Unpaid leave ?

Blinkboy44 · Post by **Blinkboy44** » 21 Mar 2020, 00:44

Is taking unpaid time out an option during this period? I agreed to be a postman back in the normal world, not the apocalypse..

I’m all for helping people, but I didn’t opt to be one of the emergency services . We can’t be pitched as both, pick and choose when we are important, now that sh***s hit the fan we’re ‘ a emergency service’ . I thought we were now just a junk mail leaflet delivery company ..

Half the clowns you see cant even be trusted to park a van / deliver a letter correctly, let alone be trusted in a position of responsibility??!!. We are in such close proximity with others in RM environments with such low level standards of hygiene . then we go near vulnerable customers ?! the new rules laid down during this will go about as far as the old ones. , almost completely ignored .. this is all gonna get ugly soon.

enjoy the job (outdoors) , but our own company’s severe lack of concern for us isn’t worth the crap wage , let alone daily grief - which will only get worse when we drop like flies and there’s 10 duties to cover and oh yeah lapsing

blobneb · Post by **blobneb** » 21 Mar 2020, 01:32

Totally agree. And it's completely non essential. Why is our health put at risk so that people can have a sentimental letter writing fad during all of this? They give us empty words while every packet and letter is an extra few seconds of exposure in the DO. The company sees huge profits to be made in this. Privatise the profits, socialise the risk. We should be at full pay for essential services. All non essential commercial services should be suspended with workers staying home at 80% pay.

Blinkboy44 · Post by **Blinkboy44** » 21 Mar 2020, 02:39

Exactly. Posties who disagree and think we have a part to play in this are in the wrong job! They need to get their heads out of managers arses and wake up and smell the farm foods crap! that’s basically all we are now when it comes to the mail .

Carrying on through all of this will only kill off one of the few generations that still appreciates the postal service , before and despite it being abused and destroyed

koolishy67 · Post by **koolishy67** » 21 Mar 2020, 06:31

I am happy with80% pay instead of putting me and my family at risk Country should lock down for atlest 6 weeks

Post by **HTPostman** » 21 Mar 2020, 06:41

Strange isn’t it, one minute people were saying there’s no need for postmen anymore, it’s an outdated job like lighthouse keepers, all we deliver is rubbish.

Suddenly people can’t get enough of us. Stamped letters and postcards must at least have doubled in the last week. People are waiting at their windows looking out for us.

Like the rest of you I signed up to be a postman, not a glorified social worker. I accept there are things Royal Mail can’t do - there’s no hand sanitizer anywhere (even the NHS are struggling to source any), they can’t disinfect parcels etc. But there are things which they can help with - go to the govt get them to temporarily ditch the USO, stop us delivering absolute crap and let us focus on meds and other urgent supplies. Have us deliver a leaflet to every address (before we end the USO) advising people to stop coming to their chuffing garden gate for parcels, ask them to stay indoors and we’ll do our job from there. Let’s have a plan whereby we no longer work in 2s. Have spaces between those on IPS.

There is so much our employer can do to help us.

wf · Post by wf » 21 Mar 2020, 08:10

hopefully we will see some of the top paid union officials out helping deliver a fourth emergency service and lead by example
In fact I am going to tell Royal Mail with out any consultation, with them that they will be the fifth emergency service
At a time when we are on track to be worse hit than Italy ,the union and rm should be staying open for volunteers only and accepting the help from government to pay the workforce
This is serious .we can’t keep spreading this !
People can do without most post for 12 weeks as a starting point ,the volunteers will be hero’s and can do the important stuff if they aren’t to bothered about infecting vulnerable loved ones

trivster · Post by **trivster** » 21 Mar 2020, 09:30

If you have an underlying health condition you can self isolate for 12 weeks - UNPAID! Nice if you can afford to do that. As to whether you can go unpaid without any underlying reason then I suggest that is an option but I also think that would result in a visit to the Job Centre after 12 weeks.

viking1488 · Post by **viking1488** » 21 Mar 2020, 09:44

trivster wrote:If you have an underlying health condition you can self isolate for 12 weeks - UNPAID! Nice if you can afford to do that. As to whether you can go unpaid without any underlying reason then I suggest that is an option but I also think that would result in a visit to the Job Centre after 12 weeks.

when you apply for a job at royal mail one of the questions is underling medical conditions rm know fine well who theses people are they have a duty of care which is being overlooked at the moment if rm dont act soon this could turn into a mine field for them

Post by **POSTMAN** » 21 Mar 2020, 11:18

trivster wrote:If you have an underlying health condition you can self isolate for 12 weeks - UNPAID! Nice if you can afford to do that. As to whether you can go unpaid without any underlying reason then I suggest that is an option but I also think that would result in a visit to the Job Centre after 12 weeks.

You get paid, see the stickies in this forum...

https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communi ... 71&t=94753" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

b) Self-isolation, testing and reporting
What is the latest government advice re self-isolation for employees?

The situation is constantly changing and you should check Public Health England guidance for the latest advice
on this area.

Our understanding of the current position is that employees could be isolating for between 7 and 14 days and
this could be extended by around a week if they develop symptoms during self-isolation.

All absences should be treated as sickness absence. Managers should choose “Coronavirus with Symptoms” if
the employee has symptoms and “Coronavirus Self Isolation” if they do not have symptoms. Please update the
absence if the reason for absence changes.

Blinkboy44 · Post by **Blinkboy44** » 21 Mar 2020, 11:21

Have us deliver a leaflet to every address (before we end the USO) advising people to stop coming to their chuffing garden gate for parcels, ask them to stay indoors and we’ll do our job from there.

Exactly, about 7/8 times as I tried to put parcels on doorsteps yesterday before I could even knock let alone step back they were opening the door as usual . Even some folk for just for their mail . Now we’re also gonna have all the kids out and about running wild

Blinkboy44 · Post by **Blinkboy44** » 21 Mar 2020, 11:28

trivster wrote: As to whether you can go unpaid without any underlying reason then I suggest that is an option but I also think that would result in a visit to the Job Centre after 12 weeks.

people in my office saying this can or could be done? Staff previously being known taking a year out to travel ect.

if based on the grounds that the work place is currently not a safe place, how can they defend that ? offering to go unpaid for this period however long should be refreshing for them, instead of going on sick with depression full pay 3 months