differing annual leave - SWR

[winks]

Pretty surprised by the differing annual leave entitlements on South Western Railway.

I was told in 2019 that it was 29 days for fleet / depot staff.

Then a few years later it’s 24.

“We bow down to the drivers” apparently is what was said to me by a recruiting manager…

Unfortunately I couldn’t accept the role due to currently having 33 days holiday entitlement with the option to buy a further 5 days. I accept im never going to get 33 days elsewhere and happy to drop but I feel 24 is stingy considering Guards get 30 days!

Not ranting but just an observation and would have thought the RMT could have fought to up-rate the other staff on lower entitlements.

 

[whoosh]

Is that 24 +8 Bank Holidays, or 24 total?

Is that 33 +8 Bank Holidays or 33 total?



I would say Guards 30 days include Bank Holidays as normal days.


Just making sure you are comparing like with like!

 

[tiptoptaff]

Quite common for some contracts to have AL + BHs and others to have AL including BHs.

Important distinction

 

[winks]

Is that 24 +8 Bank Holidays, or 24 total?

Is that 33 +8 Bank Holidays or 33 total?



I would say Guards 30 days include Bank Holidays as normal days.

It was 24+ 8 offered

And for me currently it’s 33+8

Both commercial guards and metro both get 30 days plus 8 on SWR

 

[tiptoptaff]

24+8 = 32 for presumably a 4day week vs 41 for a 5day week.

32/4 = 8weeks leave.

41/5 = 8weeks leave + 1day.

Near enough identical, no?

 

[winks]

No that isn’t correct. I can only go on What was offered to me - depot / fleet engineering was 5 days M-F. 24 days annual leave not inc BH

Pretty low in my opinion

 

[tiptoptaff]

No that isn’t correct. I can only go on What was offered to me - depot / fleet engineering was 5 days M-F. 24 days annual leave not inc BH

Pretty low in my opinion

In that case it's 6 weeks + 2days

Which may seem low in comparison, but more than you get elsewhere

 

[Crossover]

I'm not within the railways, but 25 days + BH seems to be the norm that I tend to come across. Due to length of service I now have 30 days + BH but know that if I were to move elsewhere I would probably have to sacrifice some of it (but wouldn't wish to go less than 25). What I consider stingy is 20 days + BH (which does happen) and I think the legal minimum is 18 days + BH

There are employers that advertise, for example, "33 days annual holiday" which sounds great but is actually including BH and isn't as amazing as it outwardly sounds!

 

[tiptoptaff]

The legal minimum is 4weeks plus BHs. This is assumed to be 20+8 on a 5day week.

A company can offer less days pro-rata. Ie 16+8 for a 4day week, 15 for 3day weeks etc

 

[dingdinger]

Both commercial guards and metro both get 30 days plus 8 on SWR

Hi
This is incorrect. It's just the 31 days I believe.

 

[winks]

In that case it's 6 weeks + 2days

Which may seem low in comparison, but more than you get elsewhere

Yes that’s correct.

24 days A/L really is quite poor for public and the private sector these days. It would have been 14 days reduction in annual leave were I too take the job.

 

[theironroad]

SWR mainline drivers get 27 per year including bank holidays.

4 weeks (16 days) of rostered block leave and 11 Ad hoc leave for use as required subject to depot quota.

2 ad hoc must be used if normally booked work on christmas day and boxing day, though some movement of rostered days off has been allowed last few years to avoid need to use ad hoc leave.

It used to be more but reduced when drivers went from a 5 day to 4 day week some years ago.

 

[winks]

I was referring to guards where even the SWR recruitment website says that guards get 30 days A/L:

 

[Teddyward]

GA great eastern is 25 + 8 on a 4 day week that isn’t a 4 day week.
Only get to pick 5 of those, rest are allocated into 2 week periods every 8 weeks.
Which is actually very nice.

 

[whoosh]

That's

I was referring to guards where even the SWR recruitment website says that guards get 30 days A/L:

SWR Guards:

I've just had a look at their restructuring from December 2019 - December 2022, when their working week reduced from 42 to 37 hours during that time.
The document I have was a propasal (that I think was accepted without change) and doesn't make reference to Bank Holidays at all, but does say that the 30 days includes Christmas Day and Boxing Day (you have to save two A/L days if the base roster has those days as working days), so I would say it therefore includes the other Bank Holidays as well.
So 30 days total.

Their 37 hour week is now over an average 4.5 day week though.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Yes that’s correct.

24 days A/L really is quite poor for public and the private sector these days. It would have been 14 days reduction in annual leave were I too take the job.

Depends. Are you a new starter? If so, then perhaps this is to be expected

 

[winks]

That's

SWR Guards:

I've just had a look at their restructuring from December 2019 - December 2022, when their working week reduced from 42 to 37 hours during that time.
The document I have was a propasal (that I think was accepted without change) and doesn't make reference to Bank Holidays at all, but does say that the 30 days includes Christmas Day and Boxing Day (you have to save two A/L days if the base roster has those days as working days), so I would say it therefore includes the other Bank Holidays as well.
So 30 days total.

Their 37 hour week is now over an average 4.5 day week though.

If that is true which I have also looked at the heads of agreement document that really is a poor leave entitlement. If we assume Christmas Day BX Day are not worked as there aren’t services on these days then that would make it 24.

But still the worst I’ve seen in terms of any company !

 

[TEW]

Guard's entitlement was 33 days when working a 42 hour, 5 day week. Although Christmas Day and Boxing Day were granted as additional leave on top of that. Since then they have lost 3 days annual leave, plus 2 for Christmas Day and Boxing Day some years, but have gained an additional 26 rest days a year.

 

[dingdinger]

I was referring to guards where even the SWR recruitment website says that guards get 30 days A/L:

Yes but they do not get the plus 8 you were suggesting

 

[Ducatist4]

Get yourself into local government - i get 37 days plus bank holidays (and two days a month flexi leave if i want)

 

[357]

Don't see why it's the drivers fault that you don't get as much annual leave as you want?

Your union isn't the one that represents drivers and would have agreed any reduction in allowance.

 

[winks]

it appears not.

Get yourself into local government - i get 37 days plus bank holidays (and two days a month flexi leave if i want)

Hi I’m currently on 33 days plus 8 BH on top with the option to buy a further 5 days so that is more than enough. My original point was I was trying to get out of my current employer but the drop in annual leave was massive.

Can anyone explain how the guards leave is allocated then given that it’s 22 days + 8 BH, taking into account a 4.5 day week ?

 

[whoosh]

Can anyone explain how the guards leave is allocated then given that it’s 22 days + 8 BH, taking into account a 4.5 day week ?

Bank Holidays are treated as normal working days.

"30 Days.

4 weeks rostered so 18 days annually are rostered leave (10 days will be deducted from the leave entitlement from the two weeks of summer, with 4 days deducted from autumn, and 4 days deducted from winter, no matter how many days are rostered free days).

Leave Periods will be:
1-week Spring
2-weeks Summer
1-week Autumn
12 Days remain as Ad Hoc Leave."

 

[winks]

Thanks for that.