Royal Mail workers: ‘The situation is getting worse’

[Geezer]

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=18862

This article should be read after: » New forces join the post fight


Royal Mail workers say that conditions in the company have been getting tougher – and management even more aggressive – in the last few years.

“I used to love this job, but now the bullying and harassment is out of control,” says Pete, who has worked in the post for more than 30 years and was among the 12-strong picket at the East London Distribution Centre in Thurrock, Essex, last week.

“There is always a manager monitoring you. Frankly, I find it embarrassing that I have to put my hand up to ask someone half my age if I can go to the toilet.”

Network driver John agrees. “The worst thing is that they are constantly tracking you,” he says. “The other day, because it was so hot in the cab, I had to stop at a shop to buy a drink.

“When I got back to the depot I was hauled into a manager’s office and asked to account for a ten-minute gap in my progress on the road.”

Others on the picket line told of how Royal Mail’s carefully crafted image of being a “family friendly” firm was a sham.

Elderly

“In addition to my job I look after my elderly mother,” says Graham. “And, for a few days a year social services provide me with what’s known as respite cover, so that I can get a bit of a break.

“This year it is arranged for four days from Boxing Day, but Royal Mail have told me that I’m rostered to work then and are not prepared to change it. That means my respite days are going to be spent driving an articulated lorry.”

Steve has worked at London’s N1 sorting office for eight years. He says that the situation for delivery workers is much the same.

“The stress they put you under is incredible,” he said. “The recent revisions to our delivery rounds means that my workload has doubled – and if you don’t complete on time, then managers call you in for a grilling.

“I’m totally frazzled when I get home. All I can do is sit in my chair and I just don’t seem to be able to switch off.

“After all, I know its going to be the same old s**t tomorrow, don’t I?”

All names have been changed to protect workers from management reprisals
Wimbledon

The atmosphere at Wimbledon delivery office in south London remains tense after management attempts to force long-standing drivers to accept any duty offered, rather than their usual work. Union reps rightly see this as a prelude to redundancies.

Managers, who by last weekend seemed to have backed down, renewed their attack with vigour on Monday of this week.

One worker told Socialist Worker that the office was “complete chaos”, with seven managers drafted in from across London with the sole purpose of intimidating workers.

“We got more people being taken off pay and union reps told they can’t represent their members. Now they are threatening them with a charge of organising unofficial action.

“We are very close to walking out, but we’re also very worried that if we do, we’ll be isolated.”
Liscard

Delivery workers at the Liscard sorting office in Wallasey, Merseyside, returned to work on Friday of last week after five days of unofficial action. Management unilaterally decided to slash the number of delivery rounds and attack terms and conditions.

One worker told Socialist Worker, “They’ve been trying to bully us for years now.

“They don’t care about morale at all. It just needed something big to set it off, and this attack was it.”

The mood on the picket line was bold, with strikers resisting police pressure to restrict the number of pickets to just six people. One striker said, “It’s the workers that run this place, not Royal Mail.

“We could turn up at 5am and run this place without the bosses, no problem!”

The walkout ended after management agreed to talks.

Peter Edwards
Romford

Workers at Romford mail centre in Essex are livid after management said that it intends to permanently end all overtime on the nightshift.

“Most of us depend on overtime just to survive,” one worker at Romford told Socialist Worker. “My earnings are going to drop from around £500 a week to just £300. I’ve got a young family and now I’ve no idea how I’ll pay my rent. Lots of us are in a similar position.

“The extra work will be taken up by making us work harder and using casual labour to do any excess.

“Everyone believes that the nightshift is just the start, and that pretty soon they’ll do the same for the day shift.”

With management taking “executive action” over cost savings – implementing unagreed changes – in local delivery offices in Rainham and Upminister, union activists are angry that the national union has refused to process Romford’s request for a local strike ballot.

The following should be read alongside this article:
» New forces join the post fight

[F0zziebear]

I need to be careful here, and hope not to anger anyone too much.

