A Future for Delivery? A Grassroots report by Christopher Smart, Secretary, Workplace Committee, Ashton under Lyne, Greater Manchester Feb 2016

[TrueBlueTerrier]

This is textonly verision of a document I found on the Internet, its an old one, but is still relevant.



A Future for Delivery?

A Grassroots report by Christopher Smart, Secretary, Workplace Committee, Ashton under Lyne, Greater Manchester

On the 9th February 2016 Members from across Greater Manchester met to discuss the future of delivery and to hear about the impact on our jobs. The meeting was organised by the CWU.

In November 2014 the CWU agreed a joint statement about Optimised Mail Preparation (OMP). The basis of OMP is the single wave distribution of mail to elivery offices. Many offices receive their mail in numerous waves at the moment. Computerised modelling has been used to simulate the effect of the single wave on delivery offices. It has looked at how mail could be processed in mail centres, what time mail could arrive at delivery offices and how this will change working conditions.

Sorting machines will run later, mail will arrive later and everyone will be affected, along with the full time and part time duty structures. The modelling showed mail arriving at delivery offices around two hours later than it does now and in one case mail arrived after 1pm. OMP also includes plans for indoor merging, also known as the ‘Walsall trial’ and the ‘future delivery model’.

The joint statement was clear that the propartnership ‘Agenda for Growth’ (AfG) would be the central focus of OMP. If the AfG is about anything then it is about growth and not cuts and profits. However OMP is simply being used as a scheme to cut costs and drive up profits

Delivery of unaddressed mail (UAM) is seen as a way of defending jobs. UAM is unpopular and the payment of the delivery supplement is a divisive issue. The
increase in UAM has not materialised and if and when it does it will be automated. This automation has been taking place in Swindon and is known as the ‘Swindon trial’.

The CWU’s position is to support the growth of UAM. In Exeter, the ‘Exeter trial’ is underway where large letters and magazines are being sorted
and sequenced by machine along with all mail. This has led to the reduction of indoor working and reduced prep times. It is possible that the
mechanisation of mail and packet sorting is a reality. This will have a devastating effect on jobs.

Indoor working is under threat and could end altogether. Members are being asked to sacrifice the gains made in limiting walking times and outdoor working to save full time jobs. It is being argued that full time jobs can only be saved by creating more indoor working or by walking the streets for longer.

The ‘Walsall trial’ has been delayed. With the exception of twelve walks, all walks in the DO are sorted using the bench merging method.
Bench or indoor merging is a system where the frame is used to prep only mail that is manually sorted. Manual and mechanised mail is then
merged together using a glorified magazine rack. This worsening of working conditions is being tested in an attempt to reduce indoor working times and to end the use of frames for preparing walks.

It was forecast that bench merging would produce major time savings. Independent industrial engineers have study the working practice and have discovered that the savings are so small that they are insignificant. However workers are now facing major fatigue as a result of bench merging. Why has this trial started when there is a perfectly good method for prepping walks – the frame.

Workers are being told that mechanised mail is 99% accurate and that frames costs too much money. We are also being told that the practice of handling mechanised mail indoors adds no value whatsoever. The hard work that we do is seen as a drain on profits. The CWU has decided to back certain new
delivery methods and these include back to back bundling (mechanical mail one side, manual mail the other), electric high capacity trolleys, working out of vehicles with cab deliveries and trays on light weight trolleys. It is possible that delivery pouches could be become obsolete.

With around ninety five thousand delivery Members it is clear the cuts will be deepest in this section. Activists were asked what they consider more important - full time work, pay or sick pay. None of these can be thrown aside in the fight to defend our way of working.

In 2015 briefings were held for union officials. It is reasonable to ask why it has taken so long for the information to filter down to the grassroots. The meeting in Manchester was an attempt to bridge that gap. Those who attend the meeting were told that for more information they should read ‘Letter to Branches 627/15’ as a matter of urgency.

Delivery is also under attack from OFCOM. The quango is demanding greater efficiency from our industry. This includes closures of mail centres and delivery offices. These efficiencies are unlimited and involve making better use of vehicles, lowering fuel, lighting, and heating costs, reducing workspace and, of course, sacking the workforce. The unelected quango has adopted the position that every single part of the job can and must be made to work more
efficiently.

This drive for greater profits cannot be achieved by attacking our terms and conditions through a ‘race to the bottom’. Future plans are mail centre closures, delivery office closures, pipeline control, the reduction of walks, the scrapping of sorting frames and the end of the current delivery structure with it being
replaced with maximum flexibility. Those seeking maximum profit believe money is being wasted on maintaining little used delivery offices, sorting frames and fleets of vans doing nothing for hours.

The improvements we have fought for are under serious threat. It appears that running the industry from the back of a van is preferred to decent offices with toilets and heating. This is a retrograde step and takes deliveries backwards not forward.

