To wonder if Civil Service annual leave might be negotiable?

[bambamalam]

I'm thinking of applying for a civil service job. It's a level 7 specialist analytical role with a market supplement attached, which suggests that they've been struggling to recruit. The advert says it includes 25 days leave, rising to 30 after 5 years. I currently have 30 days leave (plus bank hols), so 25 would be a significant reduction. If it was a private company I might try to negotiate, but for the Civil Service would I be whistling in the wind?

New joiners at my place are the same, 25 days but 3 at Christmas and 26 flexi days a year on top.

@Vanillaradio
@kljk78
@Brazilianadventure

There are some contract terms in the MoD that still feature the full 2.5 days of sovereign, extra Xmas and Maundy Thursday half day - but these are specific ones such as for shift workers etc
Different government departments do have different terms of service, but it’s the standard that 1.5 privilege days will have been removed

Existing staff on the change date who have not had promoted since will have the 1.5 as extra annual leave, new starters won’t get them unless in a specific role type which has them in the terms of service

Government intended to remove all privilege days from the civil service in 2013 but the sovereigns birthday dates back to 1748 and they were promptly told by the palace to reinstate the day.
With the Queen passing rumours have been made about withdrawing the day, but with 275 years of history and its retention being enforced a decade ago it’s a little unlikely to go

@tommika thanks , I was aware of that, it was why I was surprised some posters still had privileged days.

I do remember Frances Maud in 2012 -diamond Jubilee year wanting to get rid of the QB and being told he would have to ask the Queen. 😭

Flexi time is the way forward here.

I'm a looooong term civil servant with my 30 days but lots of my newer colleagues have requested and been turned down.

I’ll trump the ‘unofficial’ privilege days ……

When I began my career in the last century (mid 1980s)

There was a ‘Christmas shopping day’, but the way it worked was that you would write on your leave sheet in pencil, and hand it up the chain getting approved in pencil
As long as nobody saw you off work it would get rubbed out

This ‘process’ lasted until I gained some authority and pointed out that not only were people getting a free day off but they were documenting a conspiracy to defraud complete with everyone’s initials from the individual, supervisor, branch manager and unit head.
The shopping day continued but without the evidence

Many years later after the shopping day had ended …..

One year in the lead up to Christmas a general proposed an energy saving initiative proposed to shut down buildings for a long Christmas stand down. For the army they could close, but for civilians special permission was obtained to grant a free week off due to the short notice and inability to suddenly demand how leave was used

When I faxed around the plans I was called over to be told that I wouldn’t believe that the grapevine had fully kicked in and that one of the branches were in uproar. Their manager was on his way with the complaints that with an extra week off they wouldn’t have time to plan their shopping day rota.

After a few choice words were exclaimed I recommended that someone needed to get him on his mobile and engage his brain before he has to explain to me not only why they are still continuing a long gone fiddle but why 5 free days off aren’t good enough

@tommika 😭😭

I agree that the situation @RedCarsGoFaster had is completely different. Honouring the arrangements of another dept is quite standard, negotiating with external candidates absolutely isn’t.

As others have said, it’s an equal pay issue.

They are usually good at giving unpaid special leave or letting you buy leave though.

Unlikely but if you don't ask you don't get!
What you need to be thinking about is your working pattern so people do 10 over 9 or 5 over 4 for example.

Christmas shopping days are still an unofficial thing in my Dept.. lol

It's done in a "you're off tomorrow, aren't you James" 😉 kinda way

"Sarah.. you're off on Thursday.. Louise, you're off Friday, right?"

My department don’t have the privilege day but we have 32.5 days off as standard. I was on 30 days at my old department plus privilege day, so I gained 1.5 days on moving.