Are you cutting off this Christmas?

Phantom · Post by **Phantom** » 24 Nov 2017, 17:42

Are you cutting off this Christmas due to a lack of extra staff in delivery? While we see Mail Centres and Parcel hubs opened up to handle the mail volume with thousands of extra staff there is never any extra staff for delivery which is a total disaster. In my office we've had 50-60 loops left daily this week and it's set to get worse as the weeks go on and nearly all packets are being left due to a lack off staff. Hold your heads in shame Royal Mail board, you useless set of overpaid and under worked cretins.

shepherdess · Post by **shepherdess** » 24 Nov 2017, 18:12

Why oh why don't Royal Mail put any of the extra staff in Delivery office's instead of putting the already stressed staff under even more pressure

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 24 Nov 2017, 18:27

shepherdess wrote:Why oh why don't Royal Mail put any of the extra staff in Delivery office's instead of putting the already stressed staff under even more pressure

Probably hope we all jack it in so they don't have to pay us all off but at any rate the lack of strike's it still is going belly up because of piss poor management as usual at this time of year. But packet volumes are getting bigger by the year and the cut's are getting deeper every year corporate greed and the bonus culture of RM will finally bring this once great service down this year! If not the strike's will follow as well as hordes of pissed off managers not getting their xmas bonus after the debacle leaving because they caused this unmitigated disaster that has never been equalled by corporate greed and incompetence!

Driver74 · Post by **Driver74** » 24 Nov 2017, 18:29

Whilst it’s everyones choice whether they want overtime you mention extra staff in Mail centres but don’t think most of these workers don’t work a lot of extra hours every day anywhere between 4 and 7 hours extra a day plus days off I would be surprised if many at delivery offices work as long hours lots of early shifts are working 4am to 7pm

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 24 Nov 2017, 18:46

Driver74 wrote:Whilst it’s everyones choice whether they want overtime you mention extra staff in Mail centres but don’t think most of these workers don’t work a lot of extra hours every day anywhere between 4 and 7 hours extra a day plus days off I would be surprised if many at delivery offices work as long hours lots of early shifts are working 4am to 7pm

Probably not as they would be dead! Have you done a delivery recently? Thing is 20% extra staff office's opened tent's in yard's yet delivery office f**k all extra staff area space we are drowning in tracked packets with no f***ing vans to shift them or even staff the whole place is a shambles yet the CEO has secret meetings deciding our fate for the future well if this is anything to go by it don't look good!

Driver74 · Post by **Driver74** » 24 Nov 2017, 19:02

I agree there is loads of extra parcels and packets I can see how hard it must be to get rid of it all all I was pointing out is Mail centres are also bursting at the seams like you say but I think a lot of people are criticised on here if they want to work the extra hours as long as I’ve worked here Royal Mail as been run on huge amounts of overtime and most people have been grateful for it I know I have been in the past

postslippete · Post by **postslippete** » 24 Nov 2017, 20:07

No doubt the Senior management team at Royal Mail will be netting themselves a decent Xmas bonus for performing the vanishing parcels trick. That is managing to get all the extra parcels shifted without recruiting any extra staff. Of course, it doesn't work like this at all. Obviously, you get staff working their day off and one or two daft ones working till 5pm

BUT somewhere down the line ALL the parcels/loops have got to be taken and if they can't get any more agency guys in - then the line managers are out doing it, just like last year.

And even when DOMs have massively 'overspent' on paying out delivery overtime - they will still get their over-generous Xmas bonuses anyway….

Post by **postiewhite** » 24 Nov 2017, 20:14

I haven't a problem on certain days to either complete or bring my partner back to the office and finish off packets, I just cant guarantee I can do this which my manager wants but if ive nothing planned then I might get 4 or 5 extra hrs in a week to help pay for my January holiday spending money.

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 24 Nov 2017, 20:16

postslippete wrote:No doubt the Senior management team at Royal Mail will be netting themselves a decent Xmas bonus for performing the vanishing parcels trick. That is managing to get all the extra parcels shifted without recruiting any extra staff. Of course, it doesn't work like this at all. Obviously, you get staff working their day off and one or two daft ones working till 5pm BUT somewhere down the line ALL the parcels/loops have got to be taken and if they can't get any more agency guys in - then the line managers are out doing it, just like last year.

And even when DOMs have massively 'overspent' on paying out delivery overtime - they will still get their over-generous Xmas bonuses anyway….

Not if it FAIL'S and it will this year everyone's had enough even the new start's so it will FAIL!

ted_e_bear · Post by **ted_e_bear** » 24 Nov 2017, 21:17

Fingers crossed it's looking like it might be alright at our place for a change this year, it's not by forward thinking or planning by management it's simply down to the fact that no one is off sick and despite being pissed about and sent to other offices the last two new starters are still here, so if it stays that way we'll have some help for the extra parcels.

Surely something must go wrong.

What a sorry state of affairs this job has become !!

Nickvilla20 · Post by **Nickvilla20** » 24 Nov 2017, 21:38

Just took on 12 new staff at our office. We even have the luxury of bulk drivers and extra vans!

Dorset Plodder · Post by **Dorset Plodder** » 24 Nov 2017, 21:44

We start our "Christmas Duties" next week. This is basically just a plan to use the extra Posties (because there's a Leave Block) and anyone that's working their day off. My duty's having nearly the top row delivered by the "Christmas Specials" so that helps a lot, but I've already told the DOM if it gets manic I'll be leaving even more.

We've had a taste of things to come with Weds & Thurs being very heavy, especially parcels. However I'm adamant that I'm not going to be pressured into working stupid hours this year. I'm sure most Posties don't have a much good will as usual, due to the ongoing disagreements and Royal Mails stalling tactics.

cpsteve · Post by **cpsteve** » 24 Nov 2017, 22:12

Driver74 wrote:I agree there is loads of extra parcels and packets I can see how hard it must be to get rid of it all all I was pointing out is Mail centres are also bursting at the seams like you say but I think a lot of people are criticised on here if they want to work the extra hours as long as I’ve worked here Royal Mail as been run on huge amounts of overtime and most people have been grateful for it I know I have been in the past

Years ago the o/t was done before the finish time and for some it still is. Christmas can be easier if you have a full staff.

t3mcIUQWE2 · Post by **t3mcIUQWE2** » 24 Nov 2017, 22:20

Cutting off whole walks already.

Love Christmas. An extra 1.5 hours indoors prepping means 1.5 less outdoors delivering. Easiest time of the year.

Dorset Plodder · Post by **Dorset Plodder** » 24 Nov 2017, 22:37

t3mcIUQWE2 wrote:Cutting off whole walks already.

Love Christmas. An extra 1.5 hours indoors prepping means 1.5 less outdoors delivering. Easiest time of the year.

It is for some people in my office. They're the ones that put down for an Early Start and come in to do the IPS & Packets. Most of them have got piss easy Duties so they get paid for standing on the IPS, drinking tea & gassing with their mates (and prepping their own duty on the sly).

Can't get them to do any Packets on Overtime though as they're Still in a hurry to get home.

The DOM asked me if I'd be committing to complete my Duty, I replied "Not if it's Heavy... I'll be finishing on time" When he said others were willing to do overtime I just pointed out that they were only interested in "Easy Overtime" and weren't willing to spend any longer out in the cold & wet either!