The last comment by someone from Romford sums it up for me. They are taking away overtime permanently. I relied on that to survive. Herein lies part of the problem. Living a lifestyle based on £500 a week, when £200 of that is something is over and above the pay packet is asking for trouble. I am not declaring that £300 is enough to live a reasonable life on, so do not jump down my throat on that. It is a wider one of people in general living beyond their means (not on a day-today basis, or even weekly). That £200 should not be seen as a given, but rather as an unexpected surprise, of which some should if at possible been put aside for leaner times. RM is entering leaner times and then will look for ways to cut costs. Taking out overtime does not remove jobs, but removes cost. It is fair to ask if the overtime is needed? If it is on such a long term basis then they should have employed more people. Overtime should be a last resort on a temporary basis to solve a short-term solution. I blame management for not managing the workload in an intelligent manner in the 21st century, but also point to the employees who came to rely on this as a permanent crutch to their lifestyle.

If I am being unfair, then shout and I'm willing to change my opinion on this one.

[Ernie Shoe]

I totally agree with you.
Overtime should be seen as a bonus that can stop at anytime.
Budget on your basic pay.

[norbert]

I totally agree with you.
Overtime should be seen as a bonus that can stop at anytime.
Budget on your basic pay.

It also plays staff up against each other which RM would love i.e . resentment about " Docket Kings " trying to run the place as they think they've a divine right to it .

[nelp]

The problem lies in how long that overtime has been about.i have worked in my office for over twenty years and there has all ways been a lot of overtime avalible, so it is a bit unfair to say it should come as a nice bonus. i will admit that because of overtime that is why there has been a reluctence to strike for higher basic pay. it is only since the arrival of Dave Ward that we have seen a marked increase in our weekly take home which has enabled me to cut out overtime.

But i would like to raise a point in defence of the "docket kings" it is not them that you here complaing about the absorption it is generally the people who do no docket. There stock answer is "i only want to come in and do my duty and go home" the problem being is that it is them that cuts every corner to go home at a ridiculously early time. Because they have never done docket they have spent their whole working life finishing early.

Finally lets talk about pay, are we in the game of saving thousands of poorly paid jobs or should we look to create jobs with SA attached that are attractive. in my own office we have always traded jobs for earnings, consequently we have a low turn over of staff. But now with the threat of removal of SA there is a queue a mile long to take a VR. Ironically the local management are telling me it is not these people they want to see leave as they are there best and most flexabile workers. If you are a rep i am sure you will agree that it is the guys who do no docket that are the harder ones to satisfy when you are trying to do a deal, as all they want is an early finish. We have to admit that at the end of this the early finish will be the bonus and not a right.

[nelp]

I want also to comment on docket kings trying to run the place. There is an answer and it lies in the four day week, this lets people who wish to do docket, to work there rest days atracting between 9 and 18 hours a week whilst allowing those that dont want or need the docket to have more time away from work. The problem encountered is some of the non docket people still want an early finish and are shocked by how heavy the deliveries are. Whilst the docket people are used too this amount of work after a life time of belated deliveries, nights or late shifts.We need to be realistic about our days work.

I for one am fed up with people who tell me thay have too much work. yet when told to cut out and bring it back, turn away and compleate the job and claim there meal relief at the end of the duty.What a lot of them mean by too much work isthat i want to be at home, in the pub or on the golf course by a certain time, and i have too much work to finish an hour and a half early

[F0zziebear]

OK so I think I hear what you're saying.

I got in some trouble years back when I felt it unfair as manager that a postman was coming back in at 10:30-11:00 having finished the round and I still had rounds to cover. These people refused to do this rounds on SA. As a manager I felt somewhat aggrieved as it was clear their round was not a full-days work. Now one could argue that they were amazingly super-quick but lets be honest here. The rounds at that time were uneven.

It seems that for many finishing early for whatever reason is a major pull of the job. Possibly enabling them to go and do another job the same day.

Now my point as a manager and/or as an HQ employee trying to make the books balance was this perception that some were not necessarily doing a full-days work. It is no surprise then that these same people are now complaining of a heavier and larger workload as studies (Pegasus as bad as it is) and other desktop research and benchmarking against other postal companies indicated that the same workload could be put on fewer shoulders. The problem with this approach is some who already had a full-days work may now be getting more.

