Favouritism by and Attitude of Managers

[MinisterofCucumber]

Beware the B&H procedure. It has a nasty sting in the tail and they will come back at you and accuse you of making a vexatious complaint and conduct code you. It's better to use the grievance procedure. This way you will have a written record for the future.

I would email your line manager and state that you are only willing to volunteer to cover work outside of your duty if everyone else is. If they try to get heavy with you, raise a grievance. If you are a duty holder, then who is going to cover your duty if you are covering someone else's work? Reserves should cover absence. If they try to argue that traffic is light in your section at this time of year, state that you are willing to do your fair share of absorption but eveyone in your section must do some.

We have a real problem with some senior members not sticking up for juniors but allowing managers to use them as 'donkeys'. The seniors benefit because they get to do less work. Junior members are often younger and keener so are more productive. This favouritism has created a 'dog eat dog' culture and broken union solidarity in a lot of units. Before I became active, I remember occasions when I was surrounded by seniors and the rep telling me that it was compulsory for me to cover another duty. When I became rep, I made sure they did their fair share of work.

The Union needs to counter attack. We need national policies on issues like overtime and covering absence to combat favouritism. Substitution rates should match the duty holder's rate of pay. Members need to know what they can refuse to do. We need to get back into the weak units, win the hearts and minds of the seniors and reorganise.

[highbury67]

Good advice there and great points about the union. I will be emailing my line manager with my thoughts.

In a new twist, I received an email back from my email to our leader, Moya, including this:

"I will ask my team to look into this and they will get back to you shortly."

What do you think that means or what might happen if at all?

[MinisterofCucumber]

What exactly did you write in your original email to Moya?

If you blow the whistle, it should be about something that can be proved. If management can save each other, they will.

You need to prepare your case. For example, there may be obvious examples of favouritism like some duty holders in a section always being allowed to only do certain tasks and never being asked to do others. Management would need to show that there is a need for these people to specialise and they would have to explain why these 'specialised roles' are not designated as higher grade work. If you work in the same section and the work is the same grade, you should have an equal opportunity for development and the different tasks in a section should be rotated. If a manager lets some of his/her staff choose to only do the tasks they want, this is favouritism and Moya and her team should make sure it stops. If the staff who are receiving these perks are also being used by management to cajole others into 'volunteering' to cover absence, this is very serious and the senior management team in the unit should be investigated. This is hard to prove but if there are people in your unit who have been made to cover other duties (not volunteered) they need to provide witness statements. It will not be easy for the witnesses because they are likely to be intimidated, if not by the managers, then certainly by the favourites.

The people being shafted need to stick together and get help from non-corrupt officials in the Union.

[highbury67]

This is what I said on the subject to Moya:

"Secondly, and I hope it is ok to raise this, but as an opg, I come across this from my own experiences and talking to others in my position. Quite frankly, the relationship between floor managers shall we say, and opgs and the like is not always comfortable and the best. Time and time again, some staff are treated unfavourably by managers who don't seem to always grasp or understand how the relationship should be with all staff. I am talking about some staff being pulled up for talking or not working whilst others aren't, some worked harder then others meaning the hard workers are flogged whilst the less hard working ones aren't and then the harder working ones get the falk when they can't always perform to the higher bar set for them. There also seems to be a number of favourites who can get away with all sorts whilst others can't or get less favourable positions. This seems to be the situation or feeling amongst many offices and frankly, people are getting very fed up with it and feeling trapped and lost. Isn't it time the floor managers actually were informed to treat all people with the same amount of respect? It is supposed to be encouraged but it doesn't seem to happen. Their training should reflect this. Also, do these managers understand about conditions or disabilities like autism because I wonder sometimes? I wonder if they know how to handle those people.
I believe that unless the situation I have described is sorted out the morale of many opgs and the like will continue to be low and will effect productivity. The overall issues described at the meeting are very important but these matters also imo need to be addressed for the future well being and harmony of all working at Royal Mail otherwise things will get worse. "

I hope that sounds ok. From my own circumstances, I have been put on a road and for no apparent reason, not been able to continue unless the new person isn't there. I have given up going over to the roads now unless asked. I go then on the primary seg unless doing the tracking. However, if someone else decides to do the tracking on a Monday, it seems they will
get priority. The only time I might get on a road is if the manager wants to jump into my place, other then when they shift people across after the segs start to close.

People like myself have also requested for machine training on the lsms and mtts and still not received it.

[highbury67]

Minister, not trying to blow the whistle on my line manager or the like but to try to make the situation easier for myself and others and to get the practice eradicated. Time and again through the surveys and in meetings, people have mentioned about things going on, but nothing it seems is done.

I will record my case and talk to the Union about it.

Management do look to save each other as you say.

[MinisterofCucumber]

There should be a weekly duty list on a noticeboard at your work and your name will appear alongside a duty description. Are you sure you are not a reserve?

What is your duty description and what section are you listed under?

Are all the duty descriptions in your section the same?

You don't sound like you are afraid of being identified but if you are, PM me.

[highbury67]

Just sent you a message, Minister, explaining my situ more and why I did what I did.

[MinisterofCucumber]

Reply sent and for all of you in a similar situation this is some of the reply:

Your office should be fully staffed to cope with the workload and have enough reserves to cover annual leave and sickness. When an office is understaffed, there is more opportunities for overtime which is popular with some members but the Union doesn't like it because people who receive regular overtime are less likely to fight for an increase in basic pay. It is difficult for management to find volunteers to do overtime on weekdays and so pressure is put on 'volunteers' to cover absence.

Management should show that they have the right number of staff for the usual workload. If managers are regularly doing CWU grade work and finishing past their finish times, this is very good evidence for the Union to argue for more recruitment. During unusually busy periods, overtime should be shared out fairly. If volunteers are needed to work out of their section, management must show that workload has reduced in their section by the amount of hours they need a volunteer for. It should be made clear that duty holders do not have to work in another section and any that choose to do so will be volunteering.

On no account should duty holders be led to believe by management, their favourites and/or any rogue union reps that they are some sort of unofficial reserve.