Christmas Workings

[PLY2AYS]

Why shouldn’t they?

Great question.

Presumably you work every hour of the year with no rest and no time off or holidays.

Why should drivers even get to go home after a shift? Cancel all their time off, they must work non-stop.

 

[Falcon1200]

Why are they expected to work on boxing day?

Working boxing day would be regarded as overtime

Not in my role (Control)! An enhanceable pay shift certainly, but if my post required to be filled, and the roster had me working Boxing Day, I worked Boxing Day. And Christmas Day, New Years Day and every other public holiday. But I knew that when I applied for the job. Not the same for many other railway staff of course who, in recent times at least, would not expect to be working the two days at Christmas, therefore asking for volunteers is a good solution, as long as enough volunteer to run the service.

 

[coach fan]

Great question.

Presumably you work every hour of the year with no rest and no time off or holidays.

Why should drivers even get to go home after a shift? Cancel all their time off, they must work non-stop.

No one said you shouldn’t have a break. Or work everyday. But why shouldn’t you work Boxing Day? Stop being so melodramatic and answer a simple question.

 

[weeman]

No one said you shouldn’t have a break. Or work everyday. But why shouldn’t you work Boxing Day? Stop being so melodramatic and answer a simple question.

Surely everyone is entitled to have that quality time at home with family at that time of year. Personally I think everything should close for that day and enjoy it. Yeah I get there would be issues in some instances but it’s a day of celebration and am sure only those who didn’t have a family would consider voluntarily working.

 

[milooo]

No one said you shouldn’t have a break. Or work everyday. But why shouldn’t you work Boxing Day? Stop being so melodramatic and answer a simple question.

You are answering your own question. People shouldnt work boxing day because they need a break and not work every day

 

[Minilad]

No one said you shouldn’t have a break. Or work everyday. But why shouldn’t you work Boxing Day? Stop being so melodramatic and answer a simple question.

Because my contract states I get Xmas day and Boxing Day off. I have to use two days of annual leave for that unless they fall on rostered rest days. If you want me to work Boxing Day it's going to have to be a renegotiation of my contract.

 

[Ian Hardy]

Because my contract states I get Xmas day and Boxing Day off. I have to use two days of annual leave for that unless they fall on rostered rest days. If you want me to work Boxing Day it's going to have to be a renegotiation of my contract.

That seems bonkers 'my contract states I get Xmas day and Boxing Day off' but then you have to take annual leave if they aren't rostered rest days.

If my contract said that I get Xmas Day and Boxing Day off, I would expect that to be a non-working day and it should not come out of my annual leave allowance.

Also what would happen if you didn't want to take annual leave on Xmas Day and Boxing Day, but wanted to use it on a more useful day?

 

[Minilad]

That seems bonkers 'my contract states I get Xmas day and Boxing Day off' but then you have to take annual leave if they aren't rostered rest days.

If my contract said that I get Xmas Day and Boxing Day off, I would expect that to be a non-working day and it should not come out of my annual leave allowance.

Also what would happen if you didn't want to take annual leave on Xmas Day and Boxing Day, but wanted to use it on a more useful day?

It's stated that these two days are annual leave unless you are rostered off. So I guess if you dont want to use them you don't sign the contract. You maybe could do a weekly swap with someone else to change your rest day but I doubt anyone would want to do that

 

[dk1]

It's stated that these two days are annual leave unless you are rostered off. So I guess if you dont want to use them you don't sign the contract. You maybe could do a weekly swap with someone else to change your rest day but I doubt anyone would want to do that

Yes they are a compulsory part of your annual leave so would have no choice in that in the same way they are guaranteed to be off as part of the contract. Should either fall on a Sunday or on a rostered rest day then an additional days leave is credited.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Dec 2025 ==

It's stated that these two days are annual leave unless you are rostered off. So I guess if you dont want to use them you don't sign the contract. You maybe could do a weekly swap with someone else to change your rest day but I doubt anyone would want to do that

And yes, why would anyone want to do that

 

[Kilopylae]

Without wishing to derail the thread, what's the reason for the RTT entry? The NORAD santa tracker is pretty visual and one I showed my own children 20 plus years ago. I can't see the same attraction for a static Web page full of numbers.

