Anyone else

[yellowbelly]

Just ignore the mail building up, as there's nothing you can do about it, although what is now becoming an issue is regular customers stopping you in the street and asking why they are no longer getting daily deliveries. You can hardly lie to them, as if they are at home all day they can see we are only now delivering Tracked items rather than latters and parcels.

I fear letters side of the business will be dead or handed back to the Government to run by this time next year, unless service improves once peak is over. As RM senior management are clearly no longer interested in giving customers an acceptable service.

Had a convo with an member of the older generation after I'd handed them three days worth of mail, and they didn't realise RM was now in the hands of DK.

[Dorset Plodder]

I been on RM 18 years, I try my best to get round, never been one to go against management taking the approach of if they ask me do something i'll do it and if it fails then it fails. This week I was admitted to hospital and it's kind of opened my eyes just to how much RM really don't give a f**k with one of the managers saying i'll be fine in 24 hours do your best to try and get in, ended up needing an operation.

So I think i'm done. I'll recover and start looking for something else that maybe is a bit more useful to society rather than shoving junk mail through peoples letter boxes day after day.

Hope you recover well Mate. Stay off sick until after Christmas. It is a shock to the system when you finally realise you're just a number and Management don't give a Shite about YOU! They're just worried about their Little LapTop World where they get a Red Cross, instead of a Green Tick, and it's end of THEIR World!

I realised long ago we're only a number. I've know Two Posties Die in Service and Honestly the main thing Managers were concerned about was who was going to cover their Duties the following day. No Huddle to update everyone, pay respects and say Goodbye.

You look after YOURSELF Mate and have a Good Christmas.

[Dorset Plodder]

Just goes to show, all you need is a Royal Mail planner, they’ll get you under budget. Guess the old adage is true, some folk really do know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. We’ve lost so much knowledge and experience, I don’t think the office will ever clear again.

I agree Mate. If Royal Mail can't Monitise something they're not interested in it. Things such as Customer Service and Interacting with your Customers means FA to them. I have a lot of Elderly Residents and spend quite a bit of time explaining how to deal with 739 cards and paying for owed postage. They don't do Apps and E-Mails, they're in their 90s FFS! But all a Manager sees is your PDA stationary for too long!
Plus they've No Idea what's happening to the Mail, they still remember the second post being delivered on Pushbikes!

RM must love the guys on New Contracts (and I do feel for how they've been stitched up) They don't take as long to get around as you Old Guys/Girls says the Manager.
I normally reply, ''I should hope they do .... as they don't get a paid Meal relief .... So I'm already spending 40 mins longer out there''

In my Office they don't prep Households, because they don't get the Delivery Supplement (which is OK with me) but has a knock on effect on my prep time. Managers always banging on about ''Efficiency'' but they never leave their Office and have no idea about the ammount of Early Shift Staff standing around chatting, when there's Duties/Households to throw off, Portering of IPS/Parcels to be done. It's a Fcuking Laugh, and a game I try not to play.

[TopperGas]

New contracts are employed to do a job, how can they pick and choose what part of the job they want to do?

[krussel]

Glad i read this post as i was thinking its just me getting old.

I ve done over 30 years of christmas "Pressures" (no its not peak) and they have all been hard mentally one way or another. This year it seemed to start much earlier with parcels building up quickly. The change for this year is the lack of any early support in OT for sorting of non meched mail which is mostly christmas cards. The money seems to be spent on agency drivers coming in later in the day to clear Tracked. The result is more pressure on deliveries as your getting out later.

I REALLY hate breaking off as it just means double workload for that section the next day so this year I ve been streaming the DSA mail around the whole walk. A bit like D2D and it seems to work better. I dont like doing it but when i look around the office and see many walks with a frame full of letters and just the tracked cleared I at least think I am doing better.

I was hoping to stay till i was 60 but i really think I am done next year. Like other I am getting home exhausted now with very little energy and just looking forward to going to bed before it starts again. Its no real life.

Another thing is that next year they are finishing the "buying of leave" scheme as it actually pushes some salaries below MIN wage. Thats how bad these new contracts are.

[A2B]

In my Office they don't prep Households, because they don't get the Delivery Supplement (which is OK with me)

People still don't get it after all these years?

[goneaway]

Another thing is that next year they are finishing the "buying of leave" scheme as it actually pushes some salaries below MIN wage. Thats how bad these new contracts are.

Is that official that the "buying of leave" scheme (POAL - Purchase Of Annual Leave) is due to finish for everyone? Or only those newer recruits, where it would potentially push their hourly rate under the national minimum wage? Or they have to stop it, as it would be discrimination to offer it just to those on higher hourly rates? I know there are some other threads on this subject, but they all seem to contradict each other about what is happening. But I don't think I'd read that it's being finished altogether.

[A2B]

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.

The legislation was bought in to route out bad employers has now caught out those who use the benefits of salary sacrifice to purchase additional annual leave or items from my bundle.

