LUL operational staff such as drivers and station staff get 29 days off per
year. Plus 8 days public holidays just like everyone else. Total days off is
37.
According to government figures, on average British companies offer 25 days
of paid holiday a year plus 8 bank holidays. Total days off is 33.
So LUL employess benefit by 4 extra days off above the average.
I believe this is a payoff for no penalty payments for working a 24 hour
shift pattern. That is: same rate of pay for working at 9am as for 9pm. No
extra premium for Saturdays, Sundays, working Bank Holidays and no premium
for a shift pattern that can be anti social.
LUL employees have agreed with the employer, TfL, to work extra hours and
receive no payment for these. This is a common arrangement within large
companies. The Police force do exactly the same. Lloyds TSB and Cadburys are
just 2 of many other companies that allows staff to effectively 'buy' extra
time off.
T/Ops have had a 35 hour week for a while. They work 36 hours and 'bank' the
extra hour so as to have another 6 days off per year.
Station staff work 37.5 hours per week and will bank the extra hours and
take it as time off rather than overtime. If it was paid as overtime it
would be worth 1.25 times the hourly rate. They will get 10 days when they
have banked the hours.
If the employee is off work because of sickness, maternity leave, funeral
leave etc or when they are on leave already then these extra hours are not
banked as they are not worked.
In France and Germany, employees get on average 30 days paid holiday a year
plus 11 bank holidays.
So along with every other employee in the UK, LUL staff still get less than
their counterparts in Europe. If this is right or wrong thats another issue
not to be confussed with this one.
The agreement was made with TfL by negotiation, it is self funding through
longer opening hours and other agreed targets.
Certainly its a generous scheme, no one said it wasnt, but its not quite as
has been reported.

As for this 43% time off a year.......
29 days plus 8 bank holidays plus 2 days off a week for a year, 104 days, =
141 days a year off work. 38.6% off year off work.
They forgot to mention the general public get 25 plus 8 bank holidays plus
the 104 = 137 days a year off work. 37.5% off work.

The figures are averages. So if you only get 20 days a year, someone
somewhere is getting a lot more to make up the average. Its not the LUL
employees. Its wrong to add some days as an entitlement when they are not
that. They are buying the days off by working them and not taking money for
it. I am sure many would prefer the extra hours as money at overtime
rates.....but its not allowed.