting his own petard. If the Manager does dismiss him for not being fast enough doing the job, hoping that he won't fight back because of the 2-year rule. Well, he might have a surprise as I believe age discrimination is automatically unfair and therefore doesn't have a 2-year limit.

I personally would refuse to report back, that is a coach's and a manager's job and is, in my opinion, not a reasonable request.

[charlie1]

Ask for your DOM to put his request and reasons for it in writing, just to see if its forthcoming. Doubt you will hear anymore which should tell you everything. This is not something for you to get involved in.