Morning postal service at risk

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.staustellvoice.co.uk/news/73/article/6642/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


St Austell posties heading to the meeting at the sorting office on Monday

RESIDENTS and businesses in St Austell are at risk of losing their morning postal deliveries - prompting Royal Mail staff to consider industrial action in the run-up to Christmas.

Staff are challenging three proposals from Royal Mail - including one which would see mail arrive at homes and businesses around six hours later in the day. They are also unhappy about a planned pay increase of 0.25 per cent over two years, and changes to pensions.

Ralph Ferrett is branch secretary of the Plymouth and East Cornwall amalgamation of the Communications Workers Union. He said bosses want to delay the time that mail arrives at the distribution office for sorting, from 6am to 11.30am. This would mean post arrives at homes and businesses towards the very end of the working day.

“Under these plans, nobody can expect to receive post in the morning,” said Mr Ferrett.

“Lots of businesses run a tight supply chain and deal with correspondence on the same day.

They deal with post quickly - especially cheques. If post arrives at 3,4 or 5pm, it gives businesses no possibility to act on things the same day.”

Mr Ferrett said that at present, the Royal Mail is a private company with a duty to perform a public service - delivering mail each day to 29 million properties. This is called a Universal Service Obligation.

“We think this move is a precursor to getting the regulator to water down the USO. People will see fewer deliveries," he said.

Mr Ferrett also said that the planned pay increase was so slight, it actually amounted to a defacto pay cut.

“We think that these changes are directly related to the impact of privatisation,” he said. “This is an example of rabid cost cutting.”

Workers met at the distribution office on Stennack Road, Holmbush, on Monday morning as part of a National Gate Meeting, to discuss an upcoming ballot about industrial action, organised by the CWU.

Staff will receive ballot papers this Saturday regarding industrial action and have until October 3 to respond.

In the meantime, Mr Ferrett said he hopes to find a solution with Royal Mail.

He added: “We are hopeful the company will turn back from these outrageous plans. Our objective is not to have strike action. We have spent months and months negotiating with them and we are here 24/7 to talk.”

[Bernardson]

It seems like Ralph is now chief negotiator

[ScousePostie]

Nice to see a balanced article that not only mentions pay and pensions but also the other important reason for our strike ballot.

[Grinder64]

This kind of narrative is precisely the angle that the CWU should be hammering home in their liaisons with the myriad of media outlets in the run up to potential industrial action. Inevitably with the natural bias of a predominantly right wing media the seeds will be sown in the mindset of Joe/Joanne Public that the dispute is pivoted around a single issue; we've all seen the narrative on previous occasions of 'disgruntled postal staff blah blah...'. If the focus of attention is shifted to the field of the service being compromised at the altar of management/shareholder greed then perhaps reasoning will chime amongst our customers. It's no particular surprise that we've not seen any propaganda from RM stating that the public would support a later delivery structure, I wonder why..?

[Delbhoy]

This kind of narrative is precisely the angle that the CWU should be hammering home in their liaisons with the myriad of media outlets in the run up to potential industrial action. Inevitably with the natural bias of a predominantly right wing media the seeds will be sown in the mindset of Joe/Joanne Public that the dispute is pivoted around a single issue; we've all seen the narrative on previous occasions of 'disgruntled postal staff blah blah...'. If the focus of attention is shifted to the field of the service being compromised at the altar of management/shareholder greed then perhaps reasoning will chime amongst our customers. It's no particular surprise that we've not seen any propaganda from RM stating that the public would support a later delivery structure, I wonder why..?

This is were I think we let ourself down by not engaging with the public to let them know the reason behind our actions. It's always comes across as greedy postys but now it should be known as greedy shareholders wanting more at our expense

[TheTrolleyMan]

Totally agree it's about time the public knew what this privatised company has in store ie. Later deliveries

[HarryPoorer]

yes i'd like to see CWU take a primetime advert on tv telling the public to support their posties fight or expect their birthday cards at teatime !

