Have I got this right?

[Fed]

We went live a few weeks ago. There was 8 of us that had been previously ring fenced on duties for medical reasons. The COM re-referred us all to Occ Health again for review. 7 were refused as OH have no say on whether duties can be ring fenced for a repick. I had an interview with OH as currently off sick, they wanted to check I was being dealt with fairly at present. They categorically stated, they are unable to advise on ring fencing duties as this is contractual / business decision and not an OH one.

Who ring fenced the 8 duties previously?

OH did. But they can't do it for a re-pick. Once the re-pick is done they can advise ring fencing certain people on duties again if need be (so no work can be added afterwards for example) . But they aren't allowed to do it beforehand.

[Perseus]

It therefore would be sheer stupidity to not keep them ring fenced if there is every chance it will need done within 4 weeks of going into DM26. Fingers crossed for you all.

[Barnacle]

My understanding is that it will work as a van share partnership and a singleton duty and they will be fixed duties. At no point will they rotate.

Rotation was mentioned under the original plan but I’ve not seen it mentioned as part of DM26

Of course it could happen under “local arrangements”.

That's how it is, as you say "local agreements" probably could be made to swap it round a bit, can't actually see any issues with that tbh if all three peeps were happy and of the same mindset that working together as a team is a good thing.

I personally think that as a group of 3 working together, it would work better if there was a bit of movement because otherwise bitterness and grievance will build up as each imagines the other is having an easier time of it.

The singleton won’t have a partner to jump out to deliver a parcel quickly. Someone has to prep the lapsed walk. D2Ds for the lapsed bit. What if one is off sick? Wouldn’t it be an opportunity to learn their bit so that as a group of three you become expert on your group and could do a bit of overtime on it?

Overtime seems to be sparse at first with DM26 so it doesn’t hurt to know the other walks.

[Perseus]

When people say someone will need to prep the 4th walk etc, isn’t it the case that you have 1 person prepping walks 1 and 2 and 1 person prepping 3 and 4 then anyone else sorting IPS etc?
Or do some offices just have 1 person sorting 1 duty/side?

[Barnacle]

Hi Guys. OK so 3 posties have signed into 4 duties. Does the shared van guys (driver and passenger)at any point switch to the single drivers deliveries throughout the week ? Thank you

The CWU claim they have guaranteed duties for members. They haven't and when needed you'll do whatever duties need covering. If your pod agrees to move round, why not?

Hmm Thanks Guys. I got that bit wrong then. I thought that was one of the key points that the pod moved about. Bit like the old days where you signed into a rotation of 3 duties.

RM changed DM26 almost immediately after the vote. The version that had previously been described where there was flexibility, you could rotate within your group etc., was swept aside by whatever arsenic chips they’ve been feeding managers because the version they are spouting is not the same. It is now full of it HAS to be like this and STAY like this and this is just the ‘precursor to what’s happening next year’

They’ll be lucky if they have staff to mock next year.

[reddevils]

You don't have 1 person prepping walks 1 and 2 and 1 person prepping 3 and 4 because only one duty of each is
being delivered.

Pod of 3:

(Duty 1 and 2) Person 1 (Singular): They prep Duty 1, mail, door to doors, ips, packets. Any mail for duty 2 is kept aside and is prepped the following day. All packets scanned for duty 1 and 2 and put into loops plus 1st class.

(Duty 3 and 4) Person 2 and 3: Van share: One of these people will prep duty 3, mail, door to doors, ips, packets etc. Any mail for duty 4 is kept aside and is prepped the following day. 1st is put with packets in the loops./ All packets scanned for duties 3 and 4 and put into loops. Person 3 is either helping IPS or sorting packets. Normally goes back to help person 2 after this is done which is problematic as person 1 is doing everything on their own.

So only Duty 1 and Duty 3 are fully prepped.

Person 1 takes their 4 loops of mail from duty 1 and 4 loops of packets and first from duty 2.
Person 3 and 4 bundles duty 3 up and takes packets and 1st from duty 4. They take a loop each from duty 1 and a loop each of packets and 1st from duty 2
meaning that all duties are clear.

The 6 loops on duty 1 are now clear, and the 6 loops of packets.

This isn't lasping, this is how the system works.
Everyone has 4 loops of mail, 2 or 3 days worth and 4 loops of 1st and tracked.

Then the following day it rotates. Duty 2 and 4 are fully prepped alongside the mail left from the previous day.

[Barnacle]

You don't have 1 person prepping walks 1 and 2 and 1 person prepping 3 and 4 because only one duty of each is
being delivered.

Pod of 3:

(Duty 1 and 2) Person 1 (Singular): They prep Duty 1, mail, door to doors, ips, packets. Any mail for duty 2 is kept aside and is prepped the following day. All packets scanned for duty 1 and 2 and put into loops plus 1st class.

(Duty 3 and 4) Person 2 and 3: Van share: One of these people will prep duty 3, mail, door to doors, ips, packets etc. Any mail for duty 4 is kept aside and is prepped the following day. 1st is put with packets in the loops./ All packets scanned for duties 3 and 4 and put into loops. Person 3 is either helping IPS or sorting packets. Normally goes back to help person 2 after this is done which is problematic as person 1 is doing everything on their own.

So only Duty 1 and Duty 3 are fully prepped.

Person 1 takes their 4 loops of mail from duty 1 and 4 loops of packets and first from duty 2.
Person 3 and 4 bundles duty 3 up and takes packets and 1st from duty 4. They take a loop each from duty 1 and a loop each of packets and 1st from duty 2
meaning that all duties are clear.

