Glasgow, what is World Class Mail?

[belle smith]

I've actually looked into WCM in detail. Not from RM's point of view, but generally. If it's implemented properly, it's a fantastic system, which could do a great deal of good for all of us. How many times have you, or someone else, gone to a Manager with a problem, and been ignored. Because the solution would affect their budget, so you're expected to carry on regardless. For example: The Magnum Boots fiasco. Which was only resolved (in Deliveries, but not in MC/RDCs) after a considerable number of accidents. WCM (if properly implemented) would have got that sorted much faster. But sadly, that's not what's happening here. In the form that RM are using, it's a disaster!

This sounds like quality circules....it could work but it depends on the managers and the staff.

[norbert]

I'm not from Glasgow, but we had WCM imposed on us some time ago. But basically, this is what it's all about:
1) Keeping your work area tidy, by picking up litter, cleaning your equipment, and performing "minor" maintenance yourself.
2) Small groups being involved in working out ways to make the work areas more efficient and safe. Which takes a lot of the blame away from the Managers, if something goes wrong. Particularly if there's an accident caused by equipment failure.
3) Changing the SSOW, so that less maintenance work is done by the Engineers (see 1). Which means that they will need less of them.
4) Maintaining "pillars", which theoretically make the whole Business stronger, by giving more power to the individual workers. Although I've seen no evidence of this myself. Except that those in the groups, meet with the Managers to discuss what's going on. But that doesn't mean that the Managers have to listen, does it?

Theoretically, this would be the best thing to happen to RM in years. But in practice, it's being abused to transfer as much blame as possible from the managers to us. Without actually giving us the power to prevent the problems. And of course. It's also being used to provide evidence for RM to use to cut the number of Engineers and Cleaners.

I can accept the bit about people being paid and hands being hired ......BUT you can guarantee that RM will corrupt something and handle things badly , Murphy's Law ? .....and that's the problem with that backward 70's Top Down style .

[Tman]

Leaving all the dark "job-cutting" conspiracies aside, it's actually about improving efficiency through involving operators more in their day-to-day activities.
Operators standing at the green/blue button for seven hours wearing the thousand yard stare is lamentable.

Whether it goes the same way as that other "Next Best Thing" called TPM remains to be seen though.....

[goinpostal]

Guess I'm a bit suspicious of anything to do with team working, especially around "efficiency". Just a way of getting workers to focus on each other as the source of their problem and collaborate with management than showing solidarity with each other.

[norbert]

Guess I'm a bit suspicious of anything to do with team working, especially around "efficiency". Just a way of getting workers to focus on each other as the source of their problem and collaborate with management than showing solidarity with each other.

there was a long bitter strike over it years ago and everyone knows RM's version of it would be divisive and destructive . It keeps coming back .

It'll also be a way of sidelining and playing people up against the Union - i.e. " So & So has been talking to reps , been in the Union room " .

RM don't expect more H&B complaints or Grievances .........well of course - A suspected RM Area manager , well known for relentless union bashing , hiding behind a dodgy civilian alias ; on a defunct forum said " The problem is that the Human Face of RM is the Union , the solution to that is team working " .

Teamworking is sugar to swallow sh** with , simple as . I've seen some laughable attempts to bring it in , best one was the Team Bonding Trip to a Beer Kellar .....the mini bus never turned up , RM is nothing if not consistent .

[andy2007]

, it's a fantastic system, which could do a great deal of good for all of us. How many times have you, or someone else, gone to a Manager with a problem, and been ignored. Because the solution would affect their budget, so you're expected to carry on regardless. For example: The Magnum Boots fiasco. Which was only resolved (in Deliveries, but not in MC/RDCs) after a considerable number of accidents. WCM (if properly implemented) would have got that sorted much faster. But sadly, that's not what's happening here. In the form that RM are using, it's a disaster!

So its not about working just H&S?

By the way what is the magnum boot is it the one they introduced in 2007 or so? What accidents have there been?

No, it's about everything involved in each section: Quality, efficiency, H&S, maintenance, etc., etc.. Which is why, if it's implemented properly, it'd be such a fantastic system. But sadly, it's being abused. And will no doubt, continue to be abused.

Yes, the Magnum Boots are the ones that were introduced a few years ago, and lead to a numnber of "slip and trip" accidents. Which is why there are alternatives available (if they ever get delivered!), unless you need "Safety Boots" (e.g. MC Posties).

Here are a cople of links to show you what I mean about the accidents:
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... m+accident" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... m+accident" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... Magnum+LTB" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... Magnum+LTB" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... Magnum+LTB" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are many more examples on here. But I thought that 5 would be enough to illustrate my point.

[andy2007]

I'm not from Glasgow, but we had WCM imposed on us some time ago. But basically, this is what it's all about:
1) Keeping your work area tidy, by picking up litter, cleaning your equipment, and performing "minor" maintenance yourself.
2) Small groups being involved in working out ways to make the work areas more efficient and safe. Which takes a lot of the blame away from the Managers, if something goes wrong. Particularly if there's an accident caused by equipment failure.
3) Changing the SSOW, so that less maintenance work is done by the Engineers (see 1). Which means that they will need less of them.
4) Maintaining "pillars", which theoretically make the whole Business stronger, by giving more power to the individual workers. Although I've seen no evidence of this myself. Except that those in the groups, meet with the Managers to discuss what's going on. But that doesn't mean that the Managers have to listen, does it?

