How are things likely to change?

[norris9]

Excuse my ignorance....

All I currently understand is that we are going to be delivering parcels on Sundays and we will have revisions.

This is my total assumption - It sounds like we may have more parcel delivery drivers possibly meaning that you won't have to deliver parcels on your walk anymore, but instead you will have extra loops of post to account for this. - Can anyone confirm / deny this may be the case?

I have also heard that it's possible that van share will disappear.

I keep getting the feeling RM don't even want to deliver letters, they are always banging on about how it's all about the parcels now. Could we go to delivering post only 2 or 3 days a week?

I understand most post we deliver does not need to be delivered on a set day, you don't need junk mail, bills, magazines, birthday cards on a specific day. The only things you need urgently are documents relating to things like buying a house, bank cards, passports, driving license etc. Royal Mail could just increase the Special Delivery charge and get parcel delivery drivers to deliver these important documents. Meanwhile just deliver any non urgent mail on 2 or 3 days a week.

I'd happily go to a 3 day week. Say delivering post on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Surely this makes sense.

I assume RM are expected to deliver mail 6 days a week incase of an emergency where the government needs to send out important alerts/information, but if this is needed RM just need a backup plan for this situation where they can call on a workforce to deliver these letters.

[grchpo]

Going to a 3 day week would mean delivering 2 days of post every work day, what happens if you can't complete, come in next day or leave it until you next day in. And calling on a workforce to deliver important info. where are guys gonna come from on their days off. Don't think this is a good plan.

[deltaforce]

Excuse my ignorance....

All I currently understand is that we are going to be delivering parcels on Sundays and we will have revisions.

This is my total assumption - It sounds like we may have more parcel delivery drivers possibly meaning that you won't have to deliver parcels on your walk anymore, but instead you will have extra loops of post to account for this. - Can anyone confirm / deny this may be the case?

I have also heard that it's possible that van share will disappear.

I keep getting the feeling RM don't even want to deliver letters, they are always banging on about how it's all about the parcels now. Could we go to delivering post only 2 or 3 days a week?

I understand most post we deliver does not need to be delivered on a set day, you don't need junk mail, bills, magazines, birthday cards on a specific day. The only things you need urgently are documents relating to things like buying a house, bank cards, passports, driving license etc. Royal Mail could just increase the Special Delivery charge and get parcel delivery drivers to deliver these important documents. Meanwhile just deliver any non urgent mail on 2 or 3 days a week.

I'd happily go to a 3 day week. Say delivering post on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Surely this makes sense.

I assume RM are expected to deliver mail 6 days a week incase of an emergency where the government needs to send out important alerts/information, but if this is needed RM just need a backup plan for this situation where they can call on a workforce to deliver these letters.

I would argue that birthday cards are very day specific and to be pedantic we haven’t delivered new passports for years, only the expired ones.

[Coffee lover]

My passport got delivered by tnt they deliver nearly all new issues now, plus surely birthday cards are urgent as most people don’t send them early, we also deliver all nhs letters and a lot of other urgent letters, I think we will go to 5 days for letters and weekends for parcel only plus pay for special Saturday for letters if really urgent, I think they will start looking at rounds which are clearly too small and start adding more to them and clock in and out which will hopefully stop people coming in early

[Cucumber]

The ceasing of van shares has shown one thing - there is absolutely no need for 2 x full time staff to be paired together both on a sorting frame and in a van.
It's also incredibly wasteful to have 2 people sitting a van together for up to an hour a day. The problem is, with the likely increase of duty spans, there isn't enough time as most part time staff are on a 5.5hr day. The solution will be remote starting for PT staff on delivery only. Full time driver preps both frames and takes a van full out to person starting in street (part time). This allows PT staff to do their 5 hours (after break) and the full time their 7 hours (after break).

[norris9]

From what I've heard there will be parcel hubs and that could mean that if you aren't a parcel hub you will have parcels taken off you and therefore you will have to deliver more post, so your round gets bigger meaning less staff will be required at your depot as say 40 rounds could become 30 rounds.

Don't take this as gospel though.

[Dorset Plodder]

There's a hell of a lot happening in the business Norris .... But I wouldn't get too stressed about it. A lot of changes may never effect your DO, or Duty.

All I currently understand is that we are going to be delivering parcels on Sundays and we will have revisions.

We MAY be delivering parcels on Sunday but intially they'll probably be asking for Volunteers to adjust their working days ... we are.

It sounds like we may have more parcel delivery drivers possibly meaning that you won't have to deliver parcels on your walk anymore, but instead you will have extra loops of post to account for this. - Can anyone confirm / deny this may be the case?

DOMs have been asked to look at ways of using Dedicated Parcel Delivery Duties, so you may well lose the larger parcels. Is your Duty Oversized? If it is it may well become more manageable. If it becomes Too Small they may well ask you to deliver more Mail to make up your time. In theory you'll still be "Working" the same ammount. Perhaps you might want to sign for one of these New Duties?

I have also heard that it's possible that van share will disappear.

