Skimming minutes from overtime pay

[no_return_address]

It seems that the management in our office is trimming minutes from unscheduled ('going over') overtime payments. Last week, for example, I worked a extra hour and fifteen minutes in order to complete my duty but my payslip today showed just an hour. The week before I went an hour over but was paid for fifty minutes.

I've spoken to some of the other guys in the office and it seems to be happening to them too - some to a greater extent than me. The old-timers seem to be aware of it and I'm sure the union rep must be too, but the union people at our place don't seem to be particularly pro-active or helpful towards younger colleagues and the older guys are generally all on duties they can finish on time!

My suspicion is that the management may be skimming minutes off in order to make the office look more efficient than it is/meet targets.

My questions:

Is this practice common?

Given that I don't particularly trust my union rep to represent my best interests and those of the other newer guys, what's the best way to proceed? I was thinking about asking my colleagues to keep records of the weekly disparities but what should I do with that information? Is it possible to approach the union without going through my office rep?

Thanks.

[no_return_address]

For the record, I HAVE told the management about the 'mistakes' they've made in paying me. I won't know until next week whether anything gets done about it, but from what the other guys have said, I'm not likely to see any correction made. I'd be happy to be able to prove them wrong and I won't be taking any action until I see my next payslip but I can't see me getting it back to be honest!

[bogstandard]

speak to your rep, if you get no joy write to your rep. Give them 5 days to reply with their intentions then write to your area rep with a copy of the letter to your rep if you are not happy.
At the end of the day money is money and the money in question is yours, what will you do to get your money.

in the meantime you will need to find out from the business why they are short changing you.

[Lounge Lizard]

I'm ten minutes short this week.
And there have been times I've had to chase THREE times to gets some overtime paid.
Looks like just cutting off in future.

[Rudolph_Hucker]

I'm beginning to think I'll have to start taking photos of the overtime sheet!

[no_return_address]

Thanks for the advice bogstandard. I'll probably speak to the rep once I've seen next week's payslip, but I'm a little worried about word getting out to other staff that I'm kicking up a stink and then nothing actually being done about the problem. Do you think it's a good idea trying to involve the other guys that have been short changed, or do you think it might be better to go it alone? The management line seems to be 'Oh, someone's made a mistake.' I can't see how I'm going to get anything else out of them!

General question to the 'room': do you think it might be something office managers have been told to do or is it just a trick they've come up with themselves? This issue's been making me question whether RM is the sort of operation I want to be working for and any thoughts would be welcome. Are there offices where this stuff doesn't go on?

[jack]

General question to the 'room': do you think it might be something office managers have been told to do or is it just a trick they've come up with themselves? This issue's been making me question whether RM is the sort of operation I want to be working for and any thoughts would be welcome. Are there offices where this stuff doesn't go on?

I think when they go off on their training courses (how to bully & harass staff) they all get their heads together and discuss the best ways to cut costs and keep the budget down, shaving the odd 10 - 15 minutes off peoples docket probably seems a good idea.. because don't forget we're all thick posties and won't notice and even if we did who would have the courage to approach these big hard DOMS about it

And apart from all the back slapping and discussions about who is next on their hit lists to sack - is the euphoria and job satisfaction they get from forcing decent folk to lapse/absorb past their time.

Is royal mail the sort of operation I want to work for?

[maisymoo04]

I'm beginning to think I'll have to start taking photos of the overtime sheet!

God havnt used an overtime sheet in years the old green one were you carried it down to the bottom total and the dim signed it week en ding ahahahah memory's

[no_return_address]

I don't have an overtime sheet. Have to tell them in the morning then write it at the bottom of the signing in/out/in sheet when I get back.

If there are a lot of managers doing this, is anyone doing anything about it? Have local union offices elsewhere been able to put a stop to it?

[worktotime]

are the cwu doing anything to stop it 1 word NO , it happens in our office as well area reps been told and surprise hes done jack s**t , a few lads whos had o/t scrubbed which by the way is illegal , have told them they will just work there contracted hours so on a Saturday they get there time back , and if its there long weekend time back on a Friday , dom hates it as it causes them more hassle when there are bringing 3 loops each back. if the o/t is short there will be a few more doing it ,just mention flexibility.

[bogstandard]

i always tell my lot agree your ot before you leave the office.
You don't get builders in to do some work and then once its done you agree a price do you, or do you?

[worktotime]

i always tell my lot agree your ot before you leave the office.
You don't get builders in to do some work and then once its done you agree a price do you, or do you?

yes you can say we will be over today , but how do you no what you will be claiming ?

[feduppostie]

If they do not pay you the correct overtime then politely refuse the overtime after that - inform them you will be cutting off if necessary

If they ask why tell them because you were not paid correctly - they cannot force you to work over

[holly123]

HI I have a tuesday off in my rotation week, so they owe me forty five mins for this, they told me to come in forty five mins late on the friday and my partner forty five mins on a saturday,but this makes us late out so we leave in due to only working to our time,so we started to book it instead but they dont wont us to ,but one week my partner was on hols and I had a runner with me who started early and carried the bags ,he met up with me and did some of my streets so we was back 40 mins early on the saturday and dom told me to cross out my ot , but I said no i"ll stay till me time which I did on my own with other staff going straight home can he do this or can I get my rep in to try sort something out this isnt the first time this has happened and I went sick due to him last time .Im up to speed with my prep and walk quite fast but because I use my trolly and start on time its impossible to complete day in day out ,any advise would be great thanks

[no_return_address]

Bit of an update if anyone's interested. Saw my payslip Thursday. No correction for previous underpayments and 1h+ missing that I worked last week. Met with rep and DOM Friday morning.Been promised all OT paid up to date next week and help to finish on time on the days I need it. So yeah, I'll believe it when I see it, but it looks like the blindingly obvious answer - talk to your rep - was the way to go!

Issues that remain though:

Several colleagues owed a lot more than me - they didn't seem to want to come see the boss though.
Been told any outstanding OT payments are effectively wiped out at the new financial year.
It seems that cutting off isn't allowed (bad things will happen). If you don't want to go over, you tell them first thing and they'll help you finish on time (really...?).
You've still got to virtually pen your OT hours on their computer monitors to get it paid punctually.

So my immediate issue might have been dealt with but the situation at the office generally needs some work!