Should I be getting Sunday premium pay?

[irishgerry]

Hi, I'm a part timer with a 5hr a week, Sunday only contract. Just been made permanent after 6 months. There are 5 of us in our office with the same contract. Last month Royal Mail jobs advertised for (I heard) 5 more guys on the same contract. It suits RM because we all do lots of overtime, have to work every Sunday, and get left at home when things are quiet. I get paid about £55 for a Sunday after NI and union dues.

The ad for the new jobs seems to offer them more than we get, nearly £6 an hour more. We don't get any Sunday premium. I'm wondering if this is a mistake in the ad, that Sunday premium is only for people who do Sundays as overtime? Or if it's not a mistake, why don't we get it as well?
Would any of you know anything about this, or, if not, know who I should approach to ask about it?
Thanks..

Screenshot_20220318-201638_Chrome_1.jpg

[redlen]

This looks like an advert from an employment agency, not Royal Mail

They are normally just a ruse to get people to register with that company, so take anything they say with a pinch of salt

Go onto the Royal Mail recruitment portal and type in the postcode to see if the offer is legit first

[streets97]

If you are contracted to work Sunday you should get an extra £5 am hour or about that figure I'm not sure the exact payment, someone on here will give you a definite answer though

[redlen]

Technically, that is incorrect.

The employee is only a Sunday contracted worker. Salary levels will be explicit in the express terms in his contract of employment.

[irishgerry]

This looks like an advert from an employment agency, not Royal Mail

They are normally just a ruse to get people to register with that company, so take anything they say with a pinch of salt

Go onto the Royal Mail recruitment portal and type in the postcode to see if the offer is legit first

Yes, that's a screenshot from the local jobcentre website, although it was on the RM jobs website too. It is not on it any more, they have moved on to the interview stage, however if you go to https://jobs.royalmailgroup.com/ and search for "postperson", every single one of the jobs mentions a £5.83 per hour Sunday premium... We started last October and I can't remember specifically whether the ad for our jobs mentioned it, but it seems odd that every other starting postie except us would get it... I've been made permanent since 22nd February, but the wages haven't changed. Thanks for the replies...

[irishgerry]

Technically, that is incorrect.

The employee is only a Sunday contracted worker. Salary levels will be explicit in the express terms in his contract of employment.

I think you are probably right. I looked up my original contract of employment and there is no mention of a Sunday premium payment. I probably should not get it.

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[iHateD2Ds]

If your contract doesn't mention Sunday pay enhancements then unfortunately there is none.

This only leads to disappointment like you have experienced when you learn others are being paid a lot more for doing the same work.

Where is the CWU on this?
Long term its damaging all employees terms and conditions by gradual watering down.

If you have seen a job advertised which includes Sunday pay enhancment, I would certainly challange management on the subject and demand the same pay rate.

If there is a few of you, then group collective with union backing would have more clout with your complaint.

[irishgerry]

Thanks for all your replies. I'll get on to the union about it, see what can be done...

[ninja]

Managers don't have a clue on allowances and often find employees not getting the right pay. Once you have identified the correct allowances it is equally important that the HR17 process is followed. Most bookrooms pay allowances via the Ad Hoc payment section on PSP, but this doesn't provide any pay protection under the MTSF agreement.

In short if you work Sunday as part of your conditioned hours, then you are entitled to the Sunday Premium. Below is an edited version of correspondence I had sent to various managers over the years.

Pay Guide is out of date, but shows what allowances are available.

Dear All,

Recently, xxxx asked for advice concerning Sunday Premium and during this conversation he seemed to suggest that he and others are contracted to work on a Sunday within the office.

You may not be aware that an additional payment is made to employees that work on a Sunday as part of their contracted hours. I have attached the pay document and a picture of the allowance payable.

ADDITIONAL PENSIONABLE PAYMENT FOR
SUNDAY CONDITIONED HOURS £5.51 £5.62 per hour

In xxx we have three employees that work on a Saturday and Sunday, so attract this payment.

xxx seems to believe that you only have one individual working on a Sunday and normally we have two working in most of the callers around the patch. Obviously, you may have completed a lone worker's risk assessment and have copied xxx in so he can have a look on his next visit.

It became clear from my conversation with xxx that he hasn’t been paid this allowance for Sunday working and so you will need to rectify this and pay any arrears to other employees.

The main point to remember is that this payment is only for contracted hours and not individuals working on overtime.

HR17 team should be able to provide further support.

If you need further support, please let me know.download/file.php?mode=view&id=14292

[irishgerry]

Thanks very much, that's very useful. Would you mind explaining the acronyms for me please?
HR17
PSP
MTSF
And who should I approach in the first instance to find out if I might be entitled to the allowance? My manager, or my union rep?

[redlen]

Yet again, the problem that I can see is that the employee is only a specific Sunday contract of five hours. It will reference the pay in his contract of employment.

Not saying i am right or wrong and think the best idea is for the employee to phone HR direct for confirmation on entitlement

[rogersh]

Thanks very much, that's very useful. Would you mind explaining the acronyms for me please?
HR17
PSP
MTSF
And who should I approach in the first instance to find out if I might be entitled to the allowance? My manager, or my union rep?

PSP People Systems Portal - PSP is a new system which will replace Royal Mail Group’s payroll and HR systems.


MTSF It's managed under the "Managing the Surplus Framework" agreement. It's a whole procedure that the union and management go through where management has to officially declare that there's more staff than needed.

You can find it at this link viewtopic.php?f=36&t=33667&p=352794#p352794

[POSTMAN]

Up to date pay rate guide is here...
viewtopic.php?f=69&t=99838

Although it's newer than Ninja's one it still does not have the 1% pay rise from last year.

[irishgerry]

Thanks everyone. HR says I should have been getting it and to contact my manager. When I rang him the next day he said he'd already been notified and I would be getting it from now on, and I would also get the 6 months arrears, and so would the four other guys. Two of them had declined the offer of a permanent contract, said it wasn't worth working every Sunday for £55. It's a pity we weren't getting it all along, they might have stayed.
Happy days..

[redlen]

Thanks for the update.

Now HR have confirmed it we can use this thread as a reference source for future posters