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Van sharing and delivery methods revision - seniority?

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
skull
Posts: 450
Joined: 15 Nov 2010, 19:31
Gender: Male

Re: Van sharing and delivery methods revision - seniority?

Post by skull »

Himaggen wrote:
The down time is actually caused by your failure to help your van driving partner to set up, not by your inability to get the keys!
I think you might be jumping to conclusions :nervous , I'm a driver.
Himaggen
Posts: 993
Joined: 09 Oct 2007, 23:40

Re: Van sharing and delivery methods revision - seniority?

Post by Himaggen »

I apologise for the incorrect assumption, let me put it another way.

The down time is actually caused by your, (plural), failure as a team. If your partner is finished first and your in house rules prevent them from obtaining the keys then you should be asking them for the assistance you require in order that you can sign them out. I believe it is our responsibility as employees to ask our colleagues to team work with us.

I think that you should be asking your Managers to look at their systems however. The vehicle regulations do ask for the drivers signature in return for the drivers key. That however is only for one key, if there are two keys, (there should be), then the none driver must also sign separately for theirs in order to satisfy the security of the mail rules. (they will be responsible at times for opening and shutting the vehicle doors/locks on the street and therefore responsible for the security of that mail.).

That said, I don't understand an in house system which prevents the none driver from actually loading the vehicle. It would certainly be foolhardy to have a system which puts the onus on the driver to collect/sign for the keys, load the vehicle and perform all of the van checks so that a faster finishing none driver partner is standing around with no work to do. If such a system exists then it would of course be 'down time' and would be the responsibility of the Managers to manage.

The efficient way to work would be for the none driver to load the van as the driver performs the daily vehicle checks and completes the drivers log.
chrisj
Posts: 1883
Joined: 21 Dec 2010, 16:24
Gender: Male

Re: Van sharing and delivery methods revision - seniority?

Post by chrisj »

I read the first paragraph about working as a team... Surely, it would be much easier if the partner that is ready helps the other to complete whilst the driver goes to get the van. Hence, house rule is respected - the rule would have been put in place for a good reason.

At ours, parking is a nightmare! Parking at the office or around is almost impossible, so the drivers swaps their car for a royal mail van at a mulitstory car park. The vans should only be got* when the pair are ready (well, almost) to go out because the bay still contains old vans, incoming trucks and other vans ready to go out... Getting the van can take up to 10-15 minutes depending on traffic.

Park & Looopy, indeed!
skull
Posts: 450
Joined: 15 Nov 2010, 19:31
Gender: Male

Re: Van sharing and delivery methods revision - seniority?

Post by skull »

Himaggen wrote:I apologise for the incorrect assumption, let me put it another way.

The down time is actually caused by your, (plural), failure as a team. If your partner is finished first and your in house rules prevent them from obtaining the keys then you should be asking them for the assistance you require in order that you can sign them out. I believe it is our responsibility as employees to ask our colleagues to team work with us.

I think that you should be asking your Managers to look at their systems however. The vehicle regulations do ask for the drivers signature in return for the drivers key. That however is only for one key, if there are two keys, (there should be), then the none driver must also sign separately for theirs in order to satisfy the security of the mail rules. (they will be responsible at times for opening and shutting the vehicle doors/locks on the street and therefore responsible for the security of that mail.).

That said, I don't understand an in house system which prevents the none driver from actually loading the vehicle. It would certainly be foolhardy to have a system which puts the onus on the driver to collect/sign for the keys, load the vehicle and perform all of the van checks so that a faster finishing none driver partner is standing around with no work to do. If such a system exists then it would of course be 'down time' and would be the responsibility of the Managers to manage.

The efficient way to work would be for the none driver to load the van as the driver performs the daily vehicle checks and completes the drivers log.
It was just a general statement about our office and not necessarily how it affects me. I'm a float and see many different ways on how the permanent duty holders could be more efficient but I don't feel it's up to me to implement what I think. As a float it's easier to go with the flow, do what I think is right, keep my head down and don't tread on anyone's toes. There are so many different practices regarding how P&L is carried out and everyone thinks their way is the right one. It's a minefield and I can't ever see the office working in a uniform manner.



My biggest irritation are park and loopers who won't even try and fit the larger packets in their trolley or use a trolley at all. They will deliver mail to the address, come back to the van for the packet, then drive there again with their partner in tow. Technically it's three times a RM employee has been to that address.
Last edited by skull on 11 Jul 2012, 10:45, edited 4 times in total.
skull
Posts: 450
Joined: 15 Nov 2010, 19:31
Gender: Male

Re: Van sharing and delivery methods revision - seniority?

Post by skull »

chrisj wrote:I read the first paragraph about working as a team... Surely, it would be much easier if the partner that is ready helps the other to complete whilst the driver goes to get the van. Hence, house rule is respected - the rule would have been put in place for a good reason.

Park & Looopy, indeed!
The majority of our park and loopers do work as a team but we do have a few none drivers who like to take the back seat and put the onus on the driver. Some none drivers think it's the pre-revision way of working with a chauffeur thrown in.
Stormproof
Posts: 6116
Joined: 07 Jul 2007, 21:03
Gender: Female

Re: Van sharing and delivery methods revision - seniority?

Post by Stormproof »

Used to have the same problem being a convey driver. 6 or 7 people would do their duty and then expect the driver to take back the signed for cards and docket lefts so they could sod off home early. I doubt these people will ever change.
So keep on moving, moving, moving your feet
Keep on shuf-shuf-shuffling to this ghost dance beat
Just keep on walking down never ending streets


Illegitimi non carborundum
mandelsons_toenail
Posts: 1294
Joined: 08 Aug 2009, 18:16
Gender: Male
Location: Outer Hebrides

Re: Van sharing and delivery methods revision - seniority?

Post by mandelsons_toenail »

Bump

Gone to disagreement

Revision halted

Dom and planner want jobs identified as ft pt before repick which means seniority is not really used and people get jobs ahead of seniors

What will happen here as area rep seems to think should be two seniority lists

One ft one pt :shock: