True enough Rikki; however bear in mind, any of you asking about this sort of stuff, that you’ll normally need a PTS (Personal Track Safety) certificate to do anything for the railway maintenance companies.
Useful thing to have, details here;
paul@midway:
Anyone who works xmas day is an idiot …
This is because these people encourage companies to stay open and want more people in …You know like people with family.
Maybe you are.
I have nothing against working in christmas. I am not religious, and I don’t need all this commercial ■■■■ to have a good time with my family. So I can have a good dinner at the other day and I am ready to work on Christmas, especially if they’ll pay me triple, like last year. If you don’t want to work in Christmas, Sundays, Saturdays, whatever - it’s your right. But you have no right to call stupid others, who wants.
Two years ago I wasn’t working, so I drove to Poland in christmas eve. Had a grat drive, empty motorways all along Europe, and it took me 19 hours of driving instead of ususal 22-23.
I’m on call right the way through but am compensated accordingly! 
It’ll be mostly car accidents that require the hiab accident unit. can’t see too many trucks breaking down. Well i hope not anyway! 
orys:
paul@midway:
Anyone who works xmas day is an idiot …
This is because these people encourage companies to stay open and want more people in …You know like people with family.Maybe you are.
I have nothing against working in christmas. I am not religious, and I don’t need all this commercial [zb] to have a good time with my family. So I can have a good dinner at the other day and I am ready to work on Christmas, especially if they’ll pay me triple, like last year. If you don’t want to work in Christmas, Sundays, Saturdays, whatever - it’s your right. But you have no right to call stupid others, who wants.
Two years ago I wasn’t working, so I drove to Poland in christmas eve. Had a grat drive, empty motorways all along Europe, and it took me 19 hours of driving instead of ususal 22-23.
Yep I’ll go to work 6am Xmas day when my 8 year old kid is expecting me to be at home to open presents with him / play , go out in the street with new toys …
Yep , thats a one way ticket to arguments and divorce for a few extra quid 
…No job is worth more than family life to me …I have every right to call people idiots Orys.
me personally single or not i would never christmas day and boxing day, i think its only 2 days a year that everybody should be at home.
well to be fair if your on your own and have no family or freinds to go to then ok work but if you get a chance to spend xmas with family or freinds then do it.
money wouldn come into it for me.
gnasty gnome:
True enough Rikki; however bear in mind, any of you asking about this sort of stuff, that you’ll normally need a PTS (Personal Track Safety) certificate to do anything for the railway maintenance companies.Useful thing to have, details here;
you only need a PTS if you actually working on the tracks. ancillary staff, such as painters on stations, the guys cutting grass, and anyone working the other side of the fence, no long need 1,
I worked Boxing day and new years Day the last 7 years. I was getting double time + 2 lieu days for each of the days.
Christmas day? Unless I was in the Army, Police, Fire, etc and had to do it, no amount of money would get me to work it, regardless of how desperate I am for cash. Certain things haven’t got a price, and my home time with the family is one of them.
I’m afraid I dont have much time for those who want to work Holidays. I appreciate folks who work in the Fire, Police and Medical services do it all the time. I refer to those who are greedy and motivated by greed. When I started work in the early 60’s, Christmas & Boxing days were not holidays in Scotland, we got three days at Hogmanay.
We gave up one of those days to get Christmas day, Boxing day followed as we fought for conditions.
Nowadays, because the greedy work these holidays, others who dont want to are forced into complying. Debenhams in Glasgow & Edinburgh now open the 2nd January, the staff say they are forced into working, the company says they ‘Volunteer!’ Tesco are opening their large stores on these days. It’s the thin edge of the wedge. In years to come, public holidays will be in name only and you wont get paid extra for working them, they will be part of your working week. (Some folks are already there!)
Holidays were fought for, now they are cast aside by the greedy.
If they dont have any thought for themselves, think of others, after all, that’s what Christmas is all about!
Alex
alexsaville:
I’m afraid I dont have much time for those who want to work Holidays. I appreciate folks who work in the Fire, Police and Medical services do it all the time. I refer to those who are greedy and motivated by greed. When I started work in the early 60’s, Christmas & Boxing days were not holidays in Scotland, we got three days at Hogmanay.
We gave up one of those days to get Christmas day, Boxing day followed as we fought for conditions.
Nowadays, because the greedy work these holidays, others who dont want to are forced into complying. Debenhams in Glasgow & Edinburgh now open the 2nd January, the staff say they are forced into working, the company says they ‘Volunteer!’ Tesco are opening their large stores on these days. It’s the thin edge of the wedge. In years to come, public holidays will be in name only and you wont get paid extra for working them, they will be part of your working week. (Some folks are already there!)
Holidays were fought for, now they are cast aside by the greedy.
If they dont have any thought for themselves, think of others, after all, that’s what Christmas is all about!
Alex
From what you say there it seems to have less to do with being greedy and more to do with people wanting to shop all the time. I have worked many Christmases and dont see a problem with it.
The greedy, like retailers, created the 7 day shopping culture for the selfish, who think they have a god given right to shop 7 days.
