Postman Awarded £13,000 After Royal Mail Blocked His 5am Start Time

Royal Mail has been ordered to pay nearly £13,000 to a veteran postman after preventing him from starting his shift at 5am.

Darren Williams had begun work at 5am for decades, but following a period of leave he was instructed to adopt a later start time. An employment tribunal heard that the early shift helped ease his anxiety by allowing him to avoid crowds, and enabled him to return home sooner to care for his wife.

After he took time off, Royal Mail said his hours needed to change on his return in an effort to reduce the risk of further long-term sickness absence.

Mr Williams brought a successful claim for disability discrimination. An employment judge in Manchester ruled that he should have been given a transitional period to adjust to the new start time. He was awarded £12,925 for injury to feelings.

The judge also recommended that Royal Mail write to Mr Williams confirming that his current start time is 6am.

The tribunal heard that Mr Williams works as a postman in Eccles, Greater Manchester, and is recognised as disabled due to autism and mental health conditions.

Before taking sick leave in November 2022, he had worked from 5am to 12.42pm for many years. He would arrive at the delivery office at 5am and begin his rounds at around 9am.

Finishing early allowed him to return home to support his wife, who has health issues.

Mr Williams was off work from November 2022 until February 2023. When he returned, his original route had been merged into another round.

He said he asked to start as close to 5am as possible but was informed that his new hours would begin at 6.45am, and at 7.30am on Tuesdays.

He told the tribunal he felt harassed by "constant emails and letters" instructing him to change his hours.

The panel concluded that Royal Mail had failed to make reasonable adjustments for his disability.

However, a separate allegation of disability-related harassment was not upheld.

E&K Solicitors