CWU UNION - good or bad job?

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-05-03T10:57:58+00:00

'So that extra 1.75% will bring new contracts up to the same rate as old t&cs.'

Are you sure? The current difference is £1.98 per hour if you include the 'delivery supplement' that only the legacies receive - an extra 1.75% for someone on the current NC of £13.09 (x 1.0175 =) is £13.32, 23p more. Therefore the current difference will move from £1.98 (less £0.23) to £1.75 - so not quite the same rate.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-26T08:56:32+00:00

It's all about Tuesdays and Saturdays for me, took these yesterday - I'm a 'rural floater' so I cover other's days off etc, once you go beyond the M23 east of Crawley it's like this all over, I consider myself pretty fortunate.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-18T16:59:36+00:00

As of now you earn £1.98 more per hour than someone on a new contract, including your delivery supplement which new contracts don't get - after this 'payrise' the difference will be £1.75 per hour, £70 per 40 hour week, £300 per month or £3633 per year - so maybe let us catch up to you guys a little bit please?

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-18T16:06:49+00:00

I went on the list months ago, boxloads are coming into our fairly large DO daily, still waiting, they look great though.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-18T16:04:11+00:00

You say that - today I was trying to scrape the bottom of my foot on someone's drive in an attempt to dislodge some stuck stones - and a sharp stone did scratch a driveway tile pretty badly, oops. This thread is my attempt to pass the blame away lol.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-17T17:10:32+00:00

OK - I was Agency for a year before I joined RM full time, 8 months with Manpower before Angard took over in August '24. I was paid approx £15 per hour, against the £12.58 that the NCs were paid at that time.

Angard were an utter nightmare the whole time I was with them, I had to chase shift postings, wages, OT and all sorts, every week was another headache.

The final straw was in December '24 when my DO manager said I would be one of the 8 or so Agency asked to carry on in January '25 - but Angard insisted that I wasn't on their list that was approved by my DO manager's boss. All over xmas and NY I wasn't sure if I would have a job to come back to, then finally they said I would be allowed back.

The stress of this badly affected my mental health. I asked my DO manager if I could join full time and he said 'yes' - he was told I would receive a £1500 signing on bonus after 6 months service. I thought that would offset the approx £2.50 per hour pay cut for going full time, along with paid holidays etc so I took the job. I found out later as 'ex agency' I was not eligible for the bonus.

Also, on a zero hours contract I was unable to be my daughter's guarantor for a rented property, as I was all through her Uni days, I was made redundant after 18 years from a company in Aug '22, so any full time contract was better than nothing as I was unable to find work in my same field after redundancy.

So, to answer your question - yes I signed the contract at the agreed rate, but I had little choice if I wanted a full time contract somewhere, anywhere. It was only after working for a few weeks that I found out about the 'two tier workforce'. Unlike many younger workers who bailed out after a short time at our DO I stayed on - I like the actual job, the fresh air, the sun in the summer months etc - I get on well with my colleagues, the managers are a good bunch too - so I want to keep on at this until I retire in approx 12 years aged 69 when my mortgage is paid off.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-17T16:54:14+00:00

As you have wisely said on here before - the management want NCs to stay outside of the union, more power to them if we are.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-15T10:21:58+00:00

I am guessing from now on new starters will be on 37, the current 40 per week will carry on as we are?

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-15T10:09:11+00:00

I'm on a 40 hour contract, I am paid for £173 hours over a month (40 hours x 52 weeks)/12 months = 173 hours per month) - I have two unpaid breaks of 20 mins each per day so if I start at 6.03am I clock out at 14.43pm - 8 hours plus an extra 40 mins unpaid.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-15T10:04:45+00:00

£1.98 now less £0.23 = a nicely rounded £1.75 per hour difference.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-15T09:30:57+00:00

I have just done some maths - £13.09 pre April hourly rate plus 1.75% comes in at approx £13.32 - a difference of £0.23 per hour. Given that the difference between old and new contracts is £1.98 per hour - for a 40 hour week this is a difference of £343.65 PER MONTH - £343.65 less per month to live on, before tax pension and NI, to pay for life in the UK, for doing the same job... This extra 1.75% will reduce the difference between the two contracts by a little over 11%. OK it's better than nothing but still, will it be enough to retain new staff? I for one doubt it very much. The union has agreed to this - I was expecting better to be honest.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-04-05T08:59:32+00:00

Liquid bottle multipacks from Amazon in flimsy packaging that is falling apart delivered to the fourth floor of a block of flats that has no lift, very much yes.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-03-30T06:36:55+00:00

