Summer Resourcing : Resourcing to Workload LTB

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches






To: Branches with POSTAL Members

Dear Colleagues,

Summer Resourcing – Resourcing to Workload

Further to the update given by Bob Gibson, CWU Assistant Secretary, at CWU’s Annual Conference last week, intensive discussions with Royal Mail have continued in trying to reach an agreed set of national guidelines to support Summer Resourcing arrangements for 2014.

Those discussions have produced Summer Resourcing Guidelines which have been endorsed by the Postal Executive today.

This is the first time that we have agreed a specific set of national guidelines for the summer period, although we do have national agreements, agreed tools, procedures and processes already in place to support resourcing during this period and they will not be affected by this initiative. The difference is that we are asking units to come up with a summer resourcing plan that is not the usual 2 weeks in advance plan but for the whole summer period commencing on Monday 2nd June through to week commencing Monday 25th August, when we should start to move into the autumn period when workload normally starts to increase.

We do not underestimate the size of the task but we are optimistic that the guidelines will assist our Representatives and DOMs to arrive at a sensible agreement. To support this initiative a Joint Workshop was held on Tuesday 6th May involving CWU Divisional Representatives, Delivery Directors and IDP Steering Group members to explain the guidelines and what it means for our members, Representatives and managers.

Following the Workshop and during the course of this week the CWU Divisional Representatives and Delivery Directors will cascade the information and guidance to all DSMs and ADRs and this will subsequently be cascaded into all delivery units, supported by a video with a clear message from Sue Whalley, Chief Operations Officer, and Bob Gibson, CWU Assistant Secretary and an interactive WTLL session which supports this approach.

Clearly there are things happening around us that we need to respond to, such as the traditional reduction in workload during the summer period, compounded in some areas by the loss of letters to TNT and the loss of parcels to Amazon and other parcel couriers.

Both parties accept that we need to work together to remain efficient and competitive and this initiative is part of that process. However, we do need to ensure that this is done fairly and with the full involvement of our CWU Representatives. It is not a carte blanche opportunity for Royal Mail to impose lapsing and absorption and the guidelines make that absolutely clear. There are processes to follow and it should be used as a positive opportunity to provide more summer leave slots for our members and an opportunity to deal with outstanding and carried over leave.

This will be a real test of the relationship between CWU and Royal Mail and hopefully an example of cooperation and change in culture that provides everyone with some form of benefit. The pertinent extracts from the guidelines are as follows:

This does not affect or change any existing national agreement and all current agreements hold the field.
To jointly produce and agree a summer resourcing plan utilising all paid for hours, including overtime, that accurately aligns resource to workload in an efficient and fair and manageable way.
All summer resourcing plans will not be based on any predetermined lapsing/absorption plans or budget targets.
To provide people with advanced notice of what work they will be expected to do on a daily and weekly basis over the whole summer period and to provide additional annual leave opportunities over the summer period, including opportunities to ‘burn off’ any outstanding or carried over leave.
To jointly identify genuine opportunities where it will be possible to absorb workload including any travelling time within the scheduled duty time and not take people past their scheduled finish time.
Weekly resourcing meetings will take place and will review the agreed summer plan and make necessary adjustments to reflect any change in traffic against that forecasted and planned. These meetings will have adequate time afforded for the CWU Representative to actively participate.
The Fairness, Dignity and Respect guidance should be referred to and put in place where necessary.
As part of these new guidelines it has been agreed that the Integrated Delivery Programme and the Resourcing to Workload Strand, will be monitoring its successes and failures through the summer period to feed into the work of the strand going forwards.

Attached to the LTB are the agreed national guidelines and also a timetable outlining the phased approach to implementing the Summer Resourcing plans.

Any enquiries to Bob Gibson’s Office, quoting reference 160.01/230.05
Email address: hnutley@cwu.org

Yours sincerely




Mark Baulch
CWU Acting Assistant Secretary – Outdoor

[hans solo]

i will consider summer resourcing when
1.you get paid for actual hours you do on ot
2.when the bullying has been stopped
3when the continuous refusal to grant owed odd days off is sorted
they can f**k right off and when they push this onto members wait and see reaction
rem cwu were already concerned about increased and unfair workload ha ha

[pants123]

i will consider summer resourcing when
1.you get paid for actual hours you do on ot
2.when the bullying has been stopped
3when the continuous refusal to grant owed odd days off is sorted
they can f**k right off and when they push this onto members wait and see reaction
rem cwu were already concerned about increased and unfair workload ha ha

WELL SAID, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU............. it's f o o k i n g slavery now....
death is better than working for such a torture company... the royal mail..

