Can they force you to do driving on P&L

[Flashman_]

Hi
I need some advice please guys.
Our office is going through a staged intro of the P&L revision. My section is next and we are having a resign, people with higher seniority have chosen already. My boss has said that I had a choice of only 2 of 6 outstanding duties. What he did not tell me was that he intended me to be a driver and he only had me left that was a "qualified" driver. He needed me to take one of the driving slots. Now I have not been a driver since they stopped driving pay for vehicles smaller than a 600. I told him I did not want to be a driver and when I stopped driving I had put in a statement that I no longer wanted to be considered for driving duties. ( I think at the time anyone not wishing to do driving anymore was advised to do this.)
Anyway he made it quite awkward for me in that I did not want to be seen as uncooperative so I said I would do the driving duty, up until the full office resign. After that I do not want to do driving. He said that would be okay.
I then thought that if I started driving again just to help out, would that give them any power to force me to drive in the future?
Can anyone please give a definitive answer here.

[clashcityrocker]

They can't force you to drive but you may find your duty options decrease if you refuse to drive.

[fishtank]

A survey within the delivery revision process will help data collection and allow peoples’ views regarding the introduction of new delivery methods into the office to be documented. The best way to ensure the success of the survey is for the manager and the CWU rep encourage everyone to participate.

The survey captures, amongst other things:

1. Home addresses of employees
2. Current use of private cars on delivery
3. Current travel to work arrangements of employees
4. Any disability or other significant need of individuals
5. Whether individuals hold a driving licence
6. Whether individuals are willing to drive a Royal Mail vehicle

It will work best if returns are collected via a one-to-one session with each employee. One-to-ones should be a key component of the office engagement plan.

The following principles should be applied to your re-pick:

1. Staff will need to be trained on the equipment they will be using
2. Duties should be divided between driving and non-driving duties
3. People covered by DDA need to be offered suitable duties as a priority in the process re-pick
4. Driving duties will be restricted to existing and volunteer new drivers and non-driving duties will be restricted to non-drivers
5. A driver is needed for every shared van pair. Only one non-driver can pick into a shared van duty pair
6. Shared van partners without driving licences should be restricted to 50% or less of the total number of shared van partners. The exact ratio will be determined by you, but the balance you must strike is between creating a duty set:
a. With enough options to match your peoples’ skills
b. With enough flexibility to give you adequate cover in cases of people failure and unplanned absence
In the example duty detail display this is - 13 Shared vans, 6 non drivers (App 2)
7. The non-driving duties can be allocated to any of the shared vans, up to the agreed ratio
8. The cover and the leave reserve duties for the shared vans must be drivers to ensure that the van can be taken out each day




Q. What if an individual is unable to drive i.e. no driving licence or cannot drive for health reasons?

A. If there are employees in your unit that are unable to drive you will need to consider what other duty options are available. You may need to accommodate these employees on shared routes as a planned non driver. (There is a limit to the number of non drivers you can accommodate on shared deliveries. It is, therefore, recommended that this is not an option to employees that can drive but choose not to.) You should explore what other opportunities there are to accommodate the individual within your office. If individuals cannot be accommodated in your office, you may be able to accommodate them via a move to another unit within a reasonable distance, where suitable work is available. Where this is not possible an employee may effectively become surplus and in this instance you should take advice from your Regional ER/IR Manager.


Dealing with drivers who invalidate themselves from driving

This is not a new problem for Royal Mail, but the increased numbers of vans in your operation may make the problems associated with this more acute. Guidance on how to deal with this situation will vary, depending on the nature of how the licence has been invalidated.

However, as a principle, all reasonable steps will be made to find alternative duties within the parent unit for people who can no longer perform a driving duty.

[Flashman_]

Hi, FishTank
Thanks very much for the info...
As I am not currently a driver, although I have been a long time ago (when we got paid) does that make me a new volunteer or an existing driver? My boss seems to think I am a existing driver as he only offered me the 2 driving duties remaining!
If I become a new driver does that mean I have to drive in the future despite his apparent assurance that I could pick a non driving duty in the full re-sign?

[clashcityrocker]

Personally I wouldn't take the word of a DOM about anything.
Ask him to put it in writing, then you can rest easy.

[fishtank]

I would be very wary of driving again for RM unless i had his assurance in writing or at least witnessed by my rep.
At the moment because of the length of time since you've driven for RM you are a non-driver and your manager will have to treat you as such.
If you decide to drive again even temporarily i would imagine that you would then be classed as an existing driver in the revision process and would have to officially withdraw from driving again when the time came.
That would put you in the employees that can drive but choose not to category which could leave you surplus in your office.
How much do you trust your managers assurances?

[Flashman_]

I
How much do you trust your managers assurances?

As far as I can thow him!
However he did suggest I put it in writing, anyway!

[k979aaa]

All employees of royal mail must show their driving licences every six months if you do not do this you can no longer drive for royal mail.