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Mike, this government isn't going to relax the USO and I can't see the next Labour one making it a priority. What I can see is a tightening up of the regulation.
We've heard that there have been informal meetings between Labour and the CWU along with RMT specifically about how these privatised businesses are failing the public. The RMT have been successful in their pushback on ticket office closures and are in talks with the CWU on how they can leverage their influence to further pushback on RM's policy of deliberately failing the USO. From a Labour politicians point of view attacking RMs failings is a win, win. Just look at all the national and local news reporting on how woeful the delivery service is. Attacking RM is a vote winner lols
Parcels still out the door in our place which is the good news. Bad news is that quality of service is still appalling. 1/3rd of our deliveries is failing on a daily basis. The other 2/3rds are mostly completing on overtime. There's no chance anyone in my unit is going to see a penny of the incentive bonus. Not that anyone expected anything different. With half a dozen unfilled vacancies, and 3 on long term absence, our COM has no chance of achieving the targets. He's even taken to going out on delivery himself at 4pm, doing unpaid overtime,delivering tracked and specials from the failed duties. This isn't sustainable long term, but nothing will change till the new year, so this Christmas will be a firefight everyday just to keep on top of the parcels. Letters I'm afraid are just going to be casualties of war!
ISpy, how does that make any sense? Offices fail for many reasons way beyond the control of the OPG. Weather, breakdowns,sick absence,unfilled vacancies, not withstanding many offices like your own have been set up to fail due to botched revisions.
Looks like my colleagues were right in being sceptical unless you can tell me otherwise???
Tate, who's said it's definitely a one off payment for this year only?
We've already got a £200, no strings attached bonus that was supposedly only temporary, it's been going for over 15years!
That's all by the by anyhow, as no one in management can tell us what the criteria we need to meet to get it. General consensus is that it won't amount to anything. Have you seen the results of the employee trust survey? Truly shocking results. In my office 6 out of 76 took part.
It was embarrassing. But at least the managers won't be getting their bonus,so that'll save a few bob lols!
Regarding the revisions, my offices revision has been reversed. The plan to amalgamate duties and reduce head count has been binned. The guys who were under threat of becoming supernumeraries have been told their duties will remain for the foreseeable. We have also been informed that our Christmas plan will be as previous years with 6 additional vans and that all vacancies will be back filled with agency staff.
It was also explained that the bonus scheme will be based on a "clear office policy",but the manager was still not sure whether this was on an office by office basis or by region or even nationally!
Does look like RM has found a few quid down the back of an old frame to pay for this and that QofS is now their main focus.
Interesting snippet of gossip from my stand in manager. The long term plan is to do away with COMs and replace with Team Leaders. The team leader will effectively be the Work Place Coach and they will be responsible for overseeing full time equivalent 20 OPGs. The COMs will be reduced in number with one COM overseeing 6 offices or the equivalent of 6 x 45 delivery duties.
As a rough guess you're looking at around £50 million in savings if it is successful and is rolled out nationally.
It wouldn't surprise me if this goes ahead. My stand in manager is/was still an OPG who took on the role temporarily over 6 months ago.
He officially still has a delivery duty and sometimes still does it. No one's really noticed that we don't have a full-time COM anymore. Any issues that the stand in can't deal with like disciplinary, attendance etc are dealt with by other full time COMs from neighbouring offices.
'I heard a rumour that they’re going to ask work dodging slackers on indoor duties to get out and do a bit!'
Tate, that's no way to talk about our Com and line managers. They do a sterling job making sure the vending machines get fully utilized and that our local Golf club keeps ticking over during the week.
At our 'huddle' today the stand in manager asked us to recommend seasonal jobs to our friends and relatives. RM have advertised jobs in our sector but compared to previous years,50% of the vacancies have still been left unfilled. As it takes
3-4 weeks to fill these roles it's leaving it a bit late!
As I said yesterday due to our already high volumes, we could do with them now. There's a palpable sense of panic now from my line manager, he's already saying it's too late, we should have been on top of this months back and that he's got a sinking feeling that he and his colleagues are going to be used on parcel delivery if they don't get these vacancies filled.
Why does Christmas always take RM by surprise??
Tate, thanks for that constructive input. All that negative energy eats away at you mate,let it go, don't identify.
Apparently, suicide is at its highest when men reach middle age and they realize their life choices weren't wise ones!
Red, without the Union I would of been forced on to Ill health retirement. Which would of meant being forced out the business on 12 weeks pay.
Being in the union is worth every penny of the two cappuccinos a week imho.
Red, Thanks,happened months back, taken a while for RM to admit responsibility but the unions legal advisors were like a dog with a bone and ensured I've got the right level of support and more importantly compensation.
I was thinking of retiring prior to this, but in a way RM have done me a favour with permanent indoor light duties. All's well that ends well!
tate, it was a loading bay, we reverse in and load from the back. he hit the front, i was at the back, half in half out loading up. you don't expect some d*ckhead to hit the front of the van! he shouldn't have been there in the first place, just a lazy ****.
being hit was bad, but the idiot tried to blame me, said i shouldn't of been loading from the back. laughable really! think he now works delivering parcels for evri lols
Tate, A manager reversed his car into me whilst I was loading my van. His car shouldn't have been in our loading bay, but he couldn't be ar*ed to park in the carpark like everyone else. Needless to say he's no longer employed by RM!!
Tate, what's with the doom and gloom. RM are flying, parcels and packets out the door everyday. Not just my office but according to our boss it's the whole sector. Like I said, no one cares about quality of service regarding letters. What's not to like from a shareholders perspective?
By all accounts GLS are the same and as their delivery model is based around gig economy workers they will be coining it in. Very, very healthy profits are inbound. Dividends will be reinstated next spring 100% guaranteed and that's only going to push the shares further north.
Spent my lump sums buying shares at 241.6, going to sit on them long term!!!!
Absolutely out the door with parcels all this week.
No one cares about letters now. The whole office has been instructed to leave them and deliver letters to only where you're going with parcels and packets. Agency then coming in on Saturday to mop up leftovers.
We're not even into silly season yet! Share is heading north of £4 if this keeps up. If the volumes turn into profit when the Xmas results come in, we're heading back to £5. IMHO
Don't forget though, turnover is vanity, profit is sanity!!!!!