the gardener
how can you work to many hrs in today's transport industry surely you come under the road transport directive which limits the amount of driving you can do

Michael001 If I recall correctly the gardener doesn't work for a road transport company.

Anyway, when I worked in the Unionised Print industry in Australia it was a lot like the gardener says regarding his job the flexability was there and - as long as it was a win for both parties there was some swapping of shifts available and that did allow you to build up some time that you took back as holidays..

But it was a lot of the time it felt more like Galahad and Steve J said - effecting my personal life a lot.

I think it really helps if common sense prevails and you can have the flexability to get gains for both the boss and the worker!

I have found that there is a culture of long hours in this country and not too much of "lets get it done and then we can go home early!" more a case of sit at your desk until the day is done..

.... hence why I can post on Thai UK alot - ha ha

Skippy

skippy
tell me about it, like i said before we should go and set up print over there!!

mind you I had a case of lets get it done and go early ,working in melbourne xmas eve, I had never worked into xmas day in my life before so it was a case of tools down I am off, I have never worked xmas day in my life and had no intention doing it order picking in Aus whilst on holiday

I always worked Christmas Day - well the evening of, after been to Mums for a bite to eat etc.
The thing was I always got New Years eve off in return
- as a young fella more important ( also allowed the family guys some time at christmas with their kids)

Plus we got triple time for Christmas day (for the full shift ,not the 2 hours we were actually in the building)
we also could bring a few beers in (as long as you didn't spill them on the machines - no seriously as long as you weren't on the machines themselves that was)

Anyway that was back in the past when it was a bit fairer - eg those you did the time got rewarded for it.

Now all that has been "bargained away" and is included in the contracted hours (so some poor sod has to do the time for no extra reward)

- Skippy

skippy......cheers mate. Yep michael001 is right in one respect, we do like most of us have to comply with those working time directives, fortunately technology exists to stop the guys in the cab falling asleep and still moving along the rails. There was one occasion when it a driver maintained muscle tone and it rolled downhill backwards(strange but true)Stay off the black line ???