Pissing off the workforce

[eastie]

I remember my round being timed at 4 hours 30 mins about 5+ years ago before lapsing, before box emptying, before scanning tracked items based on 6 large parcels per day, before parcel collections . before changing regular drivers from the Delivery office to Agency Drivers who are always late so you are on the backfoot before you start.
We now have Quadruple lapsing (row and a quarter) which leaves us 3 hours 20 mins to do a round which leaves us a row unfinished every day which gradually gets worse and DOMS dont know how to deal with it apart from moaning saying we are lazy and I think its a ploy by Royal Mail to make the job so hard as to piss off the staff who are 55+ who are fulltime and hopefully get enough of them to leave so they can replace them eventually with zero contract employees. People dont want to do O/T every single day especially for about £8 after tax and some of us have a life outside work. We are not machines

[Haditup]

You could be right ,It’s an ageing workforce with average of 48 ( I think).

[Zicomurphy]

Just logged in to this site. The top 3 topics in the Blueshirts forum…..

Pissing off the workforce
Sick of my stomach churning
Never known a place like this


Tells you all you need to know about what the job has become.

[Norfolk 'N' Chance]

I remember my round being timed at 4 hours 30 mins about 5+ years ago before lapsing, before box emptying, before scanning tracked items based on 6 large parcels per day, before parcel collections . before changing regular drivers from the Delivery office to Agency Drivers who are always late so you are on the backfoot before you start.
We now have Quadruple lapsing (row and a quarter) which leaves us 3 hours 20 mins to do a round which leaves us a row unfinished every day which gradually gets worse and DOMS dont know how to deal with it apart from moaning saying we are lazy and I think its a ploy by Royal Mail to make the job so hard as to piss off the staff who are 55+ who are fulltime and hopefully get enough of them to leave so they can replace them eventually with zero contract employees. People dont want to do O/T every single day especially for about £8 after tax and some of us have a life outside work. We are not machines

Whilst I sympathise with you, I really dont know what the solution is. However there are thousands of people out here that are worse off. As Simon himself says "Theres 400+ applicants" for every RM vacancy advertised. So people are falling over themselves to get on board as they see it as an attractive offer based on the even worse jobs out there. Sure a lot of new starters leave, but also theres masses of people out there on £8.91 or less (the £3per hour cash in hand veg pickers for example) im sure a few would jump at the chance of a zero hours contract and put up with an hour or two's unpaid overtime everyday just to get back into reasonably paid work. I know a few of the lads that are doing Turkey catching, plucking and gutting right now, would rather be doing a walk round with a trolley full of parcels!

[Dexydog]

Abuse incoming....

[Chelseablue]

Theres always one,,

[Grumpyoldmailman]

As Simon himself says "Theres 400+ applicants" for every RM vacancy advertised.

Sure a lot of new starters leave,

So what’s going wrong then if they are picking the best out of 400 for every vacancy, something must be.

[fb1969]

We advertised vacancies earlier this year, there were 4 places to fill. 16 selected for interview but only 8 turned up. 4 given jobs but only 3 turned up, and 1 of those left in their first week. The 2 that stuck it out are still there, and the 2 vacancies went unfilled and there are 4 other vacancies now.

[Munchboii]

Just logged in to this site. The top 3 topics in the Blueshirts forum…..

Pissing off the workforce
Sick of my stomach churning
Never known a place like this


Tells you all you need to know about what the job has become.

I think this was the dream job if you were a lad born in the 50s or earlier join Royal Mail in the 70s and do your 32 years retiring before 2010.

Early finishes and great laughs with good pay and conditions. Now it is just misery

[postieblueshirt]

400 applicants for one job wow that does not sound that bad and probably typical of most jobs that are advertised.

[Grumpyoldmailman]

400 applicants for one job wow that does not sound that bad and probably typical of most jobs that are advertised.

It’s nonsense. There is work everywhere you look where I live. Granted the hourly rate is not as good as RM however it’s not a lot less and it certainly won’t be as demanding on the body.

[ssdd]

I remember my round being timed at 4 hours 30 mins about 5+ years ago before lapsing, before box emptying, before scanning tracked items based on 6 large parcels per day, before parcel collections . before changing regular drivers from the Delivery office to Agency Drivers who are always late so you are on the backfoot before you start.
We now have Quadruple lapsing (row and a quarter) which leaves us 3 hours 20 mins to do a round which leaves us a row unfinished every day which gradually gets worse and DOMS dont know how to deal with it apart from moaning saying we are lazy and I think its a ploy by Royal Mail to make the job so hard as to piss off the staff who are 55+ who are fulltime and hopefully get enough of them to leave so they can replace them eventually with zero contract employees. People dont want to do O/T every single day especially for about £8 after tax and some of us have a life outside work. We are not machines

Whilst I sympathise with you, I really dont know what the solution is. However there are thousands of people out here that are worse off. As Simon himself says "Theres 400+ applicants" for every RM vacancy advertised. So people are falling over themselves to get on board as they see it as an attractive offer based on the even worse jobs out there. Sure a lot of new starters leave, but also theres masses of people out there on £8.91 or less (the £3per hour cash in hand veg pickers for example) im sure a few would jump at the chance of a zero hours contract and put up with an hour or two's unpaid overtime everyday just to get back into reasonably paid work. I know a few of the lads that are doing Turkey catching, plucking and gutting right now, would rather be doing a walk round with a trolley full of parcels!

