22/09/21 Mount Pleasant Bulletin

[jimallen]

Hi, find below the Mount Pleasant bulletin of 22 September. Comments welcome, as usual.

DELAYED BY THE CLOCK
The clock in/out system (let's call it by its real
name?) is already getting on our nerves after just a
few days. Of course, it was obvious that the end of
shifts would be a mess. The first person might be
out on time, but the rest of us get stuck behind other
workmates... Perhaps we just need to get start
leaving earlier so that the last person is out on time?!

DITCH THE BOOTH
We know there was an official sent from the
company that installed the scanning booths to
answer questions, but many of us didn’t get a
chance to ask them. For instance, what if we forget
our cards, and we don't remember our payroll
number, either? What is the purpose of this
scanning, beyond monitoring working hours (bad
enough)? And which top manager's cousin is
making profits out of selling this system to RM?

NON-COMPLIANCE
Given this new system is such a step backward –
and sign of a “new” even worse RM management
culture which regards us all as potential slackers - if
we refuse to comply at least we will be driving our
point home: that we want these booths thrown out.

WE LEAVE WHEN WE'RE DONE
Let’s insist that if we are taking our break at the end
of our shift, say at 9.40pm on Lates, that we should
leave for home at 9.40. Because it seems some
managers have the ridiculous idea that we should
wait inside the building till 10pm when the shift
officially ends! Or, if we go out, that we should come
back, in order to use their spy-machine to clock out...
Just so they can get their moneys-worth out of this
apparatus!?

BECAUSE WE'RE WORTH IT
So some of us (how many?) received a letter telling
us we could apply for voluntary redundancy. Of
course, we might consider it, since the Mount is no
longer a very Pleasant place to work. But there's no
indication of any special EVR terms. If RM wants to
get rid of us, it has to dig a lot deeper into its
pockets!
PS: And by the way, as these would be job cuts by
another name, anyone who leaves must be
replaced. That should go without saying...

THEY CALL THIS A "BONUS"?
So last month, we received our "bonus" in the form
of share dividends (for those of us who haven't got
rid of these bloody shares). Yup, about £60 for us
part-timers and about £90 for full-timers... What can
we say? It won't cover a monthly electricity and gas
bill this summer, let alone this winter!

PRICES UP? WAGES UP!
So how has management got away with cutting the
annual bonus? Who agreed to this? We don't
remember being asked? And for those who still
have shares, RM doesn't even pay dividends every
year (last year it didn't)...
Of course, the fact that bonuses were never
actually guaranteed in the past was a reason not to
rely on them. Rather than trying to restore them we
can and should fight for a very big pay rise to make
up for their loss: and let's remember RM's record
super-profits!

IT GAVE US A SHOCK
We're relieved to hear that our workmate who
collapsed at work Tues 7th is getting better. He had
to be taken straight to hospital and we were very
worried about him.
But why on earth was his next of kin not
immediately informed? His family came here to MP
to look for him, because he hadn't come home and
they could not contact him! Managers tell us that
when the book room is closed, there is no way to
find out who to contact if something happens to us.
Well, that has to change!

USING OUR OWN NETWORK
This incident has made us think that we cannot
count on management if something happens to us at
work. We've been giving phone numbers to our
workmates - in case. But the best case scenario is
for there to be someone on duty in the Bookroom, at
all times and through the night.

HYPOCRITES
Oh dear, apparently we won the "Workforce
Resilience Award" earlier this month, for our "heroic
efforts" during the pandemic... as if we had any
other choice, but to come to work! So yes, like they
did for the NHS staff, the bosses clap for a minute or
two, while the rest of the time they're busy cutting
our Ts&Cs! What they need is a good clap in the
face!

SHAM CONSULTATION
So the CDC pension scheme is slowly being rolled
out... Apparently management's going to "consult"
us about the changes from this week onwards, until
November. But a "consultation" about what exactly?
We haven't had any say over this from day one!
They want to know what we think? It's simple, bring
back decent Defined Benefit schemes for all, period.

[ted_e_bear]

Annual bonus ??

[Phantom]

x

[SpacePhoenix]

WE LEAVE WHEN WE'RE DONE
Let’s insist that if we are taking our break at the end
of our shift, say at 9.40pm on Lates, that we should
leave for home at 9.40. Because it seems some
managers have the ridiculous idea that we should
wait inside the building till 10pm when the shift
officially ends! Or, if we go out, that we should come
back, in order to use their spy-machine to clock out...
Just so they can get their moneys-worth out of this
apparatus!?

You're not allowed to take all of your break at the end of a shift anyway. iirc from what we were told any early finishes have to be ok'd by the shift manager. The system probably flags up anyone scanning out more than a certain amount of time before their proper finish time

IT GAVE US A SHOCK
We're relieved to hear that our workmate who
collapsed at work Tues 7th is getting better. He had
to be taken straight to hospital and we were very
worried about him.
But why on earth was his next of kin not
immediately informed? His family came here to MP
to look for him, because he hadn't come home and
they could not contact him! Managers tell us that
when the book room is closed, there is no way to
find out who to contact if something happens to us.
Well, that has to change!

