The good, the bad and the ugly about Royal Mail Xmas Casuals...

Hnmm, I get £6.83 an hour as I am in the 'special' part of the South East, I'm doing part time shift 5:30 till 9:30 pm every weekday and get a 20 min break! I alos always get offered overtime for the weekends, and there is time and a half pay on sundays. The job is also very easy! I think you should be getting a 40 min break for but I don't think its paid. It's full of blokes here too but the other temps are really friendly, and it it weren't for them, it would be so boring. The temp staff room does get very boring though as no one talks and its just akward silences lol. All in all, I love working there and I feel sad that I'm going to leave next week.

Reply 2

I'm not actually sure how much i'm getting an hour but is around £5.80ish (I'm 17 btw) and I do 2-10pm, Monday to Friday. I get a paid 15 minute break and an unpaid 30 minute break. Your right about everyone being friendly and welcoming. What annoys me the most is that to get into and out of the building you need a card which temps are not given, so waiting around at 10pm after doing an 8 hour shift, for some one hopefully walk past and let you out, is rather irratating. The work is very easy but sooo boring. Are you guys doing just letters or a mixture because a typical shift sees me doing everything from flats to packets to letters to bundles?

Reply 3

essexgirl85

My fiance is a royal mail manager and from what I gather about the temps they are moved about here there and everywhere as and when it suits Royal Mail. As far as I am aware you should be paid for your breaks I know the permanent workers are. Its standard to get short breaks though and the working conditions are pretty much the same whatever mail centre your in. I know from my fella that most people in his 10 years experience within RM take their own food in as the canteen stuff is so bad.

Reply 4

super_dry

Tongolele

Hi,

In the end they gave me a call to work for a week and a half as a Xmas casual :biggrin:

Among the good things I've found that:
- Pay is alright (5.85ish an hour)
- I got the shift I wanted (2:30 to 10:30 PM)
- The job is easy enough once you get the hang of it

The baaaaad: :s-smilie:

-Only two fifteen minutes breaks! :woo:

It's not enough for eating, it's a joke! I thought I would be getting one whole paid hour? :confused:

What are you guys getting?
- The place is so old and scruffy, like a horrible third world sweatshop (excepts that is cold as heck) :eek:

Are all RM sorting centers pretty much the same?

hey, did you apply for the job via the website or did you call them for the job?

Reply 5

I applied online :wink:

I'm also only doing letters, although today I was asked to wrap up some damaged items in plastic baggies. I actually like it better than sorting postcodes.

About the meal break, I received a letter saying that breaks are not paid, but on the first day when I arrived I was told by a manager that we had two 15 minutes PAID breaks, not sure which one is it?

I suppose 30 minutes break in 8 hours is alright as long as it's paid for... otherwise it's a complete p**s take.

Reply 6

FXX

Tongolele

I suppose 30 minutes break in 8 hours is alright as long as it's paid for... otherwise it's a complete p**s take.

That's what we get at Sainsburys. I'm sure it's the legal minimum, but don't quote me on that.

Reply 7

Just completed a 12 hour shift lol. Sorting letters and packets. It;s so chilled out on the weekends and I might do the same tomorrow as its time and a half.

Reply 8

Lilly

Just completed a 12 hour shift lol. Sorting letters and packets. It;s so chilled out on the weekends and I might do the same tomorrow as its time and a half.

12 Hours

I've had well enough after 8 hours lol. I also sort letters and packets. When is your finish date?

Reply 9

Lilly

Just completed a 12 hour shift lol. Sorting letters and packets. It;s so chilled out on the weekends and I might do the same tomorrow as its time and a half.

Sheesh!

I couldn't wait to get the hell out on saturday, actually after like 4 hours sorting letters I feel like I've had enough. I could do this job part time, but full time... no way jose :s-smilie:

Reply 10

FXX

That's what we get at Sainsburys. I'm sure it's the legal minimum, but don't quote me on that.

Are those 30 minutes paid?

Reply 11

FXX

Tongolele

Are those 30 minutes paid?

For us they are, yeah.

Reply 12

It's only a temp job so I thought I would make the most of it hehe. I did 8 hours today, I only normally do 4 hours every weekday. My last day may be tomorrow depending on how much post the centre gets, but if there is work, my end date is on the 23rd.

Reply 13

Oh my end date is tomorrow but i'm hoping maybe I get a day or 2 more. Doubt it though. How are you finding it? Would you return next year?

Reply 14

Maynia

Sorting office work is never particularly interesting - it's hugely repetitive by nature - but I find that once I get into a rhythm it's not that bad. MP3 player helps me there. The places are usually pretty threadbare, RM simply doesn't have the money to keep them in good shape since the company was forced to give away the most profitable parts of the business and keep the loss-making last-mile work when the market was opened. Frankly though, for the work it is it's not terribly hard and it's about the most you're ever going to get for that type of employment.

For the other stuff... I gets an hour total split into 12:40am to 1am and 2:20am to 3am on a shift from 10pm-6am, both parts paid, so I have no idea what other centres are playing at in that respect - though expecting RM to have any sort of internal consistency is just a plain bad idea, really. :p:

I agrees on the postcode thing. People who don't write them or write them in unreadable handwriting should be punished - I bet they're the first to complain about RM employees being the devil if their stuff doesn't get there on time because THEY flubbed the instructions...

Reply 15

I agree about people who don't use postcodes. There letter or packets should be put to the bottom of the pile and then if you run out of time it won't go that day but thats the price they have to pay for not using 2 seconds of there time to look up a postcode.

Reply 16

My end date may be tomorrow now, my manager said he would decide tomorrow if we should come in Wednesday. Hardly anyone was in today due to the snow and we went home early today too. Think lorries were delayed so there may be a backlog now, hopefully, so I can stay till Wednesday hehe. I will definatly apply again next year. :smile:

Reply 17

I got offered hours for tommorw today and i think that is it then. Am glad though cos I'm not sure how much more I can take. Although to be honest it wasn't that bad and is considerably well paid compared to some of my friends jobs. And the banter is quality. I think i'm getting a fear of anything saying Road 2, red elastic bands and letters with no postcodes though. :smile:

Reply 18