I dont quite understand my hours

[EssexMail]

Hi all

I understand everything you are all saying. But for the sake of argument...

Im told in every correspondence from RM, before my first day, that my start time is 7.05am. In fact there is no end time in my offer letter & email. So if I dont want to do overtime (for argument sake) I should finish 6hrs.15mins after my 7.05am start. In fact if a break (20mins?) is accounted for, that time should be 5hrs 55mins after I start. And that is over 4days. Fixed at Wed-Sat - 25hour contract. I ONLY accepted this, my original role, as it fits around children and other child sitting issues.

Im now told. By my DO and HR that contracts (not that I have mine yet) are subject to change with notice. So that means I have to change my shift and times. The DO are telling me my shift will change to five days a week, including a Saturday, with one rotating day off a week. This will be 5 hours a shift (25hour contract) working back from 2.20pm and any overtime will be mostly forward "after" 2.20pm. They blamed HR and said I should have been told 2.20pm is their work around time and likely I would be "asked" to work later if possible. And that the reason for this is that someone will throw the frames up and basically they want the 25hr contract people to go in, help finish prep if needs be, and then take out a walk and finish it either in their 5hours or with overtime.

I TOTALLY get this from a DO operating point of view, but its not what I signed up for or what I have been told prior to my first day

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Can any Union Reps on here give categorical details on meal break lengths for Delivery Postman. My understanding is that spans which are extended due to pressure and which go beyond 9 hours attract 50 minutes meal relief. A local rep and management are saying no ? ? ?

Clarification would be greatly appreciated as many in my office are (enjoying ) long deliveries...... and it is f****** tough out there right now. Thanks.

From the way forward agreement: http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 36&t=11941" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Conditioned attendances extended by overtime (or by SA on Sunday) consecutive with the beginning or end will attract additional breaks if the entitlement for the total attendance (overtime plus conditioned hours), in the table above, is greater than the breaks already scheduled during the conditioned attendance. For example, an 8 hour conditioned attendance with 4 hours overtime would attract an extra 20 minutes (i.e. 60 minus 40). In most cases, particularly if the additional break is for only 10 minutes, it should be taken between the period of overtime and the normal conditioned attendance.

[steve1873]

Hi all

I understand everything you are all saying. But for the sake of argument...

Im told in every correspondence from RM, before my first day, that my start time is 7.05am. In fact there is no end time in my offer letter & email. So if I dont want to do overtime (for argument sake) I should finish 6hrs.15mins after my 7.05am start. In fact if a break (20mins?) is accounted for, that time should be 5hrs 55mins after I start. And that is over 4days. Fixed at Wed-Sat - 25hour contract. I ONLY accepted this, my original role, as it fits around children and other child sitting issues.

Im now told. By my DO and HR that contracts (not that I have mine yet) are subject to change with notice. So that means I have to change my shift and times. The DO are telling me my shift will change to five days a week, including a Saturday, with one rotating day off a week. This will be 5 hours a shift (25hour contract) working back from 2.20pm and any overtime will be mostly forward "after" 2.20pm. They blamed HR and said I should have been told 2.20pm is their work around time and likely I would be "asked" to work later if possible. And that the reason for this is that someone will throw the frames up and basically they want the 25hr contract people to go in, help finish prep if needs be, and then take out a walk and finish it either in their 5hours or with overtime.

I TOTALLY get this from a DO operating point of view, but its not what I signed up for or what I have been told prior to my first day

Your break is 30 mins based on a 6hr 15 shift and will remain 30 minutes if the change to a 5 hour day goes ahead. As far as the times involved that leaves you 4hrs 30 minutes of actual working time. Depending on the delivery span that would mean there would be ZERO time for you to do any indoor work, i.e. finish prep, tie down (bundle up) the walk etc. For example the deliveries in my office are 4hr 15 min planned spans. If someone only had 4hrs. 30mins in which to complete, then quite simply that would be an impossibility on all but the lightest of days (even then it would be tight), even assuming for all of the indoor element being completed for their starting time, which it never is.

Now, it is easy for me to say, having accrued a decent level of service and having a relatively secure contract, but the reality is if you have a 25 hour contract then that is all you have to work. If upon getting up to speed, you are arriving at office with expectation that you will complete the indoor element and then also have time to complete outdoor element in a totally unrealistic time frame, then inform the line manager or DOM that you will have difficulty in completing in your assigned hours and that you will require overtime, or if the thought of walking the streets until 3-4pm doesn't fill you with joy, that you will require assistance in order for you to get back to DO for your scheduled finishing time of 14:20. That all sounds very easy, but be aware that management will use any number of tricks to ensure you feel pressured to complete, and given that you are a new starter presumably on a probationary contract then it may be best advice to just get head down and complete. But if you do, then ensure you are paid for every minute you work, including your meal relief.

