Promises Promises

[billycat]

Billionaires do not use their own wealth they borrow money on the assets they are purchasing that’s exactly what he did to acquire Royal Mail if the company cannot afford to pay the massive loans he has taken out against the companies assets he will not lose a penny of his own money.

[postslippete]

Has SISO improved productivity or just increased people monitoring?

Every single attempt to scrimp in my two decades in this job has only made things worse. This pervasive logic of extreme frugality has led us into a mental cul-de-sac. Sometimes you have to spend your way out of a problem. Isn't that what investment is? I'm not suggesting DK become a spendthrift, just facing the reality of what this service requires in order to function properly. Instead the instant reaction is to reduce service.

This is a national problem beyond just RM - this incessant tightening of the ratchet to achieve greater 'value for money'. It's the blatant proof that no-one will admit out loud: we have long-since stopped living in a prosperous society. Austerity is as good as it gets.

Yeah, there's something in that.

At what point does cutting costs further starts costing more than it saves?

Take removing a duty for example. Theoretically, on paper it might save RM £40k a year. But if the consequence is more quality failures, more complaints, more overtime, higher sickness levels and staff leaving because they feel overworked, then some of those "savings" start leaking back out of the system and the business ends up paying in different ways.

[Rumple]

The agreement to sell second deliveries in return for job and finish. That agreement has never been withdrawn and yet the working day has to be filled. It's no wonder people get fed up.

That's an interesting one because job and finish has largely disappeared through a combination of revisions, PDA data and SISO over the years.

When the CWU and RM rolled out PDA outdoor actuals, the union said that it was not being introduced to track individuals or used as a disciplinary tool and yet Simon Thompson was forced to acknowledge that it was used in conduct cases in that parliamentary committee.

For decades, it was RM culture that if you cleared you cleared your OWN duty, you could go home because managers cared more about the work being completed than the exact minute that you finished. Has SISO improved productivity or just increased people monitoring?

Royal Mail agreed job and finish because it was cheaper than second deliveries. The CWU sold jobs on that basis. Nothings changed about that agreement. The employer got it's savings yet here we are today with an agreement that's roundly ignored.

Another example is mandatory LWT's.

I don’t think job and knock was ever an official agreement.

[Peabrain22]

40 k a year.. 30 max

[postslippete]

40 k a year.. 30 max

Maybe. But the point is what looks like initial savings on paper doesn't necessarily fit the reality and I've got a feeling that DM26 will be the same.

[Perseus]

40 k a year.. 30 max

Pension and employer NI costs are huge for an employer on every member of staff.

[tramssirhc]

The agreement to sell second deliveries in return for job and finish. That agreement has never been withdrawn and yet the working day has to be filled. It's no wonder people get fed up.

That's an interesting one because job and finish has largely disappeared through a combination of revisions, PDA data and SISO over the years.

When the CWU and RM rolled out PDA outdoor actuals, the union said that it was not being introduced to track individuals or used as a disciplinary tool and yet Simon Thompson was forced to acknowledge that it was used in conduct cases in that parliamentary committee.

For decades, it was RM culture that if you cleared you cleared your OWN duty, you could go home because managers cared more about the work being completed than the exact minute that you finished. Has SISO improved productivity or just increased people monitoring?

Royal Mail agreed job and finish because it was cheaper than second deliveries. The CWU sold jobs on that basis. Nothings changed about that agreement. The employer got it's savings yet here we are today with an agreement that's roundly ignored.

Another example is mandatory LWT's.

I don’t think job and knock was ever an official agreement.

It certainly was. Leighton and Crosier agreed it so that the CWU would sell the second delivery. Have a read of Norman Candy's books.

[sindba]

"Iceberg, dead ahead!"

[postslippete]

Just thought of another one.

Dave Ward talked about expanding the role of the postal worker during covid and posties being the 4th emergency service. Who bother's checking in on elderly residents or support their local community anymore

[yellowbelly]

Just thought of another one.

Dave Ward talked about expanding the role of the postal worker during covid and posties being the 4th emergency service. Who bother's checking in on elderly residents or support their local community anymore

On bindays when the bins are still haphazardly placed on the pavements I'll occasionally pick up the odd plastic bottle or drinks can lying on the pavement and chuck it in nearest said bin. Does that come under 'expanding the role of the postal worker'? Will I get into trouble with the street hygiene operatives union for doing their work?

[funkflex55]

When they spoke of expanding the role they were talking about customer collections, post boxes and expanding the duties and tracked parcels. Now they're fully expanded, the workforce is getting reduced as that's the only way to save more money. The other way they've saved money is by providing piss poor service.

[Mr Rush]

Who bother's checking in on elderly residents

Being that they are the least likely to order a shittonne of packets day after day and that we don't deliver letters for days on end, if the PDA doesn't instruct us to talk to elderly customer #467 there's very little chance of it happening.

Save for the fact that inverse to being a pain in the arse with packets they are the most likely to tip, I have always made time to converse with them. It's depressing, though, to feel that kindness is a charade because I couldn't very well walk away having been handed a £20 note. As relations between people are reduced to financial transactions, society becomes nothing more than the relations between different banks.