[lollollol]

Latest blockbuster out on Sky Box Office next week... Twelve Years A Postie

[dvbuk55]

This will be a real test of the relationship between CWU and Royal Mail and hopefully an example of cooperation and change in culture that provides everyone with some form of benefit.

Wonder if they'd like to explain how summer lapsing, which is what it is, benefits the OPG exactly.

[clashcityrocker]

Wonder if they'd like to explain how summer lapsing, which is what it is, benefits the OPG exactly.

Extra holiday slots over the summer?
Working all your paid hours protects your contracted hours as well.

[fishtank]

In my opinion it's a piss poor non-agreement full of hot air, wind and piss that doesn't say anything at all or address any of the real issues associated with Summer Resourcing or Resourcing to Workload and of course many offices lapse almost all year round now.

If anybody can point to any part of it that stands out as something concrete a rep can say that will help members I'm willing to be convinced but all I could see was a lot of fluffy words and a great deal of crossing of fingers. It will work in offices that have strong reps and decent managers but that isn't really where the problem lies is it?

[dvbuk55]

Wonder if they'd like to explain how summer lapsing, which is what it is, benefits the OPG exactly.

Extra holiday slots over the summer?
Working all your paid hours protects your contracted hours as well.

I get the extra holiday slots in theory but in reality, new starters and long term sick take up any extra slots there may be. As for working all the contracted hours, it's more a question of trying to just work your contracted hours without going overtime. I don't know where these negotiators get the idea that there is any slack time anymore. We can't cover the existing duties let alone lapse any, what's happening is that anyone who rings in sick the duty is lapsed smaller deliveries that cannot be covered on the day are spread across say 10 duties with the provision that they can leave earlier than usual - many go without their break in order to accommodate it. Now how can you plan a summer long lapsing programme when the managers don't know what's going on day by day let alone weeks in advance.

[clashcityrocker]

I don't know where these negotiators get the idea that there is any slack time anymore.

Maybe they are based in the capital.

[dvbuk55]

I don't know where these negotiators get the idea that there is any slack time anymore.

Maybe they are based in the capital.

You naughty person

[peedofpostie]

what about our bonus scheme they are in no rush to sort that out not that we will ever see one they are for the special ones

[drb]

We absorb,(or lapse) because we can?

[eian687]

more time in the sun, risk of dehydration, sun stroke and skin cancer...................to save Royal mail a few quid

[Mezza]

In my office (London outskirts), we actually have a manager and staff who are supposedly on light duties, moaning about waiting for a van to get back so they can go out and assist walks that they know are struggling.
WE also have staff getting back early that then go out and assist struggling duties.

That's all very good and as it should be, except that the manager will often say "see ya" to posties getting back early with vans, who are allowed to go home, as he gets in their van to go and do this assisting !
The staff that do go back out to assist actually get overtime, whilst others have gone home(often up to 3 hours early).

I kid you not, this is actually going on in my office on a daily basis.

And yes, even with the election stuff, some staff are getting O/T to help deliver it all.

[dvbuk55]

In my office (London outskirts), we actually have a manager and staff who are supposedly on light duties, moaning about waiting for a van to get back so they can go out and assist walks that they know are struggling.
WE also have staff getting back early that then go out and assist struggling duties.

That's all very good and as it should be, except that the manager will often say "see ya" to posties getting back early with vans, who are allowed to go home, as he gets in their van to go and do this assisting !
The staff that do go back out to assist actually get overtime, whilst others have gone home(often up to 3 hours early).

I kid you not, this is actually going on in my office on a daily basis.

And yes, even with the election stuff, some staff are getting O/T to help deliver it all.

More than makes the point that whilst some offices are not managed and particularly down south whereas offices like ours has been under the cosh for years. There are probably many more offices like yours which lends itself to the idea that there is room for lapsing by the negotiators, they need to get off there arses and see how the other half live.