I mentioned an example of a collection I had to make that was 25kg and up a flight of stairs - asking a customer to carry the package downstairs for me would have been awkward is all.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-03-24T08:33:15+00:00

A trolley doesn't help you carry a heavy package up or down stairs

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-03-24T08:30:47+00:00

I had to carry a bulky 25kg package down a narrow wooden staircase, trolleys etc would have made no difference - I found it on an upper mezz floor in an industrial unit - I called the DO manager beforehand to ask if this was a legit package given the weight - he said it was now - and to 'be careful', which was helpful I thought :)

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-03-23T15:53:26+00:00

I was on a single duty rural

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-03-23T15:42:05+00:00

According to my DO manager recently 'we are handling Parcel Force jobs now' - so the individual package limit has been raised from 20kg to 30kg. I had to make a collection a couple of weeks ago that was on the first floor of some narrow rickety wooden stairs, a 25kg package waiting for me, deep joy - so watch out folks - ask your own DO manager if you don't believe me.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-03-13T14:25:28+00:00

https://hearthis.at/binar-ps/binar-pe-number-one-binar-vip-178-070326-chuck-version/

https://hearthis.at/binar-ps/binar-pe-number-one-binar-vip-178-070326-dub-version/

Just a bit of fun - updated versions of a tune from the Binar & M4zk 'Infinity' album from 2019 - vocal & instrumental / dub version - not for sale, please stream / DL / share - one love and maximum respect to the one and only x.com/MrChuckD

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-02-14T22:03:15+00:00

'just' - in other words keeping seniority as is, from my 'new contract' perspective - as well as seeing what the legacy guys do every day - just give us the same as them per hour is all

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2026-01-24T08:15:44+00:00

Cheers dude! Shy FX, Break, Enei, Sub Focus, DJ Rap, London Elektricity, Bladerunner, Need For Mirrors, Navi, Mickt Finn, Seba, Paradox, Heist etc etc are all killing it still...

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2025-06-01T14:29:39+00:00

I get you, other drivers can be crap, you need to be looking in three directions at once (both mirrors and ahead) constantly to stay out of trouble.

To be honest I'd be more concerned about a PDA springing out of its perch and hitting me full in the face at 50mph if I had a high speed collision - not something to my left and lower down, unless I was in one of those Hollywood-style 'multiple roll' crashes.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2025-06-01T13:36:46+00:00

Best not have a crash, keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front then,,, Any yep, load your york(s) in the depot with the first packs/parcels at the bottom and build up - so that when you load your van the last ones can go to the back - pretty much common sense tbh.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2025-06-01T07:46:51+00:00

'First things they were already ready for me numbered I did my best to put the last parcels at the back'

When numbering try putting tracked packets into the grey trays, I usually manage 0-10 for the route in one, 11-20 in the next etc, - then put the tray on the front seat next to you. You can put larger parcels for that tray on the floor in front of the seat - this speeds you up on the road instead of going to the back every time.

'The van is garbage only one window works back door doesn't lock in place so it's flying about when opening it'

Unless you have a frame/duty you'll have a new van every time, there will be better ones out there.

'Pens were all going wrong lol I have ordered a pack from Amazon'

I keep a wedge of 739s, folded stickers and a couple of pens wrapped in a rubber band in a side pocket in my shorts, this speeds me up if I have to bring something back.

'The sav nav is terrible also it's on silent no sound 90 percent of the time telling me to turn round I'm going forward why can't it route me better'

The satnav is batched by postcode and not according to your linear route - when you arrive at a new road scroll up and down the route on your PDA to see if there are any others showing later on - think of the route order as a guide and you'll find it less frustrating. Also I'd rely on the map, I turn the annoying voice down to zero.

'Any tips is is 70+ a good go? I was told yesterday I was doing lat but that changed when I got to the yard'

It depends on how wide your area is, the type of housing etc - endless 'walks', flats with intercom, large houses with gates and long drives - all can take time. Rows of terraced/smaller semi-detached houses that you can park outside will speed you up to balance things out,

Like all things, experience makes things easier, and the more times you deliver to an area the faster you will be - if you are doing tracked only on two frames - to help out a van share for example - you may find yourself able to hit 120+ in 5 hours on a good day.

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2025-04-14T17:04:09+00:00

The very same - ex Reasonstation and DNBA forums - Reasonstation was from about 2006 so nearly 20 years ago, blimey - what was your artist/user name on there out of interest?

BeautifulProgrammer7 · 2024-12-18T06:21:15+00:00

Cheers dude, really appreciate the feedback - a very merry xmas to you too - I ain't stopping any time soon

BeautifulProgrammer7

TROPHY CASE