AIBU to think this about working bank hols etc?

[OldandJaded]

Is it unreasonable to expect that if you work in certain industries you expect to work bank holidays (easter, Christmas included) nice days, late nights/early mornings and basically the times when most other people don't work?
I don't think it is, if you work in the hospitality trade then surely it's common sense that when the majority of working folk are off, is going to be your busiest time? Therefore the increase in business needs an increase in staff? I'm astounded by the number of people who come into hospitality that say they didn't expect to have to work Christmas/New year/Easter etc and feel it's unfair.
I've also worked in health care and have heard similar complaints - people don't stop being old/ill/sick because it's a public holiday!
I do agree it sucks that some places don't offer a little extra for working these holidays, but I wouldn't expect it because it's the type of job I'm in and comes with the territory. Most places I've worked give maybe time and a half or a small cash bonus if you work Christmas day, but the other days are business as usual.
Of course the shifts need to be shared out fairly and any religious need respected.
Working shifts, late nights, weekends and holidays does have it's advantages - I get to shop in relative peace, I don't have to travel in the rush hour, if I want to go out for a meal, to a theme park, a pub etc it's usually much quieter because other ppl are at work when I'm not!
Just don't understand those who come into an industry that relies on when other people don't work and therefore want to enjoy themselves and spend money, and then complain about it!
Rant over!

But they wont have a business to staff if people on NMW cant afford to buy stuff because THEIR employer pays NMW too.

Its basic common sense.

I really miss Sundays before there was Sunday opening. It was great to be obliged to do something that was relaxing. To be quite clear, I pretty well always go for a hike on Sundays, but that is a routine I've got myself into after several years of shopping on Sundays.

In answer to Andrewofgg

Restrict broadcasting? I'd love a Sunday without politics shows
Close the restaurants? Until noon, yes
Close the petrol stations? Until noon
Forbid newspapers the next morning? No Daily Mail for a day would be a step forward.

It's times like this I regret stopping being a communist in the 80s.

Some of the attitudes on this thread are awful. This is capitalism in action - they want people working 24/7 for minimum wage so that you can have your Dominos Pizza on Easter Monday, or your shoes for 70% off on Boxing Day.

Here's what I'd do - ban any business from opening on bank holidays and other public holidays unless the workers have a choice to work and if they do choose to work, they're paid AT LEAST time and a half.

You'd soon see which businesses can magically find the money to pay their workers properly! Anyone who can't afford to pay their workers for working unsociable hours is doing something wrong.

I work for 111 and we are open 365 days 24 hours. Get a lot of people who come in and then complain about working weekends,evenings and bank holidays!

I work for a bank. We work bank holidays.

EBearhug do you work in a bank?

Not these days. I did in the past. I am in IT support, and I'very done pretty much the same job in some very different organisations. I'm responsible for the operating system and to a large extent, what applications run on top are irrelevant. It makes a difference to how much people panic if a particular server fails, but the tasks of the things don't vary so much. It does mean that any maintenance work is likely to be out of hours, but it depends on the main user base - Asia, Europe, Americas. Christmas Day is a normal working day in Bahrain.

But then, I grew up on a farm. Cows need milking, checking and feeding every day regardless. I don't remember many years, if any, when harvest was finished by the August Bank holiday, either.

Draylon - I can't answer for 111 but emergency call handlers (999) are generally band 3 with 25% antisocial

I actually think the NHS is in for an even greater skills shortage than it has now. There's nothing on the cards in the next few years for a re-evaluation of agenda for change pay rates and once the minimum wage hits £9 an hour in 2020 you'll have largely unskilled (but very valuable) workers earning only a few quid less than degree educated professionally regulated staff. The lower bands also get a higher % unsociable pay than 5+ add all that together and you're looking for at lower level staff outearning qualified staff. I for one wouldn't come into nursing on those terms.

Totally agree. It is a car crash waiting to happen.

I'm with you OP.

I taught on an emplyability course, one of the people wanted to go in to catering/train as a chef, but would not work evenings.

sassh

I want to be a gardener but I don't want to work outdoors!

Of course if the shops are open any factory producing stock will have to be open, and so on down the chain. I worked in a supplier factory and about 10 years ago we were 'traded' our bank holidays for five extra days annual leave. Previously everyone worked the BH anyway, just at OT rates. I'm not sure who won that round... Christmas was kept as the supermarkets were not routinely opening boxing day then and was the only single day the factory was closed (except that somebody had to go in to check all the fridges were still going etc).
We also were not permitted to take annual leave in December at all. It was in the contract.

As a side note, the factory had separate weekend and night shifts which did pay a premium rate (about 20% for permanent nights, which I was on).

Andrewofgg

Yep he was a bit of an odd chap, made his 'own bolognese', using a jar of sauce.

