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Retail Technology Transformation - 16 July 2013
Advice from Post:
Further to my letter of 13 March 2013, where I advised you that Australia Post technology was implementing a number of upgrades as part of our Building Future Ready IT. I wish to provide you with an update on the Retail Technology Transformation ("RTT") deployment.
As you are aware, Australia Post commenced a pilot of 240 terminals earlier this year, This has now been completed and we are commencing the next phase of our implementation. These timelines are driven by the fact that we will no longer be able to source the current Retail counter hardware or spares through reliable channels. This technology upgrade will also allow for increasing capability for eCommerce, Retail and
Financial and Identity Services should new business arise. For counter staff there will be minimal training required as there will be no changes to the software or its functionality, and the new equipment will appear and work the same as the existing hardware. The new equipment will deliver a drop in failure rates associated with the existing technology.
We intend to have approximately 3,200 new terminals Installed by the end of the year "Phase 1"), This includes a change embargo during November and December 2013 due to Christmas peak period.
We intend to provide you with a further update towards the end of the year with additional information about the rollout of this project in 2014 ("Phase 2") and any anticipated impacts on staffing in the New Year,
We expect that by the end of this year we will have a greater understanding of how many remaining terminals need to be installed in Phase 2, the capacity of our staff to carry out those remaining installations, and the progress of other items of work where we will need to evaluate overall staff workloads in 2014.
The Commissioner has made the following file note arising from the conference on 17 April 2013.
1. The CEPU are to consider internally if there are any remaining inconsistencies in the data arising from the live study of bill transactions and if they are indentified seek to resolve them with Australia Post. The CEPU and Australia Post are to make a notional adjustment to the data to take account of the lower proportion of EFPOS transactions in the sample.
2. Having completed this task a line is to be drawn under the live study exercise.
3. There is no basis to add the 18% to the live study data. The 18% is designed to cover the difference between theoretical times and actual times allowing for human interaction and behaviour including fatigue. In the main these matters are captured by a live study (assuming reasonable sample). However, factors such as "rest" and "adjustment" activity between transactions is not captured. This and other abnormal or different activities are according to Australia Post captured by "back office" survey and or by times allocated to other MODAPTS transactions.
4. The CEPU and Australia Post working party on the "back office" survey should ensure that the back office survey technique captures those factors which Australia Post say it is designed to capture and which the CEPU say are not adequately captured at present.
5. The parties can request a further report back when this has progressed.
22-02-13 FUTURE STAFFING MODEL DISPUTE GOES BACK TO FWC TO SORT OUT JOINT STUDY METHODOLOGY
Following the meeting at FWA on 8th February 2013 a discussion was held between CWU and Australia Post personnel to agree on the details of the study of EPOS Bill Payment transactions.
Agreement on the types of transactions to be studied could not be reached because Australia Post claimed to disallow transactions that included any of the following occurrences:
Unbelievably, Australia Post claim that the time involved in the above situations is all recorded in the counter survey and back office minutes! They are not and even if Australia Post wanted to record it they couldn't - Post Office operations would come to a stop while PSOs timed and recorded these interactions with customers. It doesn't happen and Australia Post benefits from the time not being recorded because they don't have to provide staff to cover for these situations.
The union has accommodated Australia Post's request to remove a number of things that we considered should have been regarded as part of the transaction however we considered that limiting the study to the MODAPTS part of the transaction which is often the smaller part of the total transaction time denies the study the opportunity to gain a realistic picture of the times required in counter work involving bill payments.
The matter is scheduled for a further conference in Fair Work Commission.
STOP PRESS
Agreement reached between the parties enabling a joint Australia Post /CWU study of live times for bill pay transactions to commence in the week of 25th February. The study will be conducted at two Post Offices in Victoria - Melton PO and Croydon PO over a two weeks period. We will prepare a joint report at the conclusion of the study identifying areas of agreement and difference for discussion.
At the same time the union is meeting with Australia post to review Australia Post's Back Office Survey, the union's proposed Workload Assessment Tool and greater involvement of Postal Managers and staff in the system for determining staffing requirements.
04-02-13 MODOPS - FWC RECOMMENDATION MEMBERS' BULLETIN
[This matter has been before the Fair Work Commission as a dispute over times.
Following arguments put by National Industrial Officer Carol Gee, FWC has issued the a recommendation.]
Is 2013 the tipping point for Australia Post's unfair measuring obsession with retail work?
For almost the last year a revolt against AP's measuring system known as MODAPTS and ROM has been growing around the country, with retail workers, Postal Managers and the union speaking out about the negative impact on workers and customer service of this obsession.
Although the union has been decrying the flawed logic behind the MODAPTS and ROM measuring for some time and most recently in the RSTA dispute over staffing models and flexibility, the reality is that for the past decade Australia Post has resisted our complaints and this system for determining staffing has continued.
Last week however Fair Work Australia issued a Recommendation that may augur long overdue changes to the system for determining retail staffing.
Following arguments put by the parties in favour of their proposal to resolve the dispute over staffing models and flexibility - the union sought a joint study of counter and back office times and greater involvement of Postal Managers and staff into the system to determine staffing requirements, while AP pretty much sought status quo but agreed to incorporate elements of the CEPUs proposed Workload Assessment Tool into the survey tools - Commissioner Roe issued a Recommended in which he stated:
I therefore recommend a joint study be undertaken in respect to time required for bill pay tasks. That study would observe and record the activities and times associated with individual bill pay transactions and compare these with the MODAPTS times. The study to be at locations agreed between the parties by 5 February 2013.
