LOM
Member
Remember Sundays are outside the working week so they do not count towards your AL allocation.
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A career as a signaller
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Saracen_83
Member
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2017
- Messages
- 478
None as sundays are outside the working week for all signallers so do not count towards A/L.
as a relief you do not have booked sundays so doesn't matter, However if you were a resident all it means is that you have to request your booked Sunday off. As long as they can cover it (I’ve never had a Sunday refused and I give up the majority of them) then you have the day off...
as a relief you do not have booked sundays so doesn't matter, However if you were a resident all it means is that you have to request your booked Sunday off. As long as they can cover it (I’ve never had a Sunday refused and I give up the majority of them) then you have the day off...
High Dyke
Established Member
Not quite. Hopefully someone else can answer this better than I. The calculation is a bit odd. However, it's basically a calculation of the Average turns in 8 weeks divided by 40 multiplied by 28. The roster length is 24 weeks, then work out the Monday - Saturday turns in the roster.
Sundays do not count at all, so as a relief - like I am - it makes no difference. The table below is my current roster, so you can see how roster hours are allocated. The 11.5 figure are the briefing days, and the 8.783 the work days.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | |
| SUN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MON | 8.783 | RD | 11.5 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 11.5 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 |
| TUE | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | RD | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | RD | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 |
| WED | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | RD | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD |
| THU | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | RD | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD |
| FRI | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 |
| SAT | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 | RD | 8.783 | 8.783 |
35.132 | 35.132 | 46.632 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 26.349 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 37.849 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 26.349 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 | 35.132 |
Saracen_83
Member
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2017
- Messages
- 478
so the rostering principles state that annual leave is allocated as per above, so we have 17 days (12 hour roster)
3 days allocated Between jan/may
6days between May - sept
3 days between Oct - dec
the remaining days plus any comp days are as hoc and can it be guaranteed. You can cancel the rostered leave but just remember that you won’t be guarenteed to have this leave granted if other have already requested/allocated the same leave that you want.
hope this makes sense
3 days allocated Between jan/may
6days between May - sept
3 days between Oct - dec
the remaining days plus any comp days are as hoc and can it be guaranteed. You can cancel the rostered leave but just remember that you won’t be guarenteed to have this leave granted if other have already requested/allocated the same leave that you want.
hope this makes sense
High Dyke
Established Member
Yes, but each area works out leave allocation differently. For instance in my area - one LOM allows his staff to pick their weeks off, whilst the other two LOM's operate a block rotation system. All areas must comply with the National Rostering Principle agreement.
That said; there is no reason why you can't agree to exchange leave with a colleague. For example, someone with children may want school holidays off, but myself, it isn't important.
That looks almost identical to the roster I received. So to make it easy - how many weeks holiday do you get? Lol
Yeah fair enough mate im NWR myself i was just curious. We are supposed to take block weeks too but luckily our line manager lets us take single days here and there. Like you said, down to the line manager
LOM
Member
In my experience most areas allocate the Spring/Summer/Winter block weeks through rotation (i.e. if you get block 1 this year you will get block 2 next year) though swaps and moves are allowed subject to a maximum number off in any one block at a time. This is usually co-ordinated through the roster clerk. These are the only AL days that are guaranteed to be granted. I have never personally known anywhere that does not work this way, though I see an example has been posted up thread. Also worth pointing out that working the middle Sunday of the Summer fortnight is not allowed!
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LOM
Member
If you put in for ad hoc leave outside the Spring/Summer/Winter blocks then you will not know whether or not it has definitely been granted until the final roster is published at 12:00 on the Thursday before that week. So unless you have agreed with someone else that they will cover your shifts (and that is not a realistic option for a relief, sorry!) then you are at the mercy of the roster clerk and your LOM.
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There’s not really any difficult pulls on the patch so you should be fine - just one signal that’s a bit of a stretch but far from impossible. It’s more about technique (and practice) rather than outright strength anyway.
High Dyke
Established Member
That roster gives me 25 days Annual Leave, but I've done over 10 years (it's 23 days below 10 years service). My base hours are 8h 47m. Leave allocation is also pro-rata to roster hours. Someone on a 12 hr roster will get less leave days, but obviously is compensated by more rest days.
Thank you
High Dyke
Established Member
No, not at all. I book many odd days throughout the year, for various reasons. For example, this year so far I've accounted for the 'booked' leave, but have also taken 1 additional annual leave day, as well as 4 lieu leave (Comp Leave) days. The roster clerks are pretty understanding and will try and grant leave when possible. It's all about give and take.
That’s reassuring, thank you.
Give and take makes sense.
High Dyke
Established Member
We'll share the same resources office staff, but different roster clerks are allocated to the areas that we're both working.
Ooh, are we neighbors?
LOM
Member
No, as above it just means that we cannot guarantee 100% that you will be able to get a particular day off.
Leave is allocated on a first come first served basis so if you wanted, say, 20th of August off you would be very likely to get it if you told the roster clark on 2nd January but very much less so if you told them on 15th August. All your AL days for the year should be taken by the 31st December but you can carry over a small number to the end of March if you were refused them. There is usually a scramble in November and December to use up the last few days. Also lieu (or ‘comp’) days run seperately and need to be taken within 12 months of being accrued, or you are paid for them automatically.
If there is something that you absolutely need to have guaranteed off (like a wedding or something) then your roster clerk and LOM will do everything they can to make sure you get it.
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High Dyke
Established Member
Sort of. LOL. I'm just over the border in Lincolnshire.
Most distant signals are colour light signals so are easy to pull, the section signals are usually the furthest away and most difficult. Some have "wire adjusters" for hot / cold weather which make the pulls a little easier, as does regular maintenance of the signals, pulley wheels and wire runs.
LOM
Member
Usually mechanical points are the hardest pulls. But it is almost all down to correct technique rather than physical strength. Top tip - if you are left handed make sure you get another leftie to teach you.
LOMs are responsible for regularly ‘pull testing’ the levers with a digital accelerometer to make sure none are dangerously heavy and risk causing injury. Back injuries are sadly still common amongst signallers.
LOMs are responsible for regularly ‘pull testing’ the levers with a digital accelerometer to make sure none are dangerously heavy and risk causing injury. Back injuries are sadly still common amongst signallers.
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High Dyke
Established Member
I work a mixture of both colour light distant signals, wire operated semaphore distant signals and motor-operated semaphore distant signals. I do agree with you regarding proper maintenance of the equipment. Many years ago a signaller broke their collarbone when the signal wire snapped (about a mile long pull from the signal box). After that, the signal was converted to motor operation.
!!!!!!!!!
High Dyke
Established Member
I sign about 11 different boxes. Some are panels that are all colour light signals. Other locations still have the 'proper' semaphore signals, but to assist the signal(wo)man a motor is fitted to the distant signal - in order to make it easier to pull. It was sometimes cheaper to convert the signal like than rather replace it with a colour light signal.
As LOM mentioned the respective manager has to risk assess each semaphore signal, and keep a record of 'heavy pulls'. These should be tested regularly, but if the signal(wo)man on duty thinks they are a problem then they comply with the rule book, report the problem to control and ask for a test to be carried out. Any deficiencies should also be advised to the Health & Safety representative.
Agree with that, a trained rep and LOM can use a strain gauge for testing heavy pulls. There used to be a standard for heavy pulls with a maximum distance for mechanical points and semaphore signals from the signal box. Not sure if it still applies.