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Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

An 'unofficial' forum for those who either work for Royal Mail or are looking to work for Royal Mail through the Angard Staffing Agency.This is an open forum.
2chorizon
Posts: 537
Joined: 03 Apr 2019, 20:39
Gender: Male

Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by 2chorizon »

The chance of shifts at the MC i work at has almost dried up completely,
I got just 1 shift in the last 14 days, previously i had been getting 5 shifts a week for the last 2 years due to lockdowns and being on the priority call list.

Angard are sending in new starters who are getting 4-5 shifts a week and i’m not getting in anymore despite being on the priority call list,

Should i look for other work or try and hang on and see if the work picks up and see if i can start getting back in every day again or is 1 shift per week going to be the new normal now going forward?

NW11851
Posts: 374
Joined: 09 Mar 2017, 14:24
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by NW11851 »

I’ve been with Angard, at a MC, for nearly 5 years.

What’s a ‘Priority Call List’?
2chorizon
Posts: 537
Joined: 03 Apr 2019, 20:39
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by 2chorizon »

When you display enough ability they put you on a priority list for the call in to angards, so when they get asked for say 14 people, the first calls go out to those on list first.
Last edited by 2chorizon on 07 Feb 2022, 12:45, edited 1 time in total.
tractorboy2
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 501
Joined: 18 Jan 2012, 11:03
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by tractorboy2 »

2chorizon wrote:
28 Jan 2022, 00:41
When you display enough craven ability they put you on a priority list for the call in to angards, so when they get asked for say 14 people, the first calls go out to you and your other mates who have managed to catch a managers ear.
This is facilitated by corrupt duty room operatives.
In some of the bigger MC’s cash had been known to change hands and the CWU has been met with a wall of silence when trying to tackle it.

But…..this little charade is coming to a very FIRM end now, with the workload dropping off.

It will be a very interesting reckoning.
2022 is the year of the Rat.
My own opinion , What you state is not quite correct. If they need X amount of agency , they deliberately ask for less , then contact their favourites directly.
redheadedwoman
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 131
Joined: 17 Aug 2011, 14:58
Gender: Female

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by redheadedwoman »

2chorizon wrote:
26 Jan 2022, 19:47
The chance of shifts at the MC i work at has almost dried up completely,
I got just 1 shift in the last 14 days, previously i had been getting 5 shifts a week for the last 2 years due to lockdowns and being on the priority call list.

Angard are sending in new starters who are getting 4-5 shifts a week and i’m not getting in anymore despite being on the priority call list,

Should i look for other work or try and hang on and see if the work picks up and see if i can start getting back in every day again or is 1 shift per week going to be the new normal now going forward?
Going on what management at Medway MC are saying you should look for another job as Royal Mails aim is to reduce the amount of agency staff to 0 across all shifts starting from today and only use them at Christmas
We have a Parcel Sorting Machine being built which is going to have an impact on all staff across the plant as only 10-12 people are needed to operate it per shift so we are being told which leaves a lot of us wondering what we are going to do as a duty :roll:
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 10209
Joined: 12 Nov 2008, 17:03
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by SpacePhoenix »

redheadedwoman wrote:
31 Jan 2022, 19:51
2chorizon wrote:
26 Jan 2022, 19:47
The chance of shifts at the MC i work at has almost dried up completely,
I got just 1 shift in the last 14 days, previously i had been getting 5 shifts a week for the last 2 years due to lockdowns and being on the priority call list.

Angard are sending in new starters who are getting 4-5 shifts a week and i’m not getting in anymore despite being on the priority call list,

Should i look for other work or try and hang on and see if the work picks up and see if i can start getting back in every day again or is 1 shift per week going to be the new normal now going forward?
Going on what management at Medway MC are saying you should look for another job as Royal Mails aim is to reduce the amount of agency staff to 0 across all shifts starting from today and only use them at Christmas
We have a Parcel Sorting Machine being built which is going to have an impact on all staff across the plant as only 10-12 people are needed to operate it per shift so we are being told which leaves a lot of us wondering what we are going to do as a duty :roll:
If they cut out the agency staff locally then we'd have every shift failing every day, probably some days by quite a lot. We'd have to take staff firstly from manual letters and flats to cover parcels and Tracked and if things were still bad after that then we'd have to start taking staff from the mech
2chorizon
Posts: 537
Joined: 03 Apr 2019, 20:39
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by 2chorizon »

redheadedwoman wrote:
31 Jan 2022, 19:51
2chorizon wrote:
26 Jan 2022, 19:47
The chance of shifts at the MC i work at has almost dried up completely,
I got just 1 shift in the last 14 days, previously i had been getting 5 shifts a week for the last 2 years due to lockdowns and being on the priority call list.

