12 Hour Shifts. Can they be compulsory?

[andysays]

I'm not sure if this is the start of an official consultation or not yet. There's also more than one union potentially involved, plus non-union workers. Does that make a difference?

It makes a difference in that management need to negotiate with more than one union (and the unions would normally try to reach a joint position between themselves on the issue), but once an agreement is reached any new T&Cs would apply to all workers, whatever union (or no union) they're in.

As has been said, your son should speak to his rep, find out exactly what's happening, and make it clear he doesn't want his working pattern to be changed.

 

[kalidarkone]

A few years ago when I worked for the same trust but in maternity they tried to change the shift pattern to fall in line with the rest of the hospital trust and the maternity staff fought it, through the union and won. We did have an amazing union rep though and the Royal college of midwives union are hard core, where as the Royal college of nurses union are notoriously Conservative.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

Thanks everyone for the advice. It seems the rumour mill was jumping the gun, as it were. Still, forewarned is forearmed, and my son is now checking his contract and speaking to his union and work colleagues. Thanks a lot.

 

[InArduisFouette]

what's the rules about 20 days holiday when you work a condensed week?

is it still 20 working days off, or would they pro-rata it and say it's 4 weeks holiday?

it's still 5.6 working weeks minimum generally for 4 on 4 off the absolute starting point in 20 or 2o of the long days and 8 short days for the BHs

it'll be more for NHS AfC contracts as the starting point is 27 short + 8 bh which is 262.5 hours of leave also as AfC is a 37.5 hour working week the 4 on 4 off pattern needs to jigger pokery or a shortet than 12 hour shift or an agreement to have buolt in over time paid at overtiem rates or taken (frequently) as TOIL

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Good luck fighting it but four on four off shifts are brilliant.

I found them quite brutal and incompatible with any kind of work:life balance.

For starters, it makes it impossible to do any kind of routine social or leisure activities. Weekly yoga class? Nope. Weekly pub quiz with your mates? Weekly ramble followed by Sunday roast in a country pub? Nope. Weekly evening class to learn French or Chinese or BSL or flower arranging or pottery or motor mechanics or upholstery or whatever? Nope, nope, nope, nope, etc.

Also, because of the condensed hours, I found that I'd be knackered on the first day off, catching up on sleep, then catching up on chores, doing cleaning, laundry, shopping, etc. And then the fourth day off, you can't make the most of it, because you're conscious of having a long day the next day, might have a super early start the next day, so you're reluctant to risk socialising with mates in case you're having too much fun and stay out too late.

So while ostensibly it sounds great to have four days off, your first day off is written off due to recovering from working a week's worth of hours in only four days, then you have a two day weekend, then admittedly you have an extra day but you can't maximise it, because you've got that Sunday night feeling.

So your whole life (and physical and mental health) gets fucked over due to working irregular hours, antisocial hours, long days, and you don't really get four days off by the time you factor in writing the first of four days off for recovery time and chores and then being restricted in terms of your activities on your last day off because you're conscious of going back to the grind and not wanting to overdo it at the start of your working 'week'.

It's shit.

I don't know why they don't do 3-4, 4-3, 3-4, 4-3, where you work at least three of the same long days, and every other week you'd work the shared middle day with your opposite number colleague. At least that way you'd have a chance to engage in regular leisure and social activities.