You have a good point Norfolk. There are worse jobs out there, and there are people worse off. Our pay and conditions are really quite good.
The difficulty we have is that we are being asked to do more when in a lot of cases we're already stretched to breaking point. I know you, or other people, would jump at the chance to work for less, but we have to fight to protect what is rightly and fairly ours, otherwise where does that leave us? In a race to the bottom, with the lowest bidder getting the deal. Is that what you really want? To be permanently working on reduced terms?
Shouldn't we all, in this industry, or elsewhere, be saying NO to those profiteering at the top!

[XCHpostie]

I remember my round being timed at 4 hours 30 mins about 5+ years ago before lapsing, before box emptying, before scanning tracked items based on 6 large parcels per day, before parcel collections . before changing regular drivers from the Delivery office to Agency Drivers who are always late so you are on the backfoot before you start.
We now have Quadruple lapsing (row and a quarter) which leaves us 3 hours 20 mins to do a round which leaves us a row unfinished every day which gradually gets worse and DOMS dont know how to deal with it apart from moaning saying we are lazy and I think its a ploy by Royal Mail to make the job so hard as to piss off the staff who are 55+ who are fulltime and hopefully get enough of them to leave so they can replace them eventually with zero contract employees. People dont want to do O/T every single day especially for about £8 after tax and some of us have a life outside work. We are not machines

Whilst I sympathise with you, I really dont know what the solution is. However there are thousands of people out here that are worse off. As Simon himself says "Theres 400+ applicants" for every RM vacancy advertised. So people are falling over themselves to get on board as they see it as an attractive offer based on the even worse jobs out there. Sure a lot of new starters leave, but also theres masses of people out there on £8.91 or less (the £3per hour cash in hand veg pickers for example) im sure a few would jump at the chance of a zero hours contract and put up with an hour or two's unpaid overtime everyday just to get back into reasonably paid work. I know a few of the lads that are doing Turkey catching, plucking and gutting right now, would rather be doing a walk round with a trolley full of parcels!

Genuine question, have you ever done anything more physically demanding in your career than picking up a biro?

[Norfolk 'N' Chance]

"Genuine question, have you ever done anything more physically demanding in your career than picking up a biro?"


XCHpostie Yes, during my 37 years in employment I spent around the first 11 years in a physically demanding role, then 16 years in a mix office and site roles and for the last 10 ive been back out doing physical work.

I apologise if i appear to have conveyed that I was a pen pushing waste of space, that was not my intention. Like many older workers with reasonable skills, I find the job market (what little there is of it), extremely tough and it very much seems like employers favour age over experience.

[Coffee lover]

I remember my round being timed at 4 hours 30 mins about 5+ years ago before lapsing, before box emptying, before scanning tracked items based on 6 large parcels per day, before parcel collections . before changing regular drivers from the Delivery office to Agency Drivers who are always late so you are on the backfoot before you start.
We now have Quadruple lapsing (row and a quarter) which leaves us 3 hours 20 mins to do a round which leaves us a row unfinished every day which gradually gets worse and DOMS dont know how to deal with it apart from moaning saying we are lazy and I think its a ploy by Royal Mail to make the job so hard as to piss off the staff who are 55+ who are fulltime and hopefully get enough of them to leave so they can replace them eventually with zero contract employees. People dont want to do O/T every single day especially for about £8 after tax and some of us have a life outside work. We are not machines

Whilst I sympathise with you, I really dont know what the solution is. However there are thousands of people out here that are worse off. As Simon himself says "Theres 400+ applicants" for every RM vacancy advertised. So people are falling over themselves to get on board as they see it as an attractive offer based on the even worse jobs out there. Sure a lot of new starters leave, but also theres masses of people out there on £8.91 or less (the £3per hour cash in hand veg pickers for example) im sure a few would jump at the chance of a zero hours contract and put up with an hour or two's unpaid overtime everyday just to get back into reasonably paid work. I know a few of the lads that are doing Turkey catching, plucking and gutting right now, would rather be doing a walk round with a trolley full of parcels!

I don’t believe that’s true at all we had people starting our place last year literally I lasted five minutes on delivery at and three only one stayed two lasted less than one month said it was far too physical and not worth it for the money as it’s all part time job is knackered and consistently getting it worse I think we’ll end up like Amazon or yodel eventually the future is not looking good