Angard are sending in new starters who are getting 4-5 shifts a week and i’m not getting in anymore despite being on the priority call list,

Should i look for other work or try and hang on and see if the work picks up and see if i can start getting back in every day again or is 1 shift per week going to be the new normal now going forward?
Going on what management at Medway MC are saying you should look for another job as Royal Mails aim is to reduce the amount of agency staff to 0 across all shifts starting from today and only use them at Christmas
We have a Parcel Sorting Machine being built which is going to have an impact on all staff across the plant as only 10-12 people are needed to operate it per shift so we are being told which leaves a lot of us wondering what we are going to do as a duty :roll:
I heard the same, agency staff only to be used on peak annual events like valentines week / easter / bank holiday weeks & xmas.
Lockardian
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 405
Joined: 29 Oct 2015, 06:19
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by Lockardian »

Not sure if you specifically mean Medway, but those sort of rumours have been flying around our mail centre for years.

Recently they converted quite a few Angard to part-time RM contracts (and most ended up working full time in the run up to Christmas and beyond). Everyone who expressed an interest was interviewed, and for some reason most of the jobs went to Angard staff who had worked there less than a year - some who had only a few weeks service and were still learning the job. We have quite a few Angard staff with well over 5 years experience but were not offered jobs. This hasn’t helped morale at all.
wallan
Posts: 493
Joined: 09 Apr 2012, 08:12
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by wallan »

redheadedwoman wrote:
31 Jan 2022, 19:51
2chorizon wrote:
26 Jan 2022, 19:47
The chance of shifts at the MC i work at has almost dried up completely,
I got just 1 shift in the last 14 days, previously i had been getting 5 shifts a week for the last 2 years due to lockdowns and being on the priority call list.

Angard are sending in new starters who are getting 4-5 shifts a week and i’m not getting in anymore despite being on the priority call list,

Should i look for other work or try and hang on and see if the work picks up and see if i can start getting back in every day again or is 1 shift per week going to be the new normal now going forward?
Going on what management at Medway MC are saying you should look for another job as Royal Mails aim is to reduce the amount of agency staff to 0 across all shifts starting from today and only use them at Christmas
We have a Parcel Sorting Machine being built which is going to have an impact on all staff across the plant as only 10-12 people are needed to operate it per shift so we are being told which leaves a lot of us wondering what we are going to do as a duty :roll:
And the Work you will be Loosing to The Hubs when they are operational
paulus103
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 216
Joined: 19 Jan 2018, 01:55
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by paulus103 »

PSM machines have to pay for themselves so that means reducing variable spend e.g. RM overtime and Agency workers.
At the moment my mail centre has no agency staff booked for Monday to Friday.

Once our psm is running combined with NW Hub I don't think there will be any agency shifts available at all.
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 10209
Joined: 12 Nov 2008, 17:03
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by SpacePhoenix »

Both the PSMs and the hubs are going to have to be able to handle anything from the tiny Chinese items right through to massive parcels as these days you get both sleeves and yorks that are a right mix of large and small, Tracked and non-Tracked. You also see the odd SD or tray of letters or flats
Warbo
Posts: 103
Joined: 08 Apr 2008, 22:58

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by Warbo »

Its a jobseekers market at present. Phone up interveiw/induction and can you start tomorrow. If you are happy as agency do 3-6 months and move on.
Casual999
Posts: 14
Joined: 15 Jan 2021, 07:18
Gender: Male

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by Casual999 »

I only get guaranteed booked shifts at the month end now, normally just 2 or 3 4/6 shifts for 1 week only .
I don't respond to the last minute email shifts, as it is not practical, also I work for another agency now as well.
So , yes, as Royalmail have taken on more permanent staff + machines being installed, they dont seem to need so many angard casuals now.
Whose going to make up the sleeved yorks now?
A lot of Royalmail staff I have worked with claim to have bad backs and shoulders and can't make them up !
Good luck to all casuals trying to get shifts here, maybe hang in there till xmas 2022, regards
Warbo
Posts: 103
Joined: 08 Apr 2008, 22:58

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by Warbo »

It has been sometime has everyone moved on?
Warbo
Posts: 103
Joined: 08 Apr 2008, 22:58

Re: Shifts dried up completely, should i look for alternative work?

Post by Warbo »

How are the shifts going? Or have you all moved on?
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