One wave

[SpacePhoenix]

Yes they are currently looking at ways to go to one wave and at the minute it may result in much later start/finish times. But nothing is confirmed or set in stone and another operation may come in to change it.

There's no "may" about it, one wave WILL mean later start and finish times as it'll be physically impossible to have all the mech sequenced so early, you'd probably be looking at around 09:00-09:30 at the earliest for any DO

[mancpat]

Yes they are currently looking at ways to go to one wave and at the minute it may result in much later start/finish times. But nothing is confirmed or set in stone and another operation may come in to change it.

There's no "may" about it, one wave WILL mean later start and finish times as it'll be physically impossible to have all the mech sequenced so early, you'd probably be looking at around 09:00-09:30 at the earliest for any DO

There is a may. Because there's no guarantee that this is definitely going to come in. It is a trial we never know what is wrong the corner.

[k979aaa]

lets put it this way one wave or not they will be coming for hours why come in early and not take your meal relief or go over your time for nothing some actions cost you nothing but neglecting any of these will see you doing more!

[fishtank]

The idea of finishing deliveries on foot at 4-5pm is not something the union can accept, not only is it dark it's also much colder especially further north than the M25, yes in the past we did deliver in the dark in the morning but there are 3 main differences..

1. The crazies were not around at 7am and the pubs weren't open.

2. Members were not exhausted after a 4-5hr delivery.

3. Roads are far busier in the early evening than early morning.

Any delivery work at that time of day has to be parcel based or the health and safety implications become horrendous for our members.

[k979aaa]

The idea of finishing deliveries on foot at 4-5pm is not something the union can accept, not only is it dark it's also much colder especially further north than the M25, yes in the past we did deliver in the dark in the morning but there are 3 main differences..

1. The crazies were not around at 7am and the pubs weren't open.

2. Members were not exhausted after a 4-5hr delivery.

3. Roads are far busier in the early evening than early morning.

Any delivery work at that time of day has to be parcel based or the health and safety implications become horrendous for our members.

Most will leave but that is what they want so be it on thier heads up on high but she don't care on the package she is on.

[Martin Walsh]

Make your minds up ! I was heavily criticised when I said we should attempt to stop Royal Mail from buying the Large Letter Sorting Machines . I was told I was a Luddite and Royal Mail would not listen.

Now your telling me that machines which won't get the work to deliver offices until later often 2 hours plus later that now we cannot deliver later.

I would agree with all the points Fish pointed out ! But what if the work don't land in your office until 9 in the morning or later and your on a 39 hour contract or a 30 hour contract ? What is the answer ? It is easier to say let's not work later but you can't work earlier because there will be the work in the office. You see we are good at shouting the reasons why not I am accused of doing that at our National Offices quite a lot including on this plan but we not all great at thinking of plan b. This is when you only have 13% of work in before 9 or later how would you fill your hours if you did not work past 3 and not all can afford to buy down or quit.

You ask me what the union is doing , I think some are as shocked as you are and are angry as well. I took 22 local reps through the strategy yesterday and they were shocked as well. I have taken over 70 local reps through it so far. Our natural reaction is to fight it and certainly the area I cover won't be accepting one wave without a row.

But this is bigger than one area , division or office. This is a 5 year plan in a number of phases . When we had the move to one delivery it was basically a one year strategy , when we had BT 2010 it was a three year strategy.

This is a 5 year strategy with some of it not even confirmed such as the funding for the Large letter machines. Additionally this is an urban strategy , it cannot be the same for rural or remote places which are too far from mail centres.

The PEC had a full presentation for the first time from Royal Mail yesterday. This is how new it is. There will be a national briefing for Branch's to have an input and a policy forum to make policy and of course in April we have conference.

I would suggest some of you attend your Branch AGMs or contact your branch to make your points know. Cause that will be the only way you will influence matters and of course your office can request a PEC member to visit or a Divisional Rep so your office can give their views and listen to them as well.

Like I said up to now most have just thought this was about a 6 hour walks that is the last piece of a very long and complicated jigsaw. Unless you tackle the first parts of the plan in a strong manner and I meant a strike we will be on a treadmill to the last piece.

[Glenno]

You ask me what the union is doing , I think some are as shocked as you are and are angry as well. I took 22 local reps through the strategy yesterday and they were shocked as well. I have taken over 70 local reps through it so far. Our natural reaction is to fight it and certainly the area I cover won't be accepting one wave without a row.

