Facts not spin

[Martin Walsh]

The members will over the next few weeks decide the way they want to vote but it is important that in doing so they are presented with the facts not spin.

Therefore these are the facts.

1. The joint statement will now ensure every unit reviews and addresses quality of service and USO failure’s including us the IR framework.

2. There is a process now to resolve supernumeraries in mail centres.

3. The current last letter of 15:30 for urban and 16:30 for Rural Deliveries will move next year to a last letter of 16:30. However the vast majority of delivery (93% ) units will finish before 16.00 with 63% before 15.30.

4. The last letter has to be a UK wide figure and recognise some delivery units are over 2 hours away from their mail centre. It does not and has never meant everyone will finish at 16.30 as the network would not work.

5. The 60 and 90 minutes are indicative times for each unit. The aim of the joint working parties will be to improve on this over the next few months. Remembering only circa 5% of mail is carried by planes

6. In December every individual will be written to with their units start and finish times and there will be an exceptions process where individuals can ask for their individual circumstances to be taken into account.

7. On the escrow money it is simply untrue that it is your pension pot. The escrow was set up by Royal Mail funded it and it was the union last October during the talks who said we should us this monies to give staff a lump sum. Especially as Royal Mail finances meant it could not come from their current balance sheet.

8.

[Rommagic]

Martin I am currently a 12.45 Saturday finish.New tines in the week will be 15.23 or 15.53.What movement on a Saturday?.current week time is 14.15.

[meweavy]

I’m pretty sure last letter for most offices will be 16.30
I’m in a larger office and it has moved from 14.40 finish on a busy day to last letter 16.30 if this deal comes in.
So my time will move from 14.40 to about 16.45 at least.
If you include getting back ,emptying the van signing in specials,redeliveries.
That’s an extra 125 minutes not including flexing.
So where does this 60 -90 minutes come from?
2 hours at least.

[Chitchat]

How can I vote yes to a deal, when I won't find out my actual finish times till December? The finish times should be published before the vote so there is total transparency on what we are actually voting for or against.

[Pidleypoo]

So we won’t know our finish times until December but we’ll be voting months before that ?

Finish times between 16:30 and 17:00 aren’t viable for many people and if you’re looking at that on a Saturday too , your weekend has absolutely gone.

Add to the the simply abysmal annual leave system which under seasonal hours is about to get worse then on that alone , it’s a no from me.

Your life will revolve around this job.

I feel for those that don’t get a regular weekend off already ( 1/6 ) because they’ll be further abused.

[Martin Walsh]

You will know your worse case start and finish times now based on 60 minutes and 90 minutes.

The whole point of the joint working groups is to improve on these and then these will be presented to you in December.

[seaside]

Reading what Martin has said, it sounds worse to me. Point I, about the USO, making sure all mail has to be delivered, so would that mean more pressure on us to go faster or stay out longer to deliver it all. Still unclear on the extra £900 , what was this money set aside for originally.later finishing times is it saying we won't find out exactly what it is until December No mention of the new sick rules, IHR, EVR, The 37 hour week that will become 39 hour week during winter, is that worked at the start of your duty or at the end. 30 minutes flexible is it compulsory or have you the right to refuse it.

[scoobydo79]

The finish times are “predicted” so they have an opportunity to do what they want with they written in. 90 minutes will mean going home at nearer 5pm for many.

[tramssirhc]

Martin,

Thank you for your post. Could you explain the following:

1. How do Members ensure their workplaces are compliant if the they have no Representative?

2. Is 'last letter' the correct terminology? Should the definition be 'booking off' time?

3. Why do duty times need to move if the traffic profile to a workplace does not change?

4. Who funded the escrow account?

[denhamhoop]

Hello Martin
Thanks for your post
What exactly is the plan to resolve Supernumeraries in Mail Centres as my guess is like virtually everything else in this deal will involve Management doing what they want and the Union signing off on it I am a Supernumerary in spite of never having actually had the option of signing for a duty at my Mail Centre whereas people who have arrived there since have been allowed to flow through onto their Monday-Friday duties they came to the Mail Centre with 10 years ago

[mjd24]

You will know your worse case start and finish times now based on 60 minutes and 90 minutes.

The whole point of the joint working groups is to improve on these and then these will be presented to you in December.

Please explain to me (as if i am a toddler) what “based on 60 minutes and 90 minutes” means.

[Martin Walsh]

If there is not a local rep then the Area Rep should ensure that the USO and quality is restored in line with joint statement.

The last letter is for the USO in line with the postal services act. However the 60 and 90 minutes start and finish times are actual finish times not last letter.

Your work plan will change as there will be a net work review as Royal Mail will be coming off planes so work will get into mail centres later than currently as rail and road takes longer. Dependent where you are in the UK will determine the impact. However there are a number of things Which can be change to minimise the impact including in mail centres and delivery units which the joint working parties will undergo to try and reduce the start and finish times which have been advertised.

Royal Mail funded the escrow. However the surplus has grown and the union then argued this should be given to members. The trustees , Royal Mail agreed.

[mjd24]

Also please explain exactly what you mean by last letter.

[Martin Walsh]

MJD

The agreement states that both parties are committed to ensuring that start and finish times will be limited to up to 60 minutes change from next March 2024. That joint work will be undertaken to try to achieve this.

Only if this proves impossible in a delivery unit will it move to a maximum of 90 minutes later.

We believe in the vast majority of delivery unit you will not move more than up to 60 minutes later based on your current start time.

The term for uso last letter is no one should be out on delivery past the current 15:30 urban last letter or 16.30 for rural. It does not mean you have to delivering at 16.30 next year.

[miles_peters]

Can't wait to be working in the fading light or complete darkness in the winter.
and...
Can't wait to be working for longer in the hottest part of the days in the summer.
and...
Not being able to pay my bills because i'm potentially off sick more because of the working conditions.

But as long as the share holders reek the profits of me killing myself, everything is ok.

Thank You CWU