The CWU is challenging the demands of OFCOM and competition. The basis of the challenge is defending the Universal Service Obligation (USO). The USO requires money to continue and has traditionally been maintained through the money made from other parts of the industry such as parcels. There are now around 29 million delivery points across Great Britain.

Further attacks on our jobs include ending the letter delivery times of 3pm in urban areas and 4pm in rural areas. This could result in delivery times being from 7am to 10pm. Monday and Tuesday deliveries are being targeted with a view to scrapping them altogether. Activists were told that the behaviour of workers
in delivery is threatening the future of the job. The failure to protect our jobs and working conditions is being blamed on workers who are running around and not using the agreed delivery methods.

This is only part of the story and fails to recognise that many workers are reacting to the circumstances they find themselves in – unachievable workloads, unreasonable demands and massive pressure. It is no wonder corners are being cut. As a result of nearly 4000 voluntary sackings the casualisation of the industry is continuing.

2000 part time or temporary workers have been used to fill the gap. As a result full time work is under attack with the number of full time jobs being run down through the use of bosses and agency workers. The agreed full time to part time mix is being deliberately undermined. Poverty pay and appalling working conditions are forced on workers at other delivery companies. It is clear that our future, unless we fight back, is the same. We can make a start
now by enforcing the agreements, stopping casual employment and fighting for vacancies to be filled.

The CWU has to change course. There should be an immediate move away from the AfG and OMP through a clear industrial strategy that puts Members first. There can be no decision about us without us. A very difficult and demanding job is simply being earmarked for an even more difficult and demanding future.
The grassroots rank and file must start to organise in a way similar to the workers in the construction industry by building a democratic movement which calls for a Member led, industrial and political fighting back response to the unfolding disaster that is facing us. When job losses are threatened our response must be
to ballot first and talk later.

We can do this and we can influence those elected to represent us. Contact your Branches and elected officials and ask them to start fighting back. No more waffle and flip charts. Now is the time for action.

February 2016

[rubberbond]

Who on earth is going to be out delivering until 10 pm in November? Really? Do you want someone knocking your door at that time. The suggestion is in itself utterly ludicrous, and flies in the face of the whole purpose of why many are doing this job, I.e. early start,early finish. (Relatively).

[postslippete]

Delivery trays of mail on a trolley....what happens when trays of mech turn up un-sequenced due to a CSS breakdown?? What do we do if there is no frame to put the un-sequenced mail in - sort and organise full trays of mech in the back of a van? What do those who have never done that duty do?

Also, where do the packets go? Do we just put them in a big box at the side of the lightweight trolley and hope that we can somehow memorise them all? It might work if there wasn't so many parcels to sort, but in reality parcels have been increasing year on year.

[hans solo]

and in real time reality all shareholder profit driven dreams DONT WORK
eventually every business model collapses or broken up piecemeal

[TheTrolleyMan]

Delivery trays of mail on a trolley....what happens when trays of mech turn up un-sequenced due to a CSS breakdown?? What do we do if there is no frame to put the un-sequenced mail in - sort and organise full trays of mech in the back of a van? What do those who have never done that duty do?

Also, where do the packets go? Do we just put them in a big box at the side of the lightweight trolley and hope that we can somehow memorise them all? It might work if there wasn't so many parcels to sort, but in reality parcels have been increasing year on year.

Anything that'll stop the toss pots shouldering delivery pouches gets my vote !

[worktotime]

Delivery trays of mail on a trolley....what happens when trays of mech turn up un-sequenced due to a CSS breakdown?? What do we do if there is no frame to put the un-sequenced mail in - sort and organise full trays of mech in the back of a van? What do those who have never done that duty do?

Also, where do the packets go? Do we just put them in a big box at the side of the lightweight trolley and hope that we can somehow memorise them all? It might work if there wasn't so many parcels to sort, but in reality parcels have been increasing year on year.

Anything that'll stop the toss pots shouldering delivery pouches gets my vote !

to right mate , there the people killing the job .

[Celgar]

The content of this report rings true but the date of February 2016 niggles a little. Do you think the whole of this agenda is still being pursued by RM and OFCOM and seemingly supported by the CWU ??

[Dorset Plodder]

And I was in a good mood....now I'm wound up again. Getting rid of pouches? We live in a country where it's pissing down with rain for a good proportion of the year. What protection is any mail going to get in trays FFS? If you use the yellow bags and put them inside a pouch it still gets wet! TBH I'm sure there's quite a few Posties who could probably lose all their indoor element and still have enough work for a Full Time job. I certainly could. I'd be booking excess every day if I took it all, with perhaps the exception of Tuesday & Saturday.

Where are these wonderful Delivery Offices where the Posties are struggling to find enough work to fill their day? IF they really exist, which I doubt, then I suggest they might very well be overstaffed and perhaps they do need to adjust their manning levels.

[mark.cup]

All a total joke! Do they not think after 500 years we who do the job would have not figured out the best way to deliver mail? Any tiny saving indoors will be nothing compared to how much time you would lose outdoors