Am I Being Unreasonable?

[Arthur Hucksake]

Hi all,

In about 8 weeks time I am expecting to go on to a permanent 4 on / 4 off nightshift pattern. Their offer is a 17.5% shift premium.

Fine I thought...right up until I worked out its an additional 150 hours a year and the real kicker, there is no extra pay to cover these additional hours effectively eating into the 17.5%.

To me this doesn't seem right. I have two kids and I'll be working Xmas night for no extra hourly rate, basically ruining Xmas and they expect me to take a salary cut. (Discounting the unsociable premium)

Is it wrong to expect remuneration for these extra hours worked?

 

[Arthur Hucksake]

that is a very dubious way of looking at it as you've not taken into account working unsociable hours - something that is generally undesirable in civilian workplaces and often compensated for

assume his hours didn't increase but he's still got to work unsociable hours including over Christmas for a boost of just under 10%?

if they normally compensate for anti social hours with a 17.5% boost to pay then he's probably right to fee aggrieved

OP is that % uplift standard across the team/company - if so maybe just point out that your hours have also increased by X% so you'd expect an uplift of X% then 17.5% for the extra hours and unsociable hours

having said that it seems like a naff deal in general especially as it involves you being permanently doing antisocial shifts rather than the occasional few days each month

I didn't make it clear.

It's 12 hour shifts. So effectively my working week (over the year) is increasing from 37.5 hrs to 40.5 hrs a week give or take.

The thing that annoys me most is their attitude.

Only two senior staff went for the roles. They can't hire a senior in from outside of the business because a prerequisite is six months experience in the role at a lower level.

If we both opt out, they will have serious issues. I'm not sure why they are being so awkward. It's not a cost cutting exercise, it's actually expansion.

 

[Arthur Hucksake]

so you want an 8% increase for the extra hours worked then the 17.5% uplift (assuming that is simply the standard uplift at your company) for the anti social aspect of those hours

so a 26.9% raise

Basically, yes.

I think that's fair. I even put forward an in between figure, so more like 22%.

This contract is worth absolutely millions to them then some. The project is £2bn easy. All I want is fair pay for what they are asking.

 

[Arthur Hucksake]

It should do, but it almost never does, and hasn't since the Unions lost all power. The OP is at least being offered an uplift - many companies would just point to the small print of the contract and demand that they suck it up or resign.

Bearing in mind that there is endless evidence that night shifts shorten your life, a decent rise is the least they could do.

These hours aren't mandatory, they aren't forcing them on me.

It just saves them a recruitment nightmare. It's a very very niche sector we are in and everything has to be taught to absolutely everyone who comes in. Me and another guy were the ready made solution and they are dicking all over it.

I'll see what they say tomorrow, but the ones doing this don't understand the consequences to their stance yet. Once the fines start hitting because they can't maintain service, they might back down.

They won't even have any one to train any newcomers on the shift pattern also..... their attitude is ridiculous.