Postman covers more than 5½ miles on daily route

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 866904.ece" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The day starts in the small hours of the morning, as the alarm clock goes off before a 5.30am start (writes Kaya Burgess).

Before dawn has broken the postman reports to the delivery office, where he will spend 3½ to four hours sorting through thousands of letters for the area.

The delivery office’s patch is divided into a series of routes or “walks”, and the postal workers spend the first half of their shift sorting letters into piles for each postman to take on their round.

Before setting out at about 9am, the postmen get a 30-minute break before loading their mailbags and setting off on the route.

On an average four to five-hour shift, a postman will visit more than 600 letterboxes and deliver more than 15kg (33lb) of mail, covering about 5½ miles.

Some lug the mail around with them in a bag over their shoulder, whereas those with larger patches have a trolley. The more intrepid postmen in rural areas can often be seen on bicycles.

The target foot-speed for a postal worker is generally accepted as 2.4mph, but the Communication Workers’ Union complained last year that a new target of 4mph was impractical because of time spent dallying with unanswered doorbells and recorded deliveries.

After returning to the sorting office the postman sorts through any mail that has come in for the next day and clocks off at about 1.30pm.

[Stormproof]

deliver more than 15kg (33lb) of mail

shame it does'nt say each bag, the way it reads we only have one bag don't worry about the other 60+kg's

[stupidboy]

i'd love a duty delivering 15kg of mail. on 2 occassions this week i've taken out 100kg

[rhino49]

I wish I had his job

7.8 miles - 514 drops and today 8 satchels containing 103 kilos of mail and packets - finished at 3:30

[sevenandseven]

Where did this "journalist" get their information from because this looks like a cut and paste job by someone who hasn't got a clue what goes on in a delivery office. As others have said 15kgs for 600 addresses? Sorts through mail that has come in for the next day after finishing his delivery? Four to five hour shift? I think I know what they are trying to say but this really is sloppy journalism so typical of the modern media.

[Hugh_G_Rection]

Well I just signed up and posted this (why dont we all blitz them at the Times?) but i doubt they will post it cos it disagreees wth most of the posters:



Once again the media get it all wrong. With respect to Kaya Burgess, I have been a postie for 10 years and my Bro in Law since 1967. It is a myth that we are against modernisation, it is a myth we are seeing mail volumes dropping off and it is a myth we are ALL lazy, and that we are all thieves. I walk 10 miles a day and take a min 60Kg of post PLUS packets on a bike in all weathers. It is pure graft 6 days a week. Unlike some of you posters who sit at a desk with the “what about us” attitude. We are being asked to work for free or being threatened to have wages stopped. Must be flexible they call it i.e. Work for free!! If you go into a post office do they give you free stamps and free postal orders? NO. Why should I work for FREE then?
My Bro in law took one bag out in the 60's and now takes seven in 2009 so how is mail dropping off? Job and finish did exist until 2007, and it was managers who brought it in NOT the union. Would you look a gift horse in the mouth? As for we are losing mail to the competition, pure baloney. My bags are full of TNT, UK MAIL, DHL stuff all letters that belong to the competitors cos Postcom insist RM deliver it FACT!! When did you last see a post person in any other uniform than a RM one?
All the unemployed I read about saying “we would do it” yes they would, but soon start whinging when they see what they have to do for £300 take home a week , dead pension, no job security and OT vanishing very soon.
Why does RM have such a high turnover of staff?
Once again the people at the top are on millions plus expenses and gold pension whilst all of us lower down the ladder get shafted with high bills, no pay rise, no pension, no job security and a management that does not care.

Most managers and the "go get another job brigade on here” could not do the job now without collapsing in a sweat. I see lots of Business owner’s whinging yet you probably treat your staff as is they are working for free as well. Is it no wonder Stress is the fastest growing illness in the UK. Bosses don’t like Unions cos it gives employees a voice instead of letting them take us all back to the dark days of Dickens.
Bring on the strikes. :cfo

[opgpat]

Good work fella, they just don't have a clue about what goes on in the job. I even heard that Robert Peston (guy who broke the credit cruch story) on radio last night talking all kinds of inaccurate crap about the working day and he's supposed to be the James Bond of investgative journalism. Just sent a comment to a BBC article myself but will it get posted?

[postmanpat]

Any link to this Robert Peston interview, would love to hear??

Cheers

[opgpat]

it was radio 5 live a bit after midnight I think but not sure which day this week, it's up there in iplayer but god knows where. and I'm only 70% sure it was Peston, could have been someone who sounds like him.

UPDATE on this times article, I had a response posted under name sean smith. we can get the truth out there guys, everyone keep up the good work.