POAL How to apply

[Pidleypoo]

Just to update people on what I did.

I went to see the dom support that does this whilst the dom was there and the issue is around the wage new contracts get.

I’ve been able to have poal again next year and it’s the last year I’ll have to do it.

I also understand it won’t auto renew so you’ll have to renew each year if you want it.

How bad is it that the wages for new contracts are so crap that this is even a thing.

[postmanplod2025]

i reckon managers will turn round and make it as difficult as possible to get, give u a 2 week period and then say u missed ur chance some bollocks like that, most places understaffed so theyll no be keen to give out extra annual leave, got told it doesnt open till mid january so cant do it the now

[goneaway]

I've not done POAL before - are new applicants being accepted? I suppose I am considered "legacy" staff already, having clocked up 10 years, so hopefully I wouldn't be rejected on "below minimum wage" grounds?

[TopperGas]

Just to update people on what I did.

I went to see the dom support that does this whilst the dom was there and the issue is around the wage new contracts get.

I’ve been able to have poal again next year and it’s the last year I’ll have to do it.

I also understand it won’t auto renew so you’ll have to renew each year if you want it.

How bad is it that the wages for new contracts are so crap that this is even a thing.

You may have booked the POAL with your DOM but I can't see that means it's approved by RM until they officially clarify the company's stance on POAL for 2026?

[Pidleypoo]

Just to update people on what I did.

I went to see the dom support that does this whilst the dom was there and the issue is around the wage new contracts get.

I’ve been able to have poal again next year and it’s the last year I’ll have to do it.

I also understand it won’t auto renew so you’ll have to renew each year if you want it.

How bad is it that the wages for new contracts are so crap that this is even a thing.

You may have booked the POAL with your DOM but I can't see that means it's approved by RM until they officially clarify the company's stance on POAL for 2026?

Well I have. I could tell you what weeks too.

[rogersh]

I rarely post on this site nowadays but I want to clarify the issue with POAL.

It has nothing to do with the union supporting or not supporting the purchase of annual leave or my bundle items. We are talking about the minimum wage legislation.

Martin , I was aware that the issue of POAL was linked to minimum wage. I think the issue is, as another poster has intimated, Do we have to do anything now?.
When I spoke to a line manager this week on how to apply he said "Do nothing, ignore the letter as in a few weeks we would be receiving further information that the issue has been resolved."

Can you confirm this !!

To apply as advised in the letter, according to the guide 2019, your line manager would need to obtain a form through PSP & there is a deadline at the end February.
Another poster said a tile appears on the people app in January!!

[Babyfacedjoker]

The letter is poorly worded. It doesn’t mean to apply for POAL outright, they mean “apply” in the sense of requesting the dates you wish from management, if you already have POAL.

[yellowbelly]

Just to update people on what I did.

I went to see the dom support that does this whilst the dom was there and the issue is around the wage new contracts get.

I’ve been able to have poal again next year and it’s the last year I’ll have to do it.

I also understand it won’t auto renew so you’ll have to renew each year if you want it.

How bad is it that the wages for new contracts are so crap that this is even a thing.

You may have booked the POAL with your DOM but I can't see that means it's approved by RM until they officially clarify the company's stance on POAL for 2026?

Well I have. I could tell you what weeks too.

You may have requested it, but if Royal Mail can't implement POAL due to possibly breaking the minimum wage legislation then you haven't got it!

[rogersh]

The letter is poorly worded. It doesn’t mean to apply for POAL outright, they mean “apply” in the sense of requesting the dates you wish from management, if you already have POAL.

The letter clearly states POAL auto-renewal has been switched off... But still apply as normal for 26/27.

My reading of that is you would request the hours of POAL you require for next year by filling in a form or via the people app, if that becomes an option, While awaiting the update!!

[TopperGas]

The letter is poorly worded. It doesn’t mean to apply for POAL outright, they mean “apply” in the sense of requesting the dates you wish from management, if you already have POAL.

The letter clearly states POAL auto-renewal has been switched off... But still apply as normal for 26/27.

My reading of that is you would request the hours of POAL you require for next year by filling in a form or via the people app, if that becomes an option, While awaiting the update!!

Martin Walsh has just given the update, if POAL takes employees below the Minimum Wage then they won't be getting it, what's not been answered is whether the higher paid legacy staff can still get POAL.

[loyalsnail]

Salary sacrifice benefits have to be made available to all employees (with reasonable, individual exemptions on qualification grounds) - if 50,000 new terms posties are immediately excluded for affordability reasons then it ceases to be a viable salary sacrifice scheme and the other 70,000 old terms posties cant be offered it.

[norris9]

Salary sacrifice benefits have to be made available to all employees (with reasonable, individual exemptions on qualification grounds) - if 50,000 new terms posties are immediately excluded for affordability reasons then it ceases to be a viable salary sacrifice scheme and the other 70,000 old terms posties cant be offered it.

any source?

My source is AI (which can be fallible)....but it says the opposite:

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Yes, it is legal and common practice in the UK for employers to offer a holiday purchase scheme even if some employees are ineligible due to National Minimum Wage (NMW) rules.

Legal and Compliance Requirements
If an employee's salary sacrifice would drop their hourly rate below the NMW—which for workers aged 21 and over is £12.21 per hour as of April 2025—the employer must decline their request to purchase leave. Failing to do so constitutes a breach of NMW laws, regardless of whether the employee voluntarily agreed to the deduction.

Fair Access and Participation
While excluding low-paid workers from a benefit available to higher-paid colleagues may seem unfair, it is a necessary legal safeguard. Employers typically manage this by:

-Applying Eligibility Checks: Many organizations state in their policy that applications will only be approved subject to living wage or NMW checks.

-Capping Deductions: Employers may allow a partial purchase (e.g., 2 days instead of 5) if a smaller deduction keeps the worker above the NMW.

-Offering Unpaid Leave: Some companies allow ineligible employees to take unpaid leave instead. While this results in the same time off, it is often processed as a single deduction from one paycheck rather than a 12-month salary sacrifice, which can help avoid NMW compliance issues associated with recurring sacrifices

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[yellowbelly]

Does POAL have to be a salary sacrifice (pre-tax) benefit? Can it be legally done from post tax wages? Surely that would be fair for everyone?

[A2B]

Does POAL have to be a salary sacrifice (pre-tax) benefit? Can it be legally done from post tax wages? Surely that would be fair for everyone?

The ironic thing about it all is you pay RM to cover your duty while on leave but the duty doesn't get covered

[TopperGas]

Does POAL have to be a salary sacrifice (pre-tax) benefit? Can it be legally done from post tax wages? Surely that would be fair for everyone?

Wouldn't it still take new contract staff below the MW regardless as to whether it's pre or post tax/NI?