staff not using tools provided/ LWT

[keithposty]

in my office it was decided to let half the town deliveries do van share/park and loop etc to show that the planners were in a dream state on their geo route timings on a temporary basis.

and yes, major cut offs, huge overtime bill as expected

i went out last week on the QT and discovered none of the staff were using the LWT, when i asked them why, the response was it takes them longer or they will be out till seven in the evening to complete

it is obvious the only way i am going to deal with this is through the planners meeting this week and have an action plan drawn out and the staff notified by a WTLL session

its just when i raise this isuue the response from management will be "just conduct code them"

i am in a catch 22 position where i must insist that the revision is used in accordance with the BT 2010 (HEALTH AND SAFETY GROUNDS)

and the staff who i have a duty to respect and defend

comments people as this is important as we all know management will use this against the staff when it suits them , and if not delt with i will have to force them on H&S grounds to comply

[fishtank]

its just when i raise this isuue the response from management will be "just conduct code them"

There are always casualties in in a battle.
As long as they have been made aware of the consequences...they can face the consequences.
Trying to talk them out of it as you will find out......is pointless.
Using the conduct code serves two purposes as it will also stop management from pressurising members not to use the trolleys.
This will protect your members far more than allowing it to continue ever will.

[halfull]

its the same everywhere mate,nobody uses the trolleys and the managers just let them get away with it because the mail gets cleared.

[keithposty]

its the same everywhere mate,nobody uses the trolleys and the managers just let them get away with it because the mail gets cleared.

that will not happen in my office, i can assure you of that

if it comes to it i will put in a stage 1 disagreement (paper trail)

[obscurityknocks]

Are they just carrying the bags on their shoulders instead of using the lwt. Probably overweight ones as well. What's the problem with the lwt. Is it taking too long to get it out of the van everytime or are they just difficult to use. Or is it just simply the deliveries are too long.

[fishtank]

What's the problem with the lwt. Is it taking too long to get it out of the van everytime or are they just difficult to use. Or is it just simply the deliveries are too long.

If used properly the trolleys are simple to assemble and don't really take much longer than someone actually doing the job properly.
The inconvenient truth about the trolleys is that you can't cut across a garden/step over a wall/nip around the back with a trolley.
That is why they are slower than a bag on the shoulder.

[halfull]

Are they just carrying the bags on their shoulders instead of using the lwt. Probably overweight ones as well. What's the problem with the lwt. Is it taking too long to get it out of the van everytime or are they just difficult to use. Or is it just simply the deliveries are too long.

well get ready for when they use the trolleys & they start bringing back bundles and bundles of mail for them to get dragged in the office and told they are not up to standard! (union agreed standards!) thats what people dont understand, the union have agreed that we can deliver mail just as quick if not quicker with the lwt! so when you say my bloke is up to standard they will say well he has brought half a walk back & is blaming the lwt which is union agreed! we were shafted all the way on this one get used to it.

[obscurityknocks]

So to get the job done quicker people are ditching the lwt and as it means they are back on time rather than going over and as it means not paying overtime the managers are quite happy letting this happen. That is until something goes wrong whilst not using the proper equipment........

[halfull]

What's the problem with the lwt. Is it taking too long to get it out of the van everytime or are they just difficult to use. Or is it just simply the deliveries are too long.

If used properly the trolleys are simple to assemble and don't actually take much longer than someone actually doing the job properly.
The inconvenient truth about the trolleys is that you can't cut across a garden/step over a wall/nip around the back with a trolley.
That is why they are slower than a bag on the shoulder.

i agree with the part about the shortcuts which is a huge factor but its total rubbish to say the lwt doesnt take much longer! its time to get out of van,time to keep loading bags on/off its time fetching it at the end of everydrive! its 40-60% slower than a pouch and anyone who says any-different is either a gaffer,hasnt used one or unfortunately is stupid.

[keithposty]

what ever the reason, the agreement states the LWT will be used except for tower blocks etc

if staff have an accident etc and royal mail find out they were not using the correct equipment they will conduct the staff and deny any liability

well it works both ways with a little piece of common law called VICARIOUS LIABILITY that allows the employee to make a claim

vicarious liability kicks in for people taking their vans home or starting work before their sceduled attendance time. the employeer is still liable.

The compensation may be reduced, but the only way a claim would completely fail if the employer did all they could to stop the practice and the employee blatantly disregarded it. This is one of the reasons there is still no national policy on taking vehicles home and it has only been agreed locally in some areas. It may impact on their home insurance too, which they will need to get clarified with their policy supplier.

[halfull]

So to get the job done quicker people are ditching the lwt and as it means they are back on time rather than going over and as it means not paying overtime the managers are quite happy letting this happen. That is until something goes wrong whilst not using the proper equipment........

yes unfortunately thats right as when you go to cut off or book overtime you are told you are not up to union agreed standards! plus the only way an office can be using the lwt is if the rep in that office has signed off the revision and agreed the walks are the right size so if your members are using pouches to get done blame the rep who signed it off! i keep telling you all the union really let us down on this one.

[halfull]

its the same everywhere mate,nobody uses the trolleys and the managers just let them get away with it because the mail gets cleared.

that will not happen in my office, i can assure you of that

if it comes to it i will put in a stage 1 disagreement (paper trail)

well get ready for when they use the trolleys & they start bringing back bundles and bundles of mail for them to get dragged in the office and told they are not up to standard! (union agreed standards!) thats what people dont understand, the union have agreed that we can deliver mail just as quick if not quicker with the lwt! so when you say my bloke is up to standard they will say well he has brought half a walk back & is blaming the lwt which is union agreed! we were shafted all the way on this one get used to it.

[clashcityrocker]

What union agreed standards are you on about.

[fishtank]

i agree with the part about the shortcuts which is a huge factor but its total rubbish to say the lwt doesnt take much longer! its time to get out of van,time to keep loading bags on/off its time fetching it at the end of everydrive!

Let's break that down halfull.
I arrive at my first loop,take the trolley out of the van,assemble it and hook the bags on then i'm ready to go.
How long does that take me?...around a minute,maybe two on a bad day.
I have 6 loops...that's....worse case scenario....12 minutes.

Now being kind we'll say someone with a pouch only takes 30 seconds but he's not going to be able to take as much as me so he will need more loops and more stops and i can take bigger/heavier packets than him so that will also take time.

As for fetching it at the end of the drive,if you are doing the job properly that's where you are going anyway so it isn't going to cost any time.
Using trolleys is slower but not vastly slower and definitely not anywhere near as much as those who don't use a trolley will try to make out to avoid using them.
Most of the time difference is simply down to the fact that you can't take short cuts with the thing.

FT.
Trolley user since 2010.
Not a manager.
Stupid.

[clashcityrocker]

Why when light weight trolleys are introduced, are all the pouches not removed from an office?