Any TOC drivers still on a five day week?

[SlimJim1694]

Reading some other posts about Sundays got me thinking about this. I'm on a 4 day week with Sunday inside but I know Thameslink have a certain number of committed Sundays as OT - making the weeks you have to work a Sunday five day week but four the rest of the time. I know there are other arrangements at other places regarding Sundays. But what I'm interested in is are there any TOCs left out there where the drivers still work a normal rostered 5 day week?

 

[Grannyjoans]

Northern have Sundays as committed Overtime one week in four so that is a five day 44 hour week on that week but four day 35 hour week the rest of the time.

 

[sw1ller]

TfW southern depots are on a 5 day week IF they want it. They have a choice.

 

[Llama]

Sundays committed on top of a four day week, as on Northern West, and despite the fact you might have to turn up for a fifth day if you can't get cover, isn't strictly a five day week, it's enforced overtime. There's no sick pay, Sunday pay isn't pensionable - paid only as overtime and there's no agreement to 'bank' hours worked on Sundays to take in lieu. You can work as many Sundays as you like even without rest-day working being sanctioned. Training can't be done on Sundays and they may have differences in working terms and conditions compared to other working days (e.g up til now Northern West drivers had no STP diagram agreement for Sundays). You can't take annual leave, there's no rostered spare cover and in fact no spare agreement.

 

[43066]

Reading some other posts about Sundays got me thinking about this. I'm on a 4 day week with Sunday inside but I know Thameslink have a certain number of committed Sundays as OT - making the weeks you have to work a Sunday five day week but four the rest of the time. I know there are other arrangements at other places regarding Sundays. But what I'm interested in is are there any TOCs left out there where the drivers still work a normal rostered 5 day week?

With 12 committed Sundays I guess that makes TL a 4.25 day week, if they’re all worked (I understand they’re time and a half plus a book-on, so fairly easy to swap out of). They get a regular long weekend IIRC.

It’s worth noting that an average 4 day week will still often mean working 6 or 7 days on the trot if Sundays are outside, or if there’s a 5 day long weekend every 3 weeks etc., or if your working period straddles two weeks (in which case you’ll likely end up “off shift” for some of the days in that block).

Avanti West Coast is still a true five day week for drivers, IIRC.

 

[westcoaster]

With 12 committed Sundays I guess that makes TL a 4.25 day week, if they’re all worked (I understand they’re time and a half plus a book-on, so fairly easy to swap out of). They get a regular long weekend IIRC.

It’s worth noting that an average 4 day week will still often mean working 6 or 7 days on the trot if Sundays are outside, or if there’s a 5 day long weekend every 3 weeks etc., or if your working period straddles two weeks (in which case you’ll likely end up “off shift” for some of the days in that block).

Avanti West Coast is still a true five day week for drivers, IIRC.

TL has two different variations of committed Sundays depending on start date.
New drivers have 12 a year to do and those before the last pay award have 8 to do. ( 3 a quarter or 2 a quarter. You can not just do the first 12/8).
As long as you cover them you never have to work a Sunday. Also once you have done your quota you give 7 days notice minimum to make your self unavailable.

 

[Llama]

Avanti West Coast is still a true five day week for drivers, IIRC.

Confusingly again, at least at some depots, they work five days per week and then have (committed) Sundays outside. But as far as I am aware they're actually on a four day week - thanks to a week of rest days every X number of weeks.

 

[Grannyjoans]

Committed Sunday's are the worst of both Worlds.

It always means having to work 7 days in a row when one of these show up, every four weeks.

Usually it means working solidly from Wednesday to the following Tuesday night before being allowed to have a day off.

It's a hard slog but from what I've been told the railway always has been.