Monthly Pay - a deafening silence ?

[Carnoustie]

Anyone heard how the discussions of the Joint Working Group are progressing ?

As I understood it, this issue was kicked into the long grass as part of the Pay & Modernisation agreement, with a Group being set up to decide 'how best to implement Monthly Pay', i.e. it's not a case of if it will be introduced, but just a case of when and how

[DGP1]

I think that by this time next year we'll all be salaried

[dvbuk55]

I think that by this time next year we'll all be salaried

Will it be worth paying us at all?

[DGP1]

I think that by this time next year we'll all be salaried

Will it be worth paying us at all?

Yes I'll be saving my monthly salary of 4 groats to help with my old age

[Darren Bent]

It might be easier to manage and pay the bills, but I am crap at it as I prefer Weekly pay. I mean if you run out of money in 3rd week you have to wait 2 weeks for next pay day. That is not good. I don't like it.

[krooserman1802]

Let me tell you as a driver that has been on monthly pay since August. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to us. Alomost all of us in my office are in financial difficulty. The £2k that they lend you and then take back each month is crippling. It may be better for you as you may not be on 48 hour maximum working week, but to go from weekly for 25 years to monthly is hard.

I have never been so skint.

[Fedor Emelianenko Fan]

Monthly pay is ok if you earn 25k or over per year, but when your on a low wage like what RM pay then it makes life impossible.

[dvbuk55]

I must say that prior to working for RM I was always monthly paid. My wife is monthly paid. I cannot see the difference for the life of me what difference it makes. You must surely budget your income over expenditure regardless, in fact most bills are paid either monthly or quarterly and are paid by DD or SO. The problem is going to be if you think you have more money than you actually have - some months are going to be five weeks and some four it is just a question of dividing whatever is left after the bills have been paid by 5 or 4 and that's what you spend. Maybe I'm oversimplifying but it has always worked for me.

[Carnoustie]

Let me tell you as a driver that has been on monthly pay since August. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to us. Alomost all of us in my office are in financial difficulty. The £2k that they lend you and then take back each month is crippling. It may be better for you as you may not be on 48 hour maximum working week, but to go from weekly for 25 years to monthly is hard.

I have never been so skint.

Been thinking this through about the £2k loan, and I reckon that RM have once again conned the CWU and the drivers.

I've no idea what you guys were earning before the drivers went salaried & thus become subject to monthly pay. But let's take a hypothetical example:

Driver Joe Bloggs earned approx £500/week (after tax) for basic week + overtime.

RM says "ok guys, we realise that the time interval between getting your last chunk of weekly pay and your first dollop of monthly pay will cause you financial difficulties, so here's a £2000 loan to tide you over"

CWU says "Oh how jolly nice of you. Yep, we agree to that. You can deduct the money back in 12 equal payments out of the Drivers' wages in the first year of monthly pay".

BUT ....

From what you've told me, I'm assuming that Joe Bloggs got his last 'weekly' pay in the first week of August 2007, plus a lump sum of £2000, and then had to wait until August 31st for his first monthly pay. In the intervening four weeks, he would normally have earned 4 x £500 anyway, i.e. £2000.
So, surely, if RM are recovering the lump sum by way of 12 deductions of £166.67, it's no wonder drivers are in financial difficulties. By the time the last deduction has been taken, RM will have - in effect - had you working for ZERO PAY in the transitional period between weekly pay ending and monthly pay beginning. Unless I am much mistaken.

i.e. you didn't get your normal wage during those four weeks, just a lump sum that, by August this year, they'll have taken back off you

[dvbuk55]

If you can get an interest free loan for 12 months anywhere else - let me know - I'll have some. And if they're getting 500 quid a week then they shouldn't be in financial difficulty. The old adage of cut your cloth etc

[johno47]

What about all the office staff that will lose their jobs when RM start paying us monthly, thats what we should be bothered about...UNITY IS STRENGTH.

[dvbuk55]

What about all the office staff that will lose their jobs when RM start paying us monthly, thats what we should be bothered about...UNITY IS STRENGTH.

Yes well the few that will be left will have four weeks to get it right.

[Big Daz]

Anyone heard how the discussions of the Joint Working Group are progressing ?

As I understood it, this issue was kicked into the long grass as part of the Pay & Modernisation agreement, with a Group being set up to decide 'how best to implement Monthly Pay', i.e. it's not a case of if it will be introduced, but just a case of when and how

Excuse my ignorance but havent you forgotten the small matter of the ballot we will get if any aggrement on monthly pay is reached?

[dvbuk55]

Anyone heard how the discussions of the Joint Working Group are progressing ?

As I understood it, this issue was kicked into the long grass as part of the Pay & Modernisation agreement, with a Group being set up to decide 'how best to implement Monthly Pay', i.e. it's not a case of if it will be introduced, but just a case of when and how

Excuse my ignorance but havent you forgotten the small matter of the ballot we will get if any aggrement on monthly pay is reached?

Oh yes - I forgot about that. I wonder what sort of ballot that is going to be - ummmmmmmmmm - maybe it will be a workplace ballot like the pension one - for which I am still waiting for a ballot paper - of course we could have a consultation process first - that will prove interesting, either way I'm sure the leadership will deliver suitable guidance and have our best interests at the heart of any negotiations.

[DGP1]

What about all the office staff that will lose their jobs when RM start paying us monthly, thats what we should be bothered about...UNITY IS STRENGTH.

How many of the office staff scabbed through out the strikes??