ANGARD STORIES :UPDATES

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Bradford Royal Mail workers angry at wage mix-up

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/n ... ge_mix_up/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Casual Christmas staff taken on to cope with the festive postal rush in Bradford have complained of incomplete wage packets, with some saying they have not been paid for three weeks.

Student Umar Mirza said he had not received a penny after working night shifts for three weeks at the Royal Mail Bradford North depot.

“We haven’t been getting paid,” he said. “They have been saying we’ll get paid this day, that day, for the last three weeks.”

He said he believed most of the 40 temporary workers with whom he was working night shifts had suffered problems with their pay.

Many of the staff, he said, were employed by Angard Staffing, Royal Mail’s in-house recruitment agency, but calls to Angard were met with a recorded message.

Another casual worker, Hassan Saeed, 18, said he had been paid £4.50 per hour for the work he had done, but his wage according to his contract was £6.58.

“We’ve been working three-and-a-half weeks. Most people have not been paid and some have not been paid the correct amount,” he said.

Royal Mail spokesman Heulyn Gwyn Davies said that, on Tuesday, the company had paid temporary workers who were “regrettably not paid on time or by the correct amount last week.”

He said: “Royal Mail apologises for any difficulties caused to a minority of our temporary workers. Our temporary Christmas staff are very important to us.

“The vast majority of our temporary Christmas workers were paid on time last week.”

[TrueBlueTerrier]

CHELMSFORD

Payroll blunder leaves postal workers angry and unpaid

http://www.maldonandburnhamstandard.co. ... nd_unpaid/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ANGRY temporary postal staff refused to work after a payroll hitch left many out of pocket in the run up to Christmas.

Pay issues at the Royal Mail sorting office, in Chelmsford, came to a head at the weekend when its Christmas “casuals” threatened to walk out on Saturday, December 17 if they did not receive immediate cash payments.

It is not known how many people are affected but some have not been paid for three weeks and bank details were allegedly lost.

Royal Mail takes on thousands of temporary staff over the festive period to assist full time employees with the large amount of post and parcels that need to reach loved ones in time for Christmas.

They are recruited by Angard Staffing on behalf of Royal Mail but it has been claimed workers’ numerous attempts to contact the company have been unsuccessful.

Married mum-of-two Claudia Hart, 35, of Inchbonnie Road, South Woodham Ferrers, started working at the depot two weeks ago.

She said: “It’s an expensive time of year and we didn’t want to use credit cards. We were relying on that money to get Christmas presents for the kids but we couldn’t get what they wanted.

“I wasn’t really angry, more upset because it effected my family, you can’t tell the kids they have to wait until January for their presents.”

Mrs Hart said staff have been told the problem has been resolved and they will be paid on Friday, December 23.

“They have broken promises so many times but I’m hoping it happens,”she added.

“It’s uncomfortable and uncertain and I think that by Thursday people will be getting anxious about it, it’s a mess really.”

Valerie Antoine, Royal Mail spokeswoman, said: “Difficulties with the payroll system meant some temporary workers regrettably were not paid on time or by the correct amount last week.

“We apologise for this as our temporary Christmas staff are very important to us. Firm action is being taken to resolve outstanding pay issues.”

[TrueBlueTerrier]

POOLE

Mail staff's anger at unpaid wages

A NUMBER of temporary employees, working in Poole to ensure the Christmas mail arrives in time, have not been paid.

Scores of extra staff were drafted into the Royal Mail sorting offices at Nuffield Industrial Estate in a bid to ensure the festive post runs smoothly.

However, many have complained about lack of wages – or pay packets which are hundreds of pound light.

One 19-year-old university student from Poole, who has been working through the night in a bid to finance his studies, was paid just one penny for a week’s work.

His angry mum, Jane Lambeth, told the Daily Echo: “This is ridiculous.

“He is not out there drinking or acting up like some other teenagers, he is working hard to pay his way.”

Another temporary worker said: “With one week to go before Christmas people are depending on their wages, there are people who cannot feed their families because of this.”

A 19-year-old, who was expecting to earn £250 a week, has received just 60 per cent and a friend will lose his lodgings if he cannot pay the rent by the end of the week.

“We finish in a week’s time,” she said. “Are we actually going to get the rest of our pay?”

The Royal Mail have admitted problems with the payroll system have meant some workers have not been paid correctly.

Workers were taken on earlier this year by the Royal Mail’s staffing arm Angard Staffing.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We apologise for this as our temporary Christmas staff are very important to us.

“Firm action is being taken to resolve outstanding pay issues.

“The vast majority of our Christmas temporary recruits have been paid as usual into their bank accounts. Where this was not possible, we have made huge efforts to put in place additional payment channels.

