I currently work full time, shift work, am I correct in thinking that I should recieve the same amount of bank holiday as the other staff working full time as well, even though they dont work shift work.

I work the same number of hours but in less days.

Not necessarily. Employers are not under any obligation to either give you the day off or pay you an enhanced rate for working it. The statutory requirement is for employers to give 4 weeks paid holiday but that can include the bank holidays.

You may have an argument that other workers get these days off as extras, but then you probably get an extra shift allowance which your employer could argue compensates you.

In any event your working conditions are not the same therefore the two are not comparable.

Peter

UpC/Peter

On a slight tangent, but maybe of some interest, my company (medium-sized) found a tax loop-hole in Aug06 that gives ALL full-time emplyees a NI refund on our official holidays taken (but booked in advance) ie we get roughly 1 months NI contributions back in our sky rocket, on a retrospective basis. Better than a kick in the teeth for doin nowt!

alvin

It would appear Peter is correct. Unless your contract states that you are entitled to bank holidays 'in addition' to annual leave then whatever paid days you have off come out of your annual leave quota.

See this for a simplified view of your basic work rights in the UK.

I work shift's and if i work on a bank holiday i get double time if i am not working the bank holiday then i get a extra days holiday added to my entitlement.

That may be so johnboy, but that is a 'contractual' agreement between you and your employer - it is not a 'statutory right' imposed by law. An individual's normal statutory holiday entitlement is 4 weeks (which does include Public and Bank Holidays if the employer so choses).

I have worked shift work for over 30 years. Payments do vary from company to company.

If your shifts cover weekends and bank holiday's then you should be getting shift allowance. A number of companies pay an extra premimum
in over time, this to varies from company to company.

Normally if you work xmas day any part of it some companies pay over time and a day off in leiu.

If your working for a company that pays your salary which includes shift working and no extra then find another company. There are firms out there screaming out for shift workers.

I am supposed to get the bank holidays on top of my normal holiday. Because of the way my shift falls i sometimes work Mondays and sometimes dont. I work the same full time hours as the day staff who get all there bank holidays on top.
There argument is I get a day off every week, my argument is I dont get a day of every week, i work the same amount of hours as a 5 day full time staff but do it in 4 nights..

Everywhere else I have worked I have got these days - Bank Holidays that I miss when working a Tuesday - Friday shift as a day in leiu....

Basically It seems I am getting shafted compared to all the other staff, I am getting paid the same rate working nights as the day staff, which I only found out recently..

quote:

Originally posted by upcountry:
I am supposed to get the bank holidays on top of my normal holiday...

Only if it is stated so in your Contract of Employment - and then you actually have to be normally working on that day. You cannot claim a Bank Holiday Monday day-off/payment if you don't actually/normally work on a Monday!!

quote:

Originally posted by upcountry:
... There argument is I get a day off every week, my argument is I dont get a day of every week, i work the same amount of hours as a 5 day full time staff but do it in 4 nights...

Then you are entitled to 4 weeks paid leave per year - that is 4 weeks of 4 nights.

quote:

Originally posted by upcountry:
Everywhere else I have worked I have got these days - Bank Holidays that I miss when working a Tuesday - Friday shift as a day in leiu...

It is irrelevant what you had in previous employment, what matters here is what is in your "current" Contract of Employment.

quote:

Originally posted by upcountry:
... Basically It seems I am getting shafted compared to all the other staff, I am getting paid the same rate working nights as the day staff, which I only found out recently..

That is the deal you negotiated with your employer when you were offered the job! Your employer is doing nothing wrong.

when starting a new job that includes shift working then you should be looking for the following;

A yearly salary plus a shift allowance. The shift allowance can be as much as 25% more for unsocial hours working.

Before starting a job be sure you understand that if your shift falls on a bank holiday ask if there is any extra payment for working a bank holiday.

Should a bank holiday fall on your days off then the company may add lieu days to the holiday entitlement as the normal 9to5 staff get a bank holiday and you will loose out.

If you get paid overtime on a bank holiday you are rotered to work then don't expect a leiu day as well.

Your line manager should have the authorisation to give lieu days or pay overtime.

This is how it works in IT .

All the above should be in your job offer and contract of employment apart from allowing leiu days at your line manager discression. It may well be that your company has not moved with the times and kept in touch with business trends and are still in the dark ages. Your company are not doing anything wrong. If you don't get any extra for working shifts or bank holidays then find a company that are experienced in employing shift workers.

Of course, you may be a member of a Trade Union and may be benefiting from collective bargaining.