The 6 loops on duty 1 are now clear, and the 6 loops of packets.

This isn't lasping, this is how the system works.
Everyone has 4 loops of mail, 2 or 3 days worth and 4 loops of 1st and tracked.

Then the following day it rotates. Duty 2 and 4 are fully prepped alongside the mail left from the previous day.

No. You’re talking in loops and saying everyone has 4 loops etc. That is straight out of the RM brochure.

You can’t say how many loops anyone will have, you have to think in whole, half, a third.

It is indeed lapsing that they’ve tried to make not look like lapsing.

Everyone will be taking a third extra every day except Saturday. That third could be 50/50 or all mail one day, 1c and Tracked only the next.

Who preps what, is where the unhappiness will spring from because it is rare to have 3 people work together as a balanced team. Is Jeff really on IPS? No he’s vaping for Britain by the back door. Why is Sheila never around to prep in D2Ds? And so on…

[Playmail]

We currently doing a temp resign most the full timers are in a pod together and all the other pods a full of part timers they can't see this being a problem I can't see them prepping anything but there own duty and us part timers coming in to a unprepped frame while they are waving bye

[Basildon Bond]

Do remember that D2D's should be all done ahead of the week on a Saturday by non-drivers or whomever is available on a Saturday to help put them in - could be a driver if they are not required for tracked and 1C (and 2C parcels (not letters) now with us - the creep sets in).

So D2Ds should not be a daily thing than needs doing.

On the topic of D2Ds and the promise of not having to cold call an address (just take where you are going): for one side, that's only going out twice that week, you have to pretty much take them all on one day to clear them. However, I do find you're only going to every 4th or 5th house with just a leaflet as the double mail cover most houses. However, if the mail drops off even more, cold calling D2Ds will be a bigger problem.

I honestly think DM26 could be disruptive but OK at one office; works rather well at another; and is horrendous at a third etc.

[Basildon Bond]

We currently doing a temp resign most the full timers are in a pod together and all the other pods a full of part timers they can't see this being a problem I can't see them prepping anything but there own duty and us part timers coming in to a unprepped frame while they are waving bye

Key thing at ours is no one goes home earlier. Period. If you're back early you get sent back out - 100%. That actually makes it fair. Since you should be doing your bags first that means at the end of the shift you should only have Tracked and 1C left. Someone turning up and asking to take a bit off you (even two or three vans) feels quite all for one / one for all. Bit of team spirit (for the first time ever).

Because people don't want to be sent out they are stretching the mornings out. Little things like being on the dock for easy loading isn't such a priority. Another coffee and a chat rather than stepping over you to get out of the place. Overall less rushing. Being the last van in the yard isn't so shameful :o).

[ted_e_bear]

We currently doing a temp resign most the full timers are in a pod together and all the other pods a full of part timers they can't see this being a problem I can't see them prepping anything but there own duty and us part timers coming in to a unprepped frame while they are waving bye

That's where the manager is supposed to step in and manage.

[yellowbelly]

No. You’re talking in loops and saying everyone has 4 loops etc. That is straight out of the RM brochure.

You can’t say how many loops anyone will have, you have to think in whole, half, a third.

It is indeed lapsing that they’ve tried to make not look like lapsing.

Everyone will be taking a third extra every day except Saturday. That third could be 50/50 or all mail one day, 1c and Tracked only the next.

Who preps what, is where the unhappiness will spring from because it is rare to have 3 people work together as a balanced team. Is Jeff really on IPS? No he’s vaping for Britain by the back door. Why is Sheila never around to prep in D2Ds? And so on…

Agree with this, the example RM presented gave a number of loops. But every office and walk is different.

A loop for one walk might be 32 DP's. For another it might be 120 etc.

[holty18]

We currently doing a temp resign most the full timers are in a pod together and all the other pods a full of part timers they can't see this being a problem I can't see them prepping anything but there own duty and us part timers coming in to a unprepped frame while they are waving bye

I've just put a grievance in about wanting a temp resign, they have completely destroyed my cover job, and I have always been a van share but I am senior enough to get a solo driving job within a pod so that's the next best thing compared to the holy sacred 50/50 model which I still can't wrap my head around, putting junior staff on these solo van duties with the promise of a repick sometime in the future, hoping my grievance can sort this.

[reddevils]

No. You’re talking in loops and saying everyone has 4 loops etc. That is straight out of the RM brochure.

You can’t say how many loops anyone will have, you have to think in whole, half, a third.

It is indeed lapsing that they’ve tried to make not look like lapsing.

Everyone will be taking a third extra every day except Saturday. That third could be 50/50 or all mail one day, 1c and Tracked only the next.

Who preps what, is where the unhappiness will spring from because it is rare to have 3 people work together as a balanced team. Is Jeff really on IPS? No he’s vaping for Britain by the back door. Why is Sheila never around to prep in D2Ds? And so on…
[/quote]

It's not just out of the Royal Mail Brochure. It is a reality in many offices that have had the most recent revisions. There is no doubt within time this revision will come to your office.

If you want it in language that avoids using loops.

Person 1: Takes 2/3 of duty 1 Mail. Takes 2/3 of Duty 2 Packets and 1st.

Person 2 and 3: Takes all of duty 3 mail. Takes all of duty 4 packets and 1st class.
Takes 1/3 of mail of duty 1. Takes 1/3 of packets and 1st of duty 2.

[DGH]

We should be clear, it is not 'packets and first class', it is 'packets, 1st class, coincidental mail and any mail that has a final delivery date of that day. So there will be 2nd class and downstream access, etc in that 'first class'.