Part Time Walks

[Gallypaddy]

At moment our office is going through revision planning, out of 40 odd duties in DO 8 have been set aside as part time duties only.
Personally dont support this and management do not want to change it as its been like this for few years. I understand CDV duties one member being part time but can not agree with rest of duties being part time.
Why can’t they be reserves like we all were when we started? Manager says its so people know what they are double prepping everyday but all walks are “equal” so this should not matter?
Can not find any agreements or anything about this.
Can anybody shed any light??

Thanks

[Grumpyoldmailman]

I don’t understand the plan, is it now part timer with part timer. Full timer with full timer? Still no word on our revision.

[Dorset Plodder]

To my understanding these current Revisions are basically designed to make the required "Efficiency" savings to trigger The Shorter Working Week (SWW) with the Minimum of Disruption to the Units involved.

Certainly for those carrying out Table Top Revisions it's not meant to be about moving loads of roads about to balance out the Deliveries. That's going to mean a Full Revision. However those of us with a Table Top Revision will probably have a Full Revision within the next year or so, certainly within the next 3 years.

To jump back to your intial query: The easiest was to make those "Efficiency" savings is to "Tinker" with the Indoor Element. So your FTers will be prepping more PT walks (because apparently mail is dropping off and they've not got enough mail to keep them out on delivery until their Contracted Finish Time). In theory your PTers will be arriving to Fully Prepped walks leaving them enough time to complete within their (PT) Contracted Hours.

It appears your FT/PT ratio isn't that bad (20%) .... ours is 25% ..... so perhaps you've got more FTers that need that extra indoor work? RM will not recruit anyone on a FT (38 Hr) contract nowadays. They'll Recruit PTers and then if needed they make up your existing PTers to FT hours. Long Reply, hope it helps? I believe RM & CWU haven't really explained the "True" Aim of this round of Revisions to us, and have pumped out far too much paperwork, which confuses matters. Basicallt they want more Efficiency to counter balance giving us a SWW.

[Dexydog]

Our office, on 3 days of week you have an hour to fully prep 2 walks before the part timer comes in.
It can take an hour just to do the d2d if if there's 4 or 5 of them.
So someone tell me how you're going to prep even more??
There's not enough time as it is.
Add in more packets now, and van share returning, the revision isn't going to produce "efficiencies"- only less time to do more work.
Gonna be fun.

[Gallypaddy]

At moment its full timer + part timer on CDV duties and also 5 duties that are ‘ring fenced’ as being PT walks. We have 2/3 PT reserves aswell.
Personally can see why half of CDV duty would be PT duty but other 5 duties set aside for PT duties i have problem with as some people have 10years service and would not be able to get a walk, wheras a part timer who started 6 months ago would have a designated duty.
Just does not seem fair. For manager i understand that its easier to manage but its just unfair to staff members with long service who end up getting reserve duty with no rotating rest days

[Martin Walsh]

Depending whether your office is doing a structural or a table top revision. If your doing a structural the office is designed on the basis that your part time duties will be covered by part time reserves.

Part time reserves will not be planned to be covering full time duty holders or you will be planning to either lapsed the full time duty or increasing the part time hours to cover the full time duty.

In terms of the table top revision it will depend on your work hours available and you may well designed a part time reserve who is willing to have a variation of contract during October to May to full time and revert to part time during the summer when workload is less. Remember each office has to maintain their WIPWH productivity following their revision

The key principle of WIPWH is weighted traffic divided by the hours needed to clear that traffic equals your WIPWH. So during summer when traffic is normally lighter you will need less work hours and from Autumn pressure traffic increased and you will need more hours.

[2yearpostie]

you may well designed a part time reserve who is willing to have a variation of contract during October to May to full time and revert to part time during the summer when workload is less.

This really possible?

[Gallypaddy]

Depending whether your office is doing a structural or a table top revision. If your doing a structural the office is designed on the basis that your part time duties will be covered by part time reserves.

Part time reserves will not be planned to be covering full time duty holders or you will be planning to either lapsed the full time duty or increasing the part time hours to cover the full time duty.

In terms of the table top revision it will depend on your work hours available and you may well designed a part time reserve who is willing to have a variation of contract during October to May to full time and revert to part time during the summer when workload is less. Remember each office has to maintain their WIPWH productivity following their revision

The key principle of WIPWH is weighted traffic divided by the hours needed to clear that traffic equals your WIPWH. So during summer when traffic is normally lighter you will need less work hours and from Autumn pressure traffic increased and you will need more hours.

