Swings and roundabouts

[RedRich]

In our office Mondays and Tuesdays are usually light so we may make a little time.Then later in the week things are very different and we are late off the walksorting and often cant complete.When we ask for overtime we are told that as we made time time earlier in the week that time can now be used to extend on a "swings and roundabouts" basis.As i understand it does the agreement not say that only half an hour can be claimed by them and that the time should be given or made back within seven days?If this is the case then time made earlier in the week is irrelevant, is this correct?
I refused to extend under his terms and asked for overtime and was threatened with suspension.After a verbal exchange and me sticking to my guns he agreed to pay the overtime although in our office this does not mean you actually get paid it.But i was told that everybody else was operating under this "swings and roundabouts " system and i was out on a limb which wasn,t a good place to be.

[arnold cheshire]

if you do lapsing on mon tue or any other day then the flexibility 30 mins thing goes out of the window you cant do both

[fishtank]

What your manager is attempting to do is bank hours. There is no national agreement between Royal Mail and the CWU to bank hours and there should be no local agreement either as it is outside the national model framework for P&M2007.
Flexibility should never be applied in reverse,you flex up if necessary and agreed...and then you recover the time.
It is designed to be used to deal with unforseen resourcing issues not as a resourcing tool in itself.

Enabler - Variation of hours - Where necessary, for example when traffic volumes are unexpectedly high or resourcing issues arise, individuals may be asked and may themselves request to vary their duty times by up to 30 minutes on a swings and roundabouts basis. Again, individual circumstances will be taken into account and total
weekly contractual hours would not change.

Considerations and Suggested Activities
Establish a fair and robust process to consider how unforeseen increases in the normal workload are going to be covered. This process should also include how a manager or an employee should request a variation of hours should this be necessary and how reciprocal recovery of the time will take place within the individuals working week.

Variation of hours process established and agreed.
CWU Rep and Shift Manager to establish a regular review process to ensure arrangements are fair, robust and no
individual is asked/requested to flex too frequently.

I would report both the misuse of the flexibility agreement and the threat of suspension to your area delivery rep preferably through your local rep.

[robd]

Agree completely with Fishtank,and one point to make is,when did the manager tell you he was actually invoking the 30mins flexibility clause,and under what circumstances?
Again,you are not obliged to work overtime,so the 30mins is by agreement and is not a mandatory request,well done for standing firm on this issue,sounds like you have little support in the office.
But as Fishtank says,you must put a stop to this by reporting this initially to your area rep/branch,ironically we have just had a very similar issue,and have lodged a formal complaint as an abuse of the pay/mod agreement.

[RedRich]

Thanks for the responses and help, i will follow your suggestions.

[Thehair]

But i was told that everybody else was operating under this "swings and roundabouts " system and i was out on a limb which wasn,t a good place to be.

Not a nice place to be, but definetely the right place. If "everybody else" is prepared to work for free, then more the fools them, I know I'd prefer to get paid OT if I was doing OT Stick to yr guns

[enzio]

no as every one else said there is no agrement on banking of hours i would not do it just work the hours your payed for and phone your area rep allso you could but in b@h form if they are trying to force you to work over your time if you do not want to just say no