Not being paid for work I do

[postman 2011]

Hi

I have just started working as a postman for RM and mostly enjoy it. Last week was my training and this week I was out on my own. On my first time out on my own I was over my contracted finishing time by 1.5 hours. I asked my LM if I was going to be paid for this and he said no. He said I am not paid to work 9 till 2 but paid to complete a full frame and additional letters off another frame (even when my contract does not mention this). If I go over, even by a few hours I will not be paid any extra. In essence I will be working for free. He said that this is part of the training and new people are supposed to put in extra hours for free until they are up to the speed of a long term post man/woman.

Is this right are we supposed to work for free until we get up to the required speed? I really feel like I am being bullied and I have only work there for just over a week. I thought there would be some sort of settling in process. Other new starters have never questioned it and assumed that you should work for nothing if they go over their time.

Thanks

[Syze]

He's talking bollocks. Work to your time, you're not a slave.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Reply to OP

Pure and utter garbage. They have a training budget to cover when new starters go over.

See your rep and cause a stink, otherwise it will happen again and again. However you do have a responsibility to advise your manager when you believe that you cannot complete in the time given.

See your rep ASAP.

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

You are paid to work a certain amount of hours, according to your contract.

Not only is your lino lying about the above, but they (should) know full well that overtime for newcomers and when the whole office are learning new walks after a resign, overtime (when you are happy to do it) is classed as "training" on the pressure overtime sheet, which I believe is covered by Sheffield and not the depot. It is bound to take longer to complete a round when on something new, especially when being a complete newcomer to the job!

You need to find your depot's union rep ASAP and ask them to get this lying nipped in the bud, or failing that, call your lino's bluff after you have researched the "cutting off" procedure.

[George door to dawes]

He said I am not paid to work 9 till 2 but paid to complete a full frame and additional letters off another frame (even when my contract does not mention this)

This is an easy one to argue. Take in your contract and ask him to point out where it says that! You are hourly paid not paid by the letter the guy is talking rubbish.

[banner18]

Settling in o/t is normal and your manager should not be questioning you over it. The only thing they should expect, is for it to decrease as the weeks pass and you get up to speed.
He is trying a little sly tactic to save a pittance for Royal mail and make him look good to his bosses. Appalling.

[postman 2011]

Thanks for the replies. I don’t think he will ever give me any more money for going over my time. He was adamant that he was not going to do it. I even said I was going to give my notice in there and then (and I truly meant it) as I did not want to work for nothing. He took the lapsing off me but said I have got to do it from Monday for no extra money. I know I will never complete on time while I am starting. I am certain to have a new round on Monday as well.

It is just so upsetting when all I want is to be paid for the work I do. I don’t even have a break so I can try and finish at a reasonable time and I go in 30 mins early :-(

[Syze]

Thanks for the replies. I don’t think he will ever give me any more money for going over my time. He was adamant that he was not going to do it. I even said I was going to give my notice in there and then (and I truly meant it) as I did not want to work for nothing. He took the lapsing off me but said I have got to do it from Monday for no extra money. I know I will never complete on time while I am starting. I am certain to have a new round on Monday as well.

It is just so upsetting when all I want is to be paid for the work I do. I don’t even have a break so I can try and finish at a reasonable time and I go in 30 mins early :-(

Stop going in early, take your break and go home on your time. He's a bully.

[mazza111]

Speak to your rep immediately, this is bullying, pure and simple!

[George door to dawes]

Have you done any research into the lapsing part of your work load? The rules are that if you dont think you can complete your walk and lapsing within your contracted hours then you do not have to take the lapsing. They will argue with you over it but thats the rules and frankly its a pi** take asking a new person to take it! It doesnt help your general situation but if you can get rid of that extra lapsing then might help you a bit. Sorry to hear about your situation your manager seems like a right as*

[Lincox]

Ask him to write down what he is saying in order that it is confirmed what he is expecting of you. He will refuse. You then tell him that if he continues to ask you to do unpaid work you will lodge a grievance against him. Let the little b..strd squirm.

[feduppostie]

or ask him to show you in writing that what he is saying is true

advise him - in writing - that until he provides you with this in writing you will be either finishing on your time or booking the overtime that you have worked ( whatever you prefer)

I find it amazing this is going on

other than that you could always send an email to Moya ( the big boss of all RM) and ask her if this is true

( i don't have the email addy someone here will let you know what it is) I now for a fact if you include your location then the DOM of that office gets a 'please explain' email about it

either of these should sort your problem

[Harry_Perkins]

Unbelievable the tricks that are pulled. These managers are effectivley robbing people of their livelihood to make a few more for measly quid for their bosses. All this in the vague hope that those bosses will then thrown down a few extra crumbs from the table for them. Sadly, if you do start saying you can't complete and/or cutoff, the harassment and lies will probably increase,. It happened to me with managers I thought were okay and were more than happy for more to book time when I did overtime as a trainee. Not a grumble from them when I asked if I could book it. How you booked was also all explained. And yet, they turned on me when I just wanted to work my hours. So if you've got bad ones from the start, it doesn't look promising.

Quite simply, now is the time to make a stand as otherwise it'll just get worse and they'll lie about more and more to get more and more out of you. Plus, you won't feel good about yourself when you're being taken for a ride like this. I know it is a pain in the arse. You just want to work your hours and get paid for it but sometimes to win the peace you must prepare for war. Plus, it is liberating feeling when you turn the tables on these arseholes. Our last DOM was a horrible bullying shitcunt (moved from another office for this reason, as they as often are) and I took great pleasure in making his life as difficult as possible.

[97gaz]

T

[postman 2011]

Got in touch with a friend who is a post woman at a different place to mine to see if the same thing happens where she works and she said it does. She said that new starters are expected to work extra hours for nothing while they get up to speed. Looks like I am fighting a losing battle. Perhaps it is a new thing they are pushing managers on to cut costs. She did say to join the union to see if they can fight it for me.

I really don’t think I can work for free as it is so demoralising. I thought being a postman would be good as well.

Thanks for all the help you have given me so far.