being moved

Islander · Post by **Islander** » 30 Mar 2018, 08:13

So I started with royal mail just before christmas I was shown how to throw a round and shown a round for a week. On the last couple of days of my second week I was put on a full time duty but as Iam part time I was given overtime every morning to throw my round to get it ready . This suited me and the line manager, since then I have been working this round every week. I have been constantly at 98% scanning and I am really enjoying the rotating days.
Last week I spoke to the union rep and he said I would probably be moved in a couple of weeks, I then asked the line manager when this was happing, he said he knew nothing of this and did not want this to happen but would check it out.
Wednesday when I came back from my duty, my line manager told me that I would be moving on tuesday, he said he was very pissed off with this and had writing an email of complaint Dom ?. he said that the round I'm was on was the worst for complaints in the whole section, but since I had started there had been no complaints or other problems and I have been doing a fantastic job.
So I had thursday as a rotating day and on tuesday I have to move to anther section, I am back in tomorrow for saturday
My question is can they just do this with out giving any notice ? week after next was my long weekend we have booked to go away

crimson king · Post by **crimson king** » 30 Mar 2018, 09:31

I'm in a similar situation to the OP. Been 6 months on the same duty, with a 9 day fortnight to match the full timer. Found out this week I'm coming off it and going as a reserve and will have days off to match whoever I'm covering. I have no problem with that but, like the OP, have loads of stuff booked for long weekends until the end of the year.

I got this okayed by my manager, but they've gone now and the new one asked for a copy of the list I originally gave and I've heard no more. So, just going to assume that it's still okay I guess and take the time off.

Typical RM though....one person says yeah, okay, we'll sort it, another says not sure about that, they shouldn't have said that, nothing gets done and we're left fretting and wondering, expected to jump through their hoops.

I've never known an employer that makes getting time off such a ball ache and moves the goal posts, quoting operational needs, whenever they feel like it without even a cursory "so we were thinking of doing this...."

No, it's "so we're doing this and we expect you to comply, no matter what you've got going on in your actual life...."

Grrrr.

loverman shabba · Post by **loverman shabba** » 30 Mar 2018, 09:51

Unless the duty is your own expect to be shafted on a regular basis. People who don't have a duty in our office dont know what they are doing on a daily basis never mind weeks in advance

Creditshampoo · Post by **Creditshampoo** » 30 Mar 2018, 10:32

They can put you wherever they like

clashcityrocker · Post by **clashcityrocker** » 30 Mar 2018, 10:32

There is a process for the induction of new entrants.
You get trained by a workplace coach (or substitute if necessary)
You get put on a walk for a length of time to allow you to get used to the job.
Then you are a reserve.
I don't understand why this wasn't explained to you.

Post by **97gaz** » 30 Mar 2018, 11:06

Post by **Judgee** » 30 Mar 2018, 11:21

You are employed by RM to do whatever they deem fit as your daily duty. They can move you and your day off whenever they like due to "operational needs".

They should however honour any prior arrangements you have made with regards to a change in day off and give you at least a couple of days notice. They will probably insist on some form of proof however, that it was already booked up. Holiday receipt etc.

They changed a lot of our rotating days off last year to make them more spread out and even across the work force. My day shifted by one day for the rest of the holiday year and all my plans were based on my day off. They honoured those that could be proved by "allowing" me to use more of my holiday time to book those days that I needed after they had all been changed.

Damn annoying, but that's RM management for you.

Postie45 · Post by **Postie45** » 30 Mar 2018, 12:04

theres also a process of duty allocation, getting put on one to begin with and sticking with it is unlikely to happen, the duty needs to be signed for and given out usually based on seniority. Im going to guess that maybe the duty you were put on was pro temp with someone off long-term sick and maybe now returning, or now confirmed not coming back. Or someone left and you replaced them, at the end of the day it doesnt matter, unless you signed for the duty its not "yours"

Islander · Post by **Islander** » 30 Mar 2018, 13:13

clashcityrocker wrote:There is a process for the induction of new entrants.
You get trained by a workplace coach (or substitute if necessary)
You get put on a walk for a length of time to allow you to get used to the job.
Then you are a reserve.
I don't understand why this wasn't explained to you.