We've been working under Covid restrictions for nearly a year now. You "should" be working One man One Van now? I've heard that for the forseeable future RM will be retaining the Hired van and sticking to these guidelines.

I keep getting the feeling RM don't even want to deliver letters, they are always banging on about how it's all about the parcels now. Could we go to delivering post only 2 or 3 days a week?

RM are always saying, "The Mail's Dropping Off" (and produce figures to try and prove it) however our job never gets any easier does it? They lose money on Letters and like to deliver more profitable parcels. We've seen the money that can make over the lockdown. I can't see a problem with us delivering more parcels but we have to work "Differently". That's what causing all the reorganisation.

All DOs are different and I suggest you wait and see just what yours is being asked to do, before you get too stressed out.

There was talk of only delivering several days a week, However I can't see us simply being put on a three day week. We'd probably end up delivering another duty on those odd days. Who knows?

I understand most post we deliver does not need to be delivered on a set day,

They are looking at ways of sorting Non-Priority Mail so it arrives later and can be delivered with more urgent items (therefore saving that last trip up the garden path), God knows how that's going to work. I would have thought it would be easier to simply tell Posties to "Manage" their mail in the Frame and just deliver when you get Priority items. As a lot of DOs were doing during early Covid.

I'd happily go to a 3 day week. Say delivering post on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday.Surely this makes sense.

As previously mentioned I don't think that's likely to happen, you'll just end up covering another duty on those odd days.

I assume RM are expected to deliver mail 6 days a week

We are obliged to deliver, and collect, mail from every mainland address every day of the week, except Sudays. That's because of the USO, which RM are trying to get changed. It will save them millions if they do manage to. But we'll have to jump off that bridge when we come to it.

[Acca Dacca]

The ceasing of van shares has shown one thing - there is absolutely no need for 2 x full time staff to be paired together both on a sorting frame and in a van.
It's also incredibly wasteful to have 2 people sitting a van together for up to an hour a day. The problem is, with the likely increase of duty spans, there isn't enough time as most part time staff are on a 5.5hr day. The solution will be remote starting for PT staff on delivery only. Full time driver preps both frames and takes a van full out to person starting in street (part time). This allows PT staff to do their 5 hours (after break) and the full time their 7 hours (after break).

Remote starting wont be an option with clocking in clocking out system

[Cucumber]

The ceasing of van shares has shown one thing - there is absolutely no need for 2 x full time staff to be paired together both on a sorting frame and in a van.
It's also incredibly wasteful to have 2 people sitting a van together for up to an hour a day. The problem is, with the likely increase of duty spans, there isn't enough time as most part time staff are on a 5.5hr day. The solution will be remote starting for PT staff on delivery only. Full time driver preps both frames and takes a van full out to person starting in street (part time). This allows PT staff to do their 5 hours (after break) and the full time their 7 hours (after break).

Remote starting wont be an option with clocking in clocking out system

It's already been said that management can override it. With more and more offices merging up to 30 mins away from their duties, that's a hell of a lot of hours spent travelling each day. Add in the increase in duty span and theres no other way I can see.

[DGH]

Remote starting wont be an option with clocking in clocking out system

It will because their start and end times will effectively be their PDA log in and log out times. You just need a 'clocking off' function on the PDA. Those beginning work in the office, sorting and/or prepping can clock in and out.

This wouldn't necessarily happen but there's no reason why it couldn't.

[gary1975]

How’s that going to work when the full timer doesn’t drive?

[fb1969]

or if the part timer can't get to the start point?

or if the part timer gets to the start point at the correct time, but the full timer is delayed?

[DGH]

They're 'local solutions' not universal ones.

So if an office can work it out for their own circumstances, they can do it.

[Woody Guthrie]

How’s that going to work when the full timer doesn’t drive?

or if the part timer can't get to the start point?

or if the part timer gets to the start point at the correct time, but the full timer is delayed?

1) Non driving full-time staff could still be paired up with a driver or could end up with an HCT duty, there are various solutions and a) nobody has said we're moving to 1 van per duty and b) That doesn't have to mean every single duty in the country.

2) If we moved to first delivery point or remote starting for part-time staff which has been done before (again nobody has said this is on the cards) in most cases I can't see how getting to your first delivery point would be any more difficult than getting to work assuming you can drive, if you can't see answer 1.

3) The same would apply as it does it you arrive at the DO and the duty isn't ready, you have a start time and a finish time yadda, yadda...

All of this is very hypothetical though....

[Cucumber]

How’s that going to work when the full timer doesn’t drive?

It clearly can't in that instance, but people would need to have their head in the sand if they think management aren't considering it.
These last 11 months have thrown up some crazy new ways of working and RM will have noted what works and what doesn't.
As for how would part time member of staff would get to their duty, probably the same way they do now. Either drive or bus.

Maybe i'm seeing this all through our DO', where there simply isn't any more time to add onto the already 5hr duties.

PS it would still be 2 people for 1 van, just one meeting the other in street.