I think it best I start looking for a new job, thanks for all the help..

as terry i have done shift work most of my life and yes it does vary depending on who you work for.the first thing you must do is to ask all of these questions before starting as once started its difficult to alter,the larger copmpanies will probably have a union representation(probably as if not the adverse publicity affects their profile).most firms will try and shaft you.a person can be a member of a trade union singularly.hence you can ask for advice regarding terms and conditions prior to accepting an offer.and you do not have to disclose this to the potential employer.i would suggest you talk to the management to try and improve your conditions then if all else fails look around

I work 12 hour shifts and get on top of my salary 26% shift allowance

i work 4 x 10 hour shifts and on top of my salary get an extra 16.50 a night for doing it, i must be mad....

im lucky i work 12 hr shifts 14 shifts in a 6 week cycle shift allowance 35% only get tima and a third for o/t though,petrol allowance 42p a mile when applicable.

I worked 'continental' shifts at a well known'razor' manufacturers;as a maintenance spark....tremendous money even then(about 15 yrs old);but i hated it,and it was causing me to miss my playing football twice a month so I rapped it after 6 mths.
Respect to those who do it...I used to feel like crying driving there fri/sat/ night .
Sometimes your quality of life is more important than money.
Give me normal hours plus overtime anyday.
The only people i know who like shiftwork are golfers

galahad,can understand your thoughts,but i have a great lifestyle,i spend a far greater amount of time with my family than i ever did working regular hrs,yes i work two weekends out of 6,what do i miss not a lot im to old for footie but did manage to play 1st team rugby missing the odd game.if i want a beer i go out when im off.i do miss the odd party etc if im working but i can always swap shifts.i go shopping on a weekday when theres no one else around,have loads of time to do the garden diy etc do not have to fit it all in at the weekend,dont have to take a days holiday when im waiting for a bed to be delivered etc etc.the biggest bonus is by swapping 4 shifts i can go to los for 3 weeks using no holidays,im off next week for 28 days using 3 days holidays,if it was up to me id go for a month work 2 months but the wife wants us to save the money for early retirement,sure its got a few health implications but i wouldnt swap it for anything(apart from another 10k a year),i havnt played golf since i sold my clubs during the miners strike 84(i had a night out with the proceeds)

I think the key thing is being 'used' to shiftwork.
I agree that folk who have done it most of their lives will have adapted(and probably)enjoy it
My problem was I couldn,t adapt;hardly played golf..and the time i was off...my(ex) wife and most of my mates were at work.
Shiftwork is better for taking long holidays I guess(depending on the shift pattern)..mine was 2 days(12hrs)...then 2 off....3 nights on...2 off...2 days on(nights)...3 off(long weekend) etc.
Being the only spark between 2 factories probably didn,t help either

I have worked shifts for 10 years now and enjoy them very much.I do not play golf as i find it a very dull sport,but several of my colleagues do.
I have worked different shifts,but my fave was the ones we worked at Telewest's telecomms control centre in Dudley.We would work 2 12 hr days,followed by 2 11.25hr nights,then 6 days off,the following week we would do 3 days instead of 2 so the hours levelled out .The time off was great for spending with family,travelling,diy etc,Yes,the downside would mean maybe missing some functions on a weekend or working Xmas/New Years,but the 25% shift allowance made up for it.As we all got made redundant from there when NTL took over,I am now back on a 9-5 mon-fri at a new company until I am up to speed on their systems before i go back on shift.I find it very awkward,especially shopping on a saturday...i had forgotten how bad the experience was

Steve & sairung

Point taken;Shift work suits some,and in our globalised society its probably(100%)the way forward.
I hope your not still working for a call centre Steve? Most of them are in India now....??? Including the company i,m working for now(accounts/billing etc)

okie then..........I work for a well known transport company where we work too many hours bank hols and get it all back as leave and guess where I spend it. Occasionally I have to go on 9-5 training courses. I,m always surprised to find the roads clogged up at 0800, "where do they all come from" the pleasure of not getting grid locked in the supermarket car park on a sunday afternoon is wonderful, or crawling in on cold morning and watching my neighbour scraping ice off his windscreen knowing I,m climbing into a warm bed WONDERFUL. My colleague works late shifts and thinks it excellent collecting his other half from her job in a thai restaurant.......anyone live in Richmond ???.

the other slight benefit of shift work is fiddling the shifts so that your time adjusted when you fly eastwards

Absolutly I'm going in may for 24 days taking 4 days holiday +3 lieu days and I still have a eight days shift break when a get back after only two days at work.

It does have it's benifits sometimes..... And I promised the boss that I haven't fiddled the pay system. ( Hold on I am the boss!!!!)

the eight day break is just so I get over the credit card bill. I'll have on this quiet holiday..... NOT!