So already London local Rep's (70) have been privvy to the proposed changes that are going to effect ALL of us, across all sections, to my knowledge there have been 2 DIV Rep's meetings & 2 presentations ? to the PEC and in some Divisions there has been meetings at Area level, why oh why is there not a National Briefing about this??

It appears to be on a Division by Division basis that information is cascaded down, far too slow and divisive in my opinion, there needs to be at least an LTB about this

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Make your minds up ! I was heavily criticised when I said we should attempt to stop Royal Mail from buying the Large Letter Sorting Machines . I was told I was a Luddite and Royal Mail would not listen.

Because different people have different opinions, they do say put 3 people in a closed room with just a newspaper and you'll have 4 different options.

[toomuchcoke]

3, When it all comes a little too close together we have to have leave it stacked up outside because we do not have the space inside to hold any more than the 15 Yorks a 7.5 brings.

4, Hundreds of new homes in the planning stage and if they get the go ahead we're screwed because we don't have the physical space to have new/ bigger frames. or the extra 2/3 vans that would be required.

Apart from the fact that our rep hasn't made any announcements lately and the fact the hundreds of homes near us are already under construction I could think you where talking about my office!

I think a 17.5 could get into our yard, but only if he doesn't turn up any later than the current second 7.5 as otherwise the car park outside will be full and they'd have nowhere to turn round in order to reverse in. (Well, unless they want to reverse off a roundabout with a major supermarket as one of the exits? Can't see the police, the council or even the supermarket being wild about that!)

So before any of this 1 wave crap hits us we're going to need a nice shiny new office.
Our nearest neighbouring office about 10 miles away will be in the same boat, so presumably the logical solution will be for us to be amalgamated at a location mid way between the two.

That would mean more travel out and back from the first and last delivery points which equals less delivery time.

I would assume there are a good number of offices in a similar situation, which will put the brakes on this for a while, for some of us at least.

In a reasonable world, the RM would be on top of this and already planning the relevant office moves & amalgamations - get them out of the way in advance and bedded in nicely, and then switch to one-wave. As it is, I rather expect them to push ahead with things in a "I'm holding a hammer, so every problem looks like a nail" manner and then wonder why (a) the expected financial savings aren't appearing and (b) the staff retention rate has collapsed.

[Chelseablue]

We're gonna lose a third of the work force also?

[citypostie]

So with the 2 modelling scenarios, the 1st one keeps start times the same but means any savings from shedding mail centre and distribution jobs would probably be outweighed by needing more hours on the inward sorting because of the drop in sequenced mail? Whereas moving all the starts backwards allows them to cut jobs and not need extra resource for inward sorting? Yes dingo its very obvious which option they will be keen to go for!

[fishtank]

Perhaps it's time to explore more radical solutions, why can't the majority of mail be sequenced earlier in the day, the vast majority is not time sensitive, the obligation to deliver first class letters the following day limits our ability to explore different resourcing models but is that obligation still relevant in 2016?

[SpacePhoenix]

Perhaps it's time to explore more radical solutions, why can't the majority of mail be sequenced earlier in the day, the vast majority is not time sensitive, the obligation to deliver first class letters the following day limits our ability to explore different resourcing models but is that obligation still relevant in 2016?

• The 1st class mail doesn't get to MCs early enough to be able to do that and never will do
• Most MCs will use their iLSMs or IMPs to sequence some batches, these machines won't be available to use for sequencing until outward sorting is complete

[halfull]

the union should tell them to get lost & get another plan! This one is damaging to our members! end of!
Tell them to make us all part time but keep our pay exactly the same! fulltime pay for partime work! See how they react to unrealistic proposals!
Nobody should be made to walk longer than we already do or deliver on foot in the dark, both are a h&s disaster! How many police officers do you see walking the streets in high crime areas when its pitch black? or any areas at all? you never see it! We will be expected under these plans to walk the dark streets at 5-6pm! or how about on a heavy day if people go 2 hours over their time? 8pm delivering post on foot! what a joke! Tell them to come up with another plan!

[dvbuk55]

Perhaps it's time to explore more radical solutions, why can't the majority of mail be sequenced earlier in the day, the vast majority is not time sensitive, the obligation to deliver first class letters the following day limits our ability to explore different resourcing models but is that obligation still relevant in 2016?

Whoa! That's thinking outside the Royal Mail/CWU comfort zone. How much simpler the delivery model would be if there was a 24 hour delay. If truth be known there are very few companies and individuals who now require next day delivery for letters or require them to be tracked. Parcels are a different matter but then that would enable those items to be given priority if that is the new RM target market.