SORTERS LOCKED OUT FOR REFUSING TO OPEN MAIL BAGS AT THE SORTING OFFICE AND LEAVING THE WORKPLACE AT THE PARCEL POST DEPOT PRIOR TO CLOSING HOURS

Management at the Royal Gibraltar Post Office (RGPO) has locked out the SOG ex-Sorters (known as Sorters) at the North Mole Sorting Office for refusing to open airmail bags when they arrive for work at 8am and for unilaterally deciding that they will abandon their workplace prior to the end of their established working hours when on duty at the Parcel Post Depot.

A Sorter's core and primary role in any post office is to open mailbags and sort all the incoming mail for delivery staff. The opening and initial processing of mailbags is a core postal function.

The opening of mailbags is clearly contained within the job description of a Sorter in Gibraltar.

The origin, quantity and arrival time of any incoming mail, within contracted hours, is irrelevant to the principle of the responsibility for the carrying out of any mailbag-opening and associated duties.

Sorters have plenty of spare time during paid hours. Sorters at the Sorting Office only work an average of 3 actual hours-per-day (excluding breaks) and invariably go home by 12.30.

They are contracted for 7½ hours per day and get paid a further daily additional 1½ hours on overtime plus a daily bonus which amounts to almost three more hours; a total of 12 hours pay per day for 3 hours of actual work.

The Sorters unreasonableness brings very much into question their actual hours of work, their Finish & Go privileged condition, the totally unnecessary 'Ghost' overtime payments (these payments were based on Sorter representations to Government that they would often need to work past 16.30 and this has never happened in 6 years!) and the staff complement itself; amongst other issues.

Accordingly, the Government's position is that the Sorters may only return to work on the clear undertaking that they will carry out the duties agreed in their job description and contract, namely the mailbag-opening and associated tasks.

Management has had no option but to lock out the Sorters who are refusing to do the job they are very well paid to do.

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