On Thu, 11 Nov 2010 23:58:18 -0000, Mizter T wrote:
Actually, just had a thought - in a sense there will be a TfL service on
Christmas day, that of the Cycle Hire scheme which I imagine will be
operating. However as 'casual access' has not yet been implemented (that's
planned for sometime in the new year I think), anyone wanting to use it
would need to be a member and be in possession of a key.

TfL are currently claiming that casual users access will be available
before Christmas (see the notes at the bottom of this press release from
Wednesday: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/medi...tre/17339.aspx
). The docking stations were unavailable on Sunday evening/night due
to a software update which might be linked to getting them ready for
casual users.

In article ,
wrote:
In article , (Roy
Badami) wrote:
They don't have Boxing Day as a holiday in Scotland, Roy. They had New
Year's Day long before England did and have the next day off as well now.

I don't think that's true. According to the DTI site, Boxing Day is a
bank holiday in Scotland. But, of course, it's more complicated than
that, with the Scottish bank holidays being a historical irrelevence,
these days observed by noone, not even the banks. The actual public
holidays are set by local councils (perhaps in consultation with the
local chamber of commerce) and vary regionally.

Nonetheless, I was under the impression that the five holidays that
were pretty much universal across all of Scotland were the two days at
Christmas, two days for Hogmanay and one day for the early May bank
holiday -- corrections from Scots welcome.

Taking Edinburgh as a concrete example, they get two days for
Christmas (this year 27-28 December because of Christmas falling on a
Saturday).

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/788...in_edinburgh/2

-roy

In message , at 10:10:43 on
Fri, 12 Nov 2010, David Walters remarked:

The docking stations were unavailable on Sunday evening/night due
to a software update which might be linked to getting them ready for
casual users.

What were people returning bikes they hired earlier supposed to do
during this outage?
--
Roland Perry

On Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:39:57 +0000, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 10:10:43 on
Fri, 12 Nov 2010, David Walters remarked:

The docking stations were unavailable on Sunday evening/night due
to a software update which might be linked to getting them ready for
casual users.

What were people returning bikes they hired earlier supposed to do
during this outage?

Sorry, my mistake. The docking stations were available but the
terminals were unavailable which meant things like balance enquires were
unavailable. It might not have been possible to hire a bike if your key
is set to auto-renew although the details aren't 100% clear to me. The
email sent said:

During this time, the auto-renew service will not function via
terminals or online. This means that if your membership is set up
to auto-renew each time you hire a cycle, hiring a new one will not
be possible. However, if you have already hired a cycle before the
outage begins, you will still be able to return your cycle and this
will be recorded.

I think if you had an auto-renew set on your key but your chosen period
had not expired you would be able to hire a bike.

"Roland Perry" wrote:

In message , at 10:10:43 on
Fri, 12 Nov 2010, David Walters remarked:

The docking stations were unavailable on Sunday evening/night due
to a software update which might be linked to getting them ready for
casual users.

What were people returning bikes they hired earlier supposed to do during
this outage?


I strongly expect what David means is that just the 'pay station' terminals
were unavailable, so it wasn't a full outage - hence bikes could be returned
to the docking points, and indeed I think bikes can be taken out of the
docking points using a membership key even if the pay stations aren't
available (?). In the beginning there certainly seemed to be a problem with
the pay station terminals freezing or crashing (so some sort of software
problem) - I recall on the first weekend finding some that seemed to have
been in that frozen state all weekend.

The significant thing that the pay stations do offer to those with
membership keys is the ability to query what the status is of nearby docking
stations (how empty/full), and get the free extra 15 minutes added on if the
docking station one is at is full.

On Nov 10, 12:43*pm, Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
04:31:39 on Wed, 10 Nov 2010, Paul remarked:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11725128

What I don't quite understand is what are ASLEF complaining about if
there is a long standing agreeement covering working arrangements on
Boxing Day. Are they just pushing their luck?

* * * * "The spokesman said: "It used to be almost guaranteed that if
* * * * you worked one bank holiday, you would not work the next. But
* * * * the increase in service levels has meant this is now no longer
* * * * possible.

* * * * "We are not opposed to additional services for customers, but we
* * * * believe that there are times when staff need to be appropriately
* * * * compensated for working at highly unsocial times - and that
* * * * includes Boxing Day."

But, of course, the 26th isn't a Bank Holiday this year. Or are they
talking about the 28th, or was that the 27th (cont'd page 94).

(I knew that there was a reason for worrying about the Bank Holiday
arrangements this year!)
--
Roland Perry

I am rostered to work Christmas day NIGHTS this year, as there is no
work for me I have to take a days leave.

I am rostered to work Boxing day NIGHTS this year. As it is a Sunday I
have a right to decline to work it, as it is a Sunday. However I am
"expected" to work my Sundays, despite them not being part of my 37
hour week. The only time that I am not "expected" to work a Sunday is
if it is part of a weeks leave.

So this Christmas I will work Christmas Eve night. Annual Leave on
Christmas Day. Work Boxing Day night and then nights on Monday 27th
and 28th, with a rest day on the 29th.

