Why doesn't Royal Mail use Furlough

A2B · Post by **A2B** » 22 Apr 2020, 22:05

Dorset Plodder wrote:
A2B wrote:
The vast majority of the workfoce would not want to be put on furlough, but i believe RM should offer it to the people who need it. How many people are off sick at the moment or who have taken unpaid leave to protect themselves or a family member.

It does not require the whole of RM to be shut down
Can you really see that working A2B?

Postie A carries on working (with all the previously meantioned risks)...... Postie B is sat at home on 80% Furlough Pay ..... I think this company has enough Divisions within it already, without making another one. Could you imagine the feelings of animosity within the DO.

At least as my Old mate Dave Cameron used to say, "We're all in it together"!

Can only go from my office and the impression i get on here but i believe the vast majority of workers wouldn't (or couldn't) consider giving up 20% of their wage unless it was absolutely necessary.

koolishy67 · Post by **koolishy67** » 22 Apr 2020, 22:14

Happy with 80% and staying home and watch my postman from window everyday who taking a risk and working 7 hours a day for Just that 20% you know what mean most people will go with 80% don't forget ony that extra 20% you have to pay tax and national insurance so so you are not lossing that much

Dorset Plodder · Post by **Dorset Plodder** » 22 Apr 2020, 22:33

A2B wrote:
Can only go from my office and the impression i get on here but i believe the vast majority of workers wouldn't (or couldn't) consider giving up 20% of their wage unless it was absolutely necessary.

I agree most Posties would struggle to take UN-PAID leave .......... I expect quite a few more would be able to manage on 80% remember there's a lot of "Old & Bold" recieving their Pensions and still working (and if you're Lucky your Missus could be minted).

The bottom line is: We're not going to be Furloughed. If you were a cynic you might say Rico pushed for us to be classed as "Key Workers" so Royal Mail wouldn't go Tits Up ..... or maybe we are really that important to the UK? Either way we're not going to be furloughed.

TBH I'm quite happy to continue at the moment. Social Distancing Measures are in place (luckily we've got a modern spacious buiding), PPE has been provided, The Majority of Posties seem to be getting the 2m Rule..... with a few diehard idiots still pushing it.

The New Delivery System works for me .... More Parcels but Streaming Loads of Non-Essential Mail .... Most People are in ... Nothing to get Signed .... I'm Claiming Less Pressure than I used to.

I don't think you can overestimate the Advantages of Getting Out in the Sunshine & Fresh Air ...... getting Regular Excercise and having some Social Interaction.

When this is over there's going to be loads of people that have ended up going Stir Crazy.

A2B · Post by **A2B** » 22 Apr 2020, 22:34

Looks like i might be wrong then! Personally while i'm certainly aware there's still a risk of catching the virus while working i feel the risk has been greatly reduced recently with the single vans, social distancing, later starts if required and basically people being more aware of proper protocol.

Got to admit i don't know how Furlough works in the real world...

Would you just get basic pay with no bonus or supplements?

Does your pension still get contributed to or does it pause?

Pumpernickel · Post by **Pumpernickel** » 22 Apr 2020, 22:47

I'll post it again for clarity: Key worker status does not prevent anyone from potential furlough.

Having read through the conditions: The employer must use a UK (online) PAYE scheme that was in place no later than 19th March, and use a UK account. Furlough must be mutually agreed between both employee and employer.

Obviously RM don't want us on furlough (and we are busy enough for them to make the case that we're not adversely affected by the lockdown), so there will be no mutual agreement.

Dorset Plodder · Post by **Dorset Plodder** » 22 Apr 2020, 22:51

The Honest answer is, "I don't know either".

I believe the ONLY people in RM that are being paid as Normal to Self-Isolate are those who received the Government letter about being in the Vunerable Category. There's certainly enough information on the CWU notice board, ask your Rep if it's not.

Personally IF you feel uncomfortable working in the current climate then money shouldn't really be the major factor in considering the risk to health for you and your Family.

I simply expressed my feelings on the situation. Every DO is different, and we all have different attitudes to risk. Good Luck.

ssdd · Post by **ssdd** » 22 Apr 2020, 22:57

Dorset Plodder wrote:The Honest answer is, "I don't know either".

I believe the ONLY people in RM that are being paid as Normal to Self-Isolate are those who received the Government letter about being in the Vunerable Category. There's certainly enough information on the CWU notice board, ask your Rep if it's not.

Personally IF you feel uncomfortable working in the current climate then money shouldn't really be the major factor in considering the risk to health for you and your Family. I simply expressed my feelings on the situation. Every DO is different, and we all have different attitudes to risk. Good Luck.

I think the only others to be paid as normal are those self-isolating for 7 days with symptoms. Unless that's changed again...

wf · Post by wf » 23 Apr 2020, 07:47

To be clear ,there are people who have NO wages being paid
And that is because they have used their sick pay up
This is no fault of theirs ,that they have been so ill they will no longer get paid ,if they need to shield a family member or have conditions that they need to shield themselves
You simply cannot stay 2 metres apart ,the place is also filthy and never properly cleaned which increases risk
If these people have a letter ,they will still not be paid ,and union know this
These people should be furloughed to make sure these people have some money coming in to live on
The choice at the minute a lot of people have made ,is to go without money
The key worker status has just put one major hurdle in the way for these people ,it was a Cwu own goal

Woody Guthrie · Post by **Woody Guthrie** » 23 Apr 2020, 08:52

The reason behind furlough was to dissuade employers from taking the easy option and putting millions of people straight on to the dole the minute they shut their businesses creating even more chaos in the benefits system and potentially costing industry in the long term through re-recruitment and training.

The idea of furlough being used for vulnerable members of staff was never really in the mix to start with and to be honest businesses that are still working should be responsible themselves for protecting their staff rather than dumping the cost straight on to the tax payer. There's no reason why HMRC couldn't if necessary help with these added costs through normal tax offset rules and I would be surprised if the cost of shielding vulnerable staff isn't tax deductible already.

The problem with using this scheme for vulnerable staff is the same old, same old.
With the difficulty in obtaining medical evidence where do you draw the line?

wf · Post by wf » 23 Apr 2020, 14:53

A good start would be to furlough the people who are currently on unpaid /or having to use annual leave and take it from there
The guidance has changed ,in that its not just for people who would of otherwise been made redundant anymore
There is nothing stopping the business letting people get paid 80% to keep them ticking over while following government guidelines,regards being vulnerable and or shielding
The nhs has enough to cope with ,let’s not add to it

Post by **POSTMAN** » 23 Apr 2020, 16:15

As stated in the stickied thread where Royal Mail said to me...

Royal Mail Email wrote:The 80% scheme is only for furloughed workers. This would therefore not apply to Royal Mail staff as there is currently work available and we are not currently in a position where we are considering redundancies due to the Covid-19 situation.

https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communi ... 71&t=94965" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

wf · Post by wf » 23 Apr 2020, 16:52

POSTMAN wrote:As stated in the stickied thread where Royal Mail said to me...

Royal Mail Email wrote:The 80% scheme is only for furloughed workers. This would therefore not apply to Royal Mail staff as there is currently work available and we are not currently in a position where we are considering redundancies due to the Covid-19 situation.
https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communi ... 71&t=94965" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That stickie may need updated ,as of yesterday
It’s no longer just for people who would of been made redundant
Well according to the Cwu legal document on line