Don’t want to go into specifics too much here as my username is hardly anonymous!

I work in a department where we currently operate a shift pattern which offers the staff some flexibility when it comes to swapping out of weekends rather than booking them off.

However, this pattern is due to be changed, the exact details of which are as yet unconfirmed.

It’s been suggested there will be three of us on each weekend, there’s ten of us in total so we will be doing 1 in 3. It’s been rumoured we will not be allowed to book weekends off as leave, but will have to swap. But this pattern doesn’t give much flexibility given everyone is already doing 1 in 3.

Does anyone know what the rules are in this type of situation?

It the most basic of terms your employer has the right to restrict holidays, to pick your holidays and to authories requests or not.

…unless your contract says otherwise.

Yes but I guess that’s the part that has changed

Unless I’m missing it…..his contract hasn’t changed yet just proposed so he needs to read his contract.

I assume he under consultation for these changes which basically means he signs it or goes away as it’s rare they will have their minds changes.

Holidays are taken at mutual consent. So you cannot demand certain days

My guess is you would be relying on “custom and practice” ie stating that this is a change to your terms and conditions which it would be if you are going from say 1:5 to 1:3 However if the employer has a good business reason to change the shift pattern they can do so. Its not enough for them to say. We want to do this. Its must be We want to do this because of x y z and those reasons need to be valid and not be able to be solved any other way.

It would seem reasonable tho to have a mechanism for having specific weekends off duty either by using annual leave or by swapping – swapping is what most shift workers do or have a system of requests that are normally honoured.

One for your union but from the little info we have its not a case I’d take on with any certainty of winning but some mechanism for having specific weekends off is not unreasonable and that might be the best compromise you get.

There’ll be no change to my contract, that basically is 37.5 hrs covering 8am-8pm, 7 days a week (I’m NHS.)

I just wondered if it’s reasonable for them to say we specifically can’t book weekends off when the flexibility we have at the moment allows for swapping but the “proposed” pattern will reduce this flexibility.

It is very rare that someone books annual leave at a weekend at the moment, the needs of the service have always come first to all the staff, however the good will of the staff is being eroded all the time.

There is much speculation amongst us at the moment as we have been told change is imminent but we’ve not been presented with it yet, we’ve just been drip fed nuggets. We will go through the formal consultation process when we are handed the new pattern.

My company does restrict booking your weekend shifts off otherwise you could just block book half the year. They also restrict short absences to prevent booking individual mondays and fridays through the the peak summer months as these single days would prevent another employee getting enough time for a summer holiday.

Generally the company is quite good at over-riding the odd clash as long as it does not become standard practise.

I work more weekends than the OP, we are allowed to book 2 weekends off a year as annual leave, one in the winter and one weekend in the summer and no more !

Unless I’m missing it…..his contract hasn’t changed yet just proposed so he needs to read his contract.

No need to change a contract if it’s based on an annual leave policy. The policy can be changed and the contract follows the current policy.

Read the post collectively instead of the bit that suits your point.

His shift pattern is being adjusted

And in addition the leave rules are changing.

But either way it’s a moot point as it will happen or you’ll be forced out the door.

But either way it’s a moot point as it will happen or you’ll be forced out the door.

I don’t doubt for one second that you are absolutely correct!

I’ve read it thanks trail rat.

Shifts tend not to be written into contracts only hours. They can be changed quite easily as TJ describes. Call it a restructure, an essential busiensss change or whatever you want. If they pay the same and the total hours the same it’ll go through.

Like I also say holiday agreements can be put under a policy not written into a contract so the conditions can be easily changed as new contract is required.

It is a change to your contract under custom and practice to make you work weekends more frequently than you currently are doing. ( assuming you have done your current shift pattern for more than a couple of years)

If the whole workforce stick together you can be quite powerful but get onto yor union for more specifics on how to fight it.

If its only you think swapping shifts will be more difficult then its a poor case but going from a 1:5 weekends to 1:3 is a contractual change even if its not in your written contract.

But it’s easy to change TJ even with a union disagreeing, demand changes in the NHS by the very nature of what it provides. Meeting demand will get the change through.

Its only easy to change if there is a good business reason and the management can prove this I know because I have stopped this sort of thing in a past life as a union rep. I got a change in shift pattern stopped right across a health board

Good for you TJ.

A rota pattern I came up with was used across the trust to help push through a business change.

Now 15 years later we’re going through another much bigger change.

We currently work 5 weeks of “shift” then 5 weeks of 9-5. We do 3 weekends in the shift block, so that averages out at roughly 1 in 3 over the year. But we know we have regular blocks of 5 weeks where we work no weekends. The new system will see us just do 1 in 3 continuously.

We still don’t know the specifics of the proposed shift, however the current rota has been used for 20+ years and the staff like this way of working. It’s flexible and offers good work life balance (with some sacrifice, we work extended periods of 12 hour days and cover all the “crap” days, BH’s, XMAS etc’.)

The benefits of the new shift remain to be seen, however we are not very hopeful it will provide a service improvement. In fact, quite the opposite is expected.

It’s hard for us not to speculate. I for example have worked like this for 18 years so any change will have a massive impact on my life.

The benefits of the new shift remain to be seen, however we are not very hopeful it will provide a service improvement. In fact, quite the opposite is expected.

Then that’s your argument point that you feel it’s unnecessary disruption with no benefit but you’ll need proof.

Unfortunately , I suspect Trailrat is correct about the “moot point” , however I know of a place where some bright spark calculated the management would have to hire more staff to cover the new shifts due to safe manning levels, hols &average sickness.3 years later the shifts haven’t changed….any room there for you o.p?

however I know of a place where some bright spark calculated the management would have to hire more staff to cover the new shifts due to safe manning levels, hols& average sickness over 3 years

Funnily enough I helped stop an unnecessary rota change for similar reasons, the changes went ahead but with the rota I devised as mentioned above.

Yep, we’re due to go through the “meaningful consultation” period, however I believe the final decision lies with the person who wants to see the change in the first place, so hardly impartial! It looks like it will occur over the Xmas period as well so it will be difficult for all staff to be involved properly. The current rota runs out in Jan so we’re running out of time.