Scheduled Attendance 12 hour limit.

Post by **TheBushBaby** » 14 Jun 2018, 08:25

There is a rumour going round that following a meeting with ACAS, it was been concluded Scheduled attendance hourly rates are to be reduced in the case of members receiving over 12 hours a week. It has been recommended that over 12 months individuals receiving in excess of twelve hours a week will be reduced one hour a week over a year.

The CWU have rejected this recommendation and are in talks with Royal Mail on how to achieve this goal.

Martin Walsh · Post by **Martin Walsh** » 14 Jun 2018, 11:45

The CWU and Royal Mail went to external mediation over the issue of individuals working over 12 hours SA per week. The External Mediator was the same person who did the Dispute mediation , Professor Lynette Harris.

The CWU were looking to increase the 12 hour limit. Especially as many offices have performed more than 12 hours SA for a number of years.

Royal Mail aim was to limit SA to a maximum of 12 hour per week not on the grounds of paying SA as it only attracts an extra 31 Pence per hour. Royal Mail "s objections were around the fact that SA count towards holiday pay.

Lynette Harris found in favour of Royal Mail and she wrongly argued that the union was facing both ways they wanted the Shorter Working Week and they wanted more hours on SA. She further recoomended that those who were working above 12 hours SA per week would reduce by 1 hour per month until they reached the 12 hour limits.

The CWU have rejected the external mediators recommendation and have informed Royal Mail of this and asked for the status quo to be maintained .

The CWU have now commenced preparation to pursue legal action and suitable employment tribunal claims to deal with the related issue of holiday average pay.

Post by **TheBushBaby** » 15 Jun 2018, 08:20

I agree with the ACAS recommendation, it does not make sense asking for a shorter working week then asking for a national agreement to be broken. The cieling is the ceiling and that is twelve hours for everyone without exception.

Next th CWU will want to renegotiate the four pillows agreement. How absurd.

clashcityrocker · Post by **clashcityrocker** » 15 Jun 2018, 10:53

I don't understand this.
SA is full timers overtime. The SA agreement says you cannot be paid SA until you have worked 39 hours and if part timers are getting SA how are they getting the full Delivery Supplement.
At a time when many are struggling on part time contracts shouldn't those SA hours be used to improve part time contracts first and not provide overtime for full time staff?

Post by **TheBushBaby** » 15 Jun 2018, 11:11

clashcityrocker wrote:I don't understand this.
SA is full timers overtime. The SA agreement says you cannot be paid SA until you have worked 39 hours and if part timers are getting SA how are they getting the full Delivery Supplement.
At a time when many are struggling on part time contracts shouldn't those SA hours be used to improve part time contracts first and not provide overtime for full time staff?

Yes make the part timers up to full time.

Strong bull · Post by **Strong bull** » 15 Jun 2018, 12:03

I've always wondered why sa duty's cant be used to make p/t ers up to f/t.

At ours there are sa 5 dutys about 10_12 hours a week.They are always done by the long timers with the easy dutys (you know the ones that hate the job so much they have to do all the o/t,work their day off and hate it if someone else does it)

Meanwhile the p/t ers are struggling financially (and often leaving)after being told at the interview that they would get made up after a year.

With 5 sa duty's there is scope for at least 6 people to be made up to f/t. I'll never understand it,

Post by **TheBushBaby** » 15 Jun 2018, 12:13

The CWU say they are about full time employment not massive amounts of S/A and overtime.

Martin Walsh · Post by **Martin Walsh** » 16 Jun 2018, 18:01

Scheduled attendances have been around since the late 1980s. Under the Way Forward in 2000 the amount of SA you could do was limited to 12 hours but it recognised that lots of individuals were working more than 12 hours and there would need to be phased out.

Royal Mail never bothered to adhere to this. So lots of offices across the country carried on working above 12 hours.

Especially for example on 4 day weeks , 9 day fortnights , Wally weeks , collections or Mail Centre work.

It was not ACAS who review it but an external mediator and what she failed to understand was by limiting SA to 12 hours would not mean individual not working over 12 hours only the hours over 12 hours would be paid at normal over time rates instead.

Many postmen and women need to work overtime and SA gives a guarantee of coverage and earnings.

The majority of Delivery postmen and women who work SA work either their rest day or collections.

clashcityrocker · Post by **clashcityrocker** » 16 Jun 2018, 19:08

I wouldn't dispute any of that but SA appears to be a completely arbitrary thing.
I don't get paid SA if I work my day off. Some people do.
We have no SA contracts so there is no guarantee of earnings, and certainly no guarantee of holiday pay.

Shouldn't the priority of the CWU be to ensure the maximum number of hours are added to part time contracts before trying to ensure overtime opportunities for full time staff?
How did this issue end up at arbitration anyway? Has it been through the IR framework first?

Post by **TheBushBaby** » 17 Jun 2018, 12:16

clashcityrocker wrote:I wouldn't dispute any of that but SA appears to be a completely arbitrary thing.
I don't get paid SA if I work my day off. Some people do.
We have no SA contracts so there is no guarantee of earnings, and certainly no guarantee of holiday pay.

Shouldn't the priority of the CWU be to ensure the maximum number of hours are added to part time contracts before trying to ensure overtime opportunities for full time staff?
How did this issue end up at arbitration anyway? Has it been through the IR framework first?

For the many not the few !! Yes make up the part timers ! I bet this never went through the IR Framework, some divisional reps click their fingers and hey presto its gone of for a Queens Counsel to look at ! The agreement is the agreement 12 hour limit and that's it ! No exceptions !

Martin Walsh · Post by **Martin Walsh** » 17 Jun 2018, 20:26

It did go through the frame work as a point of principle.

As for part timers I can only talk for my Division there has been a significant amount of part timers getting increases in contracts up to full time and this is ahead of the formal review listed in the agreement which commences in October.

As for Divisional Reps clicking their fingers , well we represent the views of the units and Branch’s which make up the Division so we do chase up issues which are driven by our office/ members .

clashcityrocker · Post by **clashcityrocker** » 18 Jun 2018, 13:35

dingo wrote:
As for part timers I can only talk for my Division there has been a significant amount of part timers getting increases in contracts up to full time and this is ahead of the formal review listed in the agreement which commences in October.

So you or the Area Rep will go and argue that those p/t staff working over their contracted hours should have an increase in their contracted hours and then a bit later RM will turn round and go - but the PDA Outdoor Actuals are showing we can take 5 duties out of that office?
So that's a win win situation.
A win for you because you have got increases in p/t contracts.
A win for RM because they have taken 5 walks out of the office.
And a "win" for the members you represent because they have had their delivery span extended without any consultation.