FAO Martin Walsh / Dingo

[toonshola]

Third week in a row we have been promised a proper update and nothing. The union are taking the piss out of us and Royal Mail are taking the piss out of the union. Expect these talks to completely break down in the new year and Terry pullinger will be back into his wannabe gangster mode. It’s embarrassing.

[Martin Walsh]

Woody the CWU want to protect the 6 Day USO that is our policy.

Our policy is clear and it was one of the 21 issues we had balloted on.

Let’s be clear there is nothing in the agreement we are negotiating which surrenders that policy , we even talking about delivering parcels on Sundays.

The agreement which is being negotiated is not funded by any change to the 6 day USO.

Now here is the issue the impact of COVID has accelerated letter decline by almost 6 years. It has also increase parcel growth by 5 years.

The USO commitment is that we deliver to 31 million addresses 6 days per week. That is part of Royal Mail’s licence endorsed by Parliament.

What Of Com have said is they they do not believe the 6 day USO is sustainable and they have done a survey to ask consumers whether they would be happy if Royal Mail moved to 5 days or 3 days. The survey showed that consumers would accept a move to 5 days but would not be happy with 3 days.

Royal Mail in their half yearly report said that the 6 day USO was loss making. They remain undecided on their preferred option all be 5 day letters and either 6 day or 7 day parcels is strongly suspected.

Now Of Coms report and survey goes much further than just a reduction in the USO , It also surveys staff on whether they would be happy with 1st class and 2nd class being combined into one product.

This report is now open to consultation.

The CWU will need to understand whether when the vaccine opens up society again whether letter traffic returns or whether parcels reduce.

The real question we need to consider is that Royal Mail want to roll out the new GEO Route revision tool called FMO final mile optimisation. Without union involvement Royal Mail planners have imputed 120 revisions based on 6 hour delivery span but with 28 percent letter decline the call rate will reduce significantly.

Remember 28% less letters is almost 2 days letter workload than in February. That is on the basis we delivered 16.6 % work each Monday to Saturday.

My position is clear I want to protect the 6 day USO and the only way to do that is to get more products into the USO and to grow new services.

I remember for years , when we had two deliveries, we tried to protect the 09:30 last letter but offices were delivering 95 percent of the mail on the 1st Delivery thereby creating less second deliveries and more part timers.

In the end it was the union who called for one delivery and when we achieved it we moved everyone from working 6 days per week to 5 days or less and we secured a £26.26 pay rise in 2003.

So we need to also be realists , we want to protect the 6 day USO but unless it becomes financially sustainable than Of Com will recommend to parliament a move away.

However let’s be clear this is discussion for next year and 2022 and it cannot be agreed within any national agreement as it is not in either parties gift.

[toonshola]

Woody the CWU want to protect the 6 Day USO that is our policy.

Our policy is clear and it was one of the 21 issues we had balloted on.

Let’s be clear there is nothing in the agreement we are negotiating which surrenders that policy , we even talking about delivering parcels on Sundays.

The agreement which is being negotiated is not funded by any change to the 6 day USO.

Now here is the issue the impact of COVID has accelerated letter decline by almost 6 years. It has also increase parcel growth by 5 years.

The USO commitment is that we deliver to 31 million addresses 6 days per week. That is part of Royal Mail’s licence endorsed by Parliament.

What Of Com have said is they they do not believe the 6 day USO is sustainable and they have done a survey to ask consumers whether they would be happy if Royal Mail moved to 5 days or 3 days. The survey showed that consumers would accept a move to 5 days but would not be happy with 3 days.

Royal Mail in their half yearly report said that the 6 day USO was loss making. They remain undecided on their preferred option all be 5 day letters and either 6 day or 7 day parcels is strongly suspected.

Now Of Coms report and survey goes much further than just a reduction in the USO , It also surveys staff on whether they would be happy with 1st class and 2nd class being combined into one product.

This report is now open to consultation.

The CWU will need to understand whether when the vaccine opens up society again whether letter traffic returns or whether parcels reduce.

The real question we need to consider is that Royal Mail want to roll out the new GEO Route revision tool called FMO final mile optimisation. Without union involvement Royal Mail planners have imputed 120 revisions based on 6 hour delivery span but with 28 percent letter decline the call rate will reduce significantly.

Remember 28% less letters is almost 2 days letter workload than in February. That is on the basis we delivered 16.6 % work each Monday to Saturday.

My position is clear I want to protect the 6 day USO and the only way to do that is to get more products into the USO and to grow new services.

I remember for years , when we had two deliveries, we tried to protect the 09:30 last letter but offices were delivering 95 percent of the mail on the 1st Delivery thereby creating less second deliveries and more part timers.

In the end it was the union who called for one delivery and when we achieved it we moved everyone from working 6 days per week to 5 days or less and we secured a £26.26 pay rise in 2003.

So we need to also be realists , we want to protect the 6 day USO but unless it becomes financially sustainable than Of Com will recommend to parliament a move away.

However let’s be clear this is discussion for next year and 2022 and it cannot be agreed within any national agreement as it is not in either parties gift.

