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Call out pay terms

So we've gone through a consultation and new terms have been voted in and approved and have now started working to the new terms. But the call out wording below is causing some confusion.



My understanding is that "any hours worked" would include taking the phone call, traveling to site carry out the repair then the return journey home.

Our previous terms included 2 hours minimum and paid for exactly that call travel and the repair.

But our employer (or middle manager's) are saying we only now get paid for work on-site. Which that term clearly doesn't state that. 

Only difference I see is we lost 2 hour minimum pay so some calls including travel will be 1 - 1.5hours. with the increase in other areas, holiday, and standby rates I think this would be fair.

Reading the above do you think it would mean just time on-site. We could be asked to attend any where within a 15mile radius. Or am I in my right to claim call time and travel still.

I think our managers are trying it on to save money. We could be called out at any hours after working hours.

For the record I asked for clarification during the consultation of this and the answer wasn't given, though responded to.

Comments

  • tacpot12
    tacpot12 Posts: 9,397 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I tend to agree with you "any hours worked while on call out" would seem to imply that if you are called, you are no longer on standby, at the point you are called to do work. Even if that work can be done over the phone, you would seem to be eligible to be paid for your time, since you are no long on standby. Travelleing time is always working time.
    The comments I post are my personal opinion. While I try to check everything is correct before posting, I can and do make mistakes, so always try to check official information sources before relying on my posts.
  • YBR
    YBR Posts: 751 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Posts Mortgage-free Glee! Name Dropper
    My experience would confirm that on-call from home means that the hours worked include taking the phone call and travelling to/from the job. 
    When we did on-call from the office we were paid all the time in the office (whether needed to work or not) but not paid for travelling time since in this instance it was a commute.
    Travelling time was always paid for those who were not office based, and whatever the pay situation, was part of the hours worked for the purposes of fatigue management.
    Hope that helps.
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  • Skintsaver
    Skintsaver Posts: 152 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    YBR said:
    My experience would confirm that on-call from home means that the hours worked include taking the phone call and travelling to/from the job. 
    When we did on-call from the office we were paid all the time in the office (whether needed to work or not) but not paid for travelling time since in this instance it was a commute.
    Travelling time was always paid for those who were not office based, and whatever the pay situation, was part of the hours worked for the purposes of fatigue management.
    Hope that helps.
    This is exactly how I view it. 1 guy commuted 45 mins then then another 45mins back and was on site for 5 mins as the tennant wasn't in when he arrived company only wants to pay him 5 mins🤬 this was 1am. He did have an 11 hour break after so he started working at 1pm instead of 730. But still not fair. No where in the pack says on site time. 

    I just feel it's certain manager's trying to make themselves look good.
  • TELLIT01
    TELLIT01 Posts: 18,215 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper PPI Party Pooper
    When I did on-call work we were paid from the moment we took the call to the moment we got home again.  I, along with most of my team, lived about an hour away from the offices.  That was because of restructuring and moving our base office.
  • So we've gone through a consultation and new terms have been voted in and approved and have now started working to the new terms. But the call out wording below is causing some confusion.



    My understanding is that "any hours worked" would include taking the phone call, traveling to site carry out the repair then the return journey home.

    Our previous terms included 2 hours minimum and paid for exactly that call travel and the repair.

    But our employer (or middle manager's) are saying we only now get paid for work on-site. Which that term clearly doesn't state that. 

    Only difference I see is we lost 2 hour minimum pay so some calls including travel will be 1 - 1.5hours. with the increase in other areas, holiday, and standby rates I think this would be fair.

    Reading the above do you think it would mean just time on-site. We could be asked to attend any where within a 15mile radius. Or am I in my right to claim call time and travel still.

    I think our managers are trying it on to save money. We could be called out at any hours after working hours.

    For the record I asked for clarification during the consultation of this and the answer wasn't given, though responded to.

