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Oligarch I watched the interview with DW on SKY news. Same rhetoric from DW claiming they have great ideas to grow the role of postpersons with absolutely nothing specific some wooly chat about linking with the NHS and new products and services.
He accepts the need for change and to mention deliveries every other day more likely so he can come back in the future and say we have only dropped Saturday and saved you 2 other days that were going to be cut.
Thankfully the business focus now appears to be on improving QoS and real growth areas not some fictitious blueprint DW has kept secret for last x years.
As you say Oligarch the changes might come in within the next 11 months officially but once the options are available, we might see an unofficial move towards the preferred position quite quickly.
It will take its course in its own time. Hopefully, we will get to see the OFCOM proposals soon.
I don't normally look in on a Saturday but just saw the Ofcom news on BBC. I imagine it will put in several options.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68041937
Ispy I agree flexibility should always be a case of give and take and be fair particularly when used as a bit of recognition. I recall once taking in boxes of chocolates for a team I managed just as a small token for getting a particular task achieved, I heard later that one of the team complained as I hadn't considered that she was a diabetic. Just shows that sometimes when you think you are doing the right thing people can still find fault.
I thought when the RNS redlight flashed this morning it was the news about your start/finish times. Interesting to note that it looks to be variable across the estate and looks like it is being applied on an area by area, office by office basis.
Seriously if it suits you that's great as always good to have a happy workforce. You mentioned taking half your break at the end of your shift I would say that's a good example of flexibility and local agreements in action.
No doubt there are lots of ways/ideas to improve QoS and deliver USO targets I wouldn't continue to hold if I didn't think it would be getting tackled.
You mentioned perhaps buying some shares that's good to hear as I assume you wouldn't be buying in expecting to lose money when it drops to your previous quoted buy in price although I guess you could then join the average down/up LTH's
A good set of results with an underlying number of positives. Volumesand revenue up in most areas except letters which have returned to the steady decline path or - 6% - 8%. Another major improvement was in sick absence with 25% less in same period. Assuming sick leave runs at 6% out of say 100k employees reducing that by 25% is a significant number at work helping improve performance.
FY performance still at breakeven minus redundancy costs and lots to do around QoS and USO but IMO it feels like the most positive statement for a few years.
Oligarch I agree with a lot of what you say in terms of government priorities. Ofcom need to be careful with the fines if RM are consistently showing losses to deliver the USO. Perhaps we are moving back from the tipping point of reducing volumes allowing more to be delivered to spec with less resource. Ofcom may even recommend an easing of the standards.
Ispy yes flexibility is handy and being able to react to variable workloads is critical. It is really positive to hear packets volumes are extremely high. I assume a lot of Christmas returns most businesses allow 28 days I believe or people buying the sales online.
An early view of next Christmas will be a planning assumption and using actuals will be a major factor but as you know nothing around forecast by the very nature are set in stone.
Broch I am sure you were pleased to see the joint statement saying that the business was doing just that taking action to improve QoS. Stopping 250 tabletop revisions and addressing the top 24 offices needing most help. Great news. Difficult to say what any government of the day will do and I agree some constituents will voice concern. No party will say or do much pre election as usual the politicians will just duck the issue until in power. Ofcom will of course continue to advise and share analysis what was it 95% of the public weren't concerned about a reduced USO. You may well be right there may be a reduction in specific postcode areas PA, IV, AB, TR etc or even take it down to DO level who knows.
Of course, the level of resource required needs to change to reflect volumes and delivery aims but this would be achieved in the main by not filling vacancies, releasing agency and reducing/stopping O/T and allow QoS targets to be hit.
As always, the next few months will be particularly important results, financials, Ofcom update etc
Lengthy CWU update on JS covering QoS restoration and seasonal hours variation.
https://www.facebook.com/TheCommunicationsUnion/?locale=en_GB
A brief mention on BBC news and Evri still ranked at the bottom but haven't not watched the programme I accept Evri do well handling the parcels they damage.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67726537
Brendyboy I agree seems silly to stop the seasonal hours a week before Christmas. Surely it would have been better just to have 1 additional hour in the weeks in November and 3 hours in December right up until the 31st. I am joking this was part of the agreement with CWU and surely a reasonable thing to do when many Schools are breaking up and of course I expect there will be plenty of overtime for those who wish to partake.
Oligarch DerekR is of course correct it was all about access and allowing competition. Funny how most only wanted to cream off the best parts. I recall stories from some Sales people turning up to appointments and being told they were cancelled as that business had gone with competitors. Some tried to play one off against the other but of course RM had price constraints/restrictions.
We had many weird and wonderful contracts at times and old favourite was CRL which from memory was for mixed weight packets and the customer and some sampling allowed sales to agree a price around the average. Strange that when revenue protection ever did any samples most of the items seemed above the average weight.
Poor controls in mail centres and operational deadlines meant many items were just pushed through without detailed checks. Quite a few customers did go to others, but a good number returned.
Sid786 the regulator would have to make a recommendation to the government of the day and it would be down to the appropriate minister to make the decision. You would like to think they would take on board a recommendation but not always necessarily the case and it could/would have the potential to be political point scoring issue. I agree with Oligarch it's not going to happen quickly perhaps may get more weight behind it if the financials for RMG are poor at end of the financial year. It could well be after the next general election (latest 28th Jan 2025)
Redceo an interesting article, we will catch up eventually. I don't think we need to reignite the debate of the pros and cons of the USO suffice to say it is being looked at and this includes by the CWU producing a strategy paper on it and other issues as shown from this update from CWUFB message.
- How we reconnect in the workplace
- How we restore quality of service , pause revisions
- USO
- How we tackle all the live issues including later starts, supernumaries and Fleet.
Https://shorttracker.co.uk/company/GB0030913577/
Scroll down and you see the Kintbury position
Olig you will know if these are contracted services there will be volume and weight thresholds to be met plus potential volume discounts and as you say none of us know what these are.
The contract managers will, and they work very closely with our business customers and liaise constantly flagging any issues including collection failures, supply of materials, yorks, labels etc. We don't know all or exactly what services they are using but on checking TK Maxx their delivery information shows standard delivery for £4.99 or free on spend which is in fact tracked showing a 5 working days delivery spec with links to RM T&T. I am going to be positive and say we will be meeting that service level. Certainly, if that's what is claimed to be the prime focus of ops.
I haven't checked the other companies mentioned and as stated we don't know exactly what services they are using so not sure you can use the some offices are struggling comments to suggest we may be failing contracts and may have to give some contract customers some rebates. Unless you have seen some specific comments on these companies and service failure information.
I agree with you that we should endeavour to deliver to spec as per the products and would suggest the reasonable price is what the contract customers have agreed to pay (and in the main pass onto their customers).
I have had no problems with my deliveries this year including some tracked items so that must mean the whole network is fine...........you can see where I am going with that thought. I remain positive we will see an improving performance moving forward and let's see what the January update shows.
DerekR appreciated. Economically efficient obviously open to opinion and debate and challenge. The financials are the numbers and well scrutinised. I think I will leave any further comment on USO until any further comment from the business and/or OFCOM.
DerekR thanks for the link which I will read later. Few questions which you may have answers too.
What's the current constrained profit level? Would the price control adjustment not only kick in when the business realises the/a profit on USO items?
Have you got any details of foreign administration whose volumes and revenue has dropped when their USO provision has reduced?
I personally don't see the change to the USO as some panacea but with Ofcom themselves suggesting a savings for the business surely its a prudent step to take to help manage costs?