The parties will review the back office survey form and the CEPU proposed Workload Assessment Tool and greater involvement of Postal Managers in the system for determining staffing requirements.
The Recommendation is quite long and a full copy is available on the union's website (www.cwu.org.au)
Although AP is being difficult about the trial - they have demanded another conference in FWA to discuss the joint study - this time Australia Post may be unable to ignore the noise and resistance leading to the question: Has the tipping point been reached? Are we witnessing the early signs of a change in how we think about the best ways to measure work in Post Offices?
Talk to your work mates about the problems with the current staffing model and contact the union with your views on (cwu@cwu.org.au)
21-05-12 RETAIL CWU MEMBERS' BULLETIN
Australia Post desperate to avoid acknowledging that their systems for calculating staffing are in fact inadequate
Your union, the CWU, has put into dispute Australia Post's system for calculating staffing in
Retail outlets.
Currently, the determination of the work content(staffing) for an outlet is by systems driven
MODAPTS and local survey content. This is NOT well balanced because there is too much
reliance on MODAPTS times which often do not reflect the variable nature of the work, and the
gathering of local content via the survey is known to be difficult to achieve because the people
expected to do it(you) are busy serving customers and have not been trained to do it.
At our last meeting we provided Post with live data of transaction times which demonstrated that
their MODAPTS times are insufficient, as we have been asserting all along, and argued that there
is now a strong case for Post to engage in a well designed research activity to establish REAL
work times rather than just their theoretical ones,
We have discussed these issues with Post and now it is up to them to show some goodwill by
offering to do more than just doggedly defend their defenceless position. If their methods are so
good then some scrutiny should he non-threatening to them.
To date Post has responded with the usual platitudes and self-serving justifications. Now they
have advised that they intend to proceed with ROM Reviews.
We have restated our position and await Post's response. In the meantime if you are involved in a
ROM review make sure you record the following information your survey report:
Even though the ROM survey forms do not include the above items the ROM instructions allow
any staff member to survey anything they deem relevant to ROM. If you want to keep jobs in
your workplace start recording accurately what you do, Remember to also keep a copy for your
own records.
E-bulletin readers would be aware that the union has established a committee comprising State Branch and Divisional Office representatives and CWU members from Post Retail to develop a new Retail Services Transformation Agreement (RSTA) for negotiation with Australia Post. The RSTA committee has now submitted an initial draft Agreement to Australia Post following a full day caucus in late February to finalise their position and meeting with Post the next day. The union's recent survey of retail members was invaluable in developing an RSTA proposal that is based upon members' wants and needs and many thanks to all those who took part. State Branches will be forwarding the results of the Survey to Retail members in the near future. In the meantime we await Post's response.
On more matters Retail, the National Retail Forum met recently. Again the Survey results were instrumental in driving our agenda forward. Issues that were not necessarily only RSTA matters were raised. These included over weight, over sized parcels, chairs being made available at counters to those who needed them, cePOS issues, problems due to IT restructuring and the old chestnut unpaid overtime and additional hours.
Survey results indicate that millions of dollars per year in unpaid overtime are being worked by Retail members. Australia Post has been put on notice that this will not be tolerated. The stone that is Retail members work ethic has been squeezed dry of all blood and a line in the sand has been drawn by the CWU. We have made it clear to Post that unless they take decisive action to address this issue that consequences will follow.
We await Australia Post's response on the unpaid overtime and the other issues raised and will be communicating this to retail members.
Hundreds of Australia Post retail workers have been having their say on the Retail Services Transformation Agreement (RSTA) through the CWU survey sent to Retail workers in December and January are available on line on the union's website.
The key concerns of Retail workers to date include:
The survey also confirms what the union has been saying for some time that:
Importantly the survey informs that:
Clearly Australia Post must stop relying on the good will of Retail workers to run its business and start paying people for additional hours and overtime performed.
We continue to analyse the results and are preparing a position to put to Australia Post.
The proposal for a Retail Services Transformation Agreement arises from
EBA7 (see extract below). To progress the proposal, a National RSTA Committee has been established comprising of CWU and Australia Post nominees.
As part of that process, we want to know what you think. A survey is being undertaken to provide the committee members with your views.
The CWU National Committee is made up of the following members: Watch this page for more developments.
Retail Services workers (members and non-members are encouraged to go to the
RSTA Survey Page
and complete the survey.
Your assistance in this means that we can represent your interests more efficiently.
I am not satisfied that the proposal of Australia Post adequately addresses the concerns raised by the CEPU about the adequacy of the methodology utilised to arrive at standard times for counter work functions.
CWU National Office - Martin O'Nea - National Assistant Secretary Postal
CWU National Office - Carol Gee - Senior Industrial Officer
WA - Bryan Watkins - Organiser
NSW - Nathan Metcher - Organiser
SA - David Law - PM Salisbury
Vic - Cindy Shelley - Organiser
Vic - Louise Whitehead - PM Melton
Qld - Phil Hughes - State Secretary
We are conducting a survey of all Retail Services members in Australia Post employed under the Retail Services Transformation Agreement.
The Survey, which covers general issues in the sector,
is important because it will highlight areas of concern and give us detailed information to best represent members in this area.
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