Different shift patterns within company same rate of pay

Ella_fella

Was just looking for some observations please, I joined a large multinational manufacturing firm earlier this year who were advertising a number of Team Leader roles. Annualised hours so no fixed shift pattern and same generic job spec.
On the day I started my induction with other new starters we were allocated different departments. The department I was allocated to worked a 3 on 3 off rotating days and nights shift pattern.
I have since found out that staff allocated to other departments have been working a Monday to Friday mornings and afternoons shift pattern since they started for the same pay.

Obviously with the pattern I have been allocated I am working unsociable hours including nights and weekends which would attract an enhanced shift premium. Working hours are irrelevant seeing as long as you work your x number of hours a year that is the yardstick. Duties are the exactly the same as the job title is the same and the job description is generic for all departments.
I have raised this informally with my line manager but they cannot help me, is this legal for the company to do this or just immoral that people undertaking the same job are working preferential shift patterns but being paid the same and the unsociable hours are not even factored in?
Not sure what I can do next or even if it is worth progressing anything.

Diamandis

It's completely legal. You work the hours you're required for your pay. Just because you would prefer other hours doesn't mean you should get paid more. 

Sandtree

There is no legal requirement to offer unsociable hours pay.

The only thing to progress if you dont like doing the hours is looking at opportunities to switch to the other teams that only do day shifts.

In my first job in a call centre all staff in my office got standard pay for contracted hours whatever they may be but 1.5x rate for Saturdays/night and 2x for Sundays if it was overtime... what was worse, it was only our office that did that and was a “deal” struck by unions in exchange for more time with their members. The other two offices in different cities both got the enhanced rate irrespective of if it was contracted hours or overtime.

TELLIT01

It's neither illegal nor immoral to have people working differing shift patterns but the same pay.  There are negatives and positives to the shift patterns you describe.  The 3 on, 3 off, pattern actually gives you more time off than the 5 day pattern so they might argue that they deserve more.

Marcon

Ella_fella said:

Was just looking for some observations please, I joined a large multinational manufacturing firm earlier this year who were advertising a number of Team Leader roles. Annualised hours so no fixed shift pattern and same generic job spec.
On the day I started my induction with other new starters we were allocated different departments. The department I was allocated to worked a 3 on 3 off rotating days and nights shift pattern.
I have since found out that staff allocated to other departments have been working a Monday to Friday mornings and afternoons shift pattern since they started for the same pay.

Obviously with the pattern I have been allocated I am working unsociable hours including nights and weekends which would attract an enhanced shift premium. Working hours are irrelevant seeing as long as you work your x number of hours a year that is the yardstick. Duties are the exactly the same as the job title is the same and the job description is generic for all departments.
I have raised this informally with my line manager but they cannot help me, is this legal for the company to do this or just immoral that people undertaking the same job are working preferential shift patterns but being paid the same and the unsociable hours are not even factored in?
Not sure what I can do next or even if it is worth progressing anything.

You're being paid what you were promised for the doing the job you agreed to do. Unless there is some form of unlawful discrimination going on, then what the company is doing is neither illegal nor immoral. Why would it be?

John_

It’s neither illegal nor immoral.

It’s possibly unfair, in which case could your mother have a word with the boss when she picks you up after your next shift?

oh_really

We had an employer tried that one. Our shop steward went to management and informed them that over his dead body would any of his members be on diluted terms of service, problem addressed and resolved within a couple of hours.

Are you a TU member?

KatrinaWaves

oh_really said:

We had an employer tried that one. Our shop steward went to management and informed them that over his dead body would any of his members be on diluted terms of service, problem addressed and resolved within a couple of hours.

Are you a TU member?

Where does it state that the OP is on diluted terms compared to other staff?

TELLIT01

oh_really said:

We had an employer tried that one. Our shop steward went to management and informed them that over his dead body would any of his members be on diluted terms of service, problem addressed and resolved within a couple of hours.

Are you a TU member?

The employer doesn't appear to be trying to 'dilute terms of service' as that implies removing something employees are in receipt of and the employer wants to remove.  In this case the employee was offered terms which they accepted at the time of employment.  A company having a variety of shift patterns with a common pay rate is not uncommon, unlawful or unfair.

Ditzy_Mitzy

I assume @Ella_fella, that your holidays are not pro-rated.  I also assume that you work 12 hours on 12 hours off during the three days you are 'in'.  This gives a 36 hour compressed working week.  Those working Monday to Friday, presumably, do the equivalent of 36 hours across the five days.  
You haven't said whether the factory follows traditional patterns of summer and winter close-downs or whether it works year round and staff choose their own leave, but that doesn't really matter if you and the others get the same quantity of leave days.  Let's pretend that, including bank holiday or bank holiday allowance, you and the others get six weeks' leave allowance or 42 calendar days.  
Subtracting that from the calendar year leaves 323 days, made up of working days and rest days.  Let's also pretend that there's an extra leave day, making 43, to leave 322 days as that's divisible by seven and I can't be bothered with fractions!!  
Monday to Friday: 322 days breaks down into 230 working days and 92 rest days, those being Saturdays and Sundays.
Three on Three Off: 322 days breaks down into 161 working days and 161 rest days, those being whatever the pattern serves up.
Net result: you get 69 more non working days, annually, than someone on a conventional Monday to Friday shift pattern.  
That's not bad.  Factor in, too, that 12 hour shifts tend to run 6 till 6 or 7 till 7, meaning that you haven't got to deal with rush hour traffic.  I accept the working days are a write off, but you get a lot more time off in the practical sense.  

General_Grant

and fewer commuting hours