walk sequencing pressures

[AnnexeB]

What has your H&S Rep said about this?

We had a `fatigue study` a couple of months back. Two people came in, and each individual could outline their problems, concerns, issues...whatever...in supposedly confidential terms. Everyone waded in with their concerns, H&S issues, etc......, then i found out they were employed by Royal Mail. We were led to believe they were independent.
We havent heard anything since, and H&S never ever ask us if everythings ok !
On the points about hitting targets .... what we cant fathom, we were trained a specific way by the company who make the machines, and time and again it was drilled into us that we were being trained in the most efficient and SAFE way possible. Yet, since training, which included managers too, the job has been completely re-structured to hit these targets ... with no heed payed to the official training. But what we dont understand, the job always got done, properly, and on time, doing it the way were trained originally !!!!!!

As for missorts .... no one understands this, not even the engineers, but the letters go through the machine 3 times. Whats puzzling is.... the machine still throws out missorts during the second and third pass.....even tho they`ve gone through perfectly, during the first pass. !!!!!!

[dblad]

Thousands of people losing their jobs, millions upon millions spent on it, what a load of bollox it all is. Hooper report said this bunch of w**nkers running the company we're not good enough to take it forward.

[24601]

I'm really glad this issue has been raised at last.

We've had CSS machines for over 3 years now and to begin with the 2 hours on and 2 hours off has never ever happened. Every morning wen I get home I have to rub Ibuleve into my arms and shoulders to help the pain and I think in years to come back problems amongst CSS operators will be common.

The figures and results are being set up as a competition between offices and is leading to many unsafe practices. It all revolves around the time the machine is idle between batches and the clear down time.

Loading up the conveyor belt with the next batch while the previous one is running is encouraged. This involves unloading mail over the letters on the belt which is clearly a H & S issue.

Some offices are clearly using 2 or more operators to clear down and load and even then its difficult to imagine how a batch of 6500 letters can be cleared down and trayed up in less than 1 minute !!!! They say figures can't lie but anyone with a basic knowledge of OEE can spot an irregularity a mile away.

We have to display our figures on the end of the machines every day and we receive a weekly chart showing the results of the offices in our region and our positions which also has to be displayed. This leads to idiots breaking every rule in the book to ge one more percent .

The OEE target for now is 66%. In 2012 its going to be 85% - absolute madness and completely unachievable !!!!

The insanity which is CSS is set to grow and grow with offices pitched against each other by highly paid graduates who have no idea what a sequencing machine looks like. Thank goodness I'm near retirement - if I last that long !!!

[AnnexeB]

Yes, theyre trying to get the same work practice with us too. That clear down figure is so easy to manipulate. If it takes you 10 mins to clear down, you can still write down it just takes a minute. The problem with this, as with most things in Royal Mail, those who do the job safely and honestly, are now being targetted as being too slow, and need to improve. Yes, the old Harrassment & Bullying culture rears its head again.

But as always, i ask....where is the union and H&S on this ??? Where is the uniform conditions and work practices ???

[24601]

[quote="AnnexeB"]Yes, theyre trying to get the same work practice with us too. That clear down figure is so easy to manipulate. If it takes you 10 mins to clear down, you can still write down it just takes a minute.

We complete the OEE by downloading the figures to a memory stick and using copy and paste. We know our figures are 100% accuate and are being beaten by offices who are doing just what AnnexeB is talking about.

[AnnexeB]

Yes, but there isnt a figure for the actual `clear down`. You can just make that up !
The machine stops ...... you`ve already loaded the next batch on ...... so you fire up the machine again, immediately ..... and with one person working backwards, whilst the wheels are spinning at a relentless speed, they load into boxes, whilst the first operator is loading boxes.....reaching over mail etc.......!!
Even with two people clearing down, you`re looking at 4 minutes.....but the computer doesnt know this, so the operator, to keep the OEE figure down, and boss off their back, will just put down 1 minute.
Its criminal its being allowed. Back injuries....arm/elbow/shoulder injuries, and pretty much just general de-moralisation.
And then, to compound the issue....after nearly 10 hours back breakin work.......other line managers come down and say "we`re short staffed, we`re takin you you n you off, to throw walks up, you dont know, whislt you`re shattered"

Never mind. At least we got the delivery supplement, which comes in handy for deep heat sprays, bandages, and countless bottles of water to keep us going

[POSTMAN]

Have you guys pushed this to area?

[OnAFlyer]

Our WS operators work a strict 2 on 2 off. Also the sequenced boxes are nigh on perfect, probably 1 missort per 200 letters or so. It also allows you to easily prep walks you don't know faster - something that's very handy because all our temp full time staff have now been dropped to 25hrs delivery only because of the savings we have to make due to WS.

