on call this weekend !!!!

[acgibo]

come on then all, im on call this weekend- they forcast the hottest of the year....GREAT... i did try to get out of it by passing it to someone else but surprise surprise no one wanted it. So , the question is; who can come up with the best excuse to get out of being on call from 6pm friday through to 8am friday for a measly £40 standby ?????????????????????

[US Iceman]

Chest Pains

[acgibo]

i get them when i see my paycheque

[Paulajayne]

On call for a week ! £40 - no way

Re negotiate

168 hours in a week – 40 hours normal working week – so £40 for 128 hours on call- equates to 31.25 pence per hour.

Just over 31 pence per hour to put your life on hold for a week.


Get the guys and girls together and sort it out – I would start the negotiations at £2 per hour and accept £1 /hour.


Paula – Who is not on call.

[acgibo]

thanks for that paula, now im even more depressed for two reasons....one for seeing how little that works out to and two coz, we work a 50 hour week not 40 so thats even less aaarrrgghhh.

your lot got any jobs going????????????

[thebigcheese]

im not sure about the diff between nireland and english companys but we get £120 plus four hours for any call

[Tycho]

Thats just wrong...

We dont have an on-call system, well, we have the office guys who answer the phone during off hours, they get paid around £80 a week to do this...

Us engineers get paid nada for answering calls from customers who have gotten our number from the on-call guy who couldnt help them... good thing you can screen calls on the mobile, just make sure you call them back a few hours later "hi, this is yadda yadda from yadda yadda, you tried to call me... oh, you got help allready... Yeah, I was working on my boat and had left the phone in my car... well... good think you got it sorted... thank you, bye"

But if we have to go out to work after 1600 (4 in the afternoon) we get paid £80 per time and a minimum of two hours overtime...

[Paulajayne]

Us engineers get paid nada for answering calls from customers who have gotten our number from the on-call guy who couldnt help them

When I worked as a UNIX admin I would book 1 hour at the overtime rate for each call like this and if it required me to do some investigation my hours were booked until the task was complete. The company tried to complain so I turned my phone off and handed the company phone back - they soon came around to my way of thinking. LOL

Stand up for yourselves -

Paula

[acgibo]

well at last my week on call is over YEAH.
ended up i only got 1 call, on wednesday night, so i got lucky but i still put everything on hold for a week !!!!!!!!!!!
so... on call from 18.00 friday, through to 08.00 friday, got £40 retainer and 3 hrs basic for going out wednesday night, great !!
think i will take your advice next time round paula, turn the phone off if they wont play ball.

take it easy all

Dave

[Abe]

Hours of work are determined by agreement either with you or with trade unions. The Working Time Regulations 1998 impose restrictions on the hours worked. The Regulations provide for:

An average 48-hour maximum working week measured over a 17-week reference period - six months for certain types of work, or twelve months where a workforce or collective agreement so provides. You can opt out of this average 48-hour maximum where you agree with your employer in writing. This opt-out can be terminated by giving a maximum of three months’ notice or where no period of notice is specified in the agreement, by giving your employer seven days’ notice of your wish to opt into the 48-hour maximum.

For night workers an average of eight hours in a 24-hour period over a period of three months.

A minimum of four weeks’ paid annual leave. This must be taken and cannot be rolled over to the next year. However, if you leave during the year without having taken all your leave, your employer must make some payment in respect of the leave you have taken. Although your employer must pay you for the leave you take under the Regulations, if he or she can show that your normal pay includes an element of holiday pay that element will count towards payment for your annual leave. If you have left having taken more than your accrued holiday pay this can only be recouped by your employer if there is a relevant agreement to that effect.

Eleven hours daily rest for adult workers in each 24-hour period.

An uninterrupted weekly rest break of not less than 24 hours in each seven-day period - subject to exceptions.

An uninterrupted rest break of 20 minutes which can be taken away from the workplace where a worker’s daily working time is more than six hours – this may be modified by a collective or workforce agreement.

There are numerous exemptions to the new regulations for certain types of workers, such as workers on board a sea-going fishing vessel, and certain activities undertaken by the armed forces, police or civil protection services. Until 31 July 2004, doctors in training are not entitled to many of the rights under the Regulations. There are some restrictions on the hours of young people below the age of 18.

If your employer refuses to comply with any of your working time rights, the Employment Tribunal can award compensation.

Rights of Workers: Flexible Working

Employees who have responsibility as parents for children under six years old (or if the child is disabled, under 18 years old) have the right to request flexible working. This includes biological parents, adoptive parents and new partners of parents where they share childcare responsibilities.

It does not include others, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, even if they also share a house with the child unless they have parental responsibility for that child.

The right will extend to agency workers as well as ordinary employees but it will not extend to employees or agency workers who have been working for the same employer for less than 26 weeks.

You have the right to apply to your employer for a change in your terms and conditions in order to enable you to care for your children.

The changes you propose must relate to the number of hours you are required to work, the times you are required to work those hours, or to where you are required to work.

