Dh work making people go flexi and take a pay cut

[Thedarksideofthemoon30]

Dh works for Network rail. He’s been with them roughly 10 years but at his currently job for 3.

He’s a signaller and they are changing the hours from 6/2 - 2/10 6/6 etc to 12 hour days/nights.

But they have announced they need 14 people to go flexi, meaning they won’t get any overtime or Sundays etc. We rely to the overtime and 2 Sundays a month.

If people go flexi he would have to take a £10k pay cut from missing out on the overtime etc.

They said it will be the people who haven’t been there the longest.

Aibu to think this is wrong and the job he applied for wasn’t flexi shift? Can they even make you do it?

It also means he won’t know his shifts until a week or so in advance, which with young children makes things so much more difficult and hard for me to work.

Thank you, that’s really helpful. I know it’s a lot of responsibility, not an easy job but compared to my NHS pay that part is good so I will suggest considering it!

Everybody on the railway has to deal with fatalities. Yes it's a headache for the signaller rerouting trains etc.... the BTP and the RIO will be at the scene, drivers/guards and it extends right down to platform staff having to deal with very angry passengers... and even me, a lowly cleaner on min wage , my job is also affected by fatalities due to more passengers stuck hanging around on platforms making an awful mess (pre covid)

Wow. It's similar to a primary headteacher pay but with basic qualifications. Definitely one to look at BungleandGeorge.

(As a complete aside I've noticed the stereotypical male jobs/trades you can enter without higher qualifications can often lead to high paid work ie plumbers and electricians.Stereotypical female work hairdressers/carework/cleaning/typing as was/ not so much...)

When Dh was at signalling school there was quite a few women, more than I thought there would be. (He was away 2 months while I was 7 months pregnant-hormones were not happy 😂)

It's far more than nurses too - who do a degree and then have the shiftwork. I am amazed!

Fucking hell, with salaries like that no wonder they’re cutting back on overtime.

So does he control the signals in his job? A 12 hour shift is bloody long for someone responsible for the health and safety of many many passengers!

I work in a different industry
There has been no overtime for a year in my department
A different department has had overtime, but it has been cut & some work has been postponed
Companies are attempting to cut costs
Other departments have had job cuts

Yes I was wondering about the 12 hour shifts on safety grounds as well. The job description says you need to be able to concentrate intensively and surely that is easier with shorter shifts. It’s not a job where you can have a lapse in concentration. Presumably it’s lone working at times? So also no opportunity for a proper break? That might be something the union could argue?

They aren’t cutting back on overtime, the over time are shifts that need covering say on a Friday day one group doesn’t have enough people do do the shift they would get someone from a different group to cover it, which is “overtime”.

They are not cutting down.

The issue is if he becomes flexi he won’t be offered the overtime, the overtime will be offered to the shift workers and the people on flexi won’t be offered any.

If he stays as a shift worker he will still be offered the shifts that need covering.

There has to be 8 people working 24/7.

Oh and for the pp, if they are doing a 12 hour shift (like he is this weekend on nights) then they get a good break sometimes. He’s been doing it for 3 years and there’s never been a mistake really at work.

You work a panel, so someone would do a certain track and then someone else etc. You have someone in the back monitoring it all.

It’s quite well done and safe, they have lots of people concentrating on it and it’s in a pitch black room to help concentration.

They also in regular contact with the drivers etc.

If soemthing happened on one part of the track (say a train ran a red light - drivers fault not signaller) then all the other panels would know and would contact driver etc and there would be an investigation.

I think the group all work together closely.

If someone needs a break/ to go toilet, the supervisor or someone else who isn’t working covers the panel.

There isn’t trains all the time, and during a 12 hour night shift it’s mostly just transport trains or workers.

Luckily they don’t manage any of the track near London, I reckon that would be stressful lol.

Did you ever get this resolved?

They didn't need to introduce flexis, theres no need for them. Tends to mean, as you've pointed out, the 'residents' get better pick of overtime, even though you all work in the same place.

I hate that role, there's plenty of places that operate without them.