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!

Unable to get to work

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
Big Daz
Posts: 5668
Joined: 17 Apr 2007, 20:27
Gender: Male

Unable to get to work

Post by Big Daz »

Evening all

Not often i need advice/info but i wanted to see if anyone has been in this situation before or has been aware of one and knows what happened to resolve it.

Ive got a mbr whose car conked out during his annual leave this week and last week. He lives about 35 mins drive from the D.O and has no other way of getting to work. His day off is Monday this week coming and he will have use of his wifes car Friday and Saturday. He has been in tough with the D.O where he lives and they are willing to have him with them for Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday next week. The DOM at our D.O is aware of the situation with the car, but is not yet aware of the mbr having managed to obtain approval from the D.O in the area where he lives to work there for 3 days.

What rights and resonsibities do OPG's have in this situation?
happymackem
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 304
Joined: 27 Oct 2009, 19:02
Gender: Male
Location: in the land of the mackems

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by happymackem »

i was always under the impression that if you could not make it to your own office then you went to the nearest,make sure the office he goes to phones the dom to let them know the situation.
can his own office not make some arrangement to pick him up?
PostieWithTheMostie!
Posts: 322
Joined: 03 Dec 2009, 18:46
Gender: Male

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by PostieWithTheMostie! »

Grab the mis-sort van if its on route thats what we get told, thou we need to get to the main road it travels on in time for it.
Big Daz
Posts: 5668
Joined: 17 Apr 2007, 20:27
Gender: Male

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by Big Daz »

Working at other offices when on strike is fine, working at other offices when its bad weather is fine, so i dpont see any reason why doinmg the same when the motor veichle breaks down is a problem.

As soon as the insurance company cheque arrives and clears in his bank, a car will be obtained and he will travel to work as normal.
Big Daz
Posts: 5668
Joined: 17 Apr 2007, 20:27
Gender: Male

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by Big Daz »

PostieWithTheMostie! wrote:Grab the mis-sort van if its on route thats what we get told, thou we need to get to the main road it travels on in time for it.

Anything but on that route, he lives in the NN postcode area and the D.O is PE.
shadow
Posts: 494
Joined: 02 Jun 2009, 18:17
Gender: Female

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by shadow »

Don't they have buses in your area.
trythat
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 720
Joined: 23 Jun 2007, 16:36

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by trythat »

If members are usally within 10 miles, we send someone to pick them up, but I think the solution you've got is a better one, as someone else said, it's alright to go to another office in bad weather etc, and if the DOM is willing to have him, I don't really see a problem.
bexhil palace
Posts: 505
Joined: 18 Jul 2007, 11:54
Gender: Male
Location: All over the Gaff

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by bexhil palace »

Tell him to go sick with stress. :wink:
sidewinder
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 348
Joined: 24 Oct 2008, 18:05
Gender: Male

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by sidewinder »

I have had exactly the same problem.I live well over 35 miles from office(not a sniff of my transfer and all avenues have been tried) and when my cars engine blew up I was told I have to get to my office or take a hike.So I went in first day by train,took nearly 3 hours to get there.Bus to station(bus starts running at 6am and Im meant to start at 6!!) and 3 train changes,and got asked why I was late :crazy: .Got asked when my cars back on the road,with the usual reply of if I knew I wouldnt be working here would I ? I was told that he will have to phone around the 2 local offices to me to see if I could go on loan until my car was fixed.Later,surprise surprise that day my local office said they have me on loan.Best bit though,as no-one lives anywhere near me from my office I suggested that a dim possibly pick me up to take me to work.Reply....thats too far to travel!! Go figure.
opgpat
Posts: 878
Joined: 08 Oct 2007, 21:56

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by opgpat »

Your rights and responsibilities are based on employment law too. If you give notice of exceptional circumstances to employer like failure of transport then they should give you reasonable time to replace/fix car and accomodate you in any way possible ie local office work. No sweat, so long as everything you do is reasonable and you give notice and appear flexible you are doing everything an employment tribunal could reasonably expect.

other solutions are a dirt cheap hire car, about 120quid a week from a major rental but probablly cheaper alternatives locally.
liftshare.com - see if anyone local going your way each morning
bike/train/bike - cycle to nearest train station and get off nearest one to office
get breakdown cover/insurance that includes replacement car cover!
get on ebay, buy a banger for 150quid, drive it for 2 weeks, put it back on ebay, get your 150quid back! :cool
Lounge Lizard
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 9458
Joined: 06 Aug 2007, 21:54

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by Lounge Lizard »

Can't one of his work colleagues offer a spare bed for a few nights ?
Big Daz
Posts: 5668
Joined: 17 Apr 2007, 20:27
Gender: Male

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by Big Daz »

He managed to get a car in the end. So he attended work as normal.
dvbuk55
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 16650
Joined: 02 Jun 2007, 19:17
Gender: Male

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by dvbuk55 »

Big Daz wrote:Evening all

Not often i need advice/info but i wanted to see if anyone has been in this situation before or has been aware of one and knows what happened to resolve it.

Ive got a mbr whose car conked out during his annual leave this week and last week. He lives about 35 mins drive from the D.O and has no other way of getting to work. His day off is Monday this week coming and he will have use of his wifes car Friday and Saturday. He has been in tough with the D.O where he lives and they are willing to have him with them for Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday next week. The DOM at our D.O is aware of the situation with the car, but is not yet aware of the mbr having managed to obtain approval from the D.O in the area where he lives to work there for 3 days.

What rights and resonsibities do OPG's have in this situation?
Why did his wife not run him into work if she had a car?
Big Daz
Posts: 5668
Joined: 17 Apr 2007, 20:27
Gender: Male

Re: Unable to get to work

Post by Big Daz »

A good question, I suppose it might be due to a little one being less than a year old I think. Only 30mins away by car, but a complete nightmare by bus or train.