I will be paid NORMAL wages for all of this, NO ENHANCEMENTS what ever
other than the Sunday rate on 26th, which is "paid at time". For the
Bank Holiday on Monday and Tuesday 27th and 28th I will recieve NO
Compensatory leave.

The only good thing about all of the forgoing is that I think
Christmas is one of the most over rated and pointless times of the
year. I fully acceopt that some people will besmirch my comments on
religous grounds for which I have some sympathy, but the adverts
already on TV, the aisles in my local supermarket and the "I've
started my shopping have you" simply feeds my "humbug"

Anyway, next year I will be on exactly the same roster over Christams
(a 4 week roster causes that) the only difference is that I will not
have to take leave on Chritmas day, as it's a Sunday. Instead I will
simply LOOSE a 123 hour Sunday payment, but I will gain a compensatory
day for the 26th as it falls on a "real" Bank Holiday.


It is my suspicion that some of the ASLEF issues are based on
something similar to my story, the difference being that I am a
manager so do it for the love of the company without question !


Richard

In message
, at
08:12:31 on Fri, 12 Nov 2010, Fat richard
remarked:

I am rostered to work Christmas day NIGHTS this year, as there is no
work for me I have to take a days leave.

....

I will be paid NORMAL wages for all of this, NO ENHANCEMENTS what ever
other than the Sunday rate on 26th, which is "paid at time".

I don't understand this - you say Sundays are different, but then "paid
at time".

For the Bank Holiday on Monday and Tuesday 27th and 28th I will recieve
NO Compensatory leave.

While I'm also in the "no extra pay for working statutory holidays" camp
(and also "no extra pay for Sundays"), I do feel you are hard done by
with that lockout on Xmas night. They really ought to pay you.

--
Roland Perry

On Nov 12, 5:22*pm, Roland Perry wrote:
In message
I don't understand this - you say Sundays are different, but then "paid
at time".


I work a 37 hour week covering Monday to Saturday all shifts (early
late and nights) This requires 4 people to cover the shifts and one
extra as a "relief". Over 8 weeks there are 8 hours left in the kitty
of a training day.

For these shifts I receive a fixed salary with no enhancements for
unsocial hours.

I am required to work 2 Sundays in the 4 week period, both 12 hours,
one night and one day. These are paid at "time". As I said before I am
required to work these unless they are part of a leave week, some
people will work them for you - but it is your responsibilty to get
them "covered" and of course the company don't lose out financially.
It is as close to rostered overtime as you can get. If I am required
to do any overtime (stay on 4 hours, work a rest day, attend a meeting
on my day off) this is paid at time.

I have spent 27 years doing shift work and I suspect about 24/25 of
these have been on 24/7 rosters. Back in the 80s and 90s I worked to
"the red book" (which still exists) and covers "BR" style grades which
attracted much lower salaries and much higher enhancements, for
example a Saturday night rest day worked attracted double time after
midnight. But of course being a lower salary attracts a lower pension
contribution.

And going slightly further away from the original point......

The type of salary and roster I am on were pretty much invented by
CONnex and whilst a lot of people struggled, indeed some still do to
this day, to come to terms with it, I actually find it most agreeable.
My pensionable pay is now 100% so on a much higher "clean" salary it
is no bad thing and despite all of the recent horror stories, railway
pensions are still regarded very highly. I found it very easy indeed
to adapt to the "new way"and very rarely find myself thinking about
what I would have been getting on rest day works or Sundays.

An awful lot of the staff that were regraded into management grades
were on the "red book" conditions and had some quite good redundancy
terms so these were swept away and records in Croydon Courts will show
that the summary dismissal of numerous regraded staff after they had
signed contracts, and thus lost a hell of a lot of money, did not save
CONnex the money they originally envisaged !

All of that said I know that some of what I have said may come over as
being a grump, but actually I am genuinely VERY happy with my lot, and
despite the foibles of Christmas I personally dont have a problem with
the conditions at all. It is a fairly unique position to be in, as
just about all non shift working managers won't get a penny extra for
doing extra hours and most importantly I am lucky to have a job that I
genuinely enjoy and I think I would struggle to adapt to a 9-5 life.

Richard

On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 01:11:04PM +0000, Roland Perry wrote:

Dunno, but I don't get paid extra, and have often had to spend Sundays
travelling to overseas meetings, which frequently clash with UK Bank
Holiday Mondays.

A reasonable employer would give you TOIL for both the time spent
travelling and the time spent working.

--
David Cantrell | Minister for Arbitrary Justice

I think the most difficult moment that anyone could face is seeing
their domestic servants, whether maid or drivers, run away
-- Abdul Rahman Al-Sheikh, writing at
http://www.arabnews.com/?article=38558

In message , at 12:29:37
on Tue, 16 Nov 2010, David Cantrell remarked:

Dunno, but I don't get paid extra, and have often had to spend Sundays
travelling to overseas meetings, which frequently clash with UK Bank
Holiday Mondays.

A reasonable employer would give you TOIL for both the time spent
travelling and the time spent working.

I'm self employed, so I'll have to have a word with myself about that!

--
Roland Perry