It is astonishing how some people can delude themselves! EJ leave is 17 - SEVENTEEN days per year. I challenge anyone to find another salaried company in any industry in the UK that even approaches that miserable figure.
The remaining 8 are days off in lieu of national holidays. 25 bookable days. Not very generous, is it?
What use is knowing a schedule until 2009 when you can't book Easter leave at Christmas, never know if or whan the booking system is available, and have remaining days allocated for you without warning months before the end of the leave year?
5-3 5-4 is pretty good by industry standards, I reckon. I don't enjoy setting an alarm for 0400 but you end up with a useable chunk of the day at home later on. Working past midnight into a day off and not getting another in lieu is simply iniquitous, it astonishes me that it was a) ever agreed to, and b) there has not been a big outcry over it.
If anyone wants more time off we should leave the roster alone and campaign for the days to be added to the meagre leave allocation. That is, after all, quality recovery time which we need far, far more than longer "weekends" imho.
Random month. Due to undercrewing it is fully allocated bar 2 or 3 SBY days at my base, which always turn into duties. Prior to this winter I have had 3 SBYs not called out or changed to duty in the previous 2 years.
There is clearly a great deal of difference in work levels between bases, some work far more than others. On my roster line I've not seen 70 hrs in a full month ever, and expect 90. I suspect that a lot of the 20 - 30 hr/mth or 3 day/mth people are 2 stripers being starved of hours to avoid paying them 3 stripe wages, which is a cheap way to treat keen new people.
As ever quality of life is dependent on Location, Location, Location.