Managers probably don't have any access rights to that info on PSP

USING OUR OWN NETWORK
This incident has made us think that we cannot
count on management if something happens to us at
work. We've been giving phone numbers to our
workmates - in case. But the best case scenario is
for there to be someone on duty in the Bookroom, at
all times and through the night.

No chance, RM will probably have them on the floor sorting mail, given how short on staff we always are. We normally have at least half a dozen casuals everynight

[yellowbelly]

DITCH THE BOOTH
......For instance, what if we forget
our cards, and we don't remember our payroll
number, either?.....

Your colleagues will waltz past you and you'll look a bit of a lemon.......

PRICES UP? WAGES UP!
So how has management got away with cutting the
annual bonus? Who agreed to this? We don't
remember being asked? And for those who still
have shares, RM doesn't even pay dividends every
year (last year it didn't)...
Of course, the fact that bonuses were never
actually guaranteed in the past was a reason not to
rely on them. Rather than trying to restore them we
can and should fight for a very big pay rise to make
up for their loss: and let's remember RM's record
super-profits!

What's your source for this 'annual bonus cut' please?

IT GAVE US A SHOCK
We're relieved to hear that our workmate who
collapsed at work Tues 7th is getting better. He had
to be taken straight to hospital and we were very
worried about him.
But why on earth was his next of kin not
immediately informed? His family came here to MP
to look for him, because he hadn't come home and
they could not contact him! Managers tell us that
when the book room is closed, there is no way to
find out who to contact if something happens to us.
Well, that has to change!

Get onto your H&S rep for a start.

SHAM CONSULTATION
So the CDC pension scheme is slowly being rolled
out... Apparently management's going to "consult"
us about the changes from this week onwards, until
November. But a "consultation" about what exactly?
We haven't had any say over this from day one!
They want to know what we think? It's simple, bring
back decent Defined Benefit schemes for all, period.

DB schemes are dead in the water - we'll never see them again.

[nutcracker]

IT GAVE US A SHOCK
We're relieved to hear that our workmate who
collapsed at work Tues 7th is getting better. He had
to be taken straight to hospital and we were very
worried about him.
But why on earth was his next of kin not
immediately informed? His family came here to MP
to look for him, because he hadn't come home and
they could not contact him! Managers tell us that
when the book room is closed, there is no way to
find out who to contact if something happens to us.
Well, that has to change!

That’s pretty shocking, even for this company! There should always be contingency plans in place for such events…

Maybe worth emailing the chief executive with the details on simon.d.thompson@royalmail.com

[Tman]

WE LEAVE WHEN WE'RE DONE
Let’s insist that if we are taking our break at the end
of our shift, say at 9.40pm on Lates, that we should
leave for home at 9.40. Because it seems some
managers have the ridiculous idea that we should
wait inside the building till 10pm when the shift
officially ends! Or, if we go out, that we should come
back, in order to use their spy-machine to clock out...
Just so they can get their moneys-worth out of this
apparatus!?

If your shift ends at 10pm when that's when you clock out. Clock out at 9.40 and you're 20 minutes light for that day.
How long do you think any firm is going to wear that for?
Going home early and with flexibility were the advantages of the old system, the system which strangely many on here called for an end to for years.
Naivety rules, as ever.

[Tman]

WE LEAVE WHEN WE'RE DONE
Let’s insist that if we are taking our break at the end
of our shift, say at 9.40pm on Lates, that we should
leave for home at 9.40. Because it seems some
managers have the ridiculous idea that we should
wait inside the building till 10pm when the shift
officially ends! Or, if we go out, that we should come
back, in order to use their spy-machine to clock out...
Just so they can get their moneys-worth out of this
apparatus!?

If your shift ends at 10pm when that's when you clock out. Clock out at 9.40 and you're 20 minutes light for that day.
How long do you think any firm is going to wear that for?
Going home early and with flexibility were the advantages of the old system, the system which strangely many on here called for an end to for years.
Naivety rules, as ever.

[britwrit]

WE LEAVE WHEN WE'RE DONE
Let’s insist that if we are taking our break at the end
of our shift, say at 9.40pm on Lates, that we should
leave for home at 9.40. Because it seems some
managers have the ridiculous idea that we should
wait inside the building till 10pm when the shift
officially ends! Or, if we go out, that we should come
back, in order to use their spy-machine to clock out...
Just so they can get their moneys-worth out of this
apparatus!?

If your shift ends at 10pm when that's when you clock out. Clock out at 9.40 and you're 20 minutes light for that day.
How long do you think any firm is going to wear that for?
Going home early and with flexibility were the advantages of the old system, the system which strangely many on here called for an end to for years.
Naivety rules, as ever.

The mail centre I work in right now has a 20-minute negotiated break at the end of shifts. Everybody clocks out then.

The bigger problem with having to clock out is that you can't go home early, even if your manager waves you off. So, you're left to dawdle around the machine.

I haven't seen ghost overtime in a mail centre before the start of the century but that's the end of that as well.