Reducing my hours against my will

[Anonymous100]

Hi

I’ll give you a bit of background first, I even been working for Royal Mail now as a postie for just over 2 years.
When I joined the business I was taken on a 25hour contract over 6 days like most people I imagine who are on a part time contract (i know some vary slightly)

Anyway!
A year ago, Royal Mail introduces an LAT product which they started trialing in loads of offices all over the U.K., my office was one of the offices chosen to be an LAT hub.
So my DOM at the time decided he needed 6 people to do this work and he was prepared to put the 5hours we got for doing the LATs into our contract so effectively he had a commitment that we wouldn’t s contractually obligated to carry out this work every week on the day we were on duty.

Now, in 4 weeks time my office has now decided that they are going to give the LAT work to the collections staff instead and they have issued me a letter saying they are giving me 28 days notice and that after 8th July I will no longer be needed to do this work anymore.
Ultimately reducing my contract from 30 hours down to 25 hours.

Now the reason I don’t believe they can do this is because I never did this work as an SA, a few people did when a couple of the guys wanted to stop doing this work and the managers couldn’t get it covered, they said to people who would pick up the odd shift we will pay you SA for it.

However for me, I have had my contracted hours increased to do this work and I don’t feel like it’s right they can reduce my contract without me agreeing to it, surely they should allow me to come into work 1 hour early everyday to help with prep/ips rather then pay people pressure overtime.

There are also people in my office who have joined the company long after I have and they have 27.5 hours- 30 hour contracts and they are part time, so another problem I have is that I have been here a lot longer than they have and potentially now there going to have more hours than me and a few others who are a higher seniority amongst the part timers.

I’ve gave the letter to the union rep and they are dealing with it but I was just looking for some feedback from everyone here, do you think the management team can do this to me or have I got a case here I can fight and win?

I did hear a manager say they will offer us an alternative which is to do LATs on the Saturday which is the day collections staff don’t work in my office.
But from my perspective that’s not a FAIR alternative, in fact I think it’s far from it. Who is going to want to finish work on a Saturday and then go do 5 hours of parcels just because the collections staff are off that day, we all have weekends as well we want to spend with our family.

Just so corrupt in my office I swear.

[Sir Henry]

Fair doesn't come into it I'm afraid. A colleague had their hours reduced and all RM had to do to cover their arses was offer him an alternative duty that they knew he couldn't/wouldn't do. Hobson's choice sadly.

[k979aaa]

Hi

I’ll give you a bit of background first, I even been working for Royal Mail now as a postie for just over 2 years.
When I joined the business I was taken on a 25hour contract over 6 days like most people I imagine who are on a part time contract (i know some vary slightly)

Anyway!
A year ago, Royal Mail introduces an LAT product which they started trialing in loads of offices all over the U.K., my office was one of the offices chosen to be an LAT hub.
So my DOM at the time decided he needed 6 people to do this work and he was prepared to put the 5hours we got for doing the LATs into our contract so effectively he had a commitment that we wouldn’t s contractually obligated to carry out this work every week on the day we were on duty.

Now, in 4 weeks time my office has now decided that they are going to give the LAT work to the collections staff instead and they have issued me a letter saying they are giving me 28 days notice and that after 8th July I will no longer be needed to do this work anymore.
Ultimately reducing my contract from 30 hours down to 25 hours.

Now the reason I don’t believe they can do this is because I never did this work as an SA, a few people did when a couple of the guys wanted to stop doing this work and the managers couldn’t get it covered, they said to people who would pick up the odd shift we will pay you SA for it.

However for me, I have had my contracted hours increased to do this work and I don’t feel like it’s right they can reduce my contract without me agreeing to it, surely they should allow me to come into work 1 hour early everyday to help with prep/ips rather then pay people pressure overtime.

There are also people in my office who have joined the company long after I have and they have 27.5 hours- 30 hour contracts and they are part time, so another problem I have is that I have been here a lot longer than they have and potentially now there going to have more hours than me and a few others who are a higher seniority amongst the part timers.

I’ve gave the letter to the union rep and they are dealing with it but I was just looking for some feedback from everyone here, do you think the management team can do this to me or have I got a case here I can fight and win?

I did hear a manager say they will offer us an alternative which is to do LATs on the Saturday which is the day collections staff don’t work in my office.
But from my perspective that’s not a FAIR alternative, in fact I think it’s far from it. Who is going to want to finish work on a Saturday and then go do 5 hours of parcels just because the collections staff are off that day, we all have weekends as well we want to spend with our family.

Just so corrupt in my office I swear.

Did you sign a variation of contract with HR if you did not if was a local deal which will change when and as needed.

[Anonymous100]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.
I did get a letter from RM telling me my contract has increased and if I remember you get two copies and one is meant to be sent back to HR.
I think I did this but to be honest I’m not 100% sure.

And yes, I think your right about being offered an alternative. They will argue they have given me the opportunity to keep the 30hours by doing every Saturday afternoon. But they know already I’m not going to want to do that.

I think I got a bit of a fight on my hands here hopefully the union will help me try to create fairness again amongst part time contracts.
I always believed when you entered the business you started on 25 hours then as and when extra hours were available the most senior part timers get made up.
This doesn’t happen in my office and when I was working in the book room you see new entrants starting in the business now based on what hours are available at the time.
For example we had a few people recently join on 27.5 hour contracts. And yet myself and a friend are the 1st/2nd most senior part timers and we are about to be reduced to 25hours, and these new starters haven’t even had an induction yet- I just think it’s so wrong.

[bigal383]

The lats if your office did them was an office chosen to
So so this contract you was offered was not temp I got the same contract in my office and it was a permaneant one they can’t go and change this once it has signed get onto your top union bloke now!

[bigal383]

Keep me posted on what union says

[Anonymous100]

Spoke to the union today and they said that from what they have heard so far it seems very positive and that I won’t have my hours changed because it’s in my contract and because when they increase your contract you sign a copy of the hours being changed and send it back to HR.
So my union rep seems confident that I will get to keep my hours but he will let me know the outcome on Monday so I will keep you all posted.

I know for a fact they can’t reduce your contract without paying you some sort of compensation.
But they can remove an SA if they give you 28 days notice, so me receiving a letter giving me 28 days notice I think has to be them just trying it on and thinking I won’t fight it.

Will keep you all posted. :)
But if this is happening to you definitely get into your union rep because I’m near enough certain they can’t dk this and where the company I believe is going to have to make some difficult decisions in the coming months.
Is; overtime will soon be a thing of the past because they are flooding my office anyway with part timers and when full timers are leaving they are making their walk part time.

Stuff like that to reduce the overall gross spend of the office each week.
Just cuts cuts cuts... so don’t let them get away with things they shouldn’t be doing!

[Decky Boy]

It is likely your increase in hours was a " temporary increase in contractual hours" . When I moved from part- time to full- time my new contract clearly stated " temporary increase" of hours

[bigal383]

Thanks for the update they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on taking your hours off you otherwise every single one of us full timers they could do it to and it wouldn’t be allowed well done for sticking to your guna and don’t let them shaft u on that Saturday shift tell them u will be as flexible as possible but u can’t do the Saturdays as u have a family
Seems to me there trying it on more and more and these people who call the union wanna realise without them we would be goosed