Any voluntary redundancies in your area?

[baldrick]

If there are 20 VRs on offer that must be one hell of an overstaffed office at 39 hours a pop is almost 800 hours a week times that by just 42 weeks and you have a terrific saving from just one DO.

I doubt that is overstaffed. They are both working their full hours and finding it really difficult now. Perhaps what they have been told is not correct, or perhaps RM don't care if there are enough staff to do the work.

[dvbuk55]

If there are 20 VRs on offer that must be one hell of an overstaffed office at 39 hours a pop is almost 800 hours a week times that by just 42 weeks and you have a terrific saving from just one DO.

I doubt that is overstaffed. They are both working their full hours and finding it really difficult now. Perhaps what they have been told is not correct, or perhaps RM don't care if there are enough staff to do the work.

Well if THAT is not overstaffed I don't know what would be. We have had revisions by the bucket load, 9 years ago we had the same sort of rumour of VRs and buy down, I applied for both, there was no VRs and just 2 of us was bought down from 40 to 25 hours and that was only because of a revision or 30 hours a week over 42 weeks is just one and half times more than a single week at that DO.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

20VRs in our office would equate to under 10% saving on bodies - about what I am expecting them to come for.

Perhaps the office baldrick is talking about is in a similar position.

[dvbuk55]

20VRs in our office would equate to under 10% saving on bodies - about what I am expecting them to come for.

Perhaps the office baldrick is talking about is in a similar position.

Well you must have close on 200 bodies, we have 160 and we have recently recruited - all part timers of course so there is no way we could lose 16 people with such a loss of hours to the office - therefore any office who could afford to lose that many hours MUST be overstaffed, which in light of the agreements and the revisions is surprising.

[Gold Fox]

Friend of mine , 35 years service and age 60.......turned down VR ... why? he said he would be working rather than having rough naging time with his misses at home ...he got over £100 K in his building soc account. He works 5 days ( no overtime) and loves it.

[tpost]

I filled out the preference form that was sent to me earlier this year, I asked for Vr, Do you think it makes any difference or will Rm go by office seniority?
Most of the senior bods in my office have said they're not going, but if they change their minds does the preference form I filled in mean nothing?

A preference exercise is only used as an indicator of who is interested in VR. At the time of selection for VR the senior person has first choice. I missed out 5 years ago when a senior man decided last minute to apply and I lost out. I was pretty pissed off as I had a job to go to.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

20VRs in our office would equate to under 10% saving on bodies - about what I am expecting them to come for.

Perhaps the office baldrick is talking about is in a similar position.

Well you must have close on 200 bodies, we have 160 and we have recently recruited - all part timers of course so there is no way we could lose 16 people with such a loss of hours to the office - therefore any office who could afford to lose that many hours MUST be overstaffed, which in light of the agreements and the revisions is surprising.

You can still have an office of over 200 staff and not be able to afford to lose that many hours.

Your logic is at fault because you are expecting Royal Mail to act logically. Just because Royal Mail want a reduction of 10% in hours or bodies does not mean its either sustainable or that the office is overstaffed, it simply means they have a target they wish to achieve nothing more nothing less.

Yes we have over 200 staff, we are not fully DM revised yet, but we are fully compliant with other agreements.

[dvbuk55]

Yes we have over 200 staff, we are not fully DM revised yet, but we are fully compliant with other agreements.

Are you saying you haven't yet had the 2010 revisions completed yet? It's not my logic at fault TBT it's the fact that your office revision is not complete and so the hours are not applied. RM would not arbitrarily ask for 20 EVRs no matter how illogical they are if the revision didn't support it.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Yes we have over 200 staff, we are not fully DM revised yet, but we are fully compliant with other agreements.

Are you saying you haven't yet had the 2010 revisions completed yet? It's not my logic at fault TBT it's the fact that your office revision is not complete and so the hours are not applied. RM would not arbitrarily ask for 20 EVRs no matter how illogical they are if the revision didn't support it.

Yes we have not yet been BT2010 - RM stopped it (even had PWC in) as it wasn't viable in the current office. Type HD1 1AA into google earth and try to fit 100+ vehicles and 3 600s in that yard. Then remember the office is 5 postcodes over 3 floors and only 1 lift and 1 access/egress point (for both pedestrians/vehicles). Added to that you'll also realise that we are in the centre of a busy town centre with poor transport infrastructure.

We aren't likely to be BT2010'd for an absolute minimum of a year, probably more, and with new estates being built we are struggling now to fit them into existing duties. So the savings are neither logical, attainable or even being based on a BT2010 revision. Just an opinion though.

[dvbuk55]

You know the old saying TBT - where there's a will there's a way and with 20 jobs less you wouldn't need as many vehicles.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

You know the old saying TBT - where there's a will there's a way and with 20 jobs less you wouldn't need as many vehicles.

I feel like I am butting my head against a brick wall. A non effective method of communicating so I will cease.

[paulthepostie]

Well i had an update from our union rep today, who had an area meeting. Apparently the mail volumes in Essex are not looking good (long term).

There was an argument that perhaps of constantly attacking the front line (us), the people who are in charge of marketing (the guys who get us the customers) should pull their finger out for a change. Although we're not sure of dates they definitely want a mass cull of voluntary redundancies.

Our office is cut to the bone and i was even asked to work a Saturday (my day off) because of this. I really hope I'm not right as i don't want to see people that have kids and mortgages in strife, but these are definitely worrying times ahead!.

[Deadly]

I'm struggling to see where these job losses can come from or are Royal Mail going to recruit replacements on inferior/cheaper contracts?

[piranha]

I'm struggling to see where these job losses can come from or are Royal Mail going to recruit replacements on inferior/cheaper contracts?

Nail on head. They'll probably get a few part timers in to pick up the slack.

[k979aaa]

Only for the management £100 million set aside for them all over the country yet you cannot get paid for the hours minutes you worked last week wonder why!