Sashh and Andrewofgg
That's exactly the attitude I was meaning "Why should I work unsociable hours" when they knew this taking the job.
And it's unfair on the other staff because you just know if you are rota'd on with someone like this on a BH, chances are you're going to be short staffed as they'll ring in sick.
For hospitality and retail - those of you who have said about extra pay etc, would you be OK with a price rise to cover extra pay for unsociable hours - if it was guaranteed to go to the staff? It's a genuine question I'm not being goady.
Those that believe that shops etc shouldn't open on BH's - would you apply this to pubs and restaurants? Or would you want the option of a meal/drink out on these days? Again, genuine question.

I'm with you, OP. I worked through uni by taking jobs in retail, and working at the weekends and bank holidays was just assumed, and there was no higher pay for it. People aren't forced to do it, and some people want to do it as it fits round childcare and study commitments.

Except some people are forced to do it because they need money, or because it's the only job available.

Sadly, people like you are making it easier for employers who want to strip workers of any rights or life outside of work.

Remember when jobs were set hours, you left your work there, you had annual leave, proper wages and rights? Christ, I'm lucky I work in a job where I can actually go on strike if we have to.

If employers want all of the above, they should hire robots.

Personally, I think we need to change the selfishness of so many people. People who order a DVD on Amazon on Xmas day and want it there the next day. People who want to go shopping on Boxing day to get their big discount. People who want to have a day off from cooking at Christmas so they can see their family, conveniently forgetting that the people cooking and serving it you are away from their families and working for £5 an hour.

The hypocrisy astounds me.

"when they knew this taking the job"

Its not always their choice though is it. The DWP take kind of a dim view of ppl picking and choosing.

This happened to me when i had an Xmas temp job in retail 13 years ago.

Used to search our bags every day before we left. And yet would NOT provide us with lockers that locked so we could protect our own stuff So bags were kept in the staff room At the end of one shift i returned to the staff room to find my bag upended in the middle of the floor and the zip on the pocket compartment where i kept my keys unzipped. Its always zipped shut.

I did complain. The attitude? They just asked if anything was missing. There wasnt but only because they must have been disturbed.
i had to cancel my bank card 3 days before Christmas (my bank advised me to after i told them what happened) the best the employer could do after that was let me put my bag in the cash office which the other staff had access to as well confused

Fucking utter hypocrisy. Well i wasnt giving up my Boxing Day for them after all that I called in sick.

They were concerned about their stock but didnt give a fuck about staffs property Fucking hypocrites.

And before anyone starts about letting other staff down............one of them let ME down by nosing around in my stuff and attempting to steal from me and NO attempt was made to find out who it was.

Babycham, yes, it would be much better to close all shops etc on weekends and bank holidays. That way, the poor staff who are currently being forced at gunpoint to work on those days could find themselves with no job at all. Those poor students being forced to work weekends around their university courses could also be liberated from their exploitative bosses and could take out even larger loans instead. Yeah, that sounds like a great way to make things better for the poor :-/

You are ignoring the reality that some people WANT those hours. When I was growing up, my mum took a weekend job in a shop while dad worked during the week so she could bring in some money and not have to pay for childcare. When I was a student, I wanted to work on a weekend to bring in money and not interfere with my studies. Taking choices away from people without much money isn't helping, its patronising.

"Except some people are forced to do it because they need money, or because it's the only job available.

Sadly, people like you are making it easier for employers who want to strip workers of any rights or life outside of work."
Babychamsocislist

I fall into that category - I need the money and it's the only type of job available that my skills meet. I accept that means I have to work unsociable hours, that the skill set I have provides a limited job choice, and those jobs require unsociable hours. If I didn't want to work unsociable hours, then I'd apply myself to gaining the skills required for a job that doesn't require unsociable hours. I also enjoy the job, but essentially I'm just grateful to have one, there's aspects I don't like, but I'm not going to create about them because I took the job knowing those were part of it.

"when they knew this taking the job"

Its not always their choice though is it. The DWP take kind of a dim view of ppl picking and choosing."

Helenadove

My personal opinion is that a job is a job, and if you are able to do it, then you should, if you don't like it, or aspects of it, then that could serve as an incentive to train/retrain or seek out new skills to get a job you'd be more suited to and therefore happier in, no it won't happen overnight and it won't be easy, but it wouldn't be impossible.
I'm lucky now that I enjoy what I do, i didn't always, and even though my options were limited, I did something about it and changed my job, whilst staying in one I didn't like because I would rather be in a job, even one with aspects I don't agree with, than without a job.
But that is just me, I understand others view it differently, and appreciate that.
And the incident you describe is not one I have personally faced, but I can see why you'd be resentful towards the company for lack of action, it's a violation.