    You’re right to question it, the wording “any hours worked” would normally be interpreted to include everything involved in that call-out, not just the on-site time. That means taking the call, travelling to and from the site, and carrying out the repair.

    Unless the new terms specifically redefine “worked hours” to exclude travel, your previous understanding would still apply. If they’ve removed the 2-hour minimum, that only affects the minimum amount paid, not what counts as “work.”

    It might be worth asking for written clarification from HR or your union rep. If this wasn’t made clear during consultation, it’s reasonable to ask them to confirm in writing how call-out time is defined, that protects both you and them from misunderstandings later.

  • YBR
    YBR Posts: 751 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Posts Mortgage-free Glee! Name Dropper
    YBR said:
    My experience would confirm that on-call from home means that the hours worked include taking the phone call and travelling to/from the job. 
    When we did on-call from the office we were paid all the time in the office (whether needed to work or not) but not paid for travelling time since in this instance it was a commute.
    Travelling time was always paid for those who were not office based, and whatever the pay situation, was part of the hours worked for the purposes of fatigue management.
    Hope that helps.
    This is exactly how I view it. 1 guy commuted 45 mins then then another 45mins back and was on site for 5 mins as the tennant wasn't in when he arrived company only wants to pay him 5 mins🤬 this was 1am. He did have an 11 hour break after so he started working at 1pm instead of 730. But still not fair. No where in the pack says on site time. 

    I just feel it's certain manager's trying to make themselves look good.
    I'll add that if these call-outs are different sites, then I fail to see how it can be classified as a commute, and Vehicle insurance would classify it as work/business mileage. 
    Decluttering awards 2025: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️, DH: 🏅🏅⭐️, DD1: 🏅 and one for Mum: 🏅
  • Skintsaver
    Skintsaver Posts: 152 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    yehye2344 said:
    So we've gone through a consultation and new terms have been voted in and approved and have now started working to the new terms. But the call out wording below is causing some confusion.



    My understanding is that "any hours worked" would include taking the phone call, traveling to site carry out the repair then the return journey home.

    Our previous terms included 2 hours minimum and paid for exactly that call travel and the repair.

    But our employer (or middle manager's) are saying we only now get paid for work on-site. Which that term clearly doesn't state that. 

    Only difference I see is we lost 2 hour minimum pay so some calls including travel will be 1 - 1.5hours. with the increase in other areas, holiday, and standby rates I think this would be fair.

    Reading the above do you think it would mean just time on-site. We could be asked to attend any where within a 15mile radius. Or am I in my right to claim call time and travel still.

    I think our managers are trying it on to save money. We could be called out at any hours after working hours.

    For the record I asked for clarification during the consultation of this and the answer wasn't given, though responded to.

    You’re right to question it, the wording “any hours worked” would normally be interpreted to include everything involved in that call-out, not just the on-site time. That means taking the call, travelling to and from the site, and carrying out the repair.

    Unless the new terms specifically redefine “worked hours” to exclude travel, your previous understanding would still apply. If they’ve removed the 2-hour minimum, that only affects the minimum amount paid, not what counts as “work.”

    It might be worth asking for written clarification from HR or your union rep. If this wasn’t made clear during consultation, it’s reasonable to ask them to confirm in writing how call-out time is defined, that protects both you and them from misunderstandings later.

    This is exactly what I will be doing, I've sent an email to my rep and local office about this already hopefully will meet him tomorrow. Apparently I'm the only one whose questioned this to him. A lot are just refusing to do or come off the rotas until this is resolved. Apparently call out is no longer contractual, which with that wording I find hard to believe.

    After my meeting with my Rep tomorrow I'll send an email to HR, as you say it will remove any disputes going forward. I'm not worried about loosing the min 2 hours most calls will be that anyway if travel is included and even with say booking an hour with the increased standby holiday and salary plus reduced hours the changes have been well worth the wait.

    I'm glad others are reading this the same as me, shows I've interpreted it properly.
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