Aussie Posties Warn of Delays to Xmas Post

[Yahoorsur]

Christmas mail delays on the card
Andrew West
December 7, 2008

POSTIES are warning of big delays in the delivery of Christmas cards and gifts because Australia Post has not scheduled staff to work on the two Sundays before Christmas, as usually happens.

Postal and Telecommunications Union NSW secretary Jim Metcher said his members may refuse to work excessive overtime during the week to compensate for the loss of Sunday shifts.

He said postal workers in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley were already limiting overtime because they did not want to work the 14-hour shifts necessary to clear the mail backlog.

In the past, Australia Post has asked workers to volunteer to sort or deliver mail on Sundays to ease the backlog during the week. Mail volumes double in December, with about 20 million items moved in NSW.

In a letter to the union, Australia Post's manager of metro delivery, Patrick Williams, said: "It is not envisaged that Sunday morning slotting will be required," citing a downturn in the volume of mail.

But Mr Metcher said Australia Post was not prepared for the usual last-minute deluge of cards, letters and gifts in the two weeks before Christmas Day, and he blamed cost-cutting by executives eager to boost their annual bonuses.

"This is a handful of executives playing Scrooge at Christmas time," Mr Metcher said. "It's a classic case of senior managers taking advantage of cost savings while denying the public their Christmas presents on time."

He said postal workers were angry about possibly missing out on the Sunday penalty rates they would normally receive. The average postal worker earns about $38,000 a year, plus $10,000 in overtime.
"My members have families too and many rely on the extra income from Sunday work at Christmas," he said.

Without the Sunday shifts, members would need to work between 12 and 14 hours, starting at 6am and finishing at dusk, to make deliveries, Mr Metcher said.

Australia Post spokesman Scott McIntyre said the organisation may reintroduce shifts on December 14 and December 21 if necessary.

"If mail volumes warrant staff to work on Sundays, then they will," Mr McIntyre said.

"There is no backlog of mail in NSW and Australia Post doesn't expect there to be one, as mail volumes will be monitored closely and resources deployed appropriately."

He said pre-Christmas mail had not been delivered on Sundays in NSW for three years but Sunday sorting, or slotting, had occurred last year.



nearly fell off the seat when I saw that,but at current exchange rate it works out at £19728 inc. overtime
Not bad but not great

[DGP1]

38,000.00 AUD = 16,948.28 £
Australia Dollars United Kingdom Pounds
1 AUD = 0.446007 £ 1 £ = 2.24212 AUD

So they earn about the same as us

[BELIAL]

38,000.00 AUD = 16,948.28 £
Australia Dollars United Kingdom Pounds
1 AUD = 0.446007 £ 1 £ = 2.24212 AUD

So they earn about the same as us

Not totally surprising. Now knowing you're a seaker ,track down Red Robbo

[not me]

38,000.00 AUD = 16,948.28 £
Australia Dollars United Kingdom Pounds
1 AUD = 0.446007 £ 1 £ = 2.24212 AUD

So they earn about the same as us

cheaper cost of living.i wa a chef in oz and thats way more than i was making and i had good living

[DGP1]

38,000.00 AUD = 16,948.28 £
Australia Dollars United Kingdom Pounds
1 AUD = 0.446007 £ 1 £ = 2.24212 AUD

So they earn about the same as us

Not totally surprising. Now knowing you're a seaker ,track down Red Robbo

Red Robbo

[BELIAL]

Thats the one