Why no work to rule?

[thedonkey]

We cannot fold during this period of pay and terms talk. With the cost of greed crisis and inflation so high for many of us losing pay on strike days will cause much hardship, but it is one that we must endure for long term and our families.

Is there an explanation as to why the union has not taken the option of working to rule? If we all committed to working our hours only and not doing overtime or schedule attendance. A week of working to rule would soon cause issues for RM and us employees would not loose a day's pay on strike days.

[Acca Dacca]

Working your hours and working to rule are two different things

[BenacreNick]

Well said, this was more or less the discussion that we had earlier today

[Postie45]

Probably because the union know too many would ignore it or feel pressured.

If you want to add some time on to your day, start weighing your bags and observe the guidelines.

[thefox]

Trying to get the in early for free workers and runners to work to rule would be very hard to do i would imagine, we have a lot of selfish people within our ranks unfortunately

[cornstar18]

Loads of people mopping up overtime at our place this week and next. Strike action will be been and gone in a day. Pointless

[2chorizon]

CWU should implement an overtime ban.

Every strike throughout modern industrial history has always been kicked off with an overtime ban.

It is pointless having a strike day then allowing all and sundry to pile in for weekend overtime and clear the backlog.

[priority102]

Probably because the union know too many would ignore it or feel pressured.

If you want to add some time on to your day, start weighing your bags and observe the guidelines.

Unless the rules have changed, when van share revisions came in the use of bags on your back were banned for health and safety reasons and you were required to use golf trolleys instead, working from your van!

Of course, the subsequent almost complete breaking of this rule by posties has been totally ignored by management, as by you going back to carrying bags on your back the company gets far more work out of you everyday by the time saved not keep going back to grab your trolley! More work = less overtime = more lapsing = more for the shareholders.

So when it comes to "working to rule", think carefully as to what that actually entails, you can't just pick bits here and there! However determined you are about making a stance, you'll soon get p1$$ed off using a trolley again - if there are still any around that is!

[drfeelgood]

I agree with the comments on here about people starting early and doing overtime etc, but, unfortunately, I see it as almost impossible for the CWU to impose or suggest a work to rule or overtime ban. Comments in our office such as 'I need to get the cash in to cover the strike days', are understandable, but people fail to see the bigger picture, and this attitude does not serve anyone other than Royal Mail.

We even have people in our office asking for overtime on the days following the strike days to clear rounds up, which makes a mockery of striking in the first place.

I will not do any overtime for these scum bags in the RM hierachy, so Im doing my own work to rule, but getting others to do it is impossible as they are only bothered about themselves, unfortunatley.

We are being treated like s**t by the Royal Mail hierarchy, and people cannot see it, even though it is in broad daylight. We deserve much better than what we have been offered, 2 percent is nothing but a complete insult, whilst they have paid themselves millions in dividends and bonuses (for what, I ask).

[guardianangel]

We should be striking and all of us owe it to each other to work to rule when we go back in. I will be turning down all overtime until the action has ended i could never live with myself for letting down my fellow workmates.

[Cedar_Room]

I’ve always done my fair share of OT,more so over the pandemic but over the past few weeks have knocked it all on the head,including early IPS which I have done regularly for years.

Wouldn’t be able to live with myself,helping these bastards

[Postie45]

Doing OT to clear strike backlog, you may as well just cross the picket line

[Kenfandango]

Work to rule would work both ways. On the one hand if everyone started at their actual time instead of (in some cases) hours before, it would hit RM badly. However if all those that came back early worked to their time it would balance out. We have 100+ routes and I'd say half of them finish 12-12.30 at the moment even on heavy days, and the other half struggle to finish on time.

Because, of course, all routes are created equal.

[priority102]

Work to rule would work both ways. On the one hand if everyone started at their actual time instead of (in some cases) hours before, it would hit RM badly. However if all those that came back early worked to their time it would balance out. We have 100+ routes and I'd say half of them finish 12-12.30 at the moment even on heavy days, and the other half struggle to finish on time.

Because, of course, all routes are created equal.

So we are talking work your paid hours, not work to rule!

[scoobydo79]

This came up elsewhere and I will have to repeat Myself I’m afraid. Let Me set You a challenge. Tell me exactly what a work to rule consists of and how is it implemented?