James

I think it's fun to have a little scroll down and see when it's going to go past "your" station.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Dec 2025 ==

That seems bonkers 'my contract states I get Xmas day and Boxing Day off' but then you have to take annual leave if they aren't rostered rest days.

If my contract said that I get Xmas Day and Boxing Day off, I would expect that to be a non-working day and it should not come out of my annual leave allowance.

I don't work on the railway, but my contract with a "normal" employer has exactly the same provision for bank holidays - they're off, but they count as part of my annual leave allowance.

The really confusing thing is that, for people working 4 or 3 days a week, it says that they get bank holidays pro rata (just as they get proportionally less annual leave, pro rata) - so how does that work? They're the one person in the office during one of the bank holidays...?

 

[dk1]

The really confusing thing is that, for people working 4 or 3 days a week, it says that they get bank holidays pro rata (just as they get proportionally less annual leave, pro rata) - so how does that work? They're the one person in the office during one of the bank holidays...?

That pro rata thing all changed several years ago at my train operator. It was agreed that ALL part time & job sharing staff should get exactly the same annual leave allowance as full time employees.

 

[PLY2AYS]

No one said you shouldn’t have a break. Or work everyday. But why shouldn’t you work Boxing Day? Stop being so melodramatic and answer a simple question.

I don’t think it’s melodramatic for you to feel as though you’re picking holes in my work contract.

Out of curiosity, how do you feel about painting roundabouts? I often find that those who take umbrage with trade union members and their working practices are mostly those on the right of the political spectrum, who have been ranting and raving about making to country more Christian.
Now we’re being berated for having a Christmas holiday!

Can we ever just work in peace?

 

[6Gman]

No one said you shouldn’t have a break. Or work everyday. But why shouldn’t you work Boxing Day? Stop being so melodramatic and answer a simple question.

Because it's not in their contract.

And for those who like to drink alcohol, it means they can have a drink on Christmas Day without the worry of breaking strict rules when booking on the following day.

 

[ADIRU]

Heathrow Express have two Class 387 trains both doing Heathrow Airport inter terminal shuttles on Christmas Day all day long.

One spends all day going back and forth between T123 and T4.

Another spends all day going back and forth between T123 and T5.

Those are the only passenger workings, although i think there are a couple late evening services on other operators which finish in the early hours of Christmas Day morning.

Heathrow (along with most other airports) operates relatively normally on 25th December. How on earth do passengers get to the airport?

 

[Kilopylae]

Heathrow (along with most other airports) operates relatively normally on 25th December. How on earth do passengers get to the airport?

I was helping a friend with this earlier today. One answer is that National Express operates additional coaches on Christmas Day.

 

[Tester]

Just reminding those who are unaware, that not having train services on Christmas Day is a very unusual thing.

Most countries have a good service - typically similar to Sunday - and regard that as totally normal.

 

[bb21]

I don’t think it’s melodramatic for you to feel as though you’re picking holes in my work contract.

Out of curiosity, how do you feel about painting roundabouts? I often find that those who take umbrage with trade union members and their working practices are mostly those on the right of the political spectrum, who have been ranting and raving about making to country more Christian.
Now we’re being berated for having a Christmas holiday!

Can we ever just work in peace?

Painting roundabouts . That's cracked me up proper. Anyway I think that next post just proved your point.

 

[dk1]

Just reminding those who are unaware, that not having train services on Christmas Day is a very unusual thing.

Most countries have a good service - typically similar to Sunday - and regard that as totally normal.

But this is Britain and we do things our way.

 

[Mag_seven]

I think we have established what service levels we can expect on both Christmas day and Boxing day - we are done here.