Latest finish on delivery

[HTPostman]

Whats the latest you've got done?

I did the job for 3 years before, latest I ever finished then was 3.30pm. Since returning to Royal Mail a month ago, latest finish was 3pm.

Until this week that is. Tues Weds and Thurs I've been put on a round which is apparently the 3rd hardest of the 100 ish rounds in the office. Clocked out of the depot at 18.20, 17.35 and 18.15 respectively. Tuesday we didn't post the first letter while 12.45pm! My van partner on this round has only been in the job 3 months but I wouldn't say either of us are slow. Even the experienced full timers say they don't finish this round while 4.30-5pm.

90% call rate, 11 bags each, 250+ parcels. Bringing about 100 advised parcels back each day. My step counter said it was a 40,000 step round.

There's also a bit added to the round across town from a walk that was ended, we are delivering there right at the end in pitch black. It's one of those streets where it goes # 1, 1A....then suddenly jumps to # 9. Still don't know where mail for # 3, 5 and 7 goes, there's probably an alleyway or something but it's impossible to see in the dark.

Both of us need the money so we don't cut off, and don't know about others here but it gets to a point where you get to about 4pm and you're past caring, it's dark, you're getting digs from people (what time do you call this, did you sleep in etc) and it's water off a ducks back, you're way past your time anyway so you just keep going and take the extra OT money.

Anyone ever finished later?

[delfranklin1969]

No my latest finish is around 5, but not so long back I got my mail on a Saturday evening at 8-45!!! That takes some beating, I had to let the postie in and got chatting to him, he just wanted the over time, said that our flats was his last drop!

[nuns]

tell them cant do it put happy to do one hour over ,,, then once build up in 2 days say give me 6 hours each and will complete

[greengiant]

Surely something must be wrong with indoor prep if you are not posting your first letter till 12:45pm!?

[HTPostman]

Surely something must be wrong with indoor prep if you are not posting your first letter till 12:45pm!?

Yes you could say that. My van partner comes in at 7, me at 8, we counted 6 trays of walk sorted letters and 9 other trays of mail. The frame is about 85% double slots and it's a tight space so we are constantly on top of each other (oo-er). Yesterday we got the last letter thrown in at 9.30, then took an hour to go through the 250 parcels, 45mins to tie off, 15mins to load the van.

That's 11.30am already. Then we have to drive through the congested city, so we are hitting our round about 12 and we do the specials first.

It's one of those where I'd like to be a fly on the van wall when 2 of the experienced lot do it, just to see how much quicker they are.

Regardless of the time I insist on us taking our break. My bank balance has never been happier!

[SpacePhoenix]

Approx how far to your local MC?

[HTPostman]

Approx how far to your local MC?

From delivery I ffice to this killer round = 3 miles
From the finish of the round to the MC = 15 miles

[JKSmudge]

I thought last letter time is supposed to be 3.30 - even at xmas I will not go door-to door in the dark and my round is heavy on packets/parcels. Tell your Lino that you will get the tracked and specials done but you will likely be bringing some packets/parcels back. You say that you both need overtime, however they cannot force you to stay out for hours after your finish time.

Speak to your rep, that's what he's there for.

You definitely need to get this sorted with management NOW or you are going to be in world of crap when it gets busy.

[chickenwittle]

I have never worked past my official finishing time , not even by a minute.

[DGH]

I've finished at about 5pm on a few days some Christmases but outwith Christmas working, never after 3.30pm (usually when working overtime when start and finish times were much earlier than now, but occasionally in the last couple of years). Most often now though, I don't work past 3pm (with an official finish of usually 2.45pm) because the larger walks and longer delivery spans simply don't make overtime worthwhile in terms of energy expended to pay received. So in my case, RM's 'efficiency savings' and 'better working practices' have actually made me less flexible, less willing and probably less productive too.

[SpacePhoenix]

I've finished at about 5pm on a few days some Christmases but outwith Christmas working, never after 3.30pm (usually when working overtime when start and finish times were much earlier than now, but occasionally in the last couple of years). Most often now though, I don't work past 3pm (with an official finish of usually 2.45pm) because the larger walks and longer delivery spans simply don't make overtime worthwhile in terms of energy expended to pay received. So in my case, RM's 'efficiency savings' and 'better working practices' have actually made me less flexible, less willing and probably less productive too.

With repeated failures since Network 18 it can't be too long before RM push all run from MCs to DOs back by at least an hour, they're then going to get stuck in traffic so in practice you'd probably be looking at the mail arriving in DOs a couple of hours later

[citypostie]

I've finished at about 5pm on a few days some Christmases but outwith Christmas working, never after 3.30pm (usually when working overtime when start and finish times were much earlier than now, but occasionally in the last couple of years). Most often now though, I don't work past 3pm (with an official finish of usually 2.45pm) because the larger walks and longer delivery spans simply don't make overtime worthwhile in terms of energy expended to pay received. So in my case, RM's 'efficiency savings' and 'better working practices' have actually made me less flexible, less willing and probably less productive too.

With repeated failures since Network 18 it can't be too long before RM push all run from MCs to DOs back by at least an hour, they're then going to get stuck in traffic so in practice you'd probably be looking at the mail arriving in DOs a couple of hours later

Then that mail will get delivered the next day. We wont be going out on delivery 2 hours later without a fight and a strike. We are getting plenty of mail from our mail centres and most days its bang on time or early and nothings failing, the past couple of weeks it would have been good if some days it had its been that busy

[SpacePhoenix]

I've finished at about 5pm on a few days some Christmases but outwith Christmas working, never after 3.30pm (usually when working overtime when start and finish times were much earlier than now, but occasionally in the last couple of years). Most often now though, I don't work past 3pm (with an official finish of usually 2.45pm) because the larger walks and longer delivery spans simply don't make overtime worthwhile in terms of energy expended to pay received. So in my case, RM's 'efficiency savings' and 'better working practices' have actually made me less flexible, less willing and probably less productive too.

With repeated failures since Network 18 it can't be too long before RM push all run from MCs to DOs back by at least an hour, they're then going to get stuck in traffic so in practice you'd probably be looking at the mail arriving in DOs a couple of hours later

Then that mail will get delivered the next day. We wont be going out on delivery 2 hours later without a fight and a strike. We are getting plenty of mail from our mail centres and most days its bang on time or early and nothings failing, the past couple of weeks it would have been good if some days it had its been that busy

If the LAT takes off then it could well see dispatches from MCs to DOs put back anyway

[Celgar]

It sounds like maybe someone should be doing the prep and redirections for you before you arrive at work leaving you to tie up and load the van. Our DO is sort of all full time or full days so we don't have those part time duty type problems.

Usually in the last one or two weeks before Xmas day you usually get two or three really bad heavy days. In past years when we had the bicycles I have had the misfortune to be out til nearly 1800 in an area with no street lighting. Not an experience I would recommend or ever intend doing again. Nowadays we have orders from the DOM to return at 1600 or when it gets dark which at the latter part of December 1600 is fairly dark.

[leolion855]

whats the earliest you can deliver mail( not packets), can you go out at 6:30am?