Rest Days

[losharapidoras]

I've been told by my management that Reserve Staff DON'T HAVE a rotating Rest Day (Monday this week, then Tuesday next week, etc), and basically the line managers choose any day they want for your R/D.

Usually I find out on Saturday when my rest day will be next week. The problem is that I get Tuesday as R/D quite often, which is clearly taking a piss since it's the lightest day of the week and I don't even remember when was the last time I had a "long weekend".

Just wanted to make sure that this is true and if so, where is this mentioned? Checked the contract, nothing there.

[johnnyp]

Hes right and wrong.
He should not be telling you what days to have off,most offices have a rotating rest day the odd ones may have fixed,but whatever day off is scheduled for that week is the one you should have as the rest day cover will be on it.
Every one should get a long weekend every 6 weeks,you will if you are a duty holder,but its very difficult when you are a reserve as it all depends what walks have the long weekends from week to week.
Seniority is still used in my office when reserves are signing for duties every week so it just goes on luck if you get a long weekend depending on who signs for what.
Managers could use a list and rotate the long weekends amongst the reserves but it could cause problems in offices that use seniorty to allocate duties.
Speak to your local rep and let them know whats going on with regards to your rest day.

[losharapidoras]

Hes right and wrong.
He should not be telling you what days to have off,most offices have a rotating rest day the odd ones may have fixed,but whatever day off is scheduled for that week is the one you should have as the rest day cover will be on it.
Every one should get a long weekend every 6 weeks,you will if you are a duty holder,but its very difficult when you are a reserve as it all depends what walks have the long weekends from week to week.
Seniority is still used in my office when reserves are signing for duties every week so it just goes on luck if you get a long weekend depending on who signs for what.
Managers could use a list and rotate the long weekends amongst the reserves but it could cause problems in offices that use seniorty to allocate duties.
Speak to your local rep and let them know whats going on with regards to your rest day.

The rep says the same thing, but I feel there's something dodgy going on...

Looking at the original details of the job, it says I have to work from Monday to Saturday with a rotating day-off. Nothing mentioned about being Reserve and having different rest days or anything like that.

Even if you check the currently available vacancies on Royal Mail's website, it says "Hours of work: Full time, xx hours per week (xx:xx - xx:xx Monday to Saturday with a rotating day off)

I'm having a word with my DOM very soon...

[korky]

He's right, but if you're on a certain duty that week, you get that duties day off, they're not supposed to juggle it for a tues off.
had this battle for over 6 years and never won, no help off union either

[Stella102]

Yes the manager does the same in our office, if you're a reserve you don't have the same rights as someone signed for a walk in regards to days off. If your signed to a walk you get monday, then tuesday, then wednesday etc.. Luckily the manager gives me the days off i ask for, but i normally end up working 6 day weeks, I'd rather do that than have tuesdays off when everyone is done by 11.

[RedBagMan]

If your signed to a walk you get monday, then tuesday, then wednesday etc..

OK then - question - according to our duty sheets I am the walkholder of a particular walk (which I have not done since February) - the "substitute" on that walk has had the walk since then. I've not had a Saturday off since (except for holiday weeks) ... I have appeared on the duty sheets as as "Displaced Worker" since then - and have floated about ever since (being told that my "day off" is anything other than a Saturday).

Thoughts ?

[demon]

you should still get a long weekend evey six weeks no matter what

[crazyshrew]

sorry for bringing a little ignorance in to the room but does a long weekend mean
Sat-Sun+Mon off
or
just a Sat+Sun / Sun+Mon?

i only ask as in the 6 months I've been working I've only had a couple off 2 day weekends never a 3 day one

[POSTMAN]

The way i look at it ,and what I usually post about it is...
Get a seniority list of the reserves.
Go down the list so they reserves get the pick of what duties are available for the next week.
They should then in the interest of fairness...
Have the day off of the duty they are covering,if it's 'Bobs' duty and it's a Sat off then they have that.If 'Bob' was on it he would have that day off wouldn't he!
Get some kind of aggregate list,that way you can keep an eye on who's had Sat's off,if some,even if they are low on seniority in the list have not had a Sat off for a while then they get priority.

It really is not hard to do,it's just lazyness on the managers and reps part.

[losharapidoras]

To: crazyshew, "the long weekend" is Sat+Sun+Mon. It happens every 6 weeks, when you get Saturday off and your next rest day is Monday the following week, so works out to 3 days off.

To: Redbagman, your managers are messing with you BIG time...How can they tell you that you can't have a Saturday off? That's just ridiculous...You get Saturday off every 6 weeks, which results in a long weekend, as I explained above.

The main thing that I want to know here - is there any official statement of how this should be done?

As I mentioned before, when you apply for the job, you are told that you get a rotating day off, so unless there's a specific document that explains how rest days are arranged for Reserve Staff, then I wouldn't give a crap about what my lino or DOM says, and take my rest days following the contract.

[spoodoo]

my friend battled for years to get a long weekend same as rest of staff. went on for over a year without one,,,, my q is why do we have such a weak ,im alright jack union in our offices????

[Sliders]

This is a pee take, seriously, I was on a round for three months when I first joined, then I was taken off the round because a more senior postman wanted to do it, for the tips over Christmas (or so the manager told me), my last week on that round I had the Friday off, so I was due a long weekend, but low and behold, the following week I was put on five different rounds and my day off was moved to Tuesday, and has stayed on that day. It all stinks

[thechemisyshop]

im a leave reserve and my day off is whatever day off the duty im covering is - so if bob is off on a thursday the week im covering his duty im off on that day ,last week i was covering a 4 day duty whose days off were fri , sat guess what day i got off - yip !! the friday when i came in on the sat i got sent to another office as i was spare

and im just guessing but over christmas when im on special duties as no one is on holiday i will have a lot of tuesdays off

[flakey555]

i had the issue in my office i work in london as number 1 reserve been told i cannot be moved out of office if i am spare as part timers or fixed term contracts get moved first and i am entitle to a saturday off 1 in every 6 like everyone but not weekends ie sat sun mon just entitled to saturday ... basically everyone is as required although it is a lot more hassel to move someone off their duty hence reserves get moved first not right but always the same im afraid

[losharapidoras]

So can anyone give me an answer to my simple question?

Is there AN OFFICIAL document that says "the rest days for Reserve Staff can be chosen by the management"?