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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU, DH drafted in to beef up Olympic security

57 replies

GingerWrath · 07/08/2012 22:19

Is supposed to be home on Monday but has been informed they need extra people for the Paralympics, looks like DD's summer holidays are a write off! He won't be home til Sept 13th!

OP posts:
Littlemissimpatient · 08/08/2012 10:43

My DH is also working both. Police not armed forces but not a local force.
I've booked some time off to coincide with his 1.5 days off but they keep changing his shifts. It's pretty crap. He's getting fed etc but said the cooked meal is rubbish. They're staying in a uni accommodation.

Original poster
GingerWrath · 08/08/2012 10:43

And as for buying his own food, they are not allowed to use any of the retail outlets in or around the venue.

OP posts:
midori1999 · 08/08/2012 10:46

they are not allowed to use any of the retail outlets in or around the venue

Why on earth not?! Confused how ridiculous!

GhostShip · 08/08/2012 10:47

My friend got t

GhostShip · 08/08/2012 10:48

Damn iPhone!

My friend got told on the day she was supposed to come home that she needed to go to the Olympics :( she was gutted

GhostShip · 08/08/2012 10:49

I also know people who are working there willingly who have wished they'd never bothered because all the money has had to go on food, and they've sodded everyone's pay up

caramelwaffle · 08/08/2012 10:50

Yes. Why not? Is he up at the areas I mentioned above?

All of his colleagues are up out and about at Westfield/Excel- in uniform - everyday (plenty of food outlets there)

Original poster
GingerWrath · 08/08/2012 10:53

He isn't at any of those places, they can'tvuse the local amenities because 'the residents aren't used to military uniforms and we don't want to offend or upset them.'

OP posts:
ChaoticismyLife · 08/08/2012 10:53

OP YANBU Your dd has been denied the chance to spend some time with her daddy, and you with your husband because a bunch of fuckwitted incompetents, aka G4S, couldn't get their act together Sad

That lunch doesn't sound very much to me either, especially not the crisp and chocolate bar, when you're working such long days.

ChaoticismyLife · 08/08/2012 10:55

'the residents aren't used to military uniforms and we don't want to offend or upset them.'

That is bullshit!!!! Shock

I'm sure the residents would have no objections to the soldiers using the local amenities.

squeakytoy · 08/08/2012 11:01

That sounds ridiculous. I expect the residents are not used to hoardes of lycra clad athletes, television cameras, and thousands of international visitors either, so I cant see how they would be surprised or offended by seeing the military uniforms considering everyone knows that they are doing olympic security!

Salmotrutta · 08/08/2012 11:02

I'm quite angry on your DH's behalf now Ginger Angry

He's getting just 9 hours off and still having to do his kit etc. plus share a room with people coming and going at different times?!

This is a horrible way to treat our forces coming back from deployment. Angry.

Plus knowing they could get sent back to a trouble spot when their leave is up.

GhostShip · 08/08/2012 11:03

:o @ squeaky toy. Love the wording.

CookieRookie · 08/08/2012 11:06

YANBU. Don't know much about the g4s problem so can't comment on it and I also don't have a dp in forces but I do work long hours, sometimes two days straight and dh does the same job. We make plans when we have a rare day off together but because of our job it can all go to pot at the last minute. It's utterly shit but it pays the bills. What work-life balance? Hmm management bastards

I understand others saying take dd somewhere yourself and of course that's a given, you both shouldn't have to lose out because of all this BUT it's not the same is it? Let yourself feel angry for a while and resolve to let it go then. Hanging onto the crappy feelings isn't going to change the circumstances unfortunately.

As for the food - I couldn't survive on that perfectly adequate little amount of food on one of my longer shifts but - I'm a savage Grin
Don't worry, he'll not starve!

Hope you feel better soon and get to enjoy some lovely family time when he's finished.

MummyPigsFatTummy · 08/08/2012 11:16

Sorry if someone has already asked this and I missed it, but even if he has to cover the Paralympics, there is a gap between the two. Could he not be given leave during the next couple of weeks? What will he be doing in between? Seems really mean to me if not.

Original poster
GingerWrath · 08/08/2012 11:22

He will be given 6 days off, which will be spent at his parent's house as we are long overdue a visit and live 4 hours away from them.

OP posts:
littlecrocodile · 08/08/2012 11:23

" games makers (volunteers) are only getting one meal per 10-15hr shift. "

You sure about that? Certainly not at the venue I'm volunteering at, it's one meal for 6+ hour shift or two meals over 10 hours. Pretty good food too!

Original poster
GingerWrath · 08/08/2012 11:24

That's if his normal work give him time off and he doesn't have to go in, (under staffed, completely different story!)

OP posts:
GhostShip · 08/08/2012 11:25

littlecrocodile you must be lucky then because my friend wasnt given that.

A load of them have jacked and come home because it's so bad.

IloveJudgeJudy · 08/08/2012 11:27

I know it's not the same at all, but DS1 is working for the catering company that's doing the Olympics and was told he'd get paid leave between Olympics and Paralympics which he didn't think he'd get. They've now told him that, no, he can't have that time. So, they given it with one and taken away with the other. He has to work between the two instead of having time off. It's OK for him as he's a teenager and loving it. I'm only writing this as it seems to be the same for everyone working for the Olympics/Paralympics.

I do feel sorry for you and your DD, OP. It's rubbish not to have time off together when that's what you had been promised. It's worse than if it hadn't been promised in the first place. Like other posters, I think you just have to look on the bright side. At least he's here and not overseas. Is there no time you can meet up with him? Do his shifts get changed from one day to the next? (DS's do, I know.)

I hope you manage to do at least something together for a couple of days. I think the forces working for the Olympics has really upped their affection and profile in the public mind and hopefully will make any (more) cuts that the government were thinking of making, impossible.

Nancy66 · 08/08/2012 11:30

The military have done such an amazing job during the Olympics. I'm sure OP won't thank me for this but I'm quite pleased G4 messed it up, because I feel much more secure with our troops manning security than I do with some dozy security guard.

I got chatting to a really nice young soldier at North Greenwich - I offered to buy him a coffee from Starbucks and he said that although he would absolutely love one it was against the rules for him to accept it.

It's disgraceful that some of them are being made to sleep in a dis-used multi storey car park.

Original poster
GingerWrath · 08/08/2012 11:34

He is working nights, 3 on and one off, his one day off is spent catching up on sleep and doing his laundry, it is too far for me to travel for one day unfortunately.

OP posts:
MummyPigsFatTummy · 08/08/2012 11:34

GingerWrath Sad. The whole thing seems really unfair - you have my sympathy, not that that's of any help.

5alive4life · 08/08/2012 11:35

Where the heck is he staying where it takes 3 hours?! I live near the Olympic stadium (20 min WALKING) and have been told the armed forces are staying nearby to where I live. I've also been into westfield and there are lots of the armed forces walking around aswell as police officers carrying huge guns.

LookBehindYou · 08/08/2012 11:36

YABU a little bit. It's his job. Is there any reason you can't go camping on your own with your dd?