Working for free

[crimson king]

Somewhat proving the point but what's a docket in this context? The only docket I've been told about is a P739....

Docket is postie slang for overtime.

As in,

“Hey there goes the office ghost chompin’ up all the creamy docket”

[kingeric]

People start early at ours because it means they will finish hours early through the week. Does that count?

This is actually another problem.

I can see the reasoning and we've all come in early to get away early at one point or other in our time here.

However now the times we come back are being monitored by area managers. They don't care when you come in or if you have had a break. They look at your finish time and if it's early they want to know why and either want indoor hours cutting or more absorption putting in outdoors.

[Celgar]

I hope - in this day and age - all this forum talk of people working for free is mistaken.

If you do work for free could you please let me know the reason.


a) You want to please the boss and get promotion.

b) The boss won't pay overtime.

c) You want a steady day tomorrow.

d) You've been brainwashed into thinking you're slow.

e) You are on a trial and want to be kept on.

f) You are part-time and hoping to be made up.

g) You don't know how to fill in the docket.

h) You can't be assertive with the boss.

i) You are old school and stuck in job and knock mode.

j) Other.

There is no mistake about it - you should read the report released by the TUC a while ago. I think the main reason for not booking extended delivery is that it isn't easy to do. I think there is an opportunity with AHDC & PDA data to fix this problem for good and maybe automate calculations for paying wages. Whether RM will be honest enough to do this I wouldn't like to say. Most of the reasons you listed are not relevant to the situation.

Thank you for taking the trouble to reply. Can you remember what the TUC report was called? Why is booking extended not easy?

Should the Union push for all new starters to be given a booklet explaining hours, cutting off, breaks , docket etc ?

If you type 'TUC report into unpaid work' into google it comes up. Apparently 33.6 billion pounds of unpaid overtime was completed in the UK alone in 2016. It is linked on RMC but I couldn't find it. I think its not easy because if you leave the sheets out for Postie's to write overtime down then some will take advantage and write some down unjustifiably. There is the question of 'flexible working hours' floating about in RM at the moment. In short it is a lot of hassle and grief to try and book it so unless there are special circumstances and the DOM is telling everyone to book overtime then we don't do it.
I think the union and RM should get together and make an agreement on this issue that is the same in every office in RM and is enforced and publicised.
I think it's sort of a similar issue with D2Ds in that there is an opt out available for the public but as RM obviously don't want people to opt out they don't advertise the fact. A while back when a postie let his customers know about the opt out on D2D he nearly lost his job. Similarly they
don't want to pay overtime when it is due if they can get away with it so they make it difficult and even embarrassing to book extended/overtime.

[postslippete]

I work full-time but quite often there is a part-timer who starts before me. And I think to myself in what other job (other than if you ran your own business) would you give a company hours of free work every week for nothing?? They don't realise it but they are making the chances of getting full-time work even more remote for everyone else.

[NewPostieUK]

i just wanna get to sept review and see if anything gets changed in my contract as done OT every week since started and will be in job more than 12 months

Why would your contract get changed?

IF overtime worked in your office is reviewed, and IF it is decided that hours can be put into your office, then it goes on seniority, not the amount of overtime an individual has done.

Don't know about your office but in mine there's part timers with 11 or 12 years in who would get improved contracts before the one year newbies who work 40 or 50 hrs a week.

[yellowbelly]

i just wanna get to sept review and see if anything gets changed in my contract as done OT every week since started and will be in job more than 12 months

Why would your contract get changed?

IF overtime worked in your office is reviewed, and IF it is decided that hours can be put into your office, then it goes on seniority, not the amount of overtime an individual has done.

Don't know about your office but in mine there's part timers with 11 or 12 years in who would get improved contracts before the one year newbies who work 40 or 50 hrs a week.

Because the detail on the info sheet for P/T colleagues about the 'Deal of the Century' pushed out by RM apparently said so:

"Part-time colleagues’ contracted hours will be jointly reviewed every March and September. Where appropriate, increased contracted hours
will be offered to reflect the hours actually worked and planned."

However, the words (also in the actual agreement) '...where appropriate...' should have rang alarm bells - it is the biggest get out clause
of them all for your management, who will deem it to be 'not appropriate' to increase your hours and also 'All agreements in this regard must be consistent with our current agreements' which is possibly what you are referring to NewPostie with regards to seniority - I wonder how many recent P/T'ers were persuaded to
vote yes convinced that RM had suddenly come over all benevolent?

[NewPostieUK]

Because the detail on the info sheet for P/T colleagues about the 'Deal of the Century' pushed out by RM apparently said so:

"Part-time colleagues’ contracted hours will be jointly reviewed every March and September. Where appropriate, increased contracted hours
will be offered to reflect the hours actually worked and planned."

I think you are interpreting it wrong.

They review the part timers hours worked and contracted. Lets says there are 20 hrs hours overtime worked every week, by all the part timers, just to do the normal stuff (not to cover sickness etc). They should agree that 20 hrs needs putting into the office. They will increase part timers contracts to incorporate these 20 hrs. WHICH part timers get offered the contracts depends on seniority. It's not necessarily the ones who worked the overtime.

[nuns]

at moment no part timers are getting anything in my place ,,,, maybe if this works and put hours in and a few people get benefit of improve contract others might clock on and think well if in 6 months time people are still going over then in next review more will get it

[nuns]

come october workers should start getting on union case and get them to make sure these things happen in all offices.

[aiden01]

come october workers should start getting on union case and get them to make sure these things happen in all offices.

Think you are hoping for miracles to happen.

[yellowbelly]

Because the detail on the info sheet for P/T colleagues about the 'Deal of the Century' pushed out by RM apparently said so:

"Part-time colleagues’ contracted hours will be jointly reviewed every March and September. Where appropriate, increased contracted hours
will be offered to reflect the hours actually worked and planned."

I think you are interpreting it wrong.

They review the part timers hours worked and contracted. Lets says there are 20 hrs hours overtime worked every week, by all the part timers, just to do the normal stuff (not to cover sickness etc). They should agree that 20 hrs needs putting into the office. They will increase part timers contracts to incorporate these 20 hrs. WHICH part timers get offered the contracts depends on seniority. It's not necessarily the ones who worked the overtime.

New Postie - I agree with you - the way I expressed it in my post may not have come across quite as intended - I included the agreement wording
to show why some part timers are working O/T and hoping they might be getting more hours regardless just because 'the agreement said so' not appreciating the office resourcing and seniority issues.