Overworked and fed up

[MinTee]

I joined back in March and was one of the “lucky” ones who were brought on to work sundays in the callers. This is all well and good, I experienced the usual messing around you get in your first few months.

But in late August I was told they were taking me off sundays because they wanted me to deliver 5 days a week, I agreed because it’d work out I’d earn a bit more money. They then asked if I was okay to cover for a few weeks until they found my replacement. Long story short I’m still doing this crap, and they still sweep it under the carpet. I told them they need to ask me to do it before hand each week, but that stopped over Christmas but I gave them the benefit of the doubt due to how busy it was. So I’ve been working 6 days for the past 4 months I’m quite frankly fed up, spoke to the union rep and asked when this replacement is coming and he said he doesn’t know just yet.
On top of this I’m a reserve but I seem to get lumped with the s**t no one else wants to do. If a walk hasn’t been out or loads was brought back, I can guarantee you I’ll find my way on to that walk the next day (not before being moved between walks multiple times in the morning). I’ve been bringing it all back at 2 to only moaning and complaints from management. I’m quite frankly knackered and fed up with this bollocks, but only now I wasn’t to escalate the issue so I realise how little I know about how it all works? Do I have a leg to stand on to tell them I’m not coming in some weeks as they haven’t provided me with a 2nd day off? They never even gave me another contract to sign so I’m still contracted Thursday-Sunday?

Any advice cause any time I bring anything up in office it’s swept away and the managers magically disappear before I’m back off a walk.

[Kobi72]

Just fu*kin tell them...you ain't doing this crap anymore,if you can afford to work just your contracted hours then do it..these managers just don't give a crap about you or me,we are just a number...are you in the union? If so go see your rep & tell him the crap you are going through...basically don't take anymore sh*t..

[MinTee]

Just fu*kin tell them...you ain't doing this crap anymore,if you can afford to work just your contracted hours then do it..these managers just don't give a crap about you or me,we are just a number...are you in the union? If so go see your rep & tell him the crap you are going through...basically don't take anymore sh*t..

I’ve spoken to him and he basically shrugged it off. I don’t know if they see me as an overtime guy in the office, but I’m not. In fact for the past 2 months I’ve just brought any left overs back without warning them or giving them a chance to get it covered. I treat them with the same respect they treat me.

I put a note on their whiteboard to come and speak to me in the morning myself as they f****d off home again today.

[Lincox]

Min Tee, you have a contract of employment that states that your working days are Thursday to Sunday. You may find that this contract is flexible and allows them to alter your days (read through and check all the wording). What they cannot do is force you to work more hours than what you are contracted for. Drawback of this is if you need the overtime but refuse to do it then typical of Royal Mail management, they will make sure that it is not offered in the future unless it suits them.
More importantly, you say that you are bringing back mail at 2pm without informing management. You are leaving yourself open to being sacked for wilful delay of the mail. Once you leave the Delivery Office you are expected to deliver all mail, failing to do so is regarded as wilful delay, unless you have conformed to THE OVERRUNNING DELIVERY PROCEDURES, which in basic terms mean that you have to inform your line manager prior to commencing your deliveries that you will be unable to complete the delivery and providing him with the reasons why (ie mail volumes are too high). It is then for your line manager to inform you how he wishes to deal with this problem. Normally you will get a load of s..t from him but disregard that and inform him that it is his job to manage. He should either ask you to leave loops behind, or get you to call him approx 30 minutes before your finishing time to let him know how much more you have to deliver, so that you can either bring the excess back to the DO or he will send someone out to finish the walk. Stay strong, do not be weak as he/she will play on this. Make a stand and stick by your principles and if he/she starts bullying you, speak to the rep and get a grievance put in.

[Celgar]

Being a cover/reserve can sometimes be like that although it does sound like they are taking the p*** a bit. You don't have to do overtime so if you don't want to do it all or just sometimes if you want to help out then just say so politely.
I would recommend though that if know you will be cutting off/not going extended then tell the DOM before you go out. It is then the DOMs responsibility to get it covered or maybe do some delivery themselves. A lot of DOMs don't seem to want to actually deliver or are not capable of doing so although some will.

[Brandy]

I am not getting at you at all,but you think you are overworked now,its only going to get worse.New houses are always being built and they just expect you to pull them in,no such thing as area growth thats all I got when questioning managers about extra delivery points,what a joke that is!! All the extra scanning is not taken into account!! If they remeasured or tested rounds properly no way would they add up,most of them would go way over,so this will never be done.They just push the posties more and more,when will they realise you cant put a square peg in a round hole.
What was once a wonderful job is being destroyed by incompetent management and sheer greed.
Good luck anyway.

[MinTee]

I am not getting at you at all,but you think you are overworked now,its only going to get worse.New houses are always being built and they just expect you to pull them in,no such thing as area growth thats all I got when questioning managers about extra delivery points,what a joke that is!! All the extra scanning is not taken into account!! If they remeasured or tested rounds properly no way would they add up,most of them would go way over,so this will never be done.They just push the posties more and more,when will they realise you cant put a square peg in a round hole.
What was once a wonderful job is being destroyed by incompetent management and sheer greed.
Good luck anyway.

