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Postal Reform - how it hits your job
The biggest proposal is the extra time to deliver regular mail. The two extra days to deliver threatens jobs, especially on evening and night shifts. So far, Australia Post has admitted:
- Mail Centres such as SWLF, DLF, Northgate, and Regional Centres would lose night work. There would always be a night shift to process the Priority Mail, but Regular mail will be processed during the day. This means the loss of shift allowances for many union members.
- Australia Post have already moved volunteers from night shift to day shift at the major centres. Penalty rates can change from 30% to 15% or 0%, depending on the starting times.
- Delivery night shift would lose work because more mail will be sequenced and processed during the day – reducing the need for night sorting.
- Members in transport would be affected because mail will be transported from processing centres at different times. This may affect penalties.
- More time to deliver mail would let post cut back more regional mail centres and transfer the work to central processing. A two-day turn around puts regional centres further from the capitals at risk. Post used the example of processing all mail north of Mackay in Cairns or Townsville. Local mail centres would only extract local priority mail, putting most regional sorting jobs at risk.
- Linehaul would be affected as new times and tasks are needed to transport mail.
- Priority mail would be identified by the addition of a special purchased stamp (50c) to be attached next to the proposed $1.00 stamp used for Regular mail.
- Australia Post has announced they are going to buy new machines that sort more accurately. If it works, Postie rounds and night sorters could see big changes, but management aren’t clear how it will work.