“This involves staff receiving either a cash payment or a voucher which can then be redeemed for the relevant amount of cash at any Post Office branch.”

[POSTMAN]

Royal Mail reports delivery of all temp salaries, and apologises
http://www.recruiter.co.uk/royal-mail-r ... 88.article" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Following problems with the payment of Christmas temporary staff, the Royal Mail has told Recruiter that all workers have now been paid the full amount they are owed.

A statement issued to Recruiter from the Royal Mail says: “The small minority of our temporary workers who were regrettably not paid on time or by the correct amount last week were paid yesterday [Tuesday, 20 December].”

As reported by recruiter.co.uk earlier this week, the Royal Mail was taking emergency steps to ensure all workers were paid, following alleged walkouts - reports of which were denied by the Royal Mail - the previous week.

The statement continues: “The vast majority of our temporary Christmas workers were paid on time last week. Royal Mail apologises for any difficulties caused to the minority who did not receive their pay last week.”

Speaking to Recruiter this morning, a Royal Mail spokesperson adds that problems have only been experienced by the minority of the 18,000 Royal Mail Christmas workers, although admitted that “it doesn’t make it any better”.

A spokesperson from Reed, which provides a number of recruitment services to outsourced Royal Mail recruitment organisation Angard, tells Recruiter: “This is the largest recruitment campaign of its kind anywhere in the country.

“There have been payroll queries involving a small proportion of the overall Christmas temporary workforce and to ensure that these are quickly resolved, Reed has a dedicated helpdesk for Royal Mail managers and employees to log any queries raised at the site.

“We have had weekend teams in place to ensure that any payroll queries are addressed quickly and efficiently.”

Angard’s handling of Royal Mail has been the subject of controversy since September, when the Communication Workers Union suggested that the agency had been set up to “get around” the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR).

[POSTMAN]

Royal Mail staff remain unpaid despite assurances

http://www.recruiter.co.uk/royal-mail-s ... 99.article" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Recruiter has learnt that some Royal Mail Christmas staff remain unpaid, even after the organisation released a statement yesterday saying that everyone had received full pay.

A Royal Mail worker from Bath, who preferred not to be named, told Recruiter that as of yesterday afternoon, he had not received any payment or vouchers from Royal Mail or Angard, saying that he has tried to contact Angard on several occasions.

An Angard worker in the north west of England told Recruiter this morning that no one on his shift had been paid properly.

An unemployed charted accountant working as a Christmas temporary staff in the South West tells Recruiter: “I have the knowledge to review and assess cases enough to know that some colleagues remain underpaid.”

A statement issued to Recruiter on Wednesday, 21 December said: “”The small minority of our temporary workers who were regrettably not paid on time or by the correct amount last week were paid yesterday [Tuesday, 20 December].”

A spokesperson from Reed, which provides a number of recruitment services to outsourced Royal Mail recruitment organisation Angard, tells Recruiter: “We can confirm that all queries we are aware of have now been resolved, with vouchers being issued to ensure that workers receive their pay as quickly as possible.”

Reed provided the email address angardpayroll.queries@reedglobal.com for any jobseekers with pay queries.

Acas, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, issued the following advice: “If an employee or worker is not getting their agreed pay they should in the first instance write to the employer, copying in relevant HR contacts where this is appropriate (if contact has been difficult then recorded delivery may be worth considering).

“They should state the situation, their request for payment and indicate how much payment they believe they are owed where possible.

“If the employer does not respond within a reasonable amount of time then one option available may be to pursue the non payment of wages at an Employment Tribunal.

“However, there may be other options available depending on the situation so it’s often worth contacting the Acas Helpline for impartial advice on 08457 47 47 47 beforehand.”

[POSTMAN]

Temporary Southend postal staff didn't get paid

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/9435370 ... l_workers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

POSTAL staff taken on to deal with the Christmas rush at a Southend sorting office were left without pay.

Workers were hired by a recruitment company on behalf of Royal Mail, but several have been left waiting for their money.

Gary Schofield, 43, of Southchurch Avenue, Southend, walked out after he was paid just £55.55 for working a 10pm to 6am night shift between December 4 and December 16.

He was one of 35 workers, taken on for Christmas by Angard Staffing Solutions, who have experienced the payment problems.

Mr Schofield took on the temporary job to supplement his work as a builder and he was hoping the extra money would help with presents for his wife, Emma, and two-year-old son, Billy.

He said: “I was looking at changing what I do for a living and I was hoping something might kick on from this job.

“Luckily, my wife works, but there are some who take that sort of work on to have a better Christmas and they have been paid virtually nothing for what they have done.

“Some of us got a token payment after complaining, but most have got nothing.”

Mr Schofield believes he is due about £270 for the hours he has worked.

