Full Timers Let Go AT My Office

[coxie]

Today 7 or 8 full timers were told they will be let go in 2 weeks time, the reason was because when they joined they were given 3 yr trial periods and because they haven't completed 4 years royal mail doesn't have to recognize them as permanent. They are victims of a loophole, now this wasn't the doms doing it was HR who have been going through contracts to see who they can get rid off. This isn't hear say this actually happend at my office and our DOM said HR will be looking at doing this to all offices, they wasn't even going to get told till they got a letter tomorrow but the DOM felt it was only right to tell them face to face.

So be warned if you are a full timer with less than 4 years service they are gunning for you.

I have a question for the union reps who were on here defending the agreement, i heared a few of you say removing the door to door payments will protect jobs, well its been a couple of months and now this. Where are you now, please reply as now we all know that jobs are never protected and no agreement will ever do that because royal mail do what they like. If none of you who defended it respond to my question about jobs protection I will dig through old posts and start quoting you.

[hantsman]

Today 7 or 8 full timers were told they will be let go in 2 weeks time, the reason was because when they joined they were given 3 yr trial periods and because they haven't completed 4 years royal mail doesn't have to recognize them as permanent. They are victims of a loophole, now this wasn't the doms doing it was HR who have been going through contracts to see who they can get rid off. This isn't hear say this actually happend at my office and our DOM said HR will be looking at doing this to all offices, they wasn't even going to get told till they got a letter tomorrow but the DOM felt it was only right to tell them face to face.

So be warned if you are a full timer with less than 4 years service they are gunning for you.

I have a question for the union reps who were on here defending the agreement, i heared a few of you say removing the door to door payments will protect jobs, well its been a couple of months and now this. Where are you now, please reply as now we all know that jobs are never protected and no agreement will ever do that because royal mail do what they like. If none of you who defended it respond to my question about jobs protection I will dig through old posts and start quoting you.

They were on fixed term contracts IMHO and not permanent, its all legal im afraid. If they have not been given perm full time within 4 years they have to be let go legally. This is I guess to prevent Employers doing this for ever.

[fishtank]

I had a feeling this was coming coxie.
About 6 weeks ago the DOM was told to find out who was on what kind of contract in our office.
It turned out 3 or 4 guys who had been here for 8 or 9 years still had temp contracts,obviously they were ok.
I felt at the time it was a bit suspicious that they were nosing about contracts but was told it was just to update the database.
Obviously not.

[coxie]

Yep legal I know but doesn't make it right, even our DOM said we can't afford to lose 7 people they are needed to do walks, I know that if you have been employed for 4 years you have to be considered permanent so it looks like they are getting rid of these guys before they have to do that, they are nothing but victims of the loophole royal mail have exploited. Only full timers though not part timers, which shows me royal mail want rid of full time contracts. So this agreement was complete bollox because jobs aint protected at all, more vulnerable if anything.

[hantsman]

Yep legal I know but doesn't make it right, even our DOM said we can't afford to lose 7 people they are needed to do walks, I know that if you have been employed for 4 years you have to be considered permanent so it looks like they are getting rid of these guys before they have to do that, they are nothing but victims of the loophole royal mail have exploited. Only full timers though not part timers, which shows me royal mail want rid of full time contracts. So this agreement was complete bollox because jobs aint protected at all, more vulnerable if anything.

Not fair I agree, but guess what? ...................RM can take on another 7 people on temp contracts for up to 4 years.

IMHO part timers would be the same as well on a temp contract for up to 4 years.

[coxie]

Oh yes, i suspect all contracts will be temp and nobody will ever last over 4 years now. The thing is that it is sickening some of these people have families and their own duties but royal mail dont care

[fishtank]

What it shows is that Royal Mail does not want to give out permanent contracts....otherwise they would have.
Legal or not,to give someone who has worked for the company for 3 years... 2 weeks notice that they will be out of a job is beneath contempt.
I assume in this new age of understanding,new relationships and two-way communication that the union knew about this strategy and decided to keep quiet....or were they kept out of the loop they keep telling us they are part of.
Is this the "overarching aim of no compulsory redundancies"

[coxie]

Be interested to see over the coming days if any other offices have the same issues, they were told it was HR digging through the contracts so it will probably be done nationwide

[Judgee]

Have they been given any kind of payoff package or basically have they just said in two weeks time don't bother coming in no more, have a pat on the back and a nice life?

[dvbuk55]

What it shows is that Royal Mail does not want to give out permanent contracts....otherwise they would have.
Legal or not,to give someone who has worked for the company for 3 years... 2 weeks notice that they will be out of a job is beneath contempt.
I assume in this new age of understanding,new relationships and two-way communication that the union knew about this strategy and decided to keep quiet....or were they kept out of the loop they keep telling us they are part of.
Is this the "overarching aim of no compulsory redundancies"

I wouldn't have thought any of my colleagues are on this type of contract. As the terminations are legal even if these people are members of the union their position will not be defended presumably because it is a no win situation. I wonder if this information was available to the CWU and if it was why they did not warn members of their vulnerable position with regards to their contract and if it wasn't then the loop is much narrower than suggested by the full inclusion statements by the CWU.

[coxie]

None of these full timers who have been there between 3 and 4 years knew that they only had a fixed term contract, royal mail have been very clever in doing it so they dont have to pay any redundencies and they will replace them with part timers and get rid of them in just over 3 years too.

[krussel]

Terrible conditions as you would think 3 weeks or 3 months as a temp contract but 3 years most people would not consider that temp at all.

[fishtank]

I don't think they would have had a fixed term contract coxie it's unlikely for 3 years...more likely a temporary rolling contract which means it doesn't have to keep being renewed after a fixed period of time.
I know these contracts were quite common in the lead up to P&M2007 and that would probably fit with the timeline.

[stokes11eg]

Can this company sink any lower? No good asking the Union to step in and try and salvage something.Thank god I've onlty a little time to go----just hope these guys pour through their original contracts, and see if everything is above board-

[wacko74]

Nothing suprises me with this lot nowadays they will stoop to any depth to get rid of people on the cheap,
I was most suprised at the thread by 'futurethinker' a few days back saying he'd been offered VR, now that was a shock!!