Contract advice?

[posty30]

Hi all,

I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice?

I joined the Royal Mail 6 months ago on a temporary contract. Today my contract expired. I have been asking my managers a number of times in the last few weeks about when/if they will be renewing it. They confirmed the other week that I was going to be kept on but that I had to contact HR in Sheffield myself which I thought was wrong. Anyway I finally got through to someone in HR yesterday and they said that is up to my Manager to contact them to confirm that they want to keep me on and then HR will send me a new contract. They also said that until I get my new contract and I have signed it I am not insured to drive a RM vehicle or deliver/carry mail. Is that right? I told my manager this and they seem to disagree and think that there is a 2 week window for me to carry on working without a contract? I am not sure about this?

My managers have left a bit late it seems! Can anyone advise me on what to do? Should I carry on working without my new contract?

I just want to make sure I am 100% covered as if I had an accident next week or a bump in a van it could bite me in the backside!

I have asked my union reps but they do not seem to know.

Cheers.

[Jack Rouse]

As long as the manager keep sending wages your weekly hours via PSP, you will get paid, that is the most important thing.

Not sure about the driving thing, AFAIK provided you are employed by Royal Mail, and you sign out the van in the correct way, and do the check etc, you should be fully insured to drive.

One way to find out for definite is next time they ask you to drive, ask for authority in writing as the manager is contradicting HQ, if he refuses, that's normally a good indication that :

a) he doesn't know

b) he's bullshitting you to get the mail delivered.

Either way it will be your neck on the block if anything happens.