MAIL CENTRES - IMPLEMENTING THE SHORTER WORKING WEEK

[POSTMAN]

TO: ALL BRANCHES WITH POSTAL MEMBERS


Dear Colleague

MAIL CENTRES - IMPLEMENTING THE SHORTER WORKING WEEK

Following some recent enquiries, we met Royal Mail to further clarify two issues affecting the implementation of the shorter working week in Mail Centres. As a result we have now agreed with Royal Mail to resolve these matters on the following basis.

Delays in implementing the Mail Centre Shorter Working Week

This issue relates to enquiries whereby the shorter working week has been delayed until transformation lump sums were actually paid, rather than when they were triggered.

• It has now been accepted that the shorter working week is due to be implemented at the same time as transformation lump sums are triggered – not when the payments were actually made. Therefore, if you are in a mail centre where the above mentioned situation has happened and caused a delay, then members will be entitled to a credit. Mail centres affected by this should identify the extra hours people have worked going back to the date transformation lump sums were triggered and then agree locally how a credit should be taken.

• Where some mail centres immediately passed the trigger point when the criteria was changed, effectively bringing forward their payments, the due date for crediting the shorter working week will be the 19th July 2010. Again, local discussions should determine how the credit is taken.

• Where this issue has not yet arisen because payments have yet to be triggered, we have agreed that local discussions should be taking place now so that the shorter working week can be introduced simultaneously when the lump sum payments are triggered, rather than creating a delay or credit situation.

Methods of Implementing the Shorter Working Week

We have also received a few enquiries over how the shorter working week can generally be implemented in mail centres. Following discussion with Royal Mail, we have agreed that different duty options can be explored at the request of either party. The key principle being, that it is legitimate to discuss and agree innovative duty patterns that meet both the needs of the business and the aspirations of employees.

Further guidelines to assist introduction of the shorter working week in mail centres are currently being discussed and will be issued in due course.

Any enquiries on the above should be directed to Phil Browne Acting Assistant Secretary Indoor Department.

Yours sincerely


Dave Ward Phil Browne
Deputy General Secretary (P) Acting Assistant Secretary