Say NO to permanent 12 hour shifts

Serco Local Management have proposed that TCS O&M Staff should adopt a 4 Shift pattern from January 2016. This will make 1 shift of 9 posts redundant and require O&M Shift staff to work in 12 hour shifts. TCS is a 24/7/365 operation which means that each of the 4 Shifts will need to be on site for at least 42 hours per week, but only 39 hours will be paid.
O&M Shift Staff are opposed to permanent 12 hour shifts for the following reasons:

• 12 hour shifts increase fatigue and put Service Delivery at risk.
• The work at TCS requires O&M staff to be alert and ready to react to problems as they happen. It is very difficult to maintain the required levels of concentration for long periods.
• 12 hour night shifts may offer less flexibility for the scheduling of maintenance and for troubleshooting outages as hazardous work should not be undertaken between 2300 and 0800 on a long night shift.
• Tiredness increases the risk of accidents, not only in the workplace but also commuting to and from work.
• Some O&M shift workers have dependents and domestic situations which they feel would preclude them from being able to work permanent 12 hour shifts.
• Increasing hours from 36 to 42 is contrary to flexible working and Serco’s family friendly policies.