ANNOUNCEMENT : ALL OF ROYAL MAIL'S EMPLOYMENT POLICIES (AGREEMENTS) AT A GLANCE (Updated 2021)... HERE

ANNOUNCEMENT : PLEASE BE AWARE WE ARE NOT ON FACEBOOK AT ALL!

What exactly are the strikes about?

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
mh80
Posts: 102
Joined: 28 Jun 2007, 20:16

What exactly are the strikes about?

Post by mh80 »

I've worked here 3 years now, I don't fully get what the strikes are about.
Can someone point me in the direction the Agreements etc that aren't being met?

My office has a 3.5 delivery span already, and lapsing. I'm a floater and on some jobs doing the 3.5hrs & lapsing is no problem, but others it just cannot be done within the time, so I just book OT for it.
belle smith
Posts: 1557
Joined: 26 Aug 2008, 17:41
Gender: Male
Location: scotland

Re: What exactly are the strikes about?

Post by belle smith »

mh80 wrote:I've worked here 3 years now, I don't fully get what the strikes are about.
Can someone point me in the direction the Agreements etc that aren't being met?

My office has a 3.5 delivery span already, and lapsing. I'm a floater and on some jobs doing the 3.5hrs & lapsing is no problem, but others it just cannot be done within the time, so I just book OT for it.
have a go at saying to your boss that you can't work o/t one day, on one of the duties that cannot be done in their time to see what sort of responce you get. humor me :wink:

btw your lapsing and your complete duty should be done within 3.5 hours so if thats not the case thats a national agreement being broken right their.

if you've only been with RM for 3 years you maybe don't realise that the "spanish practices" of job & finish so detested by our great leader :cfo were introduced by him in 2004 when we moved to a 3.5 hour delivery (2.5 hour delivery), they also made a big fuss about making our pay rise "pensionable" they have certainly renaged on the spirit of that if not technically broke the deal. Theres a world of diffrence between working to 60 doing 3.5 hour deliveries and working to 65.
Last edited by belle smith on 10 Aug 2009, 22:37, edited 1 time in total.
Spedley
Posts: 1209
Joined: 16 Jul 2007, 17:32
Location: Warwickshire

Re: What exactly are the strikes about?

Post by Spedley »

To be 100% honest, I don't specifically know what the strikes are about. However, I certainly feel that RM are treating it's staff like machinery and giving them the same rights. Royal Mail is a buisness which relies so heavily on people and people's happiness that it's current attitude of "take it or leave" is wrong. Except for the few managers at the top pulling the strings, we ARE Royal Mail and if we are unhappy then the service declines and our income suffers and our long term job prospects suffer.

I have no problem with Lapsing if it allows more holiday slots during the summer for people to spend time with their kids ... but it doesn't. We have people taken off duties as 'spare' so that their duty can be lapsed - they'd far rather work Novemeber and have a couple of weeks off now!
Also, you say that you just book OT. I personally have other commitments after work but don't like cutting off and leaving the job unfinished and I can gaurantee that 40% of the time it would be waiting for me in the morning. I get a lot of abuse off managers for cutting off (not that it bothers me but it does a lot of poeple) and it is a stress I could do without.
Back in the old days, it was kind-of an unwritten rule that if you finished early Tuesday you'd do the excess on Wednesday but that has changed. Now you finish on time on Tuesday if you rush and have to explain 'again' why you are cutting off on Wednesday.
User avatar
POSTMAN
SITE ADMINISTRATOR
Posts: 32760
Joined: 07 Aug 2006, 03:19
Gender: Male

Re: What exactly are the strikes about?

Post by POSTMAN »

I think it's worth striking just for the comment below alone.
We are making changes in a calm, measured and structured way, inviting continuous involvement and dialogue with our unions and our people, seeking to minimise service disruption to our customers, whilst we change.
I Wrote-During Covid-Which is still relevant now
It's good to get these types of threads, the ridiculous my manager said bollox, so we can reassure ourselves that while the world is falling apart, Royal Mail managers are still being the low-life C***S they have always been.
My BFF Clash
The daily grind of having to argue your case with an intellectual pigmy of a line manager is physically and emotionally draining.
steven100
Posts: 1391
Joined: 09 Aug 2009, 12:35
Gender: Male

Re: What exactly are the strikes about?

Post by steven100 »

POSTMAN wrote:I think it's worth striking just for the comment below alone.
We are making changes in a calm, measured and structured way, inviting continuous involvement and dialogue with our unions and our people, seeking to minimise service disruption to our customers, whilst we change.
I think the quote above is fantastic and first time i've seen. Clearly the changes that are happening at RM don't involve the union or rm employees, not improving the service.
Geezer
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 1347
Joined: 19 Jun 2007, 21:01

Re: What exactly are the strikes about?

Post by Geezer »

mh80 wrote:I've worked here 3 years now, I don't fully get what the strikes are about.
Can someone point me in the direction the Agreements etc that aren't being met?

My office has a 3.5 delivery span already, and lapsing. I'm a floater and on some jobs doing the 3.5hrs & lapsing is no problem, but others it just cannot be done within the time, so I just book OT for it.
Try Looking Here http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 15&t=18121

And you might get some idea
mh80
Posts: 102
Joined: 28 Jun 2007, 20:16

Re: What exactly are the strikes about?

Post by mh80 »

belle smith wrote:

have a go at saying to your boss that you can't work o/t one day, on one of the duties that cannot be done in their time to see what sort of responce you get. humor me :wink:
I've done that, if I need to finish on time. Usually there is someone who will take a bag, either a driver or someone who will do it on OT. It is a ball ache sometimes though, and less outspoken people just put up with it. You're right long term it couldn't be done...
Problem is people coming in early, one of the main rounds that is too long has a guy on it who comes in at 5am instead of 6, I'm not sure if he gets paid for that or not, but he runs round like a madman, whereas anyone else on it struggles (and not just cos they are lazy or slow feckers)
btw your lapsing and your complete duty should be done within 3.5 hours so if thats not the case thats a national agreement being broken right their.
Yeah that happens sometimes but I see it as optional to go over, not sure other people do or not, they don't want to speak up.
if you've only been with RM for 3 years you maybe don't realise that the "spanish practices" of job & finish so detested by our great leader :cfo were introduced by him in 2004 when we moved to a 3.5 hour delivery (2.5 hour delivery), they also made a big fuss about making our pay rise "pensionable" they have certainly renaged on the spirit of that if not technically broke the deal. Theres a world of diffrence between working to 60 doing 3.5 hour deliveries and working to 65.
Ah yes I was still there at the last days of job & finish - It beggars belief that he can do such a U-turn. What a turd!!