I support the people who have a problem with working these holidays, those who have no problem with working them dont care about the damage to others, only what their greedy selves can make!
Alex
peirre:
as an agy driver, xmas day is just the same as the other 364 / 5
albeit with the potential for premium rates for doing the same job, that youd do on a different day. With the current climate, any work atm is work Im available for.I told me agy
s last week, that Im available though out the holidays
On the nail, I’ve just done the same thing. There’s talk of greed, but at the end of the day agency workers dont all work 5 day weeks so we take what we get.
when we start a job i think we make presumptions and driving a truck i dont think you should work christmas day as it is not a emergency . if you choose the emergency services then i think you go into it knowing that it may disrupt your life but you know that when you start . bank holidays are not sacred any more and are used to get double time more than anything . i am sorry i will probably offend some people that work christmas day as a necessity i only used the emergency services as it was the first thing in my head . personally i would not work xmas day but when younger have worked new years eve . and yes i have a lot of respect for the people that do it as they keep us safe and protected . but dont feel the same about people putting bread on a supermarket shelf that isnt necessary . and in a way i dont blame the driver he is only going to capitalise from it it is the likes of tescos that dictate to us that my finger points the blame at .
Its up to person if he wants to work xmas day boxing day wkends ect.What enoys me some of us will do it for single time.Then thats all they will offer,A firm I worked for would pay stand by money over the xmas.even if you never worked.until a few spinless lowlife offerd for free.thats the problem spinless lowlife.merry xmas to ya
Last year was the first time I’ve worked Xmas Day, it was also only the second time I have worked Xmas Eve, (my birthday) , I didn’t intend to, I just got held over in Laredo, which put me just north of Daytona on the 24th, so the 25th was spent running up to London , Ontario ,clearing customs in Detroit at 6am for and extra $165, I will never ever work Xmas Day again, it was just awful.
Last day xmas eve.
Back to work 5th jan.
Anybody ever been pulled by VOSA on xmas day■■?
Due to me working for a meat processor we are in most of christmas,the livestock drivers (thats me!) finish christmas eve and are back on saturday 27th,the fridge boys get christmas eve off but are back in boxing day 
as the RDCs want their loads in fresh on boxing day.Same goes for new years eve/day with the first driver out 0200 new years day,all bank holidays are paid at double and day in lieu. 
switchlogic:
alexsaville:
I’m afraid I dont have much time for those who want to work Holidays. I appreciate folks who work in the Fire, Police and Medical services do it all the time. I refer to those who are greedy and motivated by greed. When I started work in the early 60’s, Christmas & Boxing days were not holidays in Scotland, we got three days at Hogmanay.
We gave up one of those days to get Christmas day, Boxing day followed as we fought for conditions.
Nowadays, because the greedy work these holidays, others who dont want to are forced into complying. Debenhams in Glasgow & Edinburgh now open the 2nd January, the staff say they are forced into working, the company says they ‘Volunteer!’ Tesco are opening their large stores on these days. It’s the thin edge of the wedge. In years to come, public holidays will be in name only and you wont get paid extra for working them, they will be part of your working week. (Some folks are already there!)
Holidays were fought for, now they are cast aside by the greedy.
If they dont have any thought for themselves, think of others, after all, that’s what Christmas is all about!
AlexFrom what you say there it seems to have less to do with being greedy and more to do with people wanting to shop all the time. I have worked many Christmases and dont see a problem with it.
Totally agree with Alex.
I also look at peoplein disgust who have nothing better to do on boxing day and than go to the shops and drag there kids around with them…
Get a life for gods sake and go out to the park or go for a walk anything other than go into the shops whilst people who are forced to work have to listen to your petty crap…
paul@midway:
Yep I’ll go to work 6am Xmas day when my 8 year old kid is expecting me to be at home to open presents with him / play , go out in the street with new toys …
Yep , thats a one way ticket to arguments and divorce for a few extra quid
Somehow you failed to think about that some other people can have other circumstances…
Off course you can call everyone arround idiots. You also can call everyone arround “morons” “aliens” “president Sarkozy” “Jesus”, “Elephant”, “small piece of Bavarian Smoked Cheese”, “Empty can of pink paint” or “Albert Einstein”. But I am not sure who will look as an idiot at the end of the day… 
think it was new years day last year , but i was sent out with 3 deliveries , 2 closed , 1 open .
i was then sent to do a collection at sheffield , as i pulled round the corner the security bloke came out and what i was doing there, i told him id come to collect , he said why , we sent you and all the other companies a letter telling what days we were open, i then rang this in , but until security bloke spoke to t.o hisself they wouldnt believe it was closed .
i was then told to head up to barnsley for another collection , i said are you sure its open ,110 % yes.
pulled on to a totally deserted industrial estate thinking this is never going to be open , gets to gates and big paddlock on gate , no one to be seen anywhere , rings it in , place shut , reply - no its open , no its 110% shut.
reply - well sit with it for a hour and see if anyone comes , no one comes .
its bad enough having to work new year, xmas , when you dont want to , but when you realise it was for nothing it really does ■■■■ you off.
but luckily this year as im sun- thurs man , ive got xmas, boxing day, and sat off