So anyone fed up with the driving job? Don’t mind taking a big drop in wages? Most of you reckon you could do the job better than us that are already in the post.
Vacancies have just been advertised for Control Room Operators at various locations. Closing date is 21st January, but don’t leave it until the last minute as the application form is a bugger!
There’s a place near me in Avonmouth but i won’t be applying basically because of the money, £19,000 isn’t good is it.
bald bloke:
There’s a place near me in Avonmouth but i won’t be applying basically because of the money, £19,000 isn’t good is it.
For what they actually do it isn’t exactly a bad salary. £19k plus 20% shift allowance, plus all the usual civil service benefits and what normally anounts to a 40 week working year after holidays and sick leave holiday are taken into account.
GB pub, You obviously work in the civil service, but certainly not in this job. “Sick leave holiday” What the heck is that■■? civil service benefits, please tell me more, please don’t say the pension scheme, because that’s not as good as the one that I had in industry, plus we now have to contribute 3 times more than we previously did.
Some things that aren’t mentioned.
Shifts; 3 days earlies (6am - 2pm) then 3 days lates (2pm - 10pm) then off for 3 days. Back in for 3 days “Float” (this is either earlies or lates) then 3 days nights (10pm - 6am) then 3 days off (most of the first you’re in bed!) then repeat the rota.
All Bank holidays, Easter, Christmas, Boxing day, New year etc. are just another working day, if you’re rota says that you’re working, then your are.
Weekends, the rota works out that you get one full weekend plus one day of a weekend in every month.
Holidays have to be booked, and they only allow a maximum of 2 people per shift off at any one time.
Holidays are 225 hours, plus 10 days in lieu of Bank holidays etc.
Everyone calls the management in whatever job you’re in, but we’re run by the government, and we all know how good they are!!
Political Correctness rules to the N’th degree! (I often come unstuck here;-)) )
Anyone starting now I would expect it to take up to 12 months before they were really proficient at the job, and the job is not for everyone.
The real Biffo:
“Sick leave holiday” What the heck is that■■?Holidays are 225 hours, plus 10 days in lieu of Bank holidays etc.
225/37 equates to just over 6 weeks annual holiday, plus 10 days for bank holidays (despite there only being 8 p.a.) Then the civil service employee has an annual average of 10.1 sick days, though in some departments 1 in 10 take 56 days. It is a well known fact that many abuse the generous sick pay entitlement in order to take extra days off…hence “Sick leave holiday”.
As I said above not a bad salary for the amount of time spent at work and for the work it actually entails.
Ah! maybe yes there is a percentage of people that abuse the sick scheme, that is a fact that I’ll not argue with, Management need to grow a pair and deal with it but often they are the worst offenders. I thought you had some “official” number, now I can’t disagree with you. 
I’ve never actually counted how many bank holidays there are, but some would get paid & plus a day in lieu in industry, so it works out very similar.
When I was on for a nationalised industry (telecoms) we used to get another bank holiday after the spring bank holiday, was called the queens birthday as I recall. Don’t recall another one over and above the statutory allowance. They were retained after privatisation and had them till I took redundancy in 2000 but suspect that later recruits didn’t get them.
I see a flaw in that shift pattern …
Its crap 
bald bloke:
There’s a place near me in Avonmouth but i won’t be applying basically because of the money, £19,000 isn’t good is it.
It’s good if you have already got a pension to top it up, suit the old-timers.
waddy640:
bald bloke:
There’s a place near me in Avonmouth but i won’t be applying basically because of the money, £19,000 isn’t good is it.It’s good if you have already got a pension to top it up, suit the old-timers.
Yes i suppose on second thoughts it’s not too bad with the 20% added on, but when you have a week or two off for hoilday lets say you won’t then get that 20% will you.
bald bloke:
waddy640:
bald bloke:
There’s a place near me in Avonmouth but i won’t be applying basically because of the money, £19,000 isn’t good is it.It’s good if you have already got a pension to top it up, suit the old-timers.
Yes i suppose on second thoughts it’s not too bad with the 20% added on, but when you have a week or two off for hoilday lets say you won’t then get that 20% will you.
You do, there again you could just apply for double days (no nights) & get 12.5%, but I doubt they’ll offer that anymore unless you try @ ask what the chances are at the outset.
bald bloke:
waddy640:
bald bloke:
There’s a place near me in Avonmouth but i won’t be applying basically because of the money, £19,000 isn’t good is it.It’s good if you have already got a pension to top it up, suit the old-timers.
Yes i suppose on second thoughts it’s not too bad with the 20% added on, but when you have a week or two off for hoilday lets say you won’t then get that 20% will you.
I think shift allowance is paid right through as you will probably be on monthly salary. It would work out at £1900 per month, or £438 per week gross.
The real Biffo:
yes there is a percentage of people that abuse the sick scheme
Like 99.9% 
I don’t anyone who don’t use their full quota of sick leave. I bet there’s not many drivers, if any, get sick pay (not statuary)
Would i control whats wrote on the gantry signs?
If a fit burd phones the sos phones and i zoom in on her is it against protocol for me to try and fire in?
Do i need to wear a tie?
Do i get my on womble jeep?
These are the type of questions to ask in the interview.
The real Biffo:
So anyone fed up with the driving job? Don’t mind taking a big drop in wages? Most of you reckon you could do the job better than us that are already in the post.
Vacancies have just been advertised for Control Room Operators at various locations. Closing date is 21st January, but don’t leave it until the last minute as the application form is a bugger!
It’s more than I’m on now for less hours (5.5 hrs a week less) “easier” work (not manual labour) and more holiday entitlement by 12 days sounds good to me.
Will I get to write rude words on the overhead matrix boards?
GBPub:
The real Biffo:
“Sick leave holiday” What the heck is that■■?Holidays are 225 hours, plus 10 days in lieu of Bank holidays etc.
225/37 equates to just over 6 weeks annual holiday, plus 10 days for bank holidays (despite there only being 8 p.a.) Then the civil service employee has an annual average of 10.1 sick days, though in some departments 1 in 10 take 56 days. It is a well known fact that many abuse the generous sick pay entitlement in order to take extra days off…hence “Sick leave holiday”.
As I said above not a bad salary for the amount of time spent at work and for the work it actually entails.
The last time I was sick was 3 years ago and that was due to a damaged knee for which I’ll be taking medication for the rest of my life. I don’t do sick, not like some of my colleagues who’ll phone in sick at the slightest sniffle.
Which control room you based at then? South Mimms
merc0447:
Would i control whats wrote on the gantry signs?If a fit burd phones the sos phones and i zoom in on her is it against protocol for me to try and fire in? - what you do off duty is your own business
Do i need to wear a tie? - No, we now wear navy blue polo shirts - no tie required
Do i get my on womble jeep? - Not to take home.
These are the type of questions to ask in the interview.
mickyblue:
Which control room you based at then? South Mimms
I’m not based at any control room, I’m an on road NW HATO