How it all works

Wakewaterblue · Post by **Wakewaterblue** » 23 Oct 2019, 17:52

Hi everyone

I have been working for royal mail for 1 year now and never have time to ask all the questions as to how things really work behind the scenes.

How many waves of buddy trays do we get on one day? I did my redirections today and then another tray appeared at the last minute? It is a set amount of deliveries on certain days? The other posties are always asking if we have had the last tray or know when we are expecting another and I never know what is coming when!

Also why are Tuesdays so light and then we get hammered Wednesday onwards? Someone told me its because they turn the sorting machines off early on a Monday hence why Tuesday is so light but is this true? There is such an imbalance I would rather Tuesday was a little heavier to lighten the load for Wednesdays onwards and its almost unmanageable at times! But I am sure we all think this!

I like to know what is going on behind the scenes as I have never had an understanding of it all?

gary1975 · Post by **gary1975** » 23 Oct 2019, 18:30

Wakewaterblue wrote:Hi everyone

I have been working for royal mail for 1 year now and never have time to ask all the questions as to how things really work behind the scenes.

How many waves of buddy trays do we get on one day? I did my redirections today and then another tray appeared at the last minute? It is a set amount of deliveries on certain days? The other posties are always asking if we have had the last tray or know when we are expecting another and I never know what is coming when!

Also why are Tuesdays so light and then we get hammered Wednesday onwards? Someone told me its because they turn the sorting machines off early on a Monday hence why Tuesday is so light but is this true? There is such an imbalance I would rather Tuesday was a little heavier to lighten the load for Wednesdays onwards and its almost unmanageable at times! But I am sure we all think this!

I like to know what is going on behind the scenes as I have never had an understanding of it all?

Are you starting before your time you should not be doing re directions before your buddy trays turn up

Thailand1 · Post by **Thailand1** » 23 Oct 2019, 18:42

Wakewaterblue wrote:Hi everyone

I have been working for royal mail for 1 year now and never have time to ask all the questions as to how things really work behind the scenes.

How many waves of buddy trays do we get on one day? I did my redirections today and then another tray appeared at the last minute? It is a set amount of deliveries on certain days? The other posties are always asking if we have had the last tray or know when we are expecting another and I never know what is coming when!

Also why are Tuesdays so light and then we get hammered Wednesday onwards? Someone told me its because they turn the sorting machines off early on a Monday hence why Tuesday is so light but is this true? There is such an imbalance I would rather Tuesday was a little heavier to lighten the load for Wednesdays onwards and its almost unmanageable at times! But I am sure we all think this!

I like to know what is going on behind the scenes as I have never had an understanding of it all?

The reason why it is so heavy on Wednesday is because all the 2nd class posted over the weekend is processed on Tuesday at the mail centres.....thus arriving Wednesday morning on deliveries.

Celgar · Post by **Celgar** » 23 Oct 2019, 19:16

Tuesdays have always been light for as long as I can remember if not always. Nothing is going to change on that front and it is beyond the control of us posties. Logically it would make sense to spread the mail across all the working days especially as most of it is not posted by the public and RM know what is entering the mailstream to a great degree. Probably the only thing that would change it is a major change to the USO such as switching to a five day operation.
Regarding arrival times of 'buddy trays' or sequenced sorted mail this depends on the location of your DO and how far away the MC is. As an example in our DO the first two 'buddy trays' arrive before our duty time starts. The second two 'buddy trays' come from a different location to our MC and usually arrive by or slightly before 0700. I think the closer your DO is to the MC that serves you the later you receive the mail as the offices further away are prioritized.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 23 Oct 2019, 19:26

Celgar wrote:I think the closer your DO is to the MC that serves you the later you receive the mail as the offices further away are prioritized.

That must vary around the country, it doesn't apply locally - some DOs that are closer to the MC get their batches sequenced earlier. The "buddy trays" i'm guessing must be flats as there's no such thing as a buddy tray when it comes to mech letters

robbertwhitton · Post by **robbertwhitton** » 23 Oct 2019, 19:55

After 37 years as a postman I’m still asking the very same question,like many on here I’m left baffled and bemused at what goes on and what ideas they’re bringing out next

NewPostieUK · Post by **NewPostieUK** » 23 Oct 2019, 21:49

Wakewaterblue wrote: I have been working for royal mail for 1 year now

One year and you are full time?

redneck · Post by **redneck** » 23 Oct 2019, 22:59

NewPostieUK wrote:
Wakewaterblue wrote: I have been working for royal mail for 1 year now
One year and you are full time?

You can be part time with later start and come in to buddy trays, when it's busy full timers abandon this work in our office as early as they can get away with for the early exit on their own duty in an attempt to finish early, again.

work · Post by **work** » 23 Oct 2019, 23:06

redneck wrote:
NewPostieUK wrote:
Wakewaterblue wrote: I have been working for royal mail for 1 year now
One year and you are full time?
You can be part time with later start and come in to buddy trays, when it's busy full timers abandon this work in our office as early as they can get away with for the early exit on their own duty in an attempt to finish early, again.

all the feckin time: the slopes/slack-arses/i'm alright,jack-bstards

...which is why thep.t posties can't stand the f.t. tossers like these...properly shafting the job and playing a blinder for management and their bonus(es).

