Polling cards

Throgg · Post by **Throgg** » 16 Mar 2016, 17:07

This has probably been asked before but I can't find anything on this forum.

Are polling cards covered by the "addressed election material" rule, i.e. 3 days to deliver or must they all be delivered on the day they arrive in the office?

hans solo · Post by **hans solo** » 16 Mar 2016, 17:22

our place in a mess re poll cards
been told we MUST do them no exceptions compulsory to your finish time
if you dont take them all you dont get paid for any you have done
if you leave some and dont get paid anyone who picks up remainder left gets paid even if its next day
although some on dda or fav can do them over 2 days and get payment for them
here,s the best though
mgmt phoning in pt staff telling them they can start earlier as poll cards are in
they will not be paid for this as they get payment anyway
ie working for free
CAN WE HAVE THE NATIONAL AGREEMENT please

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 16 Mar 2016, 17:25

Throgg wrote:This has probably been asked before but I can't find anything on this forum.

Are polling cards covered by the "addressed election material" rule, i.e. 3 days to deliver or must they all be delivered on the day they arrive in the office?

Depends how they come. If DSA then they "should" all go the same day as receiving. If by Royal Mail streams then yes usually 3 days.

Don't forget though OT is voluntary so if they want them all delivered in 1 day ...........

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 16 Mar 2016, 17:27

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... t=election" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

steve1873 · Post by **steve1873** » 16 Mar 2016, 18:52

Can someone clarify, as in post the agreement with regards polling cards and other election material, please.

You see, we have this "debate" with management regarding these every single time and you hear so many conflcting stories, that it is diffucult to weed out fact from fiction.

When we go over our time as a result of either of the above items, as we are being paid a "unit payment" for the items, does this preclude us from also claiming the overtime worked in addition to the unit payment?

My argument has always been that my contract of employment doesn't change and I am paid by the hour. However, if I was taking this stance would this mean I couldn't claim per item as well?

TBH, the whole thing is a mess when some units are getting 3p per item and other units 20 miles up the road are getting 9p per item, when we all work for the same company doing the same job!

EDIT: I see TBT has posted a link above to agreement, which I shall now read. I should really read entire thread before commenting in future.

Post by **POSTMAN** » 16 Mar 2016, 18:56

Same bollox every election.

Jambomatt1874 · Post by **Jambomatt1874** » 17 Mar 2016, 13:09

No overtime paid as you get paid for the poll cards, and then they find as my much mailsort as they can to punt out aswell, at least it's getting lighter at night so you won't need a torch when your still out at 7pm!!

franco1 · Post by **franco1** » 17 Mar 2016, 13:22

Ive delivered some election info material last few days from various parties, its not poll cards and they came mixed in with walk sort and manual work.

Are we paid for these or just poll cards?

Post by **POSTMAN** » 17 Mar 2016, 14:18

You can get paid overtime for going over, you just have to prove that you went over because of the 'mail volume' that day.

The problem is proving it though to the screws.
Reps should be on the ball if for instance the duty normally goes over, there is a mass mailing that day, the mail volumes are exceptionally high that day ect

Will put up as an announcement all the relevant ltb's/docs in due time.

Post by **POSTMAN** » 17 Mar 2016, 14:28

Subject: RE: Elections 2014 <IGNORE DATE>

Sent: 02 April 2014 11:44
To: Bobby Gibson
Cc: Hayley Nutley; Andrew Martin
Subject: RE: Elections 2014 <IGNORE DATE>

Dear Bob

I’m happy to confirm that we take exactly the same view on the extended delivery issue. The unit payments mean we don’t pay overtime for the election material or poll cards but if the volume of ‘non-election material’ workload requires overtime then yes that should be paid in the normal way. The fact that we make election material unit payments on the day does not mean there can be no extended delivery overtime.

Andy and I can make this clear to colleagues.

On your second point you’re right we do recognise there may be occasions where the volume of poll cards and other mail mean is it simply not possible to maintain the full product service specification. But we have to be careful about how we can say this in our communications. We ask people to do all they reasonably can and if having done so some poll cards fall back to the next delivery we would not withhold the unit payment. As you say we will be pragmatic where necessary. I sent the words in red below to our heads of IR in response to a request for clarity on what DOMs should do in the event that volume made it impossible to clear the poll cards on one day.

While we make every effort to meet these service standards there are occasions when volumes make this impossible and some fall into the next delivery. We do not intend to withhold unit payments in the event of this happening.

Dale Lang, Royal Mail head of Industrial Relations

Burghboy · Post by **Burghboy** » 18 Mar 2016, 16:31

Absolute shambles in our DO today, came in thursday were told not to touch them as we had 7 ddt that needed cleared first. Put out today and we're told from 1 Lino that we had 3 days to clear, thurs/fri/sat. Lino 2 comes along and says na you've got to take them all today as you can only claim for them today. Dom says yep all to be cleared today but you can't claim docket (so we can lapse our usual 4 duties tomorrow I bet) for going over even though it takes you an extra hour to throw them in never mind deliver them. Rep says work to your time.

A lot of folk took them then cut off with what they left still sitting in frame on our return. The walk am on tomorrow wasn't touched so ive got them all to throw in and deliver but being told we are not getting paid to take them out tomorrow. An extra 1 hour indoor prep for me then and probably cut off a full walk between me and my partner as it will be a 100% call rate.

Why don't they just get everyone together and tell all the staff the 1 story rather than mixed messages from everyone in the office????

Post by **IloveMYredTROLLEY!** » 18 Mar 2016, 18:50

Because poll card bonuses are often about shafting the OPGs, such as the ones at my depot that always without fail get the worst rate for delivering bonus items like these.

Why is there no national agreement set rate?

Why does my depot always get the worst rate (typically ~3.3p per item) when other depots get ~6.6p per item?
Because of the amount of overtime claimed by the depot?
Because the workload set by "planners" in revisions is nonsensical and will often needs lots of overtime?