I've been on a nice little on call rota for about 4 years now, 3 people covering UK out of hours, on the same shift pattern for at least the last 2 years (3 on, 6 off).
There's absolutely nothing in my contract about on call, nothing was ever formalised other than the production of a rota and introducing a phone number that directs to our work phones as per the rota. If we can't cover our on call we're expected to sort it out ourselves.
I've just gone to check next months dates in the calendar and they've added someone else on to the rota and reduced everyone elses hours. The first conversation i've had with my boss about it could have gone better than me just having a rant but the on call is a significant part of my mortgage payment 😀
Is that a goer at all, with no notice? Custom and practice applicable to things like on call?
Nothing formalised but you get an extra payment for being on call?
More fool you for basing your mortgage payment on non contract income.
Can't see you have any legs to stand on.
Nothing formalised but you get an extra payment for being on call?
Yup - and the overtime if i get called out.
Sounds like an employer taking steps to ensure you’re not overworked, don’t think you’ve got any comeback.
Less work = more time on the bike
If you have evidence of you doing this for 4 years being paid then it's an adopted contact, they need to give you proper notice of the change.
4 years ago I moved from a role with an on-call requirement (but not in my contract), split between two of us and virtually never had a call-out to my current, more senior, role with no on-call. I'm still on less money now than I was back then - it's annoying but something that just had to be sucked up.
Going from a 3 to 4 person rota is absolutely nothing you should be complaining about, if you're relying on that on-call pay to cover your mortgage then either change to a better paid standard hours job or live within your means!
If losing a quarter of your extra on-call income makes it hard for you to pay your mortgage, god help you if interest rates go up half a percent.
Yeah, you loser. (Sorry, just thought I had better join in)
You could argue custom and practice but I doubt it will work as they are reducing excessive hours. One in three on call is forty hours on top of your working week so potential working time issues
On call us in my contract. There's nothing in it about adding more people to the rota. They're is a minimum number of people required, but no maximum.
Going from a 3 to 4 person rota is absolutely nothing you should be complaining about, if you’re relying on that on-call pay to cover your mortgage then either change to a better paid standard hours job or live within your means!
Err, I think his point is he was living within his means, it's just that his means have been changed without any notice. No different really to losing any other portion of your hours really.
About half my income comes from uncontracted on-call work! The only (verbal) agreement is that any reimbursable hours billed to the clients I get paid the net as a bonus after deducting vat/corporation tax/employers NI and my basic salary etc. My basic pay (is pretty damn basic) paid from overheads.
I'm basically freelance with only one client.
Err, I think his point is he was living within his means, it’s just that his means have been changed without any notice. No different really to losing any other portion of your hours really.
In mortgage applications I've made, they ask basic salary then if there's "guaranteed overtime."
I would suggest uncontracted on call wouldn't be classed as "guaranteed" overtime and probably shouldn't be included in the calculation.
I would suggest uncontracted on call wouldn’t be classed as “guaranteed” overtime and probably shouldn’t be included in the calculation.
I didn't include it in my calculations the first year, or the second year but this is the 5th year of it.
I know the correct STW thing would be to put it all in a savings account just in case or something like that but you know, life and that.
It was a slightly glib comment about the mortgage, we've got two kids at nursery till September so pretty much the worst time in the last for this to hit.