Suspended for cutting off

[Jack Rouse]

On Thurs afternoon I phoned my line manager at about 14:15 to tell him I wouldn't be able to complete my delivery. ( My hours are 8:00 to 15:48), the delivery is a mixture of small estates and rural delivery which involves moving the van from house to house.

He told me that I had to deliver all the mail I had taken out, as this was the office agreement.

(We are supposed to tell a manager by 10am if we have too much mail, or how much overtime we are likely to book)

I told him that I had misjudged how mail I had, and that I wasn't willing to work overtime in order to complete the duty.

On Friday I had an interview with another manager ( a DOM) from another office, who asked me to explain why I had brought mail back, I told him what I had told my line manager.
He informed my that he would ask higher up for advice, but he was considering taking me down the "Wilful Delay" route for bringing mail back.

This morning ( Sat 20th) I went into work as normal, threw my walk off etc, I was then asked by another line manager to go and see the DOM, the lino came with me, The Dom sat me down and basically told me that there was a case for wilful delay and that I was suspended pending a further interview next week.

I had already explained to him that I had misjudged the amount of mail I had on that day, he then brought my performance into question, yet the walk has never been tested or geo-routed despite frequent requests from myself and other posties who have had to do it.

The Union Rep in the office has told me that I followed the guidelines that have been set out by contacting a manager as soon as I was aware I wouldn't complete, and that once again the management are being "arseholes".

I know for a fact that others have brought mail back and not been taken down this route, simply because they haven't owned up to doing it, I also have evidence that every day walks are failing due to mail being left in the frames, even lapsing isn't being taken out by a large number of posties.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

From what you have described you have followed the correct over running deliveries procedure, your dom obviously has not read it. Quite simply sit back and enjoy your extra holiday as it is a clear cut case (as long as dom doesn't deny speaking to you) your rep seems to be on the ball as well so try not worry too much

[spen]

Take a screen shot of the phone call log on your phone, should show date, time and duration of call,,

[cuddyhung]

there is an unwritten rule as well ,, its called local common practice ,, if everyone i the office is doing the same thing (even if its against the rules ) its an accepted common practice in your office so everyone is culpable

[slinder123]

i hope your office back you up by walking out in disgust your manager is a knob

[coxie]

You'll be fine mate if you misjudge then the next step is to phone them at the earliest possible opportunity and you done that. Be an arse when you get back and tell them every single day you can't guarantee you'll get done and put the ball in their court then. Willful has to be intentional and from what you've said it was far from that, they don't know their own proceedures.

[gand]

Let us know how you get on with this. It's common practice for this to happen in my office though no one has ever been suspended for it as there all living in fear that this might happen to them,so most days just work over there time and never claim. Even when you do get the rep involved if you want to cut of he tells us to be very carefull! The union really needs to make it clear to people that they don't have to work overtime but they don't.

[Nigel1505]

Isn't this a wonderful caring company we work for. What other firm would treat their staff the way RM does. World Class my *rse.

[Hitcher]

What a joke. In our office they turn a blind eye to packets being left on lapsing duties, people doing their own streaming, etc.

[flimflamman]

From what you have described you have followed the correct over running deliveries procedure, your dom obviously has not read it. Quite simply sit back and enjoy your extra holiday as it is a clear cut case (as long as dom doesn't deny speaking to you) your rep seems to be on the ball as well so try not worry too much

Spot on with your reply,but from royal mails point of view this will achieve there main objective which is to get those not as confident as you to clear everyday regardless of traffic figures just so they dont get dragged over the coals like you

[Krafty]

Same happened to me and the bloke I was working with.

Told them before we went out we did not want to work over.

We both brought our last loop back, and the next day we were charged with wilful delay of mail even though we went through the right procedure.

We were given a 1 year reprimand - union couldn't do anything about it.

What a great place to work!

[arnold cheshire]

Same happened to me and the bloke I was working with.

Told them before we went out we did not want to work over.

We both brought our last loop back, and the next day we were charged with wilful delay of mail even though we went through the right procedure.

We were given a 1 year reprimand - union couldn't do anything about it.

What a great place to work!

why couldn't the union do anything ? what did you admit ? did you put in a greviance ?

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

Same happened to me and the bloke I was working with.

Told them before we went out we did not want to work over.

We both brought our last loop back, and the next day we were charged with wilful delay of mail even though we went through the right procedure.

We were given a 1 year reprimand - union couldn't do anything about it.

What a great place to work!

what you did hand the op did differs slightly he followed the cutting off procedure, unfortunately just telling dom you won't work over is not following the procedure hence why union would struggle to find a defence

the correct procedure is to inform the dom when it becomes a parang you can't complete and then let him decide how he wants to manage the situation, he can then get someone else to deliver it or pay ot or even fail it, but he has to be the one to make the decision, simply saying before you go out you won't work over is not following that procedure. The op did the correct thing and advised dom as soon as it was apparantly he could not complete dom then made mistake of insisting he completes regardless which is not an option he is allowed to force on someone

[Chelseablue]

The whole things as clear as mud . Was the official union line not , you can give them at the most half an hour , and even then it's up to your good will if you do. ???? This swings n roundabouts and taking overtime off you're wages really ups the morale. Fed up hearing bout this holy 90 percent delivery for tracks figure , give it a rest , it's impossible .

[Acca Dacca]

Same happened to me and the bloke I was working with.

Told them before we went out we did not want to work over.

We both brought our last loop back, and the next day we were charged with wilful delay of mail even though we went through the right procedure.

We were given a 1 year reprimand - union couldn't do anything about it.

What a great place to work!

what you did hand the op did differs slightly he followed the cutting off procedure, unfortunately just telling dom you won't work over is not following the procedure hence why union would struggle to find a defence

the correct procedure is to inform the dom when it becomes a parang you can't complete and then let him decide how he wants to manage the situation, he can then get someone else to deliver it or pay ot or even fail it, but he has to be the one to make the decision, simply saying before you go out you won't work over is not following that procedure. The op did the correct thing and advised dom as soon as it was apparantly he could not complete dom then made mistake of insisting he completes regardless which is not an option he is allowed to force on someone

Thats wrong. What the guys saying they didn't want to work OT BEFORE they went out on delivery is actually the correct procedure. The only thing they might have done wrong is take the loop out they couldn't complete unless DOM told them to bring it back if they couldn't deliver it in their time.