It would have been nice did not even have a work place coach, nothing explained about overtime holidays or lapsing

Islander · Post by **Islander** » 30 Mar 2018, 13:15

It really is no wonder that new employees dont stay in this job

CityBoy · Post by **CityBoy** » 30 Mar 2018, 13:22

Islander wrote:So I started with royal mail just before christmas I was shown how to throw a round and shown a round for a week. On the last couple of days of my second week I was put on a full time duty but as Iam part time I was given overtime every morning to throw my round to get it ready . This suited me and the line manager, since then I have been working this round every week. I have been constantly at 98% scanning and I am really enjoying the rotating days.
Last week I spoke to the union rep and he said I would probably be moved in a couple of weeks, I then asked the line manager when this was happing, he said he knew nothing of this and did not want this to happen but would check it out.
Wednesday when I came back from my duty, my line manager told me that I would be moving on tuesday, he said he was very pissed off with this and had writing an email of complaint Dom ?. he said that the round I'm was on was the worst for complaints in the whole section, but since I had started there had been no complaints or other problems and I have been doing a fantastic job.
So I had thursday as a rotating day and on tuesday I have to move to anther section, I am back in tomorrow for saturday
My question is can they just do this with out giving any notice ? week after next was my long weekend we have booked to go away

are you saying that you ve had the same walk since you started just before christmas? i undertsand how you feel although youve been traeted fairly lightly compared to myself.
I started at the same time as you in the second week of December as a part timer on 25 hours over 5 days. ive now worked 16 weeks including my induction week in which I was put on a 'training walk' to learn the ropes. i wasnt told how exactly how long this would last but had a rough idea (from my training coach)that it would be a few months possibly 6. I was taken off this after 3 weeks and have since been put 24 different walks. on a few occasions the same walk for the whole week but mostly mixed and with some weeks a different walk every day. Even weekly sheets change on a day to day basis and sometimes when ive already just prepped a walk, ive been taken off to work on a different walk! as for days off, ive had random days off with no rotation pattern, mostly mondays and tuesdays, a few weds and recently 2 thursdays, never had a friday off and just 2 Saturdays off since i started. This has taken its toll and after some recent bullying from the DOM and after a bollocking for not completing a walk once i have decided to hand in my notice.

To add a bit of context here, im not the only reserve, there has been another postie who started 3 weeks after me.Now im not being jealous or paranoid but this other postie was kept on their training walk until this month and has so far has had only 4 different walks. and to cap it all has 6 saturdays off including 3 in the last month and also gets lots of fridays. in fact seems to get a rotation of fridays and saturdays! now i did ask one of the managers about the walks and rotas the other week but wasnt given a convincing response. i was told that as a reserve i should expect it,which i do. Now i didnt want to specifically mention this other postie (its not their fault after all) but asked why some get lots more than others. the response was that they try to be match walks with different skill sets! i asked what that meant and was given the answer about whether we drive or not! now this is BS as we both drive although we both havnt been given our driver training yet.

sorry for rant and yes i do feel quite bitter about it all. i really enjoyed most of last few months but feel they are taken the piss. have very mixed feelings about handing in my notice but when i saw my next 2 weeks rotas it felt right, 2 new walks working both Saturdays and 2 tuesdays off!

GT85 · Post by **GT85** » 30 Mar 2018, 14:02

Just wait till you get moved 2 or 3 times in the same morning

Very frustrating but not a lot you can do about it, they will just give you the "operational needs" line. Recently even long time walk holders have been getting moved around at our place, no one is safe it seems.

LaggyBand · Post by **LaggyBand** » 30 Mar 2018, 15:12

We have senior duty holders moved on “operational needs” because the docket lad wants to do their “nice” round for six hours..

Post by **scotboyblue** » 30 Mar 2018, 15:19

Welcome to Royal Mail lads thats how it works here. Until you get some seniority you will be moved about constantly .Twenty years I've been in the job and still can't get days off (Annual Leave) etc when you need it.

joewyan · Post by **joewyan** » 30 Mar 2018, 16:59

I’m sorry you feel like you have been hard done by. When I started 7 years ago there was no such thing as a training walk. I spent 3 days being trained on 3 different walks with 3 different coaches and then did a week on the delivery I did on the third day. Then on different deliveries every week from then on.
That’s how it is and as a reserve (although quite happy to be a reserve) that’s how it still goes. Regularly changed at short notice but who cares, a delivery is a delivery at the end of the day.