New Agreement - Contract hours based on last 6 months

[chrisj]

I am sorry to say that this is a case of a postie putting a round/walk over contractual hours. It seems to me that this person is so much concerned about being on a particular round that he does not understand the full ramification of staying as a temporary full time staff.

What has happened IMO is that he has missed the boat in terms of becoming a fully fledged contractual full time staff by not signing for those round that became available after revision - that has now gone to other part-timers... I might be wrong but I have seen too many situations where people are so inflexible and want a cushy number of a particular round.

He might be lucky but they way things are going... A few months back, those on temporary full time contracts in my office were told about the fact that there contract is temporary and that things might change to make it permanent or they might have to go back to their original part time contract.

* Unlike your mate, the temporary full time staff are Reserve posties that have signed for part-time rounds - they will simple go back to their old duties.

[BernardBresslaw]

I am sorry to say that this is a case of a postie putting a round/walk over contractual hours. It seems to me that this person is so much concerned about being on a particular round that he does not understand the full ramification of staying as a temporary full time staff.

What has happened IMO is that he has missed the boat in terms of becoming a fully fledged contractual full time staff by not signing for those round that became available after revision - that has now gone to other part-timers... I might be wrong but I have seen too many situations where people are so inflexible and want a cushy number of a particular round.

He might be lucky but they way things are going... A few months back, those on temporary full time contracts in my office were told about the fact that there contract is temporary and that things might change to make it permanent or they might have to go back to their original part time contract.

* Unlike your mate, the temporary full time staff are Reserve posties that have signed for part-time rounds - they will simple go back to their old duties.

That isn't the case at all.

Over two years ago now, full time jobs were advertised in the office, for which said part-timer applied and was successful - upon receiving his contract it stated that it was a temporary increase to full-time, although the advert made no mention of this - upon querying he was told that that is the only way a part-timer would be made up, and in the proviso for all full-time contracts now, it states that hours can be cut if the job demands it.

Fast forward two years later, after the revision and re-sign (during which he stayed on the same duty as it was available again to pick (not a cushy duty - it's a reserve rotation covering rural days off) - a few months later, further full-time jobs were put up for advertising - said postie could not see the point in going for them, as it made no mention of them being permanent, and he was happy where he was, so why change rounds for the same contract?

It's only when he has spoken to these newly made up guys, that he has been told that all part-timers being made up are now on permanent full-time contracts, so it's obviously a bit late to apply for them!

I was always under the impression, that there was an employment law, not specifically a Royal Mail one, where if you have been temporary for a long time like that, then you had to be made permanent if you request it, hence my query?

[chrisj]

Well, those new full time jobs after revision; were anyone of them a cushy number? If so, why could he not have applied for them? And to be honest, your friend should have found out precisely what the new jobs were all about - most people will have had a passing interest and will have made enquiries to find out if these were also temporary full time contracts.

Moreover, his case should have been highlighted and being well at the forefront during the revision; the Reps and Manager will have known about this. During a general revision and repick - a lot of things change and people are often made up - not just on a temporary basis.

Your mate was happy with his round and Rural rotation cover is a cushy number at my place. The biggest advantage being that you work on your own and sometimes things can be very quiet down them rural lanes (joking - our rural is mixed with regular streets sometimes).

I blame the Rep/Area Rep also for not fighting for all temporary contracts to be made permanent during a general revision; at least before other full time posts are advertised.

[BernardBresslaw]

It sounds like you are recommending he transfer to your office as there are no such things as cushy jobs in ours any more! The jobs advertised were also day off reserve cover jobs for rurals, so it is pretty clear why he wouldn't have considered going for them, as learning multiple new rural rounds, for what he thought (as informed by his manager and rep) would be the same contract anyway, would be counter productive.

Does anyone have any advice as to what can be done as opposed to what should have been done in the past and can't be changed?

Thanks.

[chrisj]

Learning new things is never counter-productive, IMO.

There are still a number of cushy jobs in my office. And like I said, any job that involves working on your own is often miles better than working in a pair.

This is a problem for your bloke. You conveniently ignored all the other points that I have made... After a major revision, if the office needs more FT staff then people are made up and then the repick starts. So if you bloke has seniority over other part timers he should have been made up anyway and should have signed for a full time post...

I happen to be the only temporary full timer in my office. And that is because people above me were happy as part-timers because of tax credit, they love their rounds or they do not need the money and most will not want to be a Reserve postie.

I actually ended applying for a cushy PT number (still paired working) but I am rarely ever put on that round because I chose the money (hours) rather than the round; I could not have both. This was despite the fact that we had lost some full timer posties and some rounds have actually gone from FT to PT. So if and when my secondment as a full timer ends, I shall go back to my nice PT round...

I was told a few months ago that I am definitely temporary and anything could happen - like I could become permanent or back to my PT hours. I knew that anyway but for now I am a Reserve that gets used all over the office, constant Tuesdays or Mondays off and hardly any saturdays...

I should also add that my Area rep knows about my situation and he assures me that I will definitely become permanent FT because they will always need a FT reserve and so on. I did not believe him because I know what state RM is in and the workload is reducing more and more and we are employing more 27 hours PT...

I still maintain my opinion that if someone really wants the hours and money they should be prepared to do what it takes even if means becoming a Reserve or even learning a few more Rural rounds, like in this case. He would have been trained - so what was the problem?

BTW, is he the most senior part timer that is interested in becoming FT - in my office, they were just called into the office and made up before and after the revision. And there has been other jobs advertised since them; both permanent FT and permanent PT...

Good luck to your bloke in getting his permanent contract but this should have been done years back.

[answer=42]

If I work that many hours a week on delivery I think I should get paid the right amount of delivery supplement.

You have.
Your overtime up to 39 hours includes the 54p (approx.)/hour that is the delivery supplement.

I was just about to post a reply saying my delivery supplement was only £13.82 per week no matter how many hours I worked and then realised what you are saying! I should have asked this question earlier, I had no idea a portion of the overtime rate was delivery supplement. Thank you. That'd be part of the reason for overtime rates changing so much after certain amounts of hours then.

It would still be nice to address holiday pay though, and Christmas bonus, and why is a work place coaches allowance pro-rata.............................

I do understand better now that it's not going to be possible just to get contract hours based on how many hours have been worked over the last 6 months. Comments on this being a poorly worded part of the agreement are well understated. Many of the hours I have worked have been due to absence of other guys for one reason or another so it is true to say that the hours may not always be there. However, there are something like 10 jobs not signed for in the office, they are being completed by pt reserves like myself largely on overtime. No job has been advertised since the revision and re-pick over 2 years ago. If the jobs were to be advertised I should get one at 30 hours based on seniority. I would get more appropriate pro rata pay based on the hours I regularly work. It really shouldn't be too much to ask for should it (cue images of Oliver Twist going to see the DOM with sun hat in hand),
WHAT? YOU WANT MORE?