Snow delivers new problems at beleaguered Dundee East office

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Dundee ... ffice.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just when Royal Mail thought it had cleared the backlog of mail in its beleaguered Dundee East delivery office, the heavy snow arrived.

Postal workers have been unable to get out of the West Pitkerro depot with their sacks of letters and parcels this week because the side streets and pavements have been too treacherous for them to enter.

The mail built up last month after a new delivery system was introduced.

Rounds were enlarged, with teams of posties working from vans to deliver letters and parcels -- an approach considered to be more efficient.

Postal workers complained that they could not deliver mail in the allotted time, and returned to the depot with sackfuls which built up day after day.

Managers were drafted in from other depots to sort mail and extra staff from other parts of Scotland accepted overtime payments to spend their Sundays delivering mail in the DD4 and DD5 areas.

Significant progress was made and at the end of last week the backlog was close to being cleared in time for the festive increase in mail.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said, "All our postmen and women in Dundee are working hard to keep the mail moving and are making deliveries and collections where it is safe and possible to do so."

[shimmyrule]

bullshit, convenient excuse, couldnt have come at a better time, the office is rammed, and thy forced folk out today in vand, some never managed past the yard,others got out and stuck, some went for a jolly and returned.
Then, they told us that the driver would take the non driver out, the non driver would deliver mail from the 5kg bags, and the driver would drive around til the postie had finished, pick him up, then onto the next bag, same again.
It battered wi sno, and that was that, all in sorting mail.

No body up here is working hardly, schools, buses, council, only main roads clear, thats all, drifts up to 4 foot deep on some housing areas, and postie vans have no shovels or grit in the back o vans.
Itl take a serious injury/fatality before these 6, yes 6 cosy managers realise theres more to life!
Not one of them , when challenged, would come out in a van to do a part walk.
Its a disgrace,an absolute disgrace, although the rep put a cheeky wee offer in for 12 hours each this sunday, scheduled attend sunday rates of course to do a round each this weekend!!! Just to help out you understand, and take the heat off the floundering office.

[comeracing]

we have had bad snow in the DN area of lincolnshire no deliverys for 2 days now and looking bleak for tomorrow,were not risking injury for NOBODY,weve all gone into work to do indoor sorting etc but have been told of these banking hours we owe royal mail hours .NO WAY WE ARE NOT BEING CONNED WE WERE AVAILABLE FOR WORK NOT OUR FAULT LORRIES WITH MAIL COULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE OFFICE.COME ON CWU STAND UP FOR US.i have even volunteerd to work on sunday to clear our big back log ,instead of working in the pitch black next week,guess what management are not interested.

[DUNDEEPOSTIE]

Dundee West has not completed any deliveries since last Saturday. No deliveries were attempted on Monday, yesterday or today. A token delivery was attempted on Tuesday "to areas where it was considered safe to go". Majority of these deliveries took place at blocks of flats. (If you could get there!)
They tried to send us out today with SD's and tracked after sorting the backlog of arriving mail. This was blown out of the window when a lorry became stuck on the hill leading upto the main road.
One of our managers told us it would be safter to walk on the pavements, as if we fell it would be softer! Clearly he hasn't seen many areas where you are up to your waist in the stuff!
We have around 600 SD's in the office and nearly 200 tracked items, and it is unclear how this will be cleared.
Many areas remain untouched by snowploughs and gritters, and due to this mornings snowfall, many main roads are not in much better condition.
Frames are now creaking under the pressure of letters and parcels, and we have been told that if it doesn't fit in the frame, you are to tray all letters and flats off and put them in trays, label and date them. The same goes with your packet bags from the drop bags.
Christmas arangements will now need to begin in earnest, to have any chance of recovery before the big day.

[smartbhoy]

In the West of Scotland and took One bag once over on Tuesday which was bad. Wednesday the snow was worse and we were told all duties were suspended and we'd go home at 10am and we'd owe 4hrs banked. We refused and we called the area rep who agreed with the Manager, we still refused and said we'd sit in the office till 2pm then go home. He relented after our union rep had a quiet word with the manager and told him all our goodwill over christmas pressure would be non-existent. He said we could go home and no hours would be banked. Today it's just as bad if not worse, especially in housing schemes. 2/3 foot deep. 6am this moring he calls a meeting and asks us if we could maybe go out with duties spilt between 4/5 men all within a mile radius of the office. We agreed after we got confirmation if anyone was injured due to the weather he'd be held responsible. By 9am the weather's got worse and more snow, so we refuse to go out on deliveries again. He knows it's too hazardous for us to be on deliveries, but he offers guys to take maybe a row of a delivery, maybe an hours work then go home. The majority again say it's too dangerous, but of course the heros maybe 8 or 9 of them who want to get an early finish go out in these Arctic conditions. The rest of us then do a little indoor work which is remaining and then the manager makes us sit in the canteen from 12pm till 2pm to our finishing time. Gone is our goodwill and that extra mile they're always asking us to go.Tonight here there's more snow forecast overnight with temperatures as low as -15. Friday i have no idea what he's going to expect, but what i do know is 85% of the office is now seriously considering working to their time every day till we finish up for christmas on the 24th. There'll be no back log getting cleared here.

[guvenor]

what bit of w o scot u in cos our deliveries are all out ok

[sareknees]

That office will not be clear until springtime at the earliest unless the horrendous walks are looked at seriously & are manageable RMs problem though ... 1440hrs hometime - Thank - you

[Lincox]

Again we see a manager that is making a local decision on a non union recognised company instruction to management and when challenged is prepared to change his mind when a rep pumps a bit of common sense into him.
This company is so riddled and infested with poor industrial relations and man management that there is absolutely no hope for the future.