Martin, have a word with Terry and Dave and get them to give us a proper update on each issue. Which bits have been agreed and which bits are still yet to be agreed. Actual information is needed now this has gone on long enough and quite frankly it’s a disgraceful way to treat paying members. A trade union should be upfront with its members not having secret meetings for months on end with NO information escaping those meetings. We shouldn’t be getting random snippets of detail on here off yourself, most Royal Mail staff probably are not even aware of this forum.

[citypostie]

How can they plan 6 hour delivery spans ? Are they still thinking all the IPS and prep is going to magically disappear? I was prepping 2 rounds from 5.30am the other day and they wasn't ready until 10am! Fair enough it's at a busy time of year but in the past year less mail has been coming walksorted not more so unless that changes these revisions would be doomed to fail from the start

[yubin282]

What date do they break up for xmas?

I don't care if this is the 'deal of the century' i'm voting NO.

[postmanpat]

Martin,

We've been promised an update today. Don't you think it is totally embarrassing that we've heard nothing??

[CLINTEASTWOOD1]

Hello, I think there is more going on than meets the eye in my opinion,Because i'm in total disbelief with how TP is handling all this.Nobody can be this unprofessional and keep their job.

[postieblueshirt]

Id love to know what would happen at christmas time if you have a 6 hour delivery span.as in my office we have a descent dom and were doing ok with covid so we go over time and clear as best we can.but if you have a 6 hour delivery christmas would be impossible even if it was an hour over.

[hans solo]

6 hr delivery spans
obviously with a break in the middle
we work 10 miles from d.o. magic
20 min to get to 1st delivery point 20 min to get back for break, 40 min break 20 min back up to recommence delivery 20 min back
thats 120 mins without actually delivering thats me down to 4 hr
take off toilet stop(s) 15 min to and 15 min back nearest toilet facilities thats another 30 mins 3.5 delivery span now
no public toilet facilities nowadays unless rm want to invest in portaloos all over every duty
revise that

[TheoF95]

6 hr delivery spans
obviously with a break in the middle
we work 10 miles from d.o. magic
20 min to get to 1st delivery point 20 min to get back for break, 40 min break 20 min back up to recommence delivery 20 min back
thats 120 mins without actually delivering thats me down to 4 hr
take off toilet stop(s) 15 min to and 15 min back nearest toilet facilities thats another 30 mins 3.5 delivery span now
no public toilet facilities nowadays unless rm want to invest in portaloos all over every duty
revise that

How big is your duty at the minute? total calls and roughly whats your delivery span?

[hans solo]

also the vanishing letter scenario
when we went into sdd remember that
it didnt matter if we went to door with 1 or 10 letters it took the same time rm figures and throughputs
whats the difference now still going to same doors but with less mail SAME TIME guys
a-b is still a-b

[hans solo]

6 hr delivery spans
obviously with a break in the middle
we work 10 miles from d.o. magic
20 min to get to 1st delivery point 20 min to get back for break, 40 min break 20 min back up to recommence delivery 20 min back
thats 120 mins without actually delivering thats me down to 4 hr
take off toilet stop(s) 15 min to and 15 min back nearest toilet facilities thats another 30 mins 3.5 delivery span now
no public toilet facilities nowadays unless rm want to invest in portaloos all over every duty
revise that

How big is your duty at the minute? total calls and roughly whats your delivery span?

dont really know cut off every day

[TheoF95]

also the vanishing letter scenario
when we went into sdd remember that
it didnt matter if we went to door with 1 or 10 letters it took the same time rm figures and throughputs
whats the difference now still going to same doors but with less mail SAME TIME guys
a-b is still a-b

I think its the time saved prepping. If you are going to house A with 1 letter instead of the usual 10 then it must mean you had hardly anything to prep so you got out early... so in turn you will finish before your time which means you have extra minutes to spare to do other stuff......

[DGH]

How can they plan 6 hour delivery spans ? Are they still thinking all the IPS and prep is going to magically disappear? I was prepping 2 rounds from 5.30am the other day and they wasn't ready until 10am! Fair enough it's at a busy time of year but in the past year less mail has been coming walksorted not more so unless that changes these revisions would be doomed to fail from the start

The other issue with 6 hour delivery spans is that lots and lots of part timers working 5/6 days simply won't have the hours available in their contracts to do a six hour delivery - even if they walk in to find it all bagged up and ready to go.

Given that an ever increasing percentage of the workforce is employed on part-time contracts, and also bearing in mind that the history of previous agreements makes it seem like that they were worked out considering full time staff only and part-timers as a mere afterthought (or just forgotten about entirely . . .)

Will RM and the union spell out how a 6 hour delivery span might work for someone employed on 20 or 24 (or some fractional amount between 20 and 24) hours per week? Or will it be the old 'local agreement' fiasco?

[Edward Hunter]

Looking at the update from Martin, there seems to be more questions than answers! So much for changing at a pace, lol. I think we are more likely to be somewhere near an agreement by this time next year.