to think these are ridiculous work practices and shouldn't be allowed?

[SiamoFottuti]

MY DH works shifts, and is whats known in his job as a spare. Everyone is a spare until they get their own rota, a few years into the job. When you are a spare, you have to phone work every afternoon/evening to find out your shift for tomorrow. You have a vague notion in advance whether it will be an early or a late or a split, but in practice this can often mean little, with some lates starting before some earlies etc.
All of this means your family can't plan anything. I never know when he will be working, when he will have an evening or morning etc free. He also works weekends on the rota so its ruins weekend plans too.

Even worse is you can book a day off weeks in advance and then be told the day before that you can't have it. Which means your DW has to miss events she has bought tickets to and is very much looking forward to.

AIBU to think this is a fucking joke and bloody ridiculous?

Yep, but in the current jobs market employers have you over a barrel.

It is ridiculous but that's what he signed himself up for I guess

try being in the emergency services, you are called in on short notice, have to give up your leave and work very long hours at no notice

thats life

He did, worra, thats true. But he was told when joining that the wait-time for a proper rota would be about 3 years. That was almost 5 years ago and he hasn't even moved to Senior Spare yet (still last minute notice but better shifts, so an improvement).

It's also heavily unionised so I don't understand why they don't push for better. It makes it so hard to do anything.

sympathies, when DH was a bus driver, he had a year of being "spare", fortunately that was before children, so at least no need to worry about childcare. It's not great without any responsibilities, even worse if you do, I remember DH's pal struggling to swap shifts so he could do school run whilst his wife was at work.

Has he had words with the Union about it? I mean officially?

What does he do?

I can imagine this is the type of job where they find it impossible to keep people long term e.g. once people settle down and start having child care responsibilities.

I never knew industries (that's what it seems from your post? not an employer specific thing) worked like that as par for the course!

TotalChaos recognised a fellow bus drivers widow.

It looks like it will be years until he gets a route, much longer than usual, some complicated thing to do with his garage being a new one and having too many junior drivers.
Union reps very much of the "everyone else had to do it, so STFU and pay dues" mentality. But a few years ago both conditions and pay were much better than they are now, and they got routes years quicker.

I think I'm particularly fucked off because he left a higher paying job for this one based on the timelines and conditions they were old were certain. Turns out they were far from it.

*told, not old.