The increases in the minimum wage has meant that there is a difficulty for some who purchase annual leave using salary sacrifice.

The HMRC only count an individual’s hourly rate after salary sacrifice and don’t taken into account a permanent supplement or shift or pensionable allowance.

So if an individual purchases say £50 per week annual leave , insurance from my bundle and maybe the purchase of a bike it does not count this money in terms of the minimum wage.

Instead it only counts what is gross after salary sacrifice and does not take into account other week payments only your basic.

This is why Royal Mail stepped in from April to pay for annual leave and my bundle as it would be a huge embarrassment from Royal Mail to be in breach of the minimum wage legislation.

The minimum wage legislation does not take into account the fact that Royal Mail pay 13% pension contributions, annual leave , sick leave , holiday pay or supplements etc.

So the law is what stopping some from accessing salary sacrifice for purchasing my bundle or annual leave.

Royal Mail and the CWU have been in talks to ensure that if an individual does not qualify for salary sacrifice then they still will have the opportunity to purchase annual leave up to 6 weeks but without using the benefit of the salary sacrifice and providing they do not drop below the minimum wage current hourly rate.

There are also attendance patterns such as Wallingtons which because they work additional hours within a week to get their week off who will be a risk from being below the minimum wage as they get the same pay each week. So for example if they work 46 hours every week to get their sixth week off the minimum wage is calculated after gross against 45 hours which equals your hourly rate.

So to be clear we have agreed that the purchase of annual leave will continue we are now reviewing the best method for individuals to do so without using salary sacrifice and without falling below the minimum wage hourly rate.

In terms of my bundle Royal Mail are reviewing this to see what will be available in the future such as car purchases etc.

We believe longer term that the government should calculate the minimum wage using the amount that an individual has volunteered to have deducted from salary sacrifice also using such things as any weekly supplement and shift allowance.

POAL How to apply - ROYALMAILCHAT https://share.google/PRIGQHwJ5Zgq8gbFJ

[scotchy1962]

Glad i read this post as i was thinking its just me getting old.

I ve done over 30 years of christmas "Pressures" (no its not peak) and they have all been hard mentally one way or another. This year it seemed to start much earlier with parcels building up quickly. The change for this year is the lack of any early support in OT for sorting of non meched mail which is mostly christmas cards. The money seems to be spent on agency drivers coming in later in the day to clear Tracked. The result is more pressure on deliveries as your getting out later.

I REALLY hate breaking off as it just means double workload for that section the next day so this year I ve been streaming the DSA mail around the whole walk. A bit like D2D and it seems to work better. I dont like doing it but when i look around the office and see many walks with a frame full of letters and just the tracked cleared I at least think I am doing better.

I was hoping to stay till i was 60 but i really think I am done next year. Like other I am getting home exhausted now with very little energy and just looking forward to going to bed before it starts again. Its no real life.

Another thing is that next year they are finishing the "buying of leave" scheme as it actually pushes some salaries below MIN wage. Thats how bad these new contracts are.

It still exists, a postie with a conscience, who feels guilty when he can't complete and who can see exactly where the problems lie, but realises it's a lost cause.
Welcome!!
Krussel i feel for you but there's life after RM, i know you shouldn't have to give up a job that has, over the majority of years, been a pleasure to work in.
You shouldn't have to but i believe you probably will have too along with most of the other long serving posties. Just for your own physical and mental well being. Oh they bang on about mental health and physical health but in reality don't give a feck, until somebody takes all delivery companies to task and holds them accountable RM are fecked, as while they have letters they can't compete on a level playing field. Most of the other companies are shysters who end up paying less than minimum wage by having self employed who have to pay for all their own overheads therefore ending up well below minimum wage.
Do what is best for you.

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

I really don't envy those of you still in the job during times like Xmas pressure, with how the job has changed for the worse in the last ~5+ years.

[qwerty2]

I really don't envy those of you still in the job during times like Xmas pressure, with how the job has changed for the worse in the last ~5+ years.

Its easy - dont work OT

[SMS1969]

You can also end up walking less, as you can’t take all of the mail out during the pressure period. Manage your duty and your time and you’ll be fine.

[TopperGas]

I really don't envy those of you still in the job during times like Xmas pressure, with how the job has changed for the worse in the last ~5+ years.

Its easy - dont work OT

It's not so easy if you can't survive on the pittance RM pays per hour!

[A2B]

Sadly RM wont increase the overtime rate while people fight for every hour of overtime that's on offer.

If you can get a sideline outside of RM to try and make some money instead of being cheap labour for RM

[Mr Rush]

Sadly RM wont increase the overtime rate while people fight for every hour of overtime that's on offer.

Yeah, they're saving that money for agency. If they just paid double time and/or reinstated sensible delivery hours the place wouldn't be f-... wait, I see we're off the naughty list again. Disregard.