1 Hour Contracts

Cybitech · Post by **Cybitech** » 08 Aug 2007, 22:10

Can anyone tell me if 1 Hour Contracts are legal ?

Management in our area have been issuing these to new entrants recently.

As an added insult, the new part-timers got the Christmas bonus at pro-rata for their 1 hour contract and only got a few quid. What they got as a christmas bonus didn't even cover the price of a well-earned christmas drink.

Personally, i think these contracts are disgusting.

Post by **POSTMAN** » 08 Aug 2007, 22:35

How are the Union letting them get away with this ffs!!!

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 08 Aug 2007, 23:56

1hr/4hr/20hr contracts whilst legal are completely immoral this is one of the reasons why I'm striking It's all to do with RM saving money ie. making up their hours with overtime and whenever it suits them just paying them the basic. It seems to me that this is the what RM want less pay more work keep you coming back breaking strikes etc. makes me so mad

Post by **xcessive** » 08 Aug 2007, 23:56

About 5-8 casuals have been given 1 hour at contracts at our MC. A mate at work told me after talking to one of them that they have for the past couple of weeks each worked 8 hours per day (usually 1pm-9pm).
No offence to these new AG's but they are nicking our overtime, some are even asked to carry on working (up to 14 hours!)
This is not right at all!

Also, our MC has advertised new SA hours fixed onto your current contract. All the full timers ran over and signed their name up. A lot of us part timers did as well but again apparently the Seniority List will be used to determine who gets the new SA hours.

However, 90% of full timers have been with Royal Mail for a few years now (at least 8) so will no doubt get the SA hours whilst us part timers will be f****d over.

Overtime being nicked by people BELOW us in seniority and SA hours being nicked by people ABOVE us in seniority.

Scabbing seems the only way to make some money now....i wish it wasnt the only option :(

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 09 Aug 2007, 00:19

xcessive wrote:About 5-8 casuals have been given 1 hour at contracts at our MC. A mate at work told me after talking to one of them that they have for the past couple of weeks each worked 8 hours per day (usually 1pm-9pm).
No offence to these new AG's but they are nicking our overtime, some are even asked to carry on working (up to 14 hours!)
This is not right at all!

Also, our MC has advertised new SA hours fixed onto your current contract. All the full timers ran over and signed their name up. A lot of us part timers did as well but again apparently the Seniority List will be used to determine who gets the new SA hours.

However, 90% of full timers have been with Royal Mail for a few years now (at least 8) so will no doubt get the SA hours whilst us part timers will be f****d over.

Overtime being nicked by people BELOW us in seniority and SA hours being nicked by people ABOVE us in seniority.

Scabbing seems the only way to make some money now....i wish it wasnt the only option :(

Scabbing is what RM want you to do, those of us who go out on strike want all this crap to stop so that f/t contracts are offered again (not just crappy 1/4/20 hr contracts). All I want is just to work (and be paid for) 40 hours every week not all this crap that they want.

Post by **semacsorter** » 09 Aug 2007, 05:58

Scabbing isnt an option its a cop out!! We work in a mail centre yes i'm full time my wife also works there she is part time (20 hrs ) even with the 100's of casuals we have in she still gets o/t so unless your MC is really unusual it is there to be had! she might eventually get a full time job if the dasterdly duo havent got rid of them before then !! bear in mind that there are some of us who loose all out houshold income because were both out.

Post by **baldrick** » 09 Aug 2007, 08:03

When AG's were first brought in they were resented by FT staff because they were seen to be taking up hours that would have been put out as OT. Management have been playing off FT against PT staff, blaming FT staff for wanting to keep OT, and PT staff for decreasing OT.
Do not fall for this divide and rule tactics. If RM succeed in their plans the majority of jobs will end up as PT, and you will have virtually zero chance of a FT job.
You may be able to make up your hours with ED or SA, but you won't be getting that when you're on AL or sick, and you can't count on it as SA/ED decreases as it is in my office.
And I don't think most mortgage companies will take ED/SA into account if you're looking to get a mortgage, and it won't count towards your pension.

Fluke · Post by **Fluke** » 09 Aug 2007, 08:25

I was talking to a couple of people this morning that have just started in my office and they are on 8 hour contracts. They were asked to do their 8 hours this Saturday and were on overtime this morning.

The poor gits hadn't even been shown how to claim overtime or told about meal breaks ect....

They took the contracts because they thought it was a foot in the door and a chance to get full time employment.

I nearly cried when they asked about joining the Union and were willing to stand on the picket line. I gave them the Union forms to fill in, but felt guilty doing it, because the way things are going, I know its gonna be hard trying to get them a full time job.

Those full time strike breakers planning to come in on Saturday should choke on their own bile.

Post by **xcessive** » 09 Aug 2007, 13:29

How and when is the Seniority List used then?

The most senior posties at our MC have FT contracts, us part timers that joined Royal Mail around 3-4 years ago have only been given part time contracts (i know of someone who was given a 39 hr contract just so he couldnt be classified as a full timer).

Over the past 4-5 weeks the A list has given out 0 hours over time to the majority of posties and most over time is lapsed. I swear i see new casuals everyday!

Post by **semacsorter** » 09 Aug 2007, 14:52

okay if your MC is the same as ours overtime is given out on an aggregate basis changing every 13 weeks so the more you do the less chance you have of being on this gives everyone a fair chance of getting some docket, since the I/A has been going the managment have restricted o/t to only cover holidays and planned absence any pressure overtime is being given to the casuals to ensure that blue shirts are slapped in the face and not benefiting from clearing the backlog managment insist does not exist !! ( our place looks like the UN !! ) because of health and saftey all casuals wear orange hi vis jackets hence the reason our MC loks like a meeting of the dutch football club

.
Seniority is used for the allocation of new duties and to move to full time the chance of any new full time jobs being created are about as good as crozier getting a nomination for employer of the year !!
Fortunattly in our place there is very little problem between F/T and P/T staff some of us are even married to one !!
anyway our M/C goes out in 4 hours so like good people we will clear the backlog before we close the doors ( ye right ) !!

Stormproof · Post by **Stormproof** » 09 Aug 2007, 14:57

xcessive wrote:How and when is the Seniority List used then?

The most senior posties at our MC have FT contracts, us part timers that joined Royal Mail around 3-4 years ago have only been given part time contracts (i know of someone who was given a 39 hr contract just so he couldnt be classified as a full timer).

Over the past 4-5 weeks the A list has given out 0 hours over time to the majority of posties and most over time is lapsed. I swear i see new casuals everyday!

As far as I am aware the A list is suspended to all staff, has been since the 1st strike date(unless they are a scab), thats why there are so many agency staff (casuals) in the MC.

ROYALMAILCHAT

1 Hour Contracts

1 Hour Contracts

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