Im trying to figure out mainly IF we have say 40 duties in our DO , is it standard for 8 duties to be set aside as only Part Time staff can sign for them.
All walks are ‘equal’ , no duties have been designed as PT but they are still set aside as a part time only can sign for these

Cant see no guidance or agreements regarding this

IMO it would work to have Part Timers as reserves, as some have been ably doing in last 12 months, but management want specific Part Time duties, to make it ‘easier’ for them

[postslippete]

Last revision, we had a loads of part-time duties "ring-fenced" so that most van shares are a full-time/part-time combo with the exception of some full-time senior posties that picked out nearly all the singleton duties.

This means that there are staff who have only been there a year or so with fixed duties whilst there are staff who have worked there for 15 years+ working as full-time reserves.

[Dorset Plodder]

you may well designed a part time reserve who is willing to have a variation of contract during October to May to full time and revert to part time during the summer when workload is less.

This really possible?

I suppose it is ... IF you've got anyone interested in that sort of contract 2YP IMO it sounds like the kind of bright idea that's thought up as "A Solution" rather than by anyone with practical experience of working in a DO in 2020.

To me it sounds like Annualised Hours and that's the Bogey Man that every Postie fears when RM starts talking about Data Capture, and Clocking In and Out. Despite Assurances from RM & CWU.

I know Martin's only giving it as an option but I don't think they'll be many takers. Contrary to Upper Management Belief most workers want a FT job with a Regular income. The majority of our PTers want a FT contract, they just can't get one.

We've got a couple of PTers that are Happy with their contracts .... but they've made their Money elsewhere (Not RM) , have paid off their Mortgages, Kids left home etc and they're cruising. And they're Old Gits! Whilst RM tells us they're worried about our "Aging Workforce" they may be the only ones that would be interested? The rest of the PTers are desperate to increase their hours ... because they're living in the real world where they've got Bills to pay! So I'd say it's a Non-Starter 2YP IMHO.

[2yearpostie]

Can someone work out the following for me?

We have x7, 25 hr contract workers, however we only have one walk that is 25 hours.
Dom and Area manager say there isn't enough hours in the office to make the other 6 up to 30 hour contracts but will happily pay the prep over time for the other 6 25 hour people.

[Dorset Plodder]

Dom and Area manager say there isn't enough hours in the office to make the other 6 up to 30 hour contracts but will happily pay the prep over time for the other 6 25 hour people.

Normal Management Tactics 2YP. Your DOM's no worse off paying those 25hr Guys 5 hrs OT every week. There's NO EXTRA OT rate just Flat Rate. Anytime work drops off and those 25hr Guys are working less than the 30hrs .... he's quids in ... literally! And he never has to worry about them finishing an hour early ... AND GETTING PAID FOR IT ..... like some of the FTers on 38 hrs.

I understand that if an OPG has been shown to be working consistently at a rate above his contracted hours, and there's a Duty that needs that ammount of hours, then the PTer should be made up to those extra hours. Check it out with the Area Delivery Rep .... Your Unit Rep obviously doesn't know about it or he'd be doing something about it, wouldn't he?

Personally I think if RM introduced a decent OT scheme, like most large employers, say Time 1/2 for first 10 hours .... Double Time after that, then suddenly you'd find all these PT contracts being made up to FT. I know it's not going to happen because RM are saving money with the current system. The only way we could influence it is if EVERYONE stopped working OT, but that's not going to happen either is it?

[john0b]

If I have worked this out right after the 1% is added and after shorter working week comes in after you have had your revision the overtime rate will be less than the hourly rate on 37hrs

[Grumpyoldmailman]

Normal Management Tactics 2YP. Your DOM's no worse off paying those 25hr Guys 5 hrs OT every week. There's NO EXTRA OT rate just Flat Rate. Anytime work drops off and those 25hr Guys are working less than the 30hrs .... he's quids in ... literally! And he never has to worry about them finishing an hour early ... AND GETTING PAID FOR IT ..... like some of the FTers on 38 hrs.

And a saving in holiday pay of coarse, along with the ones who will come in early for free.

[Dorset Plodder]

If I have worked this out right after the 1% is added and after shorter working week comes in after you have had your revision the overtime rate will be less than the hourly rate on 37hrs

Don't really understand what you're asking mate. Nobody will be worse off we've had the intial backdated pay rise ... and at the end of April we'll get another 1% pay increase.. There's No OT rate as such, if you're talking about PT contracts ... they've got their own deal with the SWW t protect their income. When the SWW comes in you'll just get paid the same ammount per week ... but have to work one hour less. Hope that answers at least one query?