[Dorset Plodder]

We can all do our bit. We have the upper hand... Posties are the ones who actually meet the public, all over the country, every day. Just talk to your customers and explain the situation to them.

[SpacePhoenix]

What would be a typical time frame in a DO from when the work arrives in to when the majority of staff are tied up and ready to take their walks out?

[Dorset Plodder]

What would be a typical time frame in a DO from when the work arrives in to when the majority of staff are tied up and ready to take their walks out?

I'd say on average 2 hours 30 mins. Based on a 650 DP point duty. That's not including any indoor work such as IPS or packets, that's just basic throwing off, bundling up and loading the van. I'm sure you'll get a few different timings but that's mine on average.

[parforthewalk]

What would be a typical time frame in a DO from when the work arrives in to when the majority of staff are tied up and ready to take their walks out?

On average (if discounting early IPS from 0500 on O/T) then approx 3hrs 15min inc M/R. That's if one is working flat out, i.e. head down getting on with the job no talking or f**ing about (unless on M/R), inc' no disruption/interruption (i.e. huddles/WTLL)..

Even then, no hope of achieving the ridiculous R/M 'WIPGH' efficiency target nonsense!!..

Hope this helps?

[SpacePhoenix]

What would be a typical time frame in a DO from when the work arrives in to when the majority of staff are tied up and ready to take their walks out?

On average (if discounting early IPS from 0500 on O/T) then approx 3hrs 15min inc M/R. That's if one is working flat out, i.e. head down getting on with the job no talking or f**ing about (unless on M/R), inc' no disruption/interruption (i.e. huddles/WTLL)..

Even then, no hope of achieving the ridiculous R/M 'WIPGH' efficiency target nonsense!!..

Hope this helps?

Going by that if the pipeline gets moved back then you're probably looking at around midday before you'll get out on delivery

[wannabeek]

Start work at 9am

RM says be out on delivery at 10am because their superduper machines will prep all the mail. LOL.

Be actually out on delivery at 11:30 am.

Deliver until 17:30 (on a normal day), then clear all late boxes on the way back to office for a 6pm finish.

You can cut off the last hour if you like as overtime is voluntary. However, you'll just be obliged to do that section of the delivery first the next day.

And so it continues....


All just my opinion of course, I hope it won't come to that.

[Dorset Plodder]

I hope for God's sake they don't start messing around with later starts. We've already got a problem with the last wave which reaches us about 0815. Totally against ALL procedures this last wave is just left in the DO until the next day.

We've been experimenting with later starts on some duties because they are too big. The theory being that if some of the indoor work is done by those with smaller duties (or light duties, or managers) then the larger duties will have less to do and can spend longer out delivering it. I don't like this on principle, as it'd be possible (in theory) to have a Full Timer out delivering for the full 7 hours 50 mins of his duty! Which is ridiculous but in theory possible.

[Ozzvaldo]

I hope for God's sake they don't start messing around with later starts. We've already got a problem with the last wave which reaches us about 0815. Totally against ALL procedures this last wave is just left in the DO until the next day.

We've been experimenting with later starts on some duties because they are too big. The theory being that if some of the indoor work is done by those with smaller duties (or light duties, or managers) then the larger duties will have less to do and can spend longer out delivering it. I don't like this on principle, as it'd be possible (in theory) to have a Full Timer out delivering for the full 7 hours 50 mins of his duty! Which is ridiculous but in theory possible.

My office receives the last wave at 8.30am and we never leave it. Many duties in my office don't put first letter in until 10.15-10.30am and yet we are constantly pressure to perform lapsing due to understaffing leaving deliveries uncovered. Most deliveries regularly extend past their 3pm finishing time if the OPGs don't put up a fight, and those that do are threatened with the later start time/somebody else throws in your sequenced mail scenario mentioned by Dorset Plodder. In fact, the DOM has advertised vacant duties utilising the later start with a "take it or leave it" attitude in the past and a couple of duties now have an established 3.30pm finish time.