Part Time Contracts - Full Time Robbery

[TrueBlueTerrier]

As an aside I have never understood that.

If we should be thankful, why do we accept a wage?

[panch1989]

be thankful you have a job

Watch you don't break your neck falling off your high horse

[postslippete]

Just wondering if it is a national policy with the company regarding part time contracts and I would love to hear your thoughts/stories of how your contracts work around the country.

Our intake of staff were recruited on a 20hr contract, working Wed - Sat 9-2.

Now, fair enough if that's what the company requires, but when you are expected to work 7-2 (from the first day, and every subsequent day since, Monday to Saturday) then how on earth are you supposed to feel anything other than robbed and mugged off when your holiday weeks leave you 22hrs out of pocket, your bonus is half of the 'full time' staff despite working almost as many hours and if you are unfortunate enough to fall sick or be injured in work then the company only honour your 20 hours?

This is normal and accepted in our office and other offices nearby that I have friends in say the same. But this makes me so angry, hence the rant.

Say you take your 4 weeks annual leave. That's 4 lots of 22hrs over the year. ~£900 people, EVERY YEAR! How many people are on part time contracts like these? Why isn't the CWU clamping down on this?

The second issue here is that all the hard work you put in is completely made a mockery of when you open your payslip the following week to find that your overtime is wrong or not there at all. Where is the union? This is so common in our office that the full timers words of wisdom are "don't ever take overtime as you won't be paid it". Like heck yeah - I'd agree with you too if my basic salary wasn't around £200 and I didn't need the money!
I would love to go far in this business, but I imagine refusing overtime and getting unions involved isn't the way to get ahead. Especially when your managers can take away your regular overtime at the drop of a hat, that makes it doubly hard to complain.

Royal mail, you are stealing from your staff whilst claiming to be the best employer and we should be thankful for our best jobs. Absolutely blows my mind.


There needs to be an official process to claim regular overtime when on sick/annual leave and properly re-evaluate contractual requirement and increase hours accordingly.

I see a lot of talk saying the part timers wouldn't back a strike. And I dont blame you for thinking that as all of the current CWU focus is on protecting full timers pensions and conditions which us new starters aren't a part of.

CWU, there is plenty to help us part timers with - shout about it and you'll get your backing from the part timers.

I share your pain because I was part time years ago and I regularly worked loads of overtime for the Royal Mail but it took quite some time before I was made up to full time hours.

I think that the CWU are aware of all this - and the fact that everything is pro rata - like the delivery supplement, bonus payments etc. which are other areas where part-timers lose out. I'm aware of the predicament you are in because the company I work for have gone back to using employment agencies again because of staff shortages - which goes to show how desperate they are. Some staff are quite happy working part-time, whilst others clearly want full-time work. I guess the solution would be the 35 hour working week for all that the CWU have come up with in their 4 pillars, as it certainly appears to be a much fairer approach but whether the Royal Mail go for it remains to be seen.

[Creditshampoo]

Didn't want to do overtime on Monday, had a meeting to go to, and to deposit some money into the bank before that, I told the guy I was with and told the manager, pretty much had to do it because I wasn't the driver... the job it's starting to piss me off.

Yet the week before, Wasn't allowed to book any over time... even 7 minutes they told me no.

Ok so first things first get your partner to drop you back to the office so you can finish on time. If they decline walk back to the office to enable you to finish on time.

Secondly if they don't let you book let them know that you went 7 minutes over and you're entitled by the law to be paid for that. Ring acas and tell them and they will advise. Don't let the f***ers get away with anything

[world class male]

as much i'm pro union and think we should stand shoulder to shoulder i'm afraid the days where the workers can call the shots are long gone
as per the original posters concerns re full time issues, i spent years in the same boat, seeing many many full timers leave the business, none made up regardless of hours worked and even a some transfer in as full time despite others having more seniority at the d/o,
i'm not saying the CWU isn't worth having, it's what we have and we must stand together but some who are supposed to represent us at any level of disagreement are usually/always invisible,
but now it's a national thing they are all over us like we're best buddies wanting support, i've seen our rep more times this past 2 weeks more then the past 2 years
i'll back our colleagues because we're been screwed but not for our reps who's jobs are probably on the line if we fail,
we lose this and the union will collapse quicker than 5 duties on a tuesday after a bank holiday monday

[datasaint]

No the correct procedure would be you come back for your scheduled finish time, if the the driver wants to go back out and complete on OT that's his choice. Be more adamant about it next time.

Didn't want to do overtime on Monday, had a meeting to go to, and to deposit some money into the bank before that, I told the guy I was with and told the manager, pretty much had to do it because I wasn't the driver...

[thecompletepackage]

be thankful you have a job

Is this the advice we're giving to anyone who wants to strike too?

[Stewface]

I do get the feeling the CWU are all for the Full timers, and don't seem to be too worried about what the PT think or want or Need. It would only be fair to give you average pay for sickness and Holidays, but this doesn't seem to be a high priority to the CWU.

A great example of this is that the CWU want everyone to support them and Strike, but the Gate Meeting are at 6am, when I start work at 9am. So what do I do wake up 3 hours early to attend gate meeting, then go back to bed for a hour or so, then get up and go back to work again. I asked my CWU rep about supporting PT, he said he had previously done a second gate meeting at 8:30, but only 3-4 people turned up, so he is not bothering anymore.

I think the only way to get more FT contracts is for everyone to work to their contractual hours only, then there will not be enough staff to carry out duties. I would prefer this to a all out strike, and I believe this would cause as much difficulties to RM as a full on strike, as the same greedy people will do all the overtime after a strike to clear the mess.

[steve1873]

Didn't want to do overtime on Monday, had a meeting to go to, and to deposit some money into the bank before that, I told the guy I was with and told the manager, pretty much had to do it because I wasn't the driver... the job it's starting to piss me off.

Yet the week before, Wasn't allowed to book any over time... even 7 minutes they told me no.

No you absolutely don't. The manager has an obligation to ensure you have transportation back to the office for your contracted finishing time! If that means the driver has to bring you back and then go back out to complete on overtime, then so be it, not your problem.

[Brandy]

RM are robbing posties left right and centre.I wonder how much longer they can get away with this treatment!