Post Office on da move

[tirvaluk]

I’m sure if I recall they have applied for permission to take down the old rusty sheeting of their premises at Garthspool, but stated they wanted to retain the steel frame. Coincidence Ghostie ?

They don't own the building at Garthspool, only rent the premises.

[Wheelsup]

So, Royal Mail and the Post office are separate companies, who currently share the same address?  Or that's how it appears. Is one moving and one staying, then?

[shetlander]

Nothing's been said about the delivery/sorting bit as far as I've heard. No doubt it'll be a matter of time before that side of things will move to a more modern/purpose built shed somewye.

 

A pity that the building might lose the use that it was built for. To be honest though, I'm surprised it's taken this long considering big old post offices sooth have been moving into shopping centres, supermarkets, WHSmith's etc. for years.

 

A symptom of fewer of us using them no doubt and an organisation that cares more about cutting costs than being in bonnie (but draughty/expensive to maintain/heat) old buildings that they have a historic connection with.

[Rivlins]

This just in.... the Post Office move just might be off again.... the staff from the old Post Office who were to move to Conochies have all quit when they discovered they were going to have their pay chopped to minimum wage. Reportedly Conochies is currently trying to recruit new staff.

 

An additional point of interest - a certain Local Retailer has said that he would have been happy to host the Post Office counter..... but he never got the chance to apply for it.

 

And finally - let us not lose track of the ironic fact that our very own MP, Alistair Carmichael, voted in favour of privatising the Post Office. Well done, Al!

[Frances144]

That is very very sad.  Sad about how they treat their staff, not about the move being possibly off/postponed.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Frances144

[Roachmill]

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

Wouldn't TUPE Regulations apply if they were going to be doing the same job?

[shetlander]

^Good question. But how exactly does this work as far as who the staff work for and who is given the chance to 'host' the post office?

 

I ken that in rural areas if a postmaster/mistress retires or a PO or shop housing one closes, they advertise the opportunity for somebody to take it on. I'm pretty sure that the business owner then gets paid by the post office but there are no direct post office employees as such.

 

Is it any different for main post offices like Lerwick? The existing staff are presumably directly employed by them so will a Conochies shop assistant also be doing post office work or will there be a dedicated PO counter with PO paid staff?

[Colin]

It seems a little strange to me that the Post Office can pay a decent(?) wage and, presumably, make a profit so, why can't Conochies ?

 

On a related issue I think that Conochie's is to "small" anyway.  They might be getting a lot of extra "footfall" out of it but, the PO can be very busy at times and large queues are not uniusual.  Look at Bolts as an example.

 

As for TUPE regulations.  It's just a guess but I would think that existing PO staff were being made redundant and were offered positions by a new employer (Conochie's).  If this is correct then, resignations were a bit "premature".

[Windwalker]

This move by the post office has been a shambles from the start, it seems that this was all decided before they had their so called consultation with the public. It is obviously purely led by savings, rather then service, so it comes as no surprise that staff pay and conditions will not be retained.

 

some of the staff have served us well for many years and their knowledge and experience will be a great loss. This is how people are now rewarded for long service and commitment. The bosses who have made this decision should be ashamed of themselves, but of course they will continue to collect their overpaid salaries.

 

So Lerwick town centre will now have a small overcrowded post office, with inexperienced staff,  poor disabled parking on a busy pedestrian part of the street.  But hey, that’s progress. 
 

I for one will just use Bolts, good service, queuing inside and free parking.

[Ghostrider]

It seems a little strange to me that the Post Office can pay a decent(?) wage and, presumably, make a profit so, why can't Conochies ?

Conochie's, presumably will be supplying counter services on behalf of the Post Office under contract, at a cost to the Post Office agreed between both parties. To what extent the contract cost reflects the monetary value of what passes over the counter, or the profit thereon to the Post Office, is anyone's guess. The Post Office almost certainly wouldn't have agreed to contract the service out unless at a rate financially beneficial to themselves compared to the present arrangement.

 

Although probably unlikely, *if* Conochie's are viewing incorporating the PO counter as a loss leader, and are expecting to make back the shortfall from a growth in shop trade through increased footfall, there's every possibility they are only receiving a relative pittance from the PO. There have been incidences in the past where PO counter services have been discontinued in some rural areas after a closure due to retirement etc, simply through no-one being interested in taking it on as the financial package on offer was so poor, so their lack of generosity in such circumstances is anything but new.

[shetlandtrader]

It seems a little strange to me that the Post Office can pay a decent(?) wage and, presumably, make a profit so, why can't Conochies ?

 

On a related issue I think that Conochie's is to "small" anyway.  They might be getting a lot of extra "footfall" out of it but, the PO can be very busy at times and large queues are not uniusual.  Look at Bolts as an example.

 

As for TUPE regulations.  It's just a guess but I would think that existing PO staff were being made redundant and were offered positions by a new employer (Conochie's).  If this is correct then, resignations were a bit "premature".

 

they are not franchising it out because it was making money post office counters have been very open about the fact that crown offices cost more to run than they make in commission

 

This just in.... the Post Office move just might be off again.... the staff from the old Post Office who were to move to Conochies have all quit when they discovered they were going to have their pay chopped to minimum wage. Reportedly Conochies is currently trying to recruit new staff.

 

An additional point of interest - a certain Local Retailer has said that he would have been happy to host the Post Office counter..... but he never got the chance to apply for it.

 

And finally - let us not lose track of the ironic fact that our very own MP, Alistair Carmichael, voted in favour of privatising the Post Office. Well done, Al!

this was definetly advertised also post office counters has not been privatised

Edited January 31, 2020 by shetlandtrader

[BigMouth]

It would appear that the consultation was like most, a foregone consultation, where someone already had the rubber stamp in hand hovering over the paperwork.  I feel sorry for the new staff as the job looks fairly complex, especially will all the extra selling that goes into it, and much comes with experience.  If sense prevails one of the current PO staff will be brought into Conochies on decent money so that the new staff can get trained up from them, otherwise the chances are that it will be a complete gang f++k for a few months. Pay peanuts, get monkeys.  Other parcel couriers are available though.  Looking on the positive side, at least Conochies will finally have 2nd class stamps in stock, and not 2nd Large as is usually the only option.  Although if you can't manage to keep stamps in stock, I am at a loss to how you are going to make a go of a Post Office.

 

Bolts PO staff may be OK, but the queueing system is as bad as similarly named Boots.  You only have to have some halfwit stood next to their husband* and the passageway is blocked.  It will be interesting to see the floor plan of Conochies with the new PO in place to see how they manage the queueing.  I assume that the Thorntons area is being thinned out as a way of making space to shunt a reduced stationery offering into.  Not a bad idea as the footfall in the stationery part of the shop seems minimal; so quiet that Goudies could have a desk in there.

 

I am curious to know what Da Street PO will become.  Perhaps another eatery or charity shop.  I am hoping that there will finally be some attempt at expanding the accommodation in that area.  Hjaltland could throw up some of their tiny flats there.  The street really does need to be less commercial, and more residential taking up the space of the dying businesses as they become available.

 

*Or wife.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

It would seem that the Post Office have previously been the subject of a rather longish debate in Westminster and how they have a habit of whilst TUPEing over employees, their pension is not TUPE'd over.  Perhaps that's one of the reasons why the current employees do not wish to take up employ with Conochies?

[BigMouth]

PO Counters are probably saving up their pennies to cover the compensation for the Horizon debacle, where their postmasters have been jailed for supposed dishonesty with the cash, whereas the fault lay with the IT system.

Edited February 10, 2020 by BigMouth