Postman is suspended for letting junk mail pile up

[NEWS]

DAILY.......MAIL

Angry villagers have attacked Royal Mail bosses for suspending their long-serving postman in a row over undelivered junk mail.

Steve Rowbotham, who had been on the round for 17 years, was accused of 'mistreatment of mail'.

His supporters say he was sidelined after refusing to land residents of Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, with a mound of junk mail after a backlog built up.

Now a local councillor has launched a campaign to have him reinstated.

Pat Blandamer, who sits on Gedling Borough Council, said: "People don't have a bad word to say of him. He has been our postman since I have lived here and you couldn't wish for better.

"During all the time I've known him he has been nothing less than brilliant.

"Everyone always has nothing but back-slapping praise for him. Most of the country seems to be complaining that mail isn't delivered on time nowadays, but he always makes sure you get your letters by breakfast.

"There are also the important little things, like making sure mail is pushed right through so as not to advertise to burglars that no one is at home.

'He's a very reliable, hardworking postman and someone Royal Mail should be proud of, not someone who should be subjected to all this heartache."

It is believed Mr Rowbotham, 36, was suspended after a Royal Mail inspector called at the local sorting office and found items stacked up in his pigeon-hole.

It is not clear whether he refused to deliver junk mail on principle or whether he let the backlog build up for other reasons.

Mrs Blandamer said: "We believe Royal Mail has over-reacted when a simple verbal warning would have sufficed quite adequately.

"Since Steve has been suspended the service has gone downhill, with deliveries late and going astray and mail just left in people's garages.

"And while all this has been happening Steve has been stuck for the best part of six weeks with the threat of the sack hanging over him. It's wrong."

Fellow resident Roy Johnson, 74, said: "Steve is such a nice and friendly chap. We're all puzzled as to why the investigation is taking so long."

Another villager, Chris Senior, 55, said: "He is the best postman I've ever come across and lives up to everyone's image of what a postie should be.

"He always has a big smile on his face and is always full of life and sets you up for the day. He's terrific, and you really feel you know him."

Yesterday Mr Rowbotham admitted he had been removed from duty pending an inquiry but said he did not want to comment on the situation.

Sources said his disciplinary hearing was expected to take place later this week - supposedly the first available date since his suspension six weeks ago.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We do not discuss individual personnel issues, but we can confirm that an employee has been suspended.

"Where there is any suggestion of an individual mistreating mail we adopt a zero-tolerance approach and take immediate and appropriate action."

Last year postman Roger Annies, 48, was suspended for telling householders about a Royal Mail service allowing them to opt out of junk mail deliveries.

Residents on his round in Barry, South Wales, reacted by launching a petition demanding he get his old job back.

He was eventually moved to a position in the sorting office.

[tinydancer]

Our office sacked a postie for not delivering his D2D's in march of 2006, then in Feb. 2007 another was sacked for the same thing, and he was a 17 year veteran! Seems silly for the sake of £20 - 30 , he lost his job, pension and respect of the office. It is not that big a deal delivering the 3 we now get each week, but i can see problems in the future if we are lumbered with 10 and only paid for the first 3!!

[L Tommo]

Shame the postie's got the sack.. But did they sign for the D2D's as Delivered?? If so then its fraud.. Shame still as i hated my D2D's . (now in mc) Anyone not doing them should just tell the screw that they aint!!! either to much work on or will take em over a longer period... Anyway the price of D2D's are a joke.. And if RM Say how m,auch they earn us then PAY US A FAIR PRICE 2 DO THEM THEN!! What is it still 1.25p a item???? Well its just the grief of it all aint it!!!!...

Ohh well better than no job as your mates will vouch???

OUT

[TrueBlueTerrier]

D2D now depend on size, weight and now long to deliver (more money around weeks with BH). I have been paid from 0.67p per item to a max of 4p (boy was that a bad week).

[L Tommo]

AS far as i was concerned THEY WERE ALL SHITE TO ME!!! £20 AND ALL THAT LAYING IN AND AS I DONE MY WALKS BY FOOT NO CAR OR VAN.. OR REAL POUCH BOX JUST POSTBOX.. I ONLY DID SOME, WHEN I DID OTHER WISE HANDED EM OVER TO A MATE WHO LIVED ON WALK..

0.67p p item.. FECK THAT!!!!!

OUT

HAHAHAHA!!!! Anyone know where big AL lives????

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Last week I had three lots of D2D and two of those arrived on Wednesday. I'm just waiting to see if I get the 40%.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Last week I had three lots of D2D and two of those arrived on Wednesday. I'm just waiting to see if I get the 40%.

I thought if they were later than Tuesday you could refuse to do them. Am I right.

[dvbuk55]

It's not made clear here if the junk mail was in fact D2D or mailsort - if it was D2D - and he didn't claim for it then he could say he had reported difficulties in completing his delivery and the households and put the mail first - especially if he had never delivered them - if it was mailsort he's stuffed.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Last week I had three lots of D2D and two of those arrived on Wednesday. I'm just waiting to see if I get the 40%.

I thought if they were later than Tuesday you could refuse to do them. Am I right.

You could be right, but one was worth 4p and the other 3.5p so just for once they were worth taking.

[jamwell]

In our office the manager comes round on friday and asks if you are going to do all of next weeks d2d or just the 80% with the floater doing the other 20%. so imagine my surprise when i pop into the office today during 2 weeks leave to find all of last weeks still under my bench. and i can bet that when i go back to work next monday that all of this weeks will be there as well.

Mind you it was covered last week by one of the managers pet favourites (25 hour contract, comes in hour and a half early and does'nt do any inward sorting.)

Nothing gets said.................................................

[dvbuk55]

That sounds oh so familiar.

[jamwell]

Oh and he never clears his deads and he use's his own car.

Prehaps thats why nothing gets said.........................................

[dvbuk55]

And that - if he had a forelock - he'd be touching it.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Oh and he never clears his deads and he use's his own car.

Prehaps thats why nothing gets said.........................................

I was off on holiday last August for three weeks. Came back to find a mountain of deads. So, I left them on top of the fitting with a note saying "Not mine and nothing to do with me." It was the end of October before one of the so-called managers asked me about them. He then gave them to the nugget responsible to kill off. Same for a load of D2D items. They spent two months under the fitting before anyone asked me about them. "Why weren't they done?" "I don't know. I was in Wales at the time and about two thousand bloody seagulls will give me an alibi!"

[POSTMAN]

Guy at our place does all the docket he can get,gets the lino out of trouble no end.
I'm rest day cover,went to my frame one morning,bout 5-6 packets left up top.
Lino was standing there as the guy bought to me a whole bundle of missorts that he's thrown in wrong,and i mean a whole bundle.
Sorry i forgot the packets he said to the Lino,nothing was done.
I'm mad with meself a bit for not kicking up a stink about it,but he's a colleague.
But i've been done once,they wont screw me again though!