The types of working patterns you might apply to introduce into your terms and conditions are compressed hours, flexitime, home working, job-sharing, teleworking, term-time working, shift working, staggered hours, annualised hours and self-rostering.


Information obtained from:

www.yourrights.org.uk

[wizzer]

hey i hate too say it but if your in this trade you do it because you like the challenge of getting a customer out of the **** and they do appreciate it.

un reasonable hours are part of the trade we chose to be part of,if you want 9 to 5 you should work in an office.We do get standby money for 7 days totalling £ 180.00 + hours worked so i'm not complaining at the moment.

[Abe]

Well said Des
Customers..............appreciative???

No one goes into any trade , and should accept conditions, because they " entered into that industry willingly"

Fair is fair, and stand up for your rights.

Its like telling a dustman, its ok to fling **** at you because you chose to enter this profession.

[frank]

Who do I sue Abe for having to work excessive hours to satisfy the customers needs?

Last weeks total (including 10 yesterday) = 79.

Just can't seem to get any decent engineers they all talk a good job but most fail to deliver leaving you know who to step in - thats in addition to all the paperwork that has to be done, CDM, Work at Height permits, hot work permits, Method Statements, Risk Assessments, As Fitted Drawings, O & M Manuals, invoicing, etc etc. Why oh Why do I do it

[Abe]

On the other hand..............

SME's ( Small and Medium Enterprises) do not always have the resources to pay handsomely, give you plenty of time off, like the likes of civil service, or multinational companies.

You have to look at it in context. If you are working for a SME, then you have to adopt an approach which fits in with that organisation, ie: pulling your weight, compromising, being loyal, even sweeping the floor if you have to, and yes, at times during heavy work loads, doing those extra hours.

All are not same, however laws are made which in a way has to be accomodating for all.

And there are compensations working for a SME, ie: you work closer with the Boss, almost a personal, family relationship, you can talk to someone and are not just a number.

And you are appreciated and a pat on the back is really a pat..........not a memo.

Also need to consider, smaller companies struggle to survive under difficult trading conditions, so your support in return is vitally important and you need to show that enthusiasm.

[Andy]

Who do I sue Abe for having to work excessive hours to satisfy the customers needs?

Last weeks total (including 10 yesterday) = 79.

Just can't seem to get any decent engineers they all talk a good job but most fail to deliver leaving you know who to step in - thats in addition to all the paperwork that has to be done, CDM, Work at Height permits, hot work permits, Method Statements, Risk Assessments, As Fitted Drawings, O & M Manuals, invoicing, etc etc. Why oh Why do I do it

I often think the same, only I work for a company, but the **** is the same.

I replaced three people who left because they couldn't hack the job or the boss or both

I am going back tomorrow after being sick for two weeks.
Migraine headaches, slurred speach and loss of balance

Me thinks we take on too much

Kind Regards Andy

[John Wood]

I get £60 for a full weeks standby, and I tend to agree it just isn't enough for the hold it puts on my life.
My other gripe is travel time. The company I work for expect me to give 1 hour travel time per day (which makes it a 45hr week) I know a lot of people who have to give 2 hours per day!!!
Who's first in the queue for a vehicle tracker???

[piston broke]

I can see everyone's point of view here but ultimately its the innability of rival companies in the same areas to work together that means the average engineer suffers. If they all pulled together and had call out system that could be shared and with a call out rate fair to all then that would be great. But of corse thats never gonna happen so you'll just have to live with it or do what wizzer says "get a nine to five job".

I at least admire his attitude to just get on with the job. At the end of the day its not that bad a job and has some benefits.

Also have you noticed its the same ppl who moan about all this who suddenly want to be on call when they are little short of cash.

PB

[colinmcmanus]

Gave up being on call after the old ticker got in a fix. We were paid £120/week + 4hrs min 5 years ago. Now i've got myself a job as a refrigeration instructor and now don't have to worry about call out or overtime any more.

[acgibo]

hey i hate too say it but if your in this trade you do it because you like the challenge of getting a customer out of the **** and they do appreciate it.

un reasonable hours are part of the trade we chose to be part of,if you want 9 to 5 you should work in an office.We do get standby money for 7 days totalling £ 180.00 + hours worked so i'm not complaining at the moment.

its not the out of hours that bothers me, its the basic hours and XXXX standby rate. your lot sound like they give a fair standby, therefore the engineers are more prepared to put themselves out for the company. and i bet they havent got you on a 50hr week either eh.... some people have all the luck.

[acgibo]

Also have you noticed its the same ppl who moan about all this who suddenly want to be on call when they are little short of cash.

PB[/quote]

and by the way, i am not one of those. i would rather struggle through on my basic than give the company the satisfaction. please dont get me wrong here people, as ive said i dont mind doing the out of hours and long days etc, as long as i feel i am getting a fair deal from the employer. when they take the PXXX is when i say enough is enough.