Are the trials a sham

[Mr Rush]

Tony Bouch claims if the trials don’t work then the CWU won’t back the USO reforms

Oh my. That'll absolutely stop Ahmed-Bob-Evie Overdrive dead in its tracks.

[postiewhite]

Whatever happens with this trial it's obvious that things will change. Even I know it doesn't make business sense to have a Monday and Tuesday with a whole walk of mail you can practically put into one bag.
The problem is though in my eyes is that no two weeks are the same. Last week we were really busy all week, Monday I had 4 trays of sequence when normally I will get half a tray on each side so every day was really busy and it wasn't Valentine's letters btw.
When the second class is condensed into less days then it's going to be weeks like this that will be absolutely horrendous.

I think with the new way of working there are gonna be many weeks that will be too much and catching up will be near impossible seeing as you will only be touching duties every other day so if they are not regularly cleared then you "could" be taking 4 days of second class mail out. The key is to always keep on top of the duties but in reality and with the time we have that is not always possible.

[SpacePhoenix]

Last week we were really busy all week, Monday I had 4 trays of sequence when normally I will get half a tray on each side so every day was really busy and it wasn't Valentine's letters btw.

Sounds like you had a bulk posting plus a lot of 2C hit the 5 day limit on the DTS. I've had days when I've been boxing up a batch and the odd walk has had 4 trays.

On the non-2C days if the system is deferring 100% of the 2C for them days then the next day we could well have 18-20 trays to run without that days on the top of that. If you're unlucky not many DPs will have 1C items that day so most of the mail gets deferred, so over the course of the 5 day cycle we could have 24+ trays for every batch. Both local management and DOs can dream on if they think that we'll have the time to run all that lot. Local managers in the MC would have to decide if they want us to hold the excess over to the next day or to send the excess as manual.

With 24 trays if virtually all of it gets released which is what will likely happen about every 5 days, you're looking at 50-60 mins per batch

[voodou7628]

That's exactly what's going to happen manual will be sent down to Do with delivery staff already being overloaded with work this is going to be a disaster for management because staff will finish on there time.

[chrisj]

How can this new way of working combat fatigue?
At the minute it's two people to two frames (A and B)but will change in the future to two people to two frames of double and treble mail alternating between A and B then C and D.
So I'm taking it that 3 people would then look after duties ABCD for the weekly D2D's? The only way you could slightly get into of the D2D issue is that the parcel/1C driver may have some easier days than the walkers which will enable them to go back to the office early to prep them but knowing the managers they will just be sent back out again with failed mail.

1st class and parcels cannot for just 3 rounds cannot be achieved by 1 driver even in a 5-hour round! Giving that most of the parcels are now tracked parcels (even if you take away the oversized) plus 1st class; the driver has very little chance because the call rate will be very high.

Who wants to do parcels and first class while the others just do letters... No thanks!

[Edward Hunter]

The trials are a sham. We were told today it will be rolled out in our area. They are only paying lip service to the union. More VRs than expected too. They want the old contracts and non drivers out if possible.

[GRS]

How can this new way of working combat fatigue?
At the minute it's two people to two frames (A and B)but will change in the future to two people to two frames of double and treble mail alternating between A and B then C and D.
So I'm taking it that 3 people would then look after duties ABCD for the weekly D2D's? The only way you could slightly get into of the D2D issue is that the parcel/1C driver may have some easier days than the walkers which will enable them to go back to the office early to prep them but knowing the managers they will just be sent back out again with failed mail.

1st class and parcels cannot for just 3 rounds cannot be achieved by 1 driver even in a 5-hour round! Giving that most of the parcels are now tracked parcels (even if you take away the oversized) plus 1st class; the driver has very little chance because the call rate will be very high.

Who wants to do parcels and first class while the others just do letters... No thanks!

As I understand it the driver on their own will be doing all tracked & 1C over 2 rounds not 3. The pairing doing the other 2 rounds will do everything over those 2 walks so they won’t just be walking round with a handful of letters.

[TopperGas]

How can this new way of working combat fatigue?
At the minute it's two people to two frames (A and B)but will change in the future to two people to two frames of double and treble mail alternating between A and B then C and D.
So I'm taking it that 3 people would then look after duties ABCD for the weekly D2D's? The only way you could slightly get into of the D2D issue is that the parcel/1C driver may have some easier days than the walkers which will enable them to go back to the office early to prep them but knowing the managers they will just be sent back out again with failed mail.

1st class and parcels cannot for just 3 rounds cannot be achieved by 1 driver even in a 5-hour round! Giving that most of the parcels are now tracked parcels (even if you take away the oversized) plus 1st class; the driver has very little chance because the call rate will be very high.

Who wants to do parcels and first class while the others just do letters... No thanks!

As I understand it the driver on their own will be doing all tracked & 1C over 2 rounds not 3. The pairing doing the other 2 rounds will do everything over those 2 walks so they won’t just be walking round with a handful of letters.

The non drivers will be walking around with double, if not triple or even more mail every signal day with no help, if the driver struggles they'll get help as RM will still want all the Tracked delivered.

[SpacePhoenix]

The trials are a sham. We were told today it will be rolled out in our area. They are only paying lip service to the union. More VRs than expected too. They want the old contracts and non drivers out if possible.

I reckon for the area covered by each MC, as soon as the DOs in the area they cover have completed any required revisions and re-signs then it'll go live proper in the area covered by that MC. Think it'll probably be live everywhere by mid to late summer

[funkflex55]

The driver on their own will also be doing specials, 1c parcels, customer collections and boxes as well as the stated 1c mail and tracked.

[Idk]

No changes to rural areas.

[datasaint]

No changes to rural areas.

No changes yet. Rural are the least profitable part of deliveries, there will be some kind of reform planned.

[postiewhite]

The driver on their own will also be doing specials, 1c parcels, customer collections and boxes as well as the stated 1c mail and tracked.

Realistically that could be 180 stops in say 5 hours, or 36 an hour some days.
Thursday I scanned in 124 tracked, plus you could have 50-60 1C some days as some little advertising cards can come first class, then you have collections,specials and box empties.
That is some day.

[funkflex55]

Yep. There were days at Christmas where it took all day of 2 in a van just to do tracked, specials etc.That was without the bullshit driving around doing first class.
The person doing the 2 rounds work won't be having fun days.
The persons expected to do 2/3 days mail for 2 complete walks won't be having fun days either.
If they don't put walks in and address parcel volumes at Christmas this trial and the inevitable reform will not lead to anything good for customers or us postpersons.

[claretandblue]

Yep. There were days at Christmas where it took all day of 2 in a van just to do tracked, specials etc.That was without the bullshit driving around doing first class.
The person doing the 2 rounds work won't be having fun days.
The persons expected to do 2/3 days mail for 2 complete walks won't be having fun days either.
If they don't put walks in and address parcel volumes at Christmas this trial and the inevitable reform will not lead to anything good for customers or us postpersons.

They really haven't thought about Xmas, you would need to increase staff by at least 25% for Xmas pressure.