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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be shocked that retail workers don't get extra pay to work boxing day

210 replies

Sunshinecloud6537 · 10/12/2018 19:48

AIBU to expect these retail/hospitality workers get extra pay on top of their hourly wage when working over Xmas bank holidays. These workers a missing our on time with their families at christmas with no extra remuneration to compensate this loss of family time.

AIBU or does this just seem very unfair and not at all in the spirit of christmas?

OP posts:
brizzledrizzle · 13/12/2018 01:40

Boxing Day is probably in their contract as a normal working day.

TheHobbitMum · 13/12/2018 01:43

Sadly not a lot of places for double time now, they should though! I work in aldi and for any Bank Holiday we get paid double time but no stores are open on boxing day Grin

ilovesooty · 13/12/2018 02:06

Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are normal working days surely? None of our locations are closing early.

Buswankeress · 13/12/2018 03:41

Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are normal working days surely? None of our locations are closing early.

They are, only Christmas day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day are bank holidays, plus any extras if one of those falls on a weekend.
Thing is though in hospitality definitely and probably retail at least on Christmas Eve, they are usually really really busy, and then there's a ton of prep to do for Christmas day in hospitality, and all the cleaning up to do after new years eve, and I've read that retail prep for boxing Day on Christmas Eve. Those things often push you over midnight and beyond - into the bank holiday, for no enhanced pay and often a nightmare getting home for taxis etc and then be back a few hours later for your actual bank holiday daytime shift.

Nightwatch999 · 13/12/2018 04:39

NHS staff get no extra either!

sashh · 13/12/2018 04:55

They do get extra, don't they?? Thought everyone did on a bank holiday

Not necessarily. And that's the same in other jobs too. Healthcare for one.

adaline · 13/12/2018 10:15

They are, although we close early both days.

2pm on Christmas Eve to set up for the sale - we normally finish around 4pm as opposed to 6pm on a normal day. New Years Eve we shut at 4pm this year.

Some retail companies treat their employees much better than ours. I'm very fortunate where I am (double time for all bank holidays, time and a half for all hours in a week over 37.5) plus an £800/year uniform allowance for full-time workers.

adaline · 13/12/2018 10:15

*Much better than others, not ours!

Polarbearflavour · 13/12/2018 10:25

Unless unsocial hours allowances have been scrapped, NHS staff do get payments. www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/pay-and-reward/agenda-for-change/nhs-terms-and-conditions-of-service-handbook/unsocial-hours-payments

I think we would have heard the uproar if they were got rid of! There have been rumblings about changing payments.

Gromance02 · 13/12/2018 10:46

Working conditions are shit now compared to what they were 20 years ago IMO. I worked in a pub 20 years ago and got triple time for working Christmas day. Disgusting that people don't get extra pay for working Bank Holidays. At the absolute very least they should get a day in lieu.

GrandTheftWalrus · 13/12/2018 11:44

I don't work in retail but I work in events. For NYE we get time and a half until about 9pm then double time for the 1st.

I don't think we get anything for Christmas eve but for boxing day we get time and a half.

But again I'm on a zero hours contract so I choose if I work then or not. I never work NYE even though I'd be getting £17 ph as by the time I finish and get a taxi home I'll have worked for nothing.

IJustLostTheGame · 13/12/2018 12:13

On retail I never got extra pay for public holidays, we were supposed to get time off in lieu but it was never approved when I asked for it. Plus because it was shorter opening times I got less pay anyway.
I hated retail.

Satsumaeater · 13/12/2018 12:22

In the late 80s I had a Saturday job and I got double time for working Sundays. Those were the days.

Sarawish · 13/12/2018 12:42

I work in care. We get minimum wage for everything, days, nights, weekends, bank holidays, Christmas, new year. Everything.

We need to ask ourselves is this how we want to treat those looking after our most vulnerable members of society.

HelenaDove · 13/12/2018 15:29

@Polarbearflavour We would soon hear it if they cut it. I wonder how many NHS staff insisting that their jobs are twinned with retail workers would be supportive of a campaign to get retail workers to be paid the same as them. Because the media and the NHS workers would laugh and take the piss at this idea.

Yet come Boxing Day/bank holidays some of them suddenly insist that its "twinsies"

They need to make their minds up.

Oh and care workers in nursing/residential homes/mobile carers should be on the same pay as NHS workers Its a job where they are responsible for someones well being.

XingMing · 14/12/2018 20:07

My DM worked as a MH care assistant until she was nearly 80, but on an old style NHS nursing-based pay scale. She asked for, and usually got, Christmas off but always worked NYE/Day. Her team and organisation was TUPEd out onto NMW contracts (so no increment for unsocial hours or waking nights). She retired, because the work was becoming too much for her physique, and guess what? The people she cared for are farmed out, and back into institutions.

HelenaDove · 15/12/2018 16:42

there are quite a few posts on the Waitrose and Partners fb page also insisting that its twinsies.

TSSDNCOP · 15/12/2018 17:07

I used to get triple time in Safeway on Good Friday. But that was the 80’s when Shop opening wasn’t seen as essential to life as oxygen.

Now I don’t think retail employees are anymore entitled to money/time off than anyone else who works on holidays.

Llioed · 15/12/2018 17:22

I work for a big retail company in the UK and employees who joined the company before a certain time (for example before Nov 2004) get time and a half when working on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Employees who were employed prior to 1997 or 1998 (don’t know exact date as I joined company end of 2001) get double time on Sundays and Bank Hols.

Employees who joined company after Nov 2004 get single time for Sundays and BH.

So if you were to walk into one of these places you would have a range of employees who are receiving different rates. Really unfair.

Please be kind to retail staff. They can be pissed off, but they have probably had horrible customers (highly likely in the Boxing Day sales!!) and are fed up. I’ve been there. So hard to keep a nice face on when people are literally barking in your face in order to get another 10 pence knocked off...!

HelenaDove · 15/12/2018 17:22

So which one do you want to choose then? For the NHS workers to lose their unsocial hours payments (details of which are in @Polarbearflavour link. Or for retail workers to recieve these payments.

HelenaDove · 15/12/2018 17:24

that was to TSSDNCOP

PitterPatterOfBigFeet · 15/12/2018 17:24

I spoke to the co-op staff about this and was shocked. I'm going to make sure we don't shop on Boxing day. It's unnecessary and if people didn't turn up the shops wouldn't open.

anniehm · 15/12/2018 18:02

At my local Asda, my favourite check out lady (she's so friendly) told me they ask for volunteers first, then they prioritise those who didn't request Eid or Diwali off, they didn't have a problem though as plenty of people wanted shifts.

supafish · 15/12/2018 18:14

Try being a Marie Curie nurse - no extra pay over any holidays ever ! Yet our patients need us more than ever at the end of their lives ! Good thing that I love my job !

Arnoldthecat · 15/12/2018 18:17

I dont get any extra either. I';m an essential service person..