[EssexMail]

Hi

I dont want to/cant do 25hours over the five day shift they are going to change me onto. I had no idea of the whys and wherefores before I started.
All I wanted to do is start at 7.05am and do my 6hrs 15mins a day over four days (less 30mins lunch) as I was told from my very first application

Clearly having three days experience (I will post a little write up on this later) and backed up by you guys in many different ways, that what I was seemingly offered in not workable for RM. As I said, obvious now to me but the fault of RM in the first place not mine offering me this start time and shift pattern and not stating that it was all subject to their change

Also I have been applying since May to get to work for RM and thought I had everything covered. Giving up a previous job I had for many years just for RM to change these goal posts

[Decky Boy]

Many thanks TrueBlueTerrier

[NewPostieUK]

Hi

I dont want to/cant do 25hours over the five day shift they are going to change me onto. I had no idea of the whys and wherefores before I started.
All I wanted to do is start at 7.05am and do my 6hrs 15mins a day over four days (less 30mins lunch) as I was told from my very first application

Clearly having three days experience (I will post a little write up on this later) and backed up by you guys in many different ways, that what I was seemingly offered in not workable for RM. As I said, obvious now to me but the fault of RM in the first place not mine offering me this start time and shift pattern and not stating that it was all subject to their change

Also I have been applying since May to get to work for RM and thought I had everything covered. Giving up a previous job I had for many years just for RM to change these goal posts

As I've stated previously, I've seen this many times, and it's heartbreaking. It's not what people signed up for and often they leave within days.

It's a sorry state of affairs, especially with a world renowned company such as Royal Mail.

I'd suggest going to CAB and/or your MP. It's shocking.

[EssexMail]

Hi

Yes I will do that :)
It's funny as I said I will post details of my first three days soon and as ridiculous as they were, I loved the work and the people I was going to work with so its a double whammy for me

[madmax1]

.

[Hitcher]

Hi all

I understand everything you are all saying. But for the sake of argument...

Im told in every correspondence from RM, before my first day, that my start time is 7.05am. In fact there is no end time in my offer letter & email. So if I dont want to do overtime (for argument sake) I should finish 6hrs.15mins after my 7.05am start. In fact if a break (20mins?) is accounted for, that time should be 5hrs 55mins after I start. And that is over 4days. Fixed at Wed-Sat - 25hour contract. I ONLY accepted this, my original role, as it fits around children and other child sitting issues.

Im now told. By my DO and HR that contracts (not that I have mine yet) are subject to change with notice. So that means I have to change my shift and times. The DO are telling me my shift will change to five days a week, including a Saturday, with one rotating day off a week. This will be 5 hours a shift (25hour contract) working back from 2.20pm and any overtime will be mostly forward "after" 2.20pm. They blamed HR and said I should have been told 2.20pm is their work around time and likely I would be "asked" to work later if possible. And that the reason for this is that someone will throw the frames up and basically they want the 25hr contract people to go in, help finish prep if needs be, and then take out a walk and finish it either in their 5hours or with overtime.

I TOTALLY get this from a DO operating point of view, but its not what I signed up for or what I have been told prior to my first day

This is exactly what happens at our office - people start thinking (or are led to believe) they'll be working 4 days a week for 6 1/2 hours a day. Before long that changes to 5 days a week but working the same or more hours and never getting a Saturday off EVER!

[EssexMail]

Mine is a permanent part time contract too. All be it I'm not sure why I keep calling it a contract. It's going to be hardly that!

[ej88]

I started 4 months ago on a 24.30 hour contract (whatever that means) 10am to 2.48 I think the finishing time is.. The first day I started they asked me to come in at 9 everyday.. meaning my finishing time is 1.28 if I have no break (which I don't, no1 takes it)! I think I have finished at this time about 3 times in 4 months so regularly claim for overtime, which is a massive hassle everyday when the managers look away when u tell them u were over your time!!

[EssexMail]

I dont get why when RM know what their business is and what it needs staff wise and the DOMs know what they need to provide a service at the point of delivery, why do they/RM "OFFER" people contracts that are irrelevant/not effective

According to my knowledge now. I should start at 7.05 and work until 12.50 (taking away my 30mins lunch) After this time its up to me if I want to work overtime.

My choices are. 1. resign as I cant do 25hrs over 5 days, 2. Test the system and say Im only working from 7.05 - 12.50, let them sack me and take it from there

All be it I have been around long enough to realise there is no black and white, just grey areas. This leads me back to my original comment, why do they/RM "OFFER" people contracts that are irrelevant/not effective

[Hitcher]

Cheaper to pay overtime because when you're off you'll only get paid 25 hours.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

The contracts offer at time of employment are exactly what the delivery office manager asks for, if he asks for 4 days that's what is advertised, what the issue is, is the managers half the time don't know how to put in the employment request properly, half the time when recruiting externally for a reserve you see the bit about rotating days off, manager can remove that from recruitment request but doesn't both his arse so the new start is then employed expecting rotating days off but doesn't get them, same with start and finish times and number of days to be worked, it's not Royal Mail it's the manager that's at fault