what are the shift patterns in a mail centre?

[paulthepostie]

Good morning,
I have been off with a bad foot which is not getting better and i feel if ill health retirement isn't eventually offered, i could eventually be offloaded to a mail centre.

I am currently on 39 hours and was wondering what the the hours are and if you work weekends?. Oh by the way i would just like to mention whatever pillock higher up the pecking order came up with the idea of using hct's needs sacking!. I have including myself (14 years of service), never seen so many staff off with bad backs,knees and feet.

My doctor even told me that the weight we push for that amount of time is to much stress on the body, and couldn't believe what we have to endure.

Thank you very much i greatly appreciate your input!.

[oldrope]

Early
Late
Night

[brazil1212]

Depends on mail centre at ours Early is 0600 to 1400. Lates. 1400to 2200. Nights 2200 to 0600. Saturday 0600 to 1930. And Sunday 0700 to 1830

[paulthepostie]

So is that six days a week then?.Or Monday to Friday?.
Thanks for replying

[britwrit]

So is that six days a week then?.Or Monday to Friday?.
Thanks for replying

No. It's usually five days a week if you're full-time. Mostly Monday to Friday or Tuesday to Saturday.

[mobydick1974]

"Oh by the way i would just like to mention whatever pillock higher up the pecking order came up with the idea of using hct's needs sacking!. I have including myself (14 years of service), never seen so many staff off with bad backs,knees and feet.

My doctor even told me that the weight we push for that amount of time is to much stress on the body, and couldn't believe what we have to endure."

Great quote....but hang on....which pillock fills the HCT up? Only load it to the amount you can push over the distance you have to go, use replenishment stops and stop the shoulder bagging.
That's why staff have bad backs, knees and feet.

[baldrick]

The majority of jobs will probably be on lates, around 1400-2200 Mon-Fri.
Early shifts are likely to be Tues-Sat.

[clashcityrocker]

In the years leading up to the introduction of HCTs I saw in my DO
injuries to neck, shoulder, back, hip, hernias, knee, ankle and feet.
Most of these injuries were attributable to the drip, drip effect of carrying weight over the shoulder for a number of years and all the injuries were chronic - that is, long term. None of these postmen were going to be picking up their grandchildren.

What we do is a physical job and not without its risks but personally I would rather push a trolley than carry a pouch.
I don't feel the stress is anything like the same on my body.

And then we have the dimwits who seem intent on having the worst of both worlds - push the trolley and then loop off it with a pouch over the shoulder.
Whoever thought that was a good idea doesn't need to be sacked but shot.

[Mr_Pink]

Problem I see with HCTs are they aren't height adjustable, we have a guy who's well over 6' stooped over pushing his, and a woman who's 5' nothing with her hands up by her chest pushing hers, I'm sure they could have made the handle adjustable somehow.

[SpacePhoenix]

A big chunk of late shift in any MC will be part time (starting between 17:00 and 18:00 and finishing between 21:00 and 22:00). For working in a MC you need to be prepared to work in different sections as staff will often be moved around different sections depending on what sections have got work (and how much work)

[paulthepostie]

Great quote....but hang on....which pillock fills the HCT up? Only load it to the amount you can push over the distance you have to go, use replenishment stops and stop the shoulder bagging.
That's why staff have bad backs, knees and feet.

[/quote]

Well can i include you as a pillock?, seeing as you assume that i overfill my trolley and use a bag on my back without even knowing anything about me

I never have carried a bag on my shoulder and don't intend to!, as i saw the implications for doing so years ago and value my health more than this job!. I didn't think that one day that eventually this job would do this to me and it now has.
So i hope for your sake that it never happens to you one day, and you are in the same situation as me and many other postman up and down the country.

Anyway back to normality and ignoring the Royal Mail sponsored shills, thank you guys your replies are very informative