Post Office Sorters Dispute

The Statement issued by the trade union Unite in relation to the Post Office Sorters would be irrelevant even if it were true, and is thus rejected by the Royal Gibraltar Post Office.

"Debagging", that is tipping a bag over so that mail falls out of it, is encompassed in the job description of Sorters which they have agreed to in a Collective Agreement from which they have derived very significant financial benefit.

Management is entitled, at any time, to require employees to carry out tasks which, as well as being an obvious part of the job, are encompassed in the job description.

Sorters cannot pick and choose the bits of their Collective Agreement and their job description that they are willing to carry out. It is all of it, or none of it.

The Sorters should reflect on the contract they currently enjoy, which, as it stands today allows them to finish work at 12.30, work as little as 3 hours a day and earn around £33,000 p.a. These are valued, but highly privileged public employees.

Management will not agree to arbitration on an issue which is clearly captured by the job description referred to in the Collective Agreement, and urges Sorters to return to work, accepting that debagging is part of their job description in the spirit of service to a public that rewards them very generously.

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