Now for that bad part - the actual time we get the sequencing. It varies so wildly we can have the whole lot when we get into the office, or absolutely nothing until 8pm+ because it's late from the MC. That's when the belts don't snap, which has happened at least 6 times in the last month.

I'm usually prepped later now than I ever was with walksorted mail, but if I do get it early then someone else doesn't, so it's them with no mail to prep instead. A big problem is the sequencing stops at a certain point to do another office, then when it's restarted it does it from the beginning again, so the walks that are first get their entire batch of WS before the walks that are last get any at all.

We get boxes of mail come in late and they are put through the machines, by the time they're sequenced we could have thrown them in the frames.

The machines DO work and make life easier, I think they are a good idea - it's just not consistent enough and I doubt it ever will be, because the MC can't get the mail here on time just like it never could before. Also the man hours to operate the machines and the savings expected don't reflect the actual time savings the machines make.

[mail boy]

We too are suffering from pressures to hit `targets` !! 4 or 5 of us are having problems with our arms, as we`re left on the machines for the full 10 hour shifts. Non of the two hours on two hours off, has ever been implemented. Things should get interesting shortly, although we`ve never been made to do walks....yet. We have been asked to do them voluntarily tho !!!!
Again, the Union have messed up big style, by not having a uniform approach to the running of the CSS machines.
We were asked to start doing the job in a way that was whooly unnacceptable on H&S grounds. Apparently our figures were not as good as one particular office. It was subsequently found out that this particular office were employing dangerous practices to achieve their results, and RM were happy for them to continue.

Another Royal Mail fiasco !!!

Pressures you what to work at a delivery office and you see what pressures is mate day in day out .

[Big Daz]

CCS machines in the main are in/will be in D.O's so the operators will be well aware of D.O pressures and will be prepping dels at the last part of duty and expected to have them ready on time.

[fishtank]

CCS machines in the main are in/will be in D.O's so the operators will be well aware of D.O pressures and will be prepping dels at the last part of duty and expected to have them ready on time.

I think AnnexeB is ex-delivery anyway Daz....a lot of the CSS guys are.

[AnnexeB]

Pressures you what to work at a delivery office and you see what pressures is mate day in day out .

I was a postman for not quite 20 years ......... so know full well the pressures you guys are under. Believe me, thats why i went for the CSS operator job. Of course, RM didnt let on that H&S would fly out of the window.

Dont worry....i see, day in/day out, the pressures Posties are under.
To be even more unpopular, i see the pressures that line managers are under too, from area managers. That is where Royal Mail really needs to change, otherwise this once quality service, will be completely lost. Area managers who dont have to confront irate posties, are quite happy for Dims to do the stressful job of bullying.
As for the CSS situation, we too seem to be getting dictates from Area managers who havent even used the machines.
I personally thought that it would be totally uniform throughout, as to how they were operated. Im staggered the union havent clamped down on this, cos i can see hundreds of claims going in soon.
Again, i dont understand the issue of `targets` or idle time, cos the job still gets done, on time, but more safely. Who are we battling against, with these targets ???? Its not like we have to battle against another firm.

Sorry, this hasnt been sent up to `area` on our patch, but will do so, if i knew the process....where and who to contact ........... etc !

Any grumbles we give to reps at the minute are met with snidy comments like "what ya moanin about, you`re the best paid workers in RM " !
Bit like on here, really !!!!!!!

[OnAFlyer]

CCS machines in the main are in/will be in D.O's so the operators will be well aware of D.O pressures and will be prepping dels at the last part of duty and expected to have them ready on time.

It's not happening because the mail isn't there on time all the time, it's late up from the MC very very frequently. Our MC is less than 5 miles away as well.

[bamfordsnr]

I am overwhelmed at the response to my blog on walk sequence opperators, I have actually worked for Royal Mail for 20 years so I know full well they don't do logic. It seems theyn come over all caring and concerned for your wellfair insisting for instance you take your break but when the work is'nt completed on time there on you like a ton of bricks someone mentioned preping duties as an option this is part of our work load every day there are more and more, we almost did'nt get the D2D payment until we told them we wer'nt going to prep them into duties or deliver them on Saturday mornings. I should have realised it would be a competition as everything is with Royal Mail. onwards to battle!!

[AnnexeB]

Im suprised you`re being asked to deliver walks on a Saturday. Has the union not stopped this ??? Surely your job now is a CSS operator.?????
I know the "as directed" may be used, but do you ever see a driver throwing walks up....certainly not delivering them ????????

And surely `fatigue` should be taken into account....being expected to take half a walk out, after at least, an 8 hour shift, seems ridiculous !!!!