In conclusion I feel that those who constantly did an honest days work (and there are many, mainly the silent majority) get the rough end of the deal with the constant removal of jobs. So SA for some of these people who for example want to put their kids through University are willing to do SA. Now SA is being taken away as these people now can't make ends meet, and will take VR. You are then left with more of the job and finishers who were probably not doing a full-days work.

Before I finish this is an opinion based on working in Ops within a specific region, and working in HQ. I would be unfair for me to talk about all of RM Ops based on this, but having spoken to others from other areas I do not believe my thoughts are wildly off the mark.

[nelp]

Yes Fozzie you have it right, some of the problems lies in the lack of honesty on all sides, the Reps at times do need to point out to their members that going home early is not part of the job. but at the same time managers also have a duty to point out to their bosses that as you say the vast majority of people are putting in a good days work.

One of the main problems is that a lot of the junior line managers lack basic people skills and see it as a contest in getting one over on the union.

There is a saying that we have. it is said Ironically "you cant do enough for a good manager" but it is true, in my experiance the vast majority of people will respond to a good mananger that will grant days off and listen sympathetically to their staffs requests. The reality in London is they are few and far between, you only have tool at how long they have stayed as a junior to realise that their boss has sussed out that they lack the skills to progress.

In some cases the managers are just too scared to tell their superiors anthing other than what they think they want to hear,and not speak honastly about people starting early. using cars, missing out meal reliefs and cutting all sorts of corners when it comes to health and safety, this leads to this constant drive from above to increase productivity, and utter disbelief when people on the shop floor stop all these malpractices and cut out bringing back work.

[axeman]

Like to see your factual figgures on the pegasus and other tools at your disposal then we can all perhaps realise just what we are up against from a relentless dictatorial regime thats been orchestrated by that wan**r crozier

Ohh and by the way walks are no where near 'equal' despite your leaders insistance that the winged messanger system is flawless.................................... o to be a bin bag distributor in canada

[k979aaa]

OK so I think I hear what you're saying.

I got in some trouble years back when I felt it unfair as manager that a postman was coming back in at 10:30-11:00 having finished the round and I still had rounds to cover. These people refused to do this rounds on SA. As a manager I felt somewhat aggrieved as it was clear their round was not a full-days work. Now one could argue that they were amazingly super-quick but lets be honest here. The rounds at that time were uneven.

It seems that for many finishing early for whatever reason is a major pull of the job. Possibly enabling them to go and do another job the same day.

Now my point as a manager and/or as an HQ employee trying to make the books balance was this perception that some were not necessarily doing a full-days work. It is no surprise then that these same people are now complaining of a heavier and larger workload as studies (Pegasus as bad as it is) and other desktop research and benchmarking against other postal companies indicated that the same workload could be put on fewer shoulders. The problem with this approach is some who already had a full-days work may now be getting more.

In conclusion I feel that those who constantly did an honest days work (and there are many, mainly the silent majority) get the rough end of the deal with the constant removal of jobs. So SA for some of these people who for example want to put their kids through University are willing to do SA. Now SA is being taken away as these people now can't make ends meet, and will take VR. You are then left with more of the job and finishers who were probably not doing a full-days work.

Before I finish this is an opinion based on working in Ops within a specific region, and working in HQ. I would be unfair for me to talk about all of RM Ops based on this, but having spoken to others from other areas I do not believe my thoughts are wildly off the mark.

But fozzie who said it was job and finish was it this man :lfo which is why he is still on this panel it was him and he held out the carrot and most of the donkeys charged after it and now we are where we are after lies deceit and propaganda!. Why do they the senior management not improve their efficiency first and foremost and lead by example instead of working only TWO DAYS A WEEK and CLAIMING MILLION POUND BONUSES ON THE BACKS OF HARD WORKING POSTMEN/WOMEN!.