He added: “Some people have just carried on in the hope of being paid, but I wouldn’t. If you work, you should be paid for it. The whole thing has been a farce.”

The problems have been experienced by hundreds of workers across the country, including many in Chelmsford.

Angard, part of Royal Mail, manages the company’s various temporary staff needs. This operation has been outsourced to Reed Specialist Recruitment.

No one at Angard was available to comment and a spokesman for Reed declined to respond.

Royal Mail insists the problems have now been rectified and staff issued with payment vouchers, which they can cash in at post offices. Spokesman Nick Martens said: “The small minority of temporary workers who were not paid on time or by the correct amount last week were paid on Tuesday.

“The vast majority of our temporary Christmas workers were paid on time last week.

“Royal Mail apologises for any difficulties caused to the minority who did not receive their pay last week. We have taken action in every single case we are aware of.”

[POSTMAN]

Royal Mail casual staff stage second protest at Birmingham sorting office

Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top- ... z1hS6GPd8Q" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CHRISTMAS staff at the Royal Mail in Birmingham have held a second protest over not being paid in just 48 hours.

Dozens of temporary workers staged a two-hour sit-in at the canteen at the city’s main sorting office in Newtown when they did not get their wages.

They were rewarded with £350 vouchers just hours later.

The Royal Mail, who blamed the mix-up on problems with the agency payroll system, later apologised to staff. Earlier this week, up to 35 workers led an hour-long wildcat strike at the centre when their weekly wages went unpaid.

Agency worker Leonie Abbott, 21, from Moseley, said: “I got there at 2pm to start my shift and said I was refusing to work because we hadn’t been paid.

“Around 40 or 50 of us had a sit-in in the canteen for a couple of hours.

“After we went back to work, we were all given £350 vouchers.

“They have even overpaid some people who have not earned that much.

“Apparently, there have been problems with the agency payroll for quite some time. The managers were not very happy with us at all and were begging us to get back to work.

“I have calculated that I have worked 62.5 hours at just over £6 an hour, so I have been underpaid. The whole thing is a mess.”

Earlier this week agency worker Royston Allcock said some Christmas casuals had not been paid for up to three weeks.

Royal Mail spokesman Heulyn Davies said: “The small minority of our temporary workers who were regrettably not paid on time or by the correct amount last week were paid on Tuesday.

“The vast majority of our temporary Christmas workers were paid on time last week. Royal Mail apologises for any difficulties caused to the minority who did not receive their pay last week.

“We have taken action in every single case that we are aware of to ensure a payment is being made.

“We are issuing a voucher which can be cashed at any Post Office branch. Our Christmas workers are very important to us.”

[Stressed]

Royal Mail, Park Lane Sorting Office, Hemel Hempstead, Herts

I worked as a Christmas casual at the above sorting office. The first week of working I was underpaid by one day. The second week of working again I was underpaid by one day. I was told by the Manager at the sorting office that everyone would receive full wages on Friday 30th December, 2011. Again I was underpaid and also even had more money deducted from my already incorrect and underpaid wages. I am now owed 2 days money plus holiday pay, overtime pay and of course a full apology from Angard Staffing. On the 19th December I repeatedly tried ringing Angard Staffing (13 times in total) to explain how they had messed up payment of my wages and when I eventually got through they said it was the fault of the Royal Mail Manager at the sorting office for giving them the wrong hours for the night shift personnel. The Royal Mail Manager denied this and said it was not their fault but that of Angard Staffing. I rung Angard Staffing on Saturday 31st December, 2011 and they told me if I rung at 8 a.m. on Tuesday 3rd January, 2012 I would be able to speak to Angard Staffing Payroll. I rung this morning only to be told by the same department (the people Angard hired to answer the phones due to the mess they have created with regard to payment of wages) that it was not possible to speak to payroll and I had to once again tell this department all the details with regard to outstanding monies owed to me. I am now waiting for a phone call from Angard Staffing. They have completely messed up payment of my wages and to top it all off, even though I gave them a P45, they have put me on the emergency tax code. Personally I believe that Angard Staffing are not fit for purpose. They are inefficient, difficult to contact and obviously do not careless about their employees. It is such a shame that Royal Mail are now tarnished by this and I would hope that Angard Staffing, once they have sorted out the mess they have created with regard to everyones wages, are never used again. Angard Staffing have been a total disaster.

[wardroom]

Casual staff or not.
These individuals should be sorted out in a proper manner, if the company cannot sort it out royal mail should send some of the directors to the hq of this company and have face to face discussions regarding how they could expect people to carry on and why they have not been paid. Really royal mail should be ashamed of themselves, surely the rate of pay they give this company is well above a rate of pay one would expect to get. Maybe they will learn like they did with the parcels last year (2010).