Later starts with school run

[sixfoottwo]

As far as I'm aware there's nothing within our contracts with a built in start and finish time and we are basically on call given sufficient notice provided the contracted hours are met per week.
Pretty sure RM can point to "as business requires" to force through any change in hours such as this.

However, changing hours so that, for example, a worker can no longer start or finish at the required times due to child school pick up/drop off times, is effectively constructive dismissal.

They can’t encourage people to work for RM because of ‘family friendly’ hours, and then remove those family friendly hours.

There's a Network Review in the Autumn which could potentially force later starts. I've not heard/read any info on it so have no idea what affect it's going to have on arrival times into our MC (which has a knock-on affect on our start and finish times, the start and finish times in the DOs and the dispatch times for both waves (we don't have a wave 3 anymore)

Whats driving this though? why is it arriving later at the mail centres? is it to do with skynet??

[Momo90210]

RM can enforce later start times through executive action of course they can if they deem the business needs it to progress. However, if you are a parent that now cannot provide childcare for your children because of these imposed changes or a carer etc you are absolutely being forced out of your job. If that doesn't constitute constructive dismissal we may aswell all pack up and go home. RM will legally have to find a way to help people in those circumstances or it could be a very expensive mishap for them

[Seagull1983]

We asked to go back to 6.54 (we now start at 7.11). Our union rep spoke to the manager who offered to meet us half way !! So pathetic. We just said No. It’s still ongoing but the manager has now gone off sick, probably with stress.

[SpacePhoenix]

We asked to go back to 6.54 (we now start at 7.11). Our union rep spoke to the manager who offered to meet us half way !! So pathetic. We just said No. It’s still ongoing but the manager has now gone off sick, probably with stress.

What times are your arrivals from the MC? It's pointless you being in early if the work isn't in

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

Get school run OPGs doing longer hours starting early at beginning of week, to do multiple duty D2D prepping?

[Tman]

If that doesn't constitute constructive dismissal we may aswell all pack up and go home.

Changing a unit or depot's start times (having given adequate notice of course) to one more suited to the needs of the business (as RM have always termed it) isn't constructive dismissal.

[Woody Guthrie]

If that doesn't constitute constructive dismissal we may aswell all pack up and go home.

Changing a unit or depot's start times (having given adequate notice of course) to one more suited to the needs of the business (as RM have always termed it) isn't constructive dismissal.

It's not that clear cut.
Constructive dismissal is an individual situation and would therefore depend on individual circumstances, whether they were addressed and if they were claiming they couldn't work the new hours what opportunities there were and were offered for that individual to stay on their original contracted hours.

It might be more "suitable" for a business unit to move its start times later and that's probably an easy argument to make but in a tribunal RM wouldn't be asked that question, they would be asked why that individual had to move their start time and if there was work available for that individual and it didn't have a significant effect on the operation it would be a difficult position to defend.

[Momo90210]

Absolutely spot on Woody. As a collective changing start times wouldn't constitute CD as they would say it is essential for the business. However, individually there would be an avalanche of tribunals from single parents and carers etc who will have been forced out of the door through no fault of their own if Royal Mail don't attempt to come up with some plan about family working hours