The ghost of RM Christmas past. How i miss it.

[Sir Henry]

Oh we couldn't afford a moan back then, we had to make do with a gripe between the lot of us. Times were hard.

[FinishOnTime]

Can't help thinking there's a bit of rose tinted nostalgia going on here. I started about 16ish years ago on 27.5hrs(!), 6 days a week, starting at 5, and did OT every day to make my hours up. Dunno about anyone else, but I was knackered at the end of that, just as much as now, but now I get 3 extra days off every fortnight. Had some real crap days at Christmas as well.

But no there was certainly no lapsing, thousands of packets and chuffing door 2 doors all year round.

[on_the_way_OUT]

A chance to earn almost unlimited overtime.

Wow, I feel almost teary eyed thinking about it now. I'll be very lucky to get OT into double figured now.

[dvbuk55]

Overtime was guaranteed in the old days. The union negotiated a daily rate over the Christmas period which was usually 2.5 hrs even though you finished like an hour earlier than usual

[deltaforce]

Overtime was guaranteed in the old days. The union negotiated a daily rate over the Christmas period which was usually 2.5 hrs even though you finished like an hour earlier than usual

30 years ago we were on 12hr days . 4.55 docket per day two dels home by 2 pm and casuals to help you out. Where did it all go wrong

[postslippete]

But no there was certainly no lapsing, thousands of packets and chuffing door 2 doors all year round.

We were all better off in the past because of job and finish!


Managers can justify the extra lapsing when a lot of staff finish before their time. But what does not make sense are managers collapsing duties when they know for a fact that it will take posties way over their time.

And yet, when one or two staff don't want to do the extra lapsing, they then give them a hard time!! I was told by our line manager that we had to lapse a few duties because we did not have the available staff to come in and do the rounds. This is absolute nonsense. On the day, the manager was hoping staff were going to take out the lapse duties, but ended up shooting himself in the foot when the day turned out to be a lot busier than usual.

I actually don't mind working the odd day off in the run up to xmas but what I will not do is work overtime at very short notice i.e. a phone call at home at 7am to ask if I will come in and work like NOW. And although I like overtime, Im getting seriously fed of claiming overtime most days in the run up to xmas - and thats just on my own duty. Our boss seems quite happy for staff to write down the docket but not when people just don't want to take out any extra. Its madness - its almost like he's doing a terrific job if everybody is claiming overtime!

[comeracing]

when I started approx. 19 years ago everyone got a decent xmas hamper,and we had a decent xmas raffle with all the prizes given out on the 23rd dec.,oh them where the days.

[GT750rider]

It was an absolute pleasure to be on delivery at Xmas all those years ago. I was based at Gloucester, when we were all under one roof - delivery, processing and distribution,( although of course it wasn't termed as such then). The office was in the city centre, so easy for shopping. Yes, it was 12 hour days, but it was easy work, plenty of time in the canteen, and home 3-4 hours early most days
Then we moved to the new office at Eastern Avenue, and things ticked over nicely for a while.
The changes seem to have come in when delivery were kicked out, and Gloucester North ( Brockworth ) and Gloucester South ( Quedgeley ) offices opened.
Then the inquisitions began - why are you booking 30 minutes OT? What do you mean, you haven't had a meal relief? I remember getting back late off a rural, due in no small part to having council tax bills for everyone. Coupled with that, I was soaked through as it had rained all day. Then when I got back some jumped up stand-in boss questioned why I was booking. I had to walk away before I did something I would regret. The main boss was in his office and signed my docked without a second glance, but then he was old school. He retired soon after.

[robbertwhitton]

Well said that man.i do try my best to enter into the spirit of exmas dispite royal mail doing there bah humbug bit it's what youmake it,be strong my colkegues,if they stop us laughing they have won!!

[seaside]

Yes they were great days, my first christmas I got £700 Christmas bonus, everyone seem so happy, with a workload you could cope with.

[krussel]

Yes they were great days, my first christmas I got £700 Christmas bonus, everyone seem so happy, with a workload you could cope with.

That was the thing " a workload which you could cope with " You did not feel over whelmed by the pressure of the work coming through the door as all the flats were held back for 2 weeks. Yes you had no mech sorted mail so it was EVERYONE, managers as well, on the ips all working together. It was a crack taking the pee out of firms drivers who only sorted once a year and had to ask every bloody min where such a road went.

Money was good. I earned 31 union arranged hours on my first xmas and did not work a min. In fact I used to go home, have a couple of hours kip, have a shower and meet the lads down the local and we would grin that we were still being paid OT.

[dvbuk55]

Money was good. I earned 31 union arranged hours on my first xmas and did not work a min. In fact I used to go home, have a couple of hours kip, have a shower and meet the lads down the local and we would grin that we were still being paid OT.

Despite all that krussel RM made hundreds of millions in profit when there was 200,000 employees

[OnAFlyer]

I'm all teary eyed now
They were the good old days

You know I think they were.

Yes I am of course looking back with rose tinted glasses but compared to what we have been left with now.

Not rose tinted glasses, that's exactly how it was! Even as recently as 7 or 8 years ago I was home before 11 over Christmas, 10+ years ago it was 10/10.30.

Now it's simply a case of wondering how much you're going to have to leave that day just to complete. For the last couple of years we've had as much as two full cages of packets left just for our walks, if we'd taken everything we would have been looking at 5pm+. It's a completely different world we work in now.

[Lincox]

And the chief executive was not catching a flight home to Canada fully expensed by the company with a large handbag full of wonga.

[OnAFlyer]

In fact I used to go home, have a couple of hours kip, have a shower and meet the lads down the local and we would grin that we were still being paid OT.

Haha we used to do this regularly on Fridays. Do some second deliveries or half a walk on OT, meet in the pub at 1pm and have a laugh that RM was buying our beer for the next few hours! And they still made 800-900m profit every year.

It makes you wonder now what's happened to RM, packet income must be massive and easily make up for the fall in mail, there are tens of thousands less staff so where is the money being lost?