[F0zziebear]

You're completely correct. moths round a light bulb and all that. Anyone (and there probably some) would have seen what was coming. How the hell can you have job and finish, which finishes hours before the alloted schedule. I grant you that a fast postman should be able to finish a round an hour maybe slightly more than the scheduled time, but having people coming in at 10:30/11:00 during the week stank, especially as I said before we had rounds we could not cover even on overtime. Granted the pathetic HR process for getting new recruits was slow and the quality wasn't there. We had some YHS types come in. It was a waste of my time and effort training them. They didn't want to be there, but we had no choice as we took what was given to us. Much preferred to have worked with local job agencies who we could build a rapour with, instead we had a national agreement with Reed. One guy couldn't even read an address. Don't get me started!

It's the good and bad thing about national agreements. As said before I would have got rid of 1/3 of the staff from my depot and given the rest a pay rise equivalent to the savings made. Why? Because a good group of staff with low turnover means less complaints and makes my job easy and almost runs itself.

When you have a few staff who constantly play the game, you are understaffed what happens is customer complaints. disciplinary action, which takes up a huge amount of time and paperwork and my life becomes a lot harder.

But due to national agreements I had to deal with what was given to me and reduced to little more than a supervisor who had no control over the building, the staff coming in, wages, and numerous other things. That is not the world I wanted to a part of. So I went elsewhere.

[dvbuk55]

Whose fault is it the the rounds were set so as to allow people to finish early? I see that as a Manager you thought it wrong that these staff persistently finished early and yet did nothing to equalise the deliveries I presume? You are the reason that overtime, much of it ghost docket, and not hours worked has become a destructive culture within Royal Mail. It is easy to point the finger at the eleventh hour and say that people have come to rely on overtime when by your own admission you relied on people coming back early to do duties that couldn't be covered conventionally. A weak management allows these practices to proliferate and I can understand the expression "Spanish practices" in relation to overtime.

[F0zziebear]

Sorry, should clarify my position. I was the DLM at the time for half the office. There was also the impending SDD coming up so no rounds were allowed to be re-configured at the time. I can see your point, and that was my frustration that I could not influence the balance of things. I was the acting DOM for a period of time until the regular DOM returned. I do not want to go into anymore detail on this though.

F0zz

[k979aaa]

Sorry, should clarify my position. I was the DLM at the time for half the office. There was also the impending SDD coming up so no rounds were allowed to be re-configured at the time. I can see your point, and that was my frustration that I could not influence the balance of things. I was the acting DOM for a period of time until the regular DOM returned. I do not want to go into anymore detail on this though.

F0zz

But what of the top management culture of mega bonuses with little work or time spent at work how can ones paid so much do so few with so much reimbursement!. AND EXPECT THE MANY TO DO SO MUCH FOR WHICH THEIR REWARD IS SO LITTLE!.

[F0zziebear]

Whatever you may think of those at the top they work damn hard. No you're right they don't haul a sack on their back, shovel coal or some other form of physical manual labour. They spend their time trying to do their best. I will back them up 100% on that. You may not agree with their opinions, ideas or the way they are doing things, but I have worked with almost everyone of the current senior management of RM Group and they are a hard working bunch. They think about work 24/7, constantly on the email, blackberry and phone when on holiday. They never really take a break, sometimes to my annoyance as I hoped they would leave me alone sometimes.

As for only working a few hours for large amounts of money, that criticism is levelled specifically at Allan Leighton who was a part-time chairman. So your argument needs to be made more specific.

As for whether the CEO of RoyalMail should be getting the kinds of bonuses we are talking about, again it depends on your viewpoint. If you view RM as a private organisation owned by the government then Adam Crozier's pay is in line with other companies of a similar turnover. If you view RM as a public sector organisation then one could and possibly should argue that he gets paid a lot less as a civil servant. The view from the government is that it's a private company owned by the government and therefore his pay should be based on that premise.

If you disagree with the government's viewpoint then vote them out. Considering most of you are CWU members and union membership accounts for approx. 70% of the Labour government's revenue I think you should vote with your feet. Now voting Conservative won't get you any further on this matter either, so what about the Libs? or Greens of someone other parties on the fringes?