I hear this from everyone who’s done any sort or lengthy service, and it always ends with them feeling sorry for new starters. The entire office seems to run on goodwill of those doing overtime and pulling a fast one on the posties.
What really gets on my nerves is there are people who started after me on the same contract who’ve been left on the same delivery for 3 months because they’re still classed as new starters. I was sent to another office to cover in my 3rd week!

[nuisance]

Min Tee, you have a contract of employment that states that your working days are Thursday to Sunday. You may find that this contract is flexible and allows them to alter your days (read through and check all the wording). What they cannot do is force you to work more hours than what you are contracted for. Drawback of this is if you need the overtime but refuse to do it then typical of Royal Mail management, they will make sure that it is not offered in the future unless it suits them.
More importantly, you say that you are bringing back mail at 2pm without informing management. You are leaving yourself open to being sacked for wilful delay of the mail. Once you leave the Delivery Office you are expected to deliver all mail, failing to do so is regarded as wilful delay, unless you have conformed to THE OVERRUNNING DELIVERY PROCEDURES, which in basic terms mean that you have to inform your line manager prior to commencing your deliveries that you will be unable to complete the delivery and providing him with the reasons why (ie mail volumes are too high). It is then for your line manager to inform you how he wishes to deal with this problem. Normally you will get a load of s..t from him but disregard that and inform him that it is his job to manage. He should either ask you to leave loops behind, or get you to call him approx 30 minutes before your finishing time to let him know how much more you have to deliver, so that you can either bring the excess back to the DO or he will send someone out to finish the walk. Stay strong, do not be weak as he/she will play on this. Make a stand and stick by your principles and if he/she starts bullying you, speak to the rep and get a grievance put in.

How on earth did this rubbish ever get agreed? The management need to manage the workload, not the workers. I work, from when I come in to when I go home. If I say I'm finishing at my finish time, or no more than an hour after or 2 hours after that is what happens. I'm not doing this BS negotiation about workload rubbish - first having to state the obvious that if you leave the office at 10.30 to do a walk that is set up to take 4 hours on a good day, you won't be back for your finish time, then predict an unpredictable future about exactly how long it will take, then make with phone calls backwards and forwards, and whoever in the union agreed to it being an official procedure should be kicked out if they're not already long gone. I returned to RM after a 15 year break and this nonsense is the only thing that really bugs me since coming back to what is otherwise a fab job.

[Lincox]

BS or not. This is the situation you have returned to. If you don,t comply then management will use this against you as soon as it suits them.

[Brandy]

I am not getting at you at all,but you think you are overworked now,its only going to get worse.New houses are always being built and they just expect you to pull them in,no such thing as area growth thats all I got when questioning managers about extra delivery points,what a joke that is!! All the extra scanning is not taken into account!! If they remeasured or tested rounds properly no way would they add up,most of them would go way over,so this will never be done.They just push the posties more and more,when will they realise you cant put a square peg in a round hole.
What was once a wonderful job is being destroyed by incompetent management and sheer greed.
Good luck anyway.

I hear this from everyone who’s done any sort or lengthy service, and it always ends with them feeling sorry for new starters. The entire office seems to run on goodwill of those doing overtime and pulling a fast one on the posties.
What really gets on my nerves is there are people who started after me on the same contract who’ve been left on the same delivery for 3 months because they’re still classed as new starters. I was sent to another office to cover in my 3rd week!

Yes I do feel sorry for the new starters,and another big fault of the managers is having their favourites who get whatever they want,get away with everything and until this is stopped the job will always be unfair.I have even known managers play posties against each other which is way out of order,and childish.
It is true what you say a lot of the offices are run on the goodwill of the posties,they take pride in their job,think of the customers and work bloody hard and if this goodwill is lost then RM will be in a lot more of a mess that what they are in now.

[Creditshampoo]

Tomorrow tell your manager this. Obviously change the days of the week if needed.
“I am not happy with working 6 days a week. From now on i won’t be working more than my contract hours. I shall come in Monday, however I won’t be working beyond the planned delivery span therefore I require 2 day off. The callers office is for management to manage and I am not a manager. This has lasted long enough for you to sort the Sunday shift issue out and it’s no longer acceptable”
Hand your manager a grievance stating this.

IT IS MANAGEMENTS JOB TO SORT THIS OUT
DO NOT WORRY YOURSELF

Also I would phone your CWU branch or area rep if you know how to contact them, and inform them that your local rep is doing nothing to help the situation.

[rumble1234]

Go sick with mental stress and exhaustion. Go see a doctor tell them your employer is making you ill. Don't go for management interviews tell them to come and see you because you're to stressed due to lack of recovery time. Go back when they understand your not doing it anymore. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MATE. they can't do a thing as long as your doing your contracted hours. Good luck

[MinTee]

Go sick with mental stress and exhaustion. Go see a doctor tell them your employer is making you ill. Don't go for management interviews tell them to come and see you because you're to stressed due to lack of recovery time. Go back when they understand your not doing it anymore. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MATE. they can't do a thing as long as your doing your contracted hours. Good luck

Haha unfortunately I’m still not entitled to sick pay and SSP is a pittance.