The 'Spanish practices' at heart of dispute

Post by **piranha** » 09 Oct 2007, 20:25

The 'Spanish practices' at heart of dispute
By Christopher Hope, Home Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:30pm BST 09/10/2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ost309.xml

Royal Mail provided The Daily Telegraph with a list of 12 of the 92 "Spanish practices" which it claims are now at the core of the worst postal strike for nearly two decades:

* Two or three hour minimum daily overtime - so if 30 minutes of actual work is required and completed, then between two and three hours' payment is demanded;

* An additional allowance claimed for using particular vehicles - regardless of whether the individual has actually driven the vehicle;

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* Automatic overtime if mail volumes reach a certain level - regardless of how many ordinary working hours remain that day;

* If a delivery round is finished before the end of the paid shift, the employee expects to be able to go straight home. But if it takes 10 minutes longer two to three hours' over time is claimed;

* Set overtime level is claimed at Christmas, even if there is no need for any additional hours and no extra hours are worked;

* An additional two hour payment on Easter Saturday - regardless of whether any work required;

* No flexibility between different parts of the same sorting office - if an employee sorts letters for a particular postcode, they will not sort for the adjacent postcode, even though both activities are often in the same room;

* Signing in and out for a shift on arrival - so that no record of actual hours worked exists;

* Collection drivers expect overtime pay for doing collections outside usual route - even if it is done within usual working hours;

* Overtime to cover for an absent colleague - a full day is claimed, even if only half day needed and worked;

* Ban on any cross functional working, even of similar tasks under the same roof;

* Additional meal and grace breaks as custom and practice

Looks like its war then.... :lfo

phantomshare · Post by **phantomshare** » 09 Oct 2007, 20:31

wonder what the other 80 are?

postmen expect us to provide them with toilet paper to whipe their arses after having a sh*te

terrace · Post by **terrace** » 09 Oct 2007, 20:38

Good grief has he been reading Jackanory?Blimey could we have him for libel?
"Signing in and out for a shift on arrival - so that no record of actual hours worked exists"
Excuse me our shift manager always checks the signing on sheets and makes a record of them.
Hate to see what the rest of the so called 'Spanish practices"are.
Crozier is really stirring it up now isn't he?
I know it might be cheeky but do any of these things go on or am I being naive?

Pokemon Postmon · Post by **Pokemon Postmon** » 09 Oct 2007, 20:38

"If a delivery round is finished before the end of the paid shift, the employee expects to be able to go straight home. But if it takes 10 minutes longer two to three hours' over time is claimed"

Well, I've never claimed that much OT for 10 minutes work!!! Lol! Anyway, that aside, the Job and Finish was their idea.

"Set overtime level is claimed at Christmas, even if there is no need for any additional hours and no extra hours are worked"

They stopped that a few years ago in this area so that is such a big fib!!
"Automatic overtime if mail volumes reach a certain level - regardless of how many ordinary working hours remain that day"

Eh?! Can't say I've heard that one before.
I could go on but I'll leave others rip into this too...
For 'spin' read 'big, fat porky pies'!!!

dongash · Post by **dongash** » 09 Oct 2007, 20:42

i would love to work at the "spanish practice" office, is it in spain? you wouldn't get away with any of that s**t at our office!!! i think your source has ripped you off big time tory telegraph boy!!!

Post by **stephen500** » 09 Oct 2007, 20:42

Do you actually recognise any of that rubbish!

goingpostal · Post by **goingpostal** » 09 Oct 2007, 20:45

i've never heard any of those practice's going on in our office, i know if someone covers S/L they book overtime on the round but as for the easter saturday, i've never even heard of that one. let alone any of the others

where do they cook these ideas up

krooserman1802 · Post by **krooserman1802** » 09 Oct 2007, 20:46

Blimey we were lucky at my RDC then, obviously Crozeir is not aware of the pre shfit castanet club and the Summer Donkey tossing that goes on. A demand that only paella is seved by Quadrant and the fire extinguishers are renamed Hose A and Hose B.....HEHE not really is all cobblers...lol

terrace · Post by **terrace** » 09 Oct 2007, 21:05

Have emailed Telegraph asking whether journalist Christopher Hope has checked his facts.Also asked him whether he has interviewed any Postal Workers to get other side of story.

Post by **Crackerjackpencil** » 09 Oct 2007, 21:17

Has anyone actually checkeed to see if it was really "adam" I mean he's been AWOL for so long it could have been any old nutter they dragged in out of the rain and dumped in an armani suit

Post by **dvbuk55** » 09 Oct 2007, 21:25

stephen500 wrote:Do you actually recognise any of that rubbish!

Well yes I do! I think he must have been speaking to old Managers. Some of the customs have actually existed but they have been fazed out over the years. When he talks of overtime some people may be under the impression we actually get paid more for overtime than we do for ordinary time - and that's a long time ago. I can remember when we used to have completed our "normal" hours by 9 a.m. Friday and the remainder of Friday and all day Saturday was overtime, when it was worth working.

Christmas hours were negotiated and went from 11 Dec to 24 Dec and used to be about 5 hours then 4,3,2, and now none. Mind you there was a lot less mech mail then. We used to sort it all.

The guys a lying nut case - he needs locking up.

I mean how much extra is overtime I reckoned it to be about 78p and for the thousands of part timers they're doing "extra" hours at normal time.

terrace · Post by **terrace** » 09 Oct 2007, 21:30

Yes it was Crozier who said these things,check link
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ost209.xml

terrace · Post by **terrace** » 09 Oct 2007, 22:38

Do you think the press are turning against Crozier?
check link
http://www.express.co.uk/blogs/post/264 ... 0shut%20up

Post by **POSTMAN** » 09 Oct 2007, 23:13

Spanish thingy!

Most if not all are lies!!! :cfo :cfo :cfo

Post by **evilc** » 09 Oct 2007, 23:23

Two or three hour minimum daily overtime - so if 30 minutes of actual work is required and completed, then between two and three hours' payment is demanded;

If we were to do that we would be making fraudulant claims*

[color=#]An additional allowance claimed for using particular vehicles - regardless of whether the individual has actually driven the vehicle; [/color]

ditto

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* Automatic overtime if mail volumes reach a certain level - regardless of how many ordinary working hours remain that day;

* If a delivery round is finished before the end of the paid shift, the employee expects to be able to go straight home. But if it takes 10 minutes longer two to three hours' over time is claimed;

ditto as above

* Set overtime level is claimed at Christmas, even if there is no need for any additional hours and no extra hours are worked;

Obviously never been near a mc at xmas

* An additional two hour payment on Easter Saturday - regardless of whether any work required;

Do not know what they are talking about as I do not work good friday

* No flexibility between different parts of the same sorting office - if an employee sorts letters for a particular postcode, they will not sort for the adjacent postcode, even though both activities are often in the same room;

When I worked at Reading mc used to sort for postcode areas right across country, intra mails only consist of rg postcodes due to rm introducing postcode defined circulation

* Signing in and out for a shift on arrival - so that no record of actual hours worked exists;

When signing in the times are marked ie 2200 - 0600

* Collection drivers expect overtime pay for doing collections outside usual route - even if it is done within usual working hours;

cannot answer as never done collections

* Overtime to cover for an absent colleague - a full day is claimed, even if only half day needed and worked;

I have only been given o/t for delivery span usually around 5 hrs including prep time

* Ban on any cross functional working, even of similar tasks under the same roof;

Royal Mail introduced single functional working in the way forward

* Additional meal and grace breaks as custom and practice

If working additional hours meal breaks are included as working time regulations allow