Not the best deal?

[walkin4/4time]

Hi,
I am a Postman in a small office of about 20 and I have been working for Royal Mail for approx. 4 years. My permanent contract is 20hrs and my current contract is 24hrs temporary.
Our revision went in just before Christmas and now.........well now it's like all other offices a lot more walking, longer delivery spans- delivery spans based on the time it takes the 'runners' as I like to call them in our office (they still rush, cut corners, and make others who do the job correctly look slow!)
I do the job correctly and tell the manager how it is. He doesn't like this so he changes my work pattern and now I feel I am being picked on.

My colleagues who are also on a 24hr contract work 3 days starting at 0630am and finish when the jobs done, sometimes before if they are lucky.
My hours this week are Mon 12.00 pm - 7.30pm (more like 7.45pm as I have to lock up the office when I get back then drive home which takes 25 mins)
Tues 2.30pm - 7.30pm
Wed 9.30am - to finish usually about 3.00pm
Thurs 9.30am - to finish

Next week Wed 2.30pm - 7.30pm
Thurs - 2.30pm - 7.30pm
Friday - 7.30am- to finish
Sat 7.30am- to finish

I feel like I am working full time for part time money while all my fellow workers get the better deal! I don't want to even tell my union rep as he tends to support the manager( the manager was the union rep originally but he jumped the fence) and the rep is also ex management himself! To make matters worse when I arrived in work after doing the late shift he asked me to go in early 6.30am then when I arrived said 'by the way I am running a test on you this morning to see how long it takes you to throw off the frame! I only work on this frame occasionally but he will compare my time with the regular guy.
I used to work for Royal Mail 20 years ago and although delivery spans were better they still kept me on a temporary contract for 18 months so I left. I worked in Engineering companies but where I live is quite remote and when redundancy was on the cards I thought I would give it another go.
What can I do?

[chrisj]

Surely this is an example of a two-tier workforce or it could be a three or four tier workforce already in place.

I cannot understand why you don't have a straightforward contract like everyone else. They should state your contract times at the start then you can make up your mind if you will accept the job or not.

20 hour contract is exploitative anyway unless the person only wants 20 hours. On top of that, they expect you to be flexible: some work just 3 days, some 4 day and some are expected to work just 4 hours every day for 5 days.

It is not fair - and not right.

The new agreement will not address this as the Union already pretend that such unfairness is not happening.

To the CWU, a two-tier workforce is only when the hourly rate of pay is different. But then you have Angard!

[dvbuk55]

Surely this is an example of a two-tier workforce or it could be a three or four tier workforce already in place.

I cannot understand why you don't have a straightforward contract like everyone else. They should state your contract times at the start then you can make up your mind if you will accept the job or not.

20 hour contract is exploitative anyway unless the person only wants 20 hours. On top of that, they expect you to be flexible: some work just 3 days, some 4 day and some are expected to work just 4 hours every day for 5 days.

It is not fair - and not right.

The new agreement will not address this as the Union already pretend that such unfairness is not happening.

To the CWU, a two-tier workforce is only when the hourly rate of pay is different. But then you have Angard!

As the agreements have taken effect since 2007 there has increasingly been a disparity in the application of the agreements and a reliance on part time members to work beyond their contracted hours to keep the offices running without any overtime being paid. The cry that there won't be a two tier work force is lost on the thousands of part timers who are a second tier despite protestations to the contrary. The flexibility that RM and the union hanker after is already here with part timers working as and when required.

[chrisj]

At least if you have a 3-day job, you can make arrangement to find another part time job. But not knowing whether you are on 3, 4, 5 days or even expected to work 6 days just to please the manager because your contract might rely on it is almost worse than working for Angard.

I know some people that work for Angard almost all year round, at least they know what the deal is... S*1t pay though!

If only the Union were honest and front up instead of thinking we are all too stupid to handle the truth...

[walkin4/4time]

Thanks for the replies. All my shift patterns equate to 24hrs. They don't but if you put in overtime then the comparison is with 'the runners'. The lack of solidarity in my office amazes me at times.
My manager just seems brainwashed with it all and I think the only way forward is to get out.