We are being forced to train on rurals

[mandelsons_toenail]

Ok

Our revision has just gone in. Everyone as happy as well they can be

We have plenty of new spare staff.

Dom is insisting that every member of staff learns a rural duty.

Now us town guys and girls have picked our shared van jobs as this is what we want to do.

We all know our days off and our hours we work.

The rurals are an hour later.

Now, I've spoken to the guys and without exception not one of the 34 staff want to learn a rural.

The general response was if I wanted to be a rural I would have picked one.

Where do we stand on this from a union point of view.

What can I do about it?

Surely the spares and day off reserves etc are the people who do these jobs. Like we all had to do over the years until we got seniority to pick a duty.

I have nothing against rural staff or duties, it's just not our preference!

Thoughts? Can we be forced off our signed for duties onto rural jobs six weeks a year?

[eian687]

are the rurals being made to learn new town rounds

[mandelsons_toenail]

are the rurals being made to learn new town rounds

No

They would be in the same boat though?

They want to be rural hence picking a rural

Guys talking about going off sick...

[Dorset Plodder]

I'm sure RM will quote Flexible Working....... to a certain extent I'd agree with them. From my experience it's always the Rural duties that cause problems when people go sick etc. Most DOs have a lot of people that are familiar with the Town Duties and they can normally be covered. It's all those random houses and lanes that you encounter on the Rurals that really cause the problems.

I've done many a Town Duty "Blind" with a Map and an "Idiot's Guide" but there's no way I could do that with a Rural. Makes sense for the manger to cover his bases. Although you sign for a certain duty you have to be aware that you work for RM and they expect their employees to cover any duties that need covering.

How many of us know some "Old & Bold" characters in the office that have been on the same duty for donkeys. Never do any other duty (don't know any other duty) and are still throwing mail off to duties that changed 5 years ago! I'd take the view that I'm lucky to have a regular duty and just treat the occasional Rural Duty as a change of scenery.

[mandelsons_toenail]

But a manager cannot change your hours or days off right?

There will be a riot in the morning.

Happy days.

Hope the place burns down to be honest

[pod25]

At the end of the day, you are contracted by RM.
If you have been asked to learn a rural, so what ! take it as a few easy days with someone who knows what he/she is doing.

You have your contracted hours, they can not be altered and you can not be forced to work OT. The only time your day off will be effected is when you are required to cover another duty for a full week and if that happens, you take that duties day off, otherwise, you take your day off as per your duty roster.

[UnhappyGremlin]

They can't force you to change your start/finish times, and I also believe you can insist on keeping your day off the same as it would be on your normal duty. They can ask you to change your day off, but don't think they can force you. If they try, just tell them you have arranged to do something and can't get out of it.

For example, if it's your Saturday off(especially now with everyone supposedly on 1 in 4 off), you don't want to swap that for say Tuesday, that's basically being shafted twice in one go.

As my boss always says to me, your duty times are your duty times, can't touch them, but what you do in that time can and will be changed if deemed convenient.