Can anyone explain this to me

[Trends Guild]

Trust is the thing which makes you (posties) worth the most money IMV.

And that point should be argued to the hilt every time the RM argues for the use of casuals and the reduction of postal worker jobs to make RM more efficient. I don't think I've ever seen it used but the union reps should wave it around like a big club, because it's one area where you are virtually guaranteed public support.

[andy2007]

We normally only use a small number of them for peak times, and therefore the risks are very small. Unfortunately Leighton and Crozier keep getting rid of permanent staff, so that they can prove that we aren't all needed. But instead, end up needing to use eccessive amounts of overtime, and large numbers of Agency through the year, and Agency at Autumn and Christmas, because we are so understaffed!

Luckily, this has been going on for long enough now, that they have weeded out the dodgy Agency Staff, and only get the good ones now. But that means that there is more need for Casuals, as we are already using all the available (reliable and trustworthy) Agency Staff available from the one Agency they are allowed to use.

As I'm sure you realise. The vast majority of the regular Agency Staff, refused to cross the Picket Lines, as they understand and agree with the real issues involved. So we have ended up with several problems. As we aren't currently on Strike, we have reliable staff available now.

What will happen if this Top Secret Agreement, which none of us has yet seen. Turns out to be a dud, I don't know.

I just hope that they do proper checks in the future, instead of this diabolical "hit and miss" attitude that Leighton and Crozier have. It's bad enough damaging our reputation like this. But it is far worse, treating our Customers like this. You deserve far better!

[IWW Fellow Worker]

@IWW Fellow Worker
i dont think it was mis-delivered. Why would someone go to the trouble to post it back and not use a sealed envelope and/or put the contents back in.
It could happen but doesnt seem likely.

You would be surprised. A couple of weeks ago, a birth certificate was posted to a number 4 on my delivery instead of the proper number which was 7. Despite the peron in number 7's name being on it, the person in number 4 opened it, then re-posted it without sealing it up. I did what any postman/woman should do, and got the item officially sealed.

Well done comrade. That is the correct action - if a little conformist!!

What the bloody hell do you know about it, you daft shite?

[Trends Guild]

We normally only use a small number of them for peak times, and therefore the risks are very small. Unfortunately Leighton and Crozier keep getting rid of permanent staff, so that they can prove that we aren't all needed. But instead, end up needing to use eccessive amounts of overtime, and large numbers of Agency through the year, and Agency at Autumn and Christmas, because we are so understaffed!

Luckily, this has been going on for long enough now, that they have weeded out the dodgy Agency Staff, and only get the good ones now. But that means that there is more need for Casuals, as we are already using all the available (reliable and trustworthy) Agency Staff available from the one Agency they are allowed to use.

As I'm sure you realise. The vast majority of the regular Agency Staff, refused to cross the Picket Lines, as they understand and agree with the real issues involved. So we have ended up with several problems. As we aren't currently on Strike, we have reliable staff available now.

What will happen if this Top Secret Agreement, which none of us has yet seen. Turns out to be a dud, I don't know.

I just hope that they do proper checks in the future, instead of this diabolical "hit and miss" attitude that Leighton and Crozier have. It's bad enough damaging our reputation like this. But it is far worse, treating our Customers like this. You deserve far better!

I don't know what policy the Royal Mail has on the use of casual labour - overall I am satisfied with the level of service that postworkers on the ground give - RM customer service leaves a fair amount to be desired but that's nothing to do with the postmen. What worries me is that here (Northants), most companies used to directly employ their own staff, but now nearly all of them use agencies for staff simply because they are easily disposed of when not needed. There are hardly any permanent jobs anymore (an issue which was actually raised as a serious issue by the Guardian the other day - first time I thnk, though the TUC did raise the casualisation of the workforce as a serious issue a few weeks ago.
As a customer, I would definitely not want to see the RM using mostly casual staff for postal groundwork, not only on trust, but because of the reports in the media of the poor training that casuals receive (not your fault). Then I object to the use of casual workers for lots of other reasons too (that it's bad for people who cannot predict their incomes due to the irregular nature of their employment etc.)
I've used the RM for mail order for 8 years now, and never really had many problems, but over the past year, we have had a number of packages returned with a 'no such address' sticker on it, much to the bemusement of the customers who ordered the stuff and entered their own address correctly. I have actually had to send the original envelope to them when resending the stuff to prove that this actually happened! That kind of thing has never happened before, except once or twice when the address was a new build and postcodes had not been allocated or something like that.
We have also had lots of customers saying that they were not left a card if they were out.
The fact is that casual workers, however well-meaning and honest they are, simply do not have the vested interest in the company that a permanent workers will have because for all they know, they will never have to return to that workplace, so I would prefer that the RM retains a large core of reliable part/full time permanent employees. It worries me that due the national trend of switching to agency staff, the RM has it in mind to do the same thing.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

IWW have you got your own stalker now

[baldrick]

My mail centre is flooded with Agency staff and casuals, while permanent ataff are being denied overtime.
While the majority of agency/casuals are probably as honest as anyone else, they are untrained - management apparently believe that training is not necessary to do our jobs these days. Also as TG says they have no commitment or responsibility to the job. It is not in their interests to get the work done, as they will be out of the door when they are no longer required.
Management would like to be able to treat us all like that.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

IWW have you got your own stalker now

He's a right dickhead Teebs! He reminds me of one of those kids in the yard at school who no one liked and who used to hand around on the outside of the gang hoping someone would pay him a bit of attention. In fact, he probably was that kid! He's probably registered on a few other messageboards. Pigeon Racers Reunited, where, although he knows nothing at all about pigeons, he's on there offering advice to those who do. Then, there's probably one for ukelele players where he logs on pretending he's related to George Formby. I suppose it keeps the daft sod off the streets and out of harms way. They should never have introduced 'Care in the Community'.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

My mail centre is flooded with Agency staff and casuals, while permanent ataff are being denied overtime.
While the majority of agency/casuals are probably as honest as anyone else, they are untrained - management apparently believe that training is not necessary to do our jobs these days. Also as TG says they have no commitment or responsibility to the job. It is not in their interests to get the work done, as they will be out of the door when they are no longer required.
Management would like to be able to treat us all like that.

We had one a couple of years ago. She nicked a credit card and went on a week long spree before being lfted by the IB. Within weeks, she was working at a supermarket which had connections to our glorious leader. One of the lads grassed her up to the management, and she now works on the insudtrial estate. No thought at all for the poor sod she ripped off. She probably saw him as a business opportunity rather than some bloke just doing his best to get by. A bit like Leighton and Crozier see us I suppose.