NewPostieUK · Post by **NewPostieUK** » 24 Oct 2019, 01:26

redneck wrote:
NewPostieUK wrote:
Wakewaterblue wrote: I have been working for royal mail for 1 year now
One year and you are full time?
You can be part time with later start and come in to buddy trays, when it's busy full timers abandon this work in our office as early as they can get away with for the early exit on their own duty in an attempt to finish early, again.

And the manager is happy for you to cut off?

Wakewaterblue · Post by **Wakewaterblue** » 24 Oct 2019, 05:48

I'm not full time time, I job share on a full time duty 3 days a week so I come in early for those days. I do buddy trays as and when they come in but at around 8.30 I kinda wanna get on with redirections. When all my work is done I do it. Then another buddy tray comes along by surprise just as I have finished. Can be quite late. Our processing office isn't that far away really so no idea what is going on.

That makes sense now about 2nd class, most parcels seem to be tracked now and all come in at once! I guess it makes sense and that can't be changed...

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 24 Oct 2019, 06:50

Wakewaterblue wrote:I'm not full time time, I job share on a full time duty 3 days a week so I come in early for those days. I do buddy trays as and when they come in but at around 8.30 I kinda wanna get on with redirections. When all my work is done I do it. Then another buddy tray comes along by surprise just as I have finished. Can be quite late. Our processing office isn't that far away really so no idea what is going on.

The batches that cover your DO (for walk sequencing of letters) are probably one of the last batches to be run. With the FSMs that you get the buddy trays from, with the volume of flats that normally come through the system now, chances are that your local MC isn't starting their FSM till a lot later into their night shift

work · Post by **work** » 24 Oct 2019, 08:41

[quote="TrueBlueTerrier"]https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/49138 ... kebreakers

Bosses at Royal Mail are recruiting a scab workforce of thousands to try and break a coming national strike.

CWU union members have discovered adverts for more than 6,000 temporary Royal Mail jobs at workplaces right around the country.

The jobs are advertised as temporary positions for delivery drivers and warehouse operatives. They’re part of a national recruitment drive—launched without the agreement of the union—following a massive strike vote by Royal Mail workers last week.
a CWU rep in north London told Socialist Worker, “This is a scab workforce. This is Royal Mail upping the ante.
“What we see here are jobs advertised across the country. And I know in north London this has not been discussed with us—and certainly not agreed by us.”
A previous agreement between Royal Mail and the union means they now have to spend two weeks considering the outcome of talks with an external mediator. But as the CWU’s London Division said, the scabbing operation is “proof that Royal Mail didn’t want to reach an agreement.”
They added that the jobs are “not only to try and break any potential strike, but also a clear indication of their intention and long term aim to recruit an alternative, cheaper workforce to deliver parcels.”
Chief executive Rico Back now wants to break up Royal Mail into a parcels delivery company run for profit, and a letters company that will be run down. Packages would instead be delivered later in the day and sorted separately from letters in special automated parcels “hubs”... said the plan would “crucify jobs if they get away with it”. It would mean taking vital work out of Royal Mail, with new parcels delivery drivers employed on much worse pay and conditions... the working hours advertised for scab drivers—later than a usual delivery worker’s shift—were a sign that bosses are already pushing ahead.“Significantly these are advertised as 11am-7pm shifts. That’s the alternative workforce delivering parcels in the afternoon,” he said.
...the move shows bosses aren’t going to back down and make an agreement following the strike vote
Royal Mail workers will have to take hard-hitting action.
THE GLOVES ARE OFF I TELLS YA...

Post by **Steve_claret** » 24 Oct 2019, 14:56

Wakewaterblue wrote:
Also why are Tuesdays so light and then we get hammered Wednesday onwards? Someone told me its because they turn the sorting machines off early on a Monday hence why Tuesday is so light but is this true? There is such an imbalance I would rather Tuesday was a little heavier to lighten the load for Wednesdays onwards and its almost unmanageable at times! But I am sure we all think this!

Monday is a very light day for DSA mail in the Mail Centre plus there is no 2c inward mail to sort until Tuesday night. The Mail Centres don't deliberately shaft the DO's by holding onto mail if that is what you think.

Wakewaterblue · Post by **Wakewaterblue** » 24 Oct 2019, 18:21

SpacePhoenix wrote:
Wakewaterblue wrote:I'm not full time time, I job share on a full time duty 3 days a week so I come in early for those days. I do buddy trays as and when they come in but at around 8.30 I kinda wanna get on with redirections. When all my work is done I do it. Then another buddy tray comes along by surprise just as I have finished. Can be quite late. Our processing office isn't that far away really so no idea what is going on.
The batches that cover your DO (for walk sequencing of letters) are probably one of the last batches to be run. With the FSMs that you get the buddy trays from, with the volume of flats that normally come through the system now, chances are that your local MC isn't starting their FSM till a lot later into their night shift

I sort of understood that. A bit technical for me but I see that you work in processing so forgive me if i don't quite know what FSM's etc mean? Is that Sorting Machine? Would you be able to explain in simple terms? MC?

Thanks