Royal Mail to start drug and alcohol testing?

[Tman]

You're only further reinforcing my point of 9.55 this morning.
Best stop digging, and all that...

[Barnacle]

Would you be under the influence of drink after say 3 pints at say 6 oclock in the evening followed by say 8 hours sleep.

This depends on many factors, but rough calculation is 1 pint = 2 units; so 3 pints = 6 units. It takes around 1 hour for the body to digest a unit of alcohol, and it doesn't start until 1 hour after you've stopped drinking. So after 3 pints it will take around 7 hours for that to be out your system.

Slightly incorrect.

Your body starts getting rid of alcohol very soon after you take the first sip.

So if you start at 6pm and have 3 pints (6 units) you'll be sober by about midnight.

You won’t be sober by midnight.

Also, it depends upon the alcohol strength of what you drink.

[LouBarlow]

You're only further reinforcing my point of 9.55 this morning.
Best stop digging, and all that...

Or you could actually contribute something yourself to the topic at hand? A long shot I know.

[POSTMAN]

LTB 343/24 – Royal Mail Introduction of New Drug and Alcohol Policy

[2chorizon]

When the union shortly announces the joint agreement they will have probably secured the cannabis smokers about 6 weeks to get clean before testing commences.

If anyone thinks i have made this up, we will come back here in 6 months time and have this conversation again

Well.....that didn't take long

Royal Mail have indicated they would listen to the CWU concerns and potentially change the way they were intending to introduce the rehabilitation process, the pilot on for cause and will delay the introduction of random testing.

We have further meetings with Royal Mail over the next two weeks and will update Branches in due course.

[2chorizon]

(Alcohol is usually set at the uk drink drive limit and is a breathalyser test, the drug test is a piss test and all sinks and taps will be secured in the sample room, and you wont get to smuggle in a pot of your clean mates piss either)

Where is the sample room going to be then? So I know Mail centres may have resources but where is the sample room going to be in a tiny depot in the middle of nowhere UK? Or are they only going to target big population centres. Even so I would love to know how this can be implemented in any delivery depot in the UK.

You are highly suspicious because you do not know how this policy will be carried out yet you are very certain and you are certainly fear mongering.
You are not a postman, I know that.

What you saying then chumpana? V

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[reddevils]

What you saying then chumpana? V

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=114459
[/quote]

I knew they were bringing it in, I received a letter/pamphlet through my door about it. I was questioning how it can be implemented fairly and successfully and the truth is it can't. I don't do drugs but I think testing for cannabis etc , where you can get a positive result a month after taking it , just highlights how this policy is inept. You can only conduct/dismiss a worker if you can prove they are under the influence at work. But clearly with this example , they could not determine this.

Plus its invasion of privacy and unnecessary. Its a police issue not a work issue.

[2chorizon]

Yes, you are right, the cannabis smokers suffer the most under these drug testing policies, as the drug remains in their bodies / fat cells / hair etc

At my last place when we had it implemented we lost an average of around 1 person per month and it was all for positive cannabis tests. (not a single person ever failed on alcohol, this is because it processes out of the system very quickly)

It takes about 6 weeks to get clear of cannabis in the body so really if you need to work or drive you cannot realistically continue smoking it.

The union have secured a delay, people need to think about quitting it right away.

[reddevils]

It takes about 6 weeks to get clear of cannabis in the body so really if you need to work or drive you cannot realistically continue smoking it.

But under employment law in the UK, you have to prove the worker was under the influence to conduct/dismiss them. The employer can't prove whether the employee smoked cannabis a month a go or just last night. So yes, unless these tests improve accuracy, an employee can't be conducted or dismissed without the employee having a an unfair dismissal claim which would probably be successful.

[reddevils]

You can't justify dismissing an employee if you can't prove they are under the influence at work, which as I say, Cannabis tests can prove positive from one month ago. Also there are people that take HCT's out and do not operate a vehicle, or they are partners to people who drive. It can be argued that they are not a safety risk. You can only test people in an environment where they are deemed a safety risk which is why most employers that have drug/alcohol policies are in highly sensitive safety industries.

Not Royal mail who are delivering locally meaning minimal driving and people who are literally walking from the depot.

Also medical cannabis. You can't be sacked if it for medicinal purposes. Or maybe you were using it for medicinal purposes unknown to your doctor. The fact the drug can be medicinal casts questions on why it is illegal?

I think the policy poses more questions than answers.

[Barnacle]

You can't justify dismissing an employee if you can't prove they are under the influence at work, which as I say, Cannabis tests can prove positive from one month ago. Also there are people that take HCT's out and do not operate a vehicle, or they are partners to people who drive. It can be argued that they are not a safety risk. You can only test people in an environment where they are deemed a safety risk which is why most employers that have drug/alcohol policies are in highly sensitive safety industries.

Not Royal mail who are delivering locally meaning minimal driving and people who are literally walking from the depot.

Also medical cannabis. You can't be sacked if it for medicinal purposes. Or maybe you were using it for medicinal purposes unknown to your doctor. The fact the drug can be medicinal casts questions on why it is illegal?

I think the policy poses more questions than answers.

If you test positive for cannabis and you are a driver, you can be dismissed. You could try to delay this by demanding a second test. Testing positive again will result in dismissal.

Drug testing as a driver is no different to alcohol testing in that, they are testing the volume to blood.

So if you are over the drug driving limit, you could argue it was because of a spliff you were in the same room as three months ago until the cows come home, but you’ll still be sacked.

[Pidleypoo]

Some of these responses are wild.

Some of you are suggesting that Royal Mail are going to be doing blood tests.

I’m telling you now as someone that has to be tested regularly because of genetic cancer condition, I will absolutely be refusing any testing that invasive.

I don’t drink or take drugs but until we know exactly who’s doing the testing , what testing it will be and if it can differentiate between prescribed drugs and illegal ones and then what happens to that data then some responses seem off the mark.

This company claims to be losing money hand over fist and yet this will cost them loads.

[Barnacle]

Deleted double post..

[Barnacle]

Some of these responses are wild.

Some of you are suggesting that Royal Mail are going to be doing blood tests.

I’m telling you now as someone that has to be tested regularly because of genetic cancer condition, I will absolutely be refusing any testing that invasive.

I don’t drink or take drugs but until we know exactly who’s doing the testing , what testing it will be and if it can differentiate between prescribed drugs and illegal ones and then what happens to that data then some responses seem off the mark.

This company claims to be losing money hand over fist and yet this will cost them loads.

RM won’t be doing the tests. They’ve outsourced testing to a company that does testing within workplaces.

[reddevils]

Barnacle you are wrong and there are plenty of court tribunals to prove it.