Theoretically, this would be the best thing to happen to RM in years. But in practice, it's being abused to transfer as much blame as possible from the managers to us. Without actually giving us the power to prevent the problems. And of course. It's also being used to provide evidence for RM to use to cut the number of Engineers and Cleaners.

I can accept the bit about people being paid and hands being hired ......BUT you can guarantee that RM will corrupt something and handle things badly , Murphy's Law ? .....and that's the problem with that backward 70's Top Down style .

Actually, it's been implemented via EA (and of course in the trial areas before that) in several places already (note the bit in red above). So a lot of us have first hand knowledge of whether it's used properly or not. This has nothing to do with doom and gloom assumptions. It's simply observations of WCM being used in the real world. It's such a wasted opportunity to make things better for all of us!

It may be, that things change in the future. But I seriously doubt that, that will happen.

Is there ANYBODY on here, from a site where WCM has been inmplemented properly. And therefore improved things?
I await such replies with baited breath.

[thehappyones]

In glasgow WCM is useless and gets everybodys back up ,the "volunteers" get free meals ,O/t ,and time off duty to wander about with clipboards looking for" kaizens " these are things that will save the company money and increase productivity which equals job losses(apparently Belfast have pulled out of WCM for this reason) we have had the wee japanese dude in last year and last week with various people following him like wee lost sheep(easily a dozen people from workers right up to Higson himself) with their earphones in listenning to his every word,i think you have 7yrs to reach 100pts to become WorldClass although nobody seems to know exactly what this means ,does the company recieve financial reward for reaching it or is it just the status of being World Class but you can be dammned sure there must be something init for them as the wee japanese dude costs(alledgedly)somewhere in the region of £40,000 per visit (could be wrong here but that was the figure quoted that is flying about GMC).The visit last week with the japanese dude cumulated in the dude slating the WCM team as amatuerish(you should have seen some of the drawings they did ,they were totally embarassing, my 5yr 0ld does better,seriously ....So anyways we now have a grand total of 16pts out of 100.Also when the dude comes for a visit the mail centre is like a bowling green with no junk etc to be seen anywhere as every thing is shunted into trailers out inthe platform/warehouse then trundled back in once the dude has left !! So in reality they really are just kidding themselves on(the dude must really be rubbing his hands with all the money he makes from the company(alledgedly) This visit also had atouch of CWU invlovement in the shape of our Area H&S Rep and one of the Unit Reps ,cant wait to read the report or whatever comes out of it ...And to clarify this ,as i know alot of members within the mail centre were making noises about why their was CWU involvement(if you can call it that) and the agreement hasn't even been voted on, i believe HQ were just having a looksee(no hidden agenda) so where was i ..?ah...World Class Mail ,well what is it? ,what is the end product? Well if your ever in GMC youwill see that there has been an explosion of clear perspex notice boards upon which are drawings,photographs,reports,various pie charts and graphs of varying colours and sizes all basically repeating the previous board but with a chart instead of a graph etc. all telling you how that particular section works,how it could be improved, and what they would save by doing so.So its really a glorified Time and Motion study to reduce expenditure and increase productivity ..........but if anybody can tell me differently i would love to hear .............On a ighter note GMC had another visit from the DTI or what ever they call themselves these days! wasnt good it was wonderful watching it all unfold as the DTI gained entry into our"secure"compound .butnot the building thanks to CWUmember ..well i wont give his identity away we all know it was almost laughable(if itdidnt have a serious note to it,anybody fancy a doorkeeper duty )but i believe the DTI have gained acces to 4 mailcentres with GMC bieng the 5th which i hear is the tipping point when they can apply for an injunction with regards to our licence ..feel free to correct me if iam wrong ....Also had our Shift manager doing a mini roadshow (flipchart with printed powerpoint slides in a yorkie)going from section to section to let us know what the deal meant for us in the Mail centre and to use your vote and any question we had he would send them to somebody called Rachel Blanket i think it was as she is the official answer on any questions relating to the deal again the 10 min brief was just a summary of the deal in question and just what you expect from the company short and sweet ...!so all in all its been a funny auld week in the Mail Centre

[norbert]

surreal

[thehappyones]

usually is within the Mail Centre

[norbert]

very true from what I've seen from the outside looking in - that wants leaking You'd win a Pulitzer Prize if you could make this up ........to hell in a hand cart

[dvbuk55]

"Arbeit macht frei"

Remember when it was stolen? Guess where it was headed for?

[jaja]

Thanks Andy that helps, at our branch meeting nobody could explain it except "Its some japanese sh*te"!

Does it involve team working at all? Management-postie love-ins? massed ranks of workers in morning calisthenics? Like this:

漆で作られて世界クラスが失敗します

[Tman]

Thehappyones, so are you part of the WCM project "team" in GMC?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Thanks Andy that helps, at our branch meeting nobody could explain it except "Its some japanese sh*te"!

Does it involve team working at all? Management-postie love-ins? massed ranks of workers in morning calisthenics? Like this:

漆で作られて世界クラスが失敗します

国際的レベルの失敗