easy rostering department causing sickness

[webstir]

How many other crew members go sick when they are told a Requested Day Off application has been turned down? A recent memo about sickness levels at weekends in STN actually suggested that easys inflexible attitude to RDO s might be causing the sickness! I do not condone nor condemn either side here, just wondering if any body has a similar experience to myself, gave 5 months notice of a RDO to go to a wedding only to be told not available. I was at the wedding. I would have been in no fit state to be in an airplane knowing I was missing out on the nuptials

[bhoju75]

we in jet airways (india) used to have a request off till a couple of years ago, but the rostering knocked it off. We now have a fixed off day for two months so you bid for your off days in advance. in addition you can bid for flights. In emergencies ( friends weddings, birthday parties, short weekend trips, ATPL exams etc) .the sick rouse is used. Nowdays due to pilot shortages if you have a nasty flight ( very early morning with multiple legs) , pilots report sick in the evening, report fit in following noon and do a cushy evening flt !! Howsthat.>>;)

[Mr Angry from Purley]

Its fairly normal for crews to go sick when they dont get RDO's. Take leave if its that important is the advice i give to crews.
:\

[kriskross]

Trouble is, Mr Angry, that with the current way of doing leave you can't even do that - the RDO is the only way, basically of getting a single required day off.

I have a family wedding this Friday, but instead of the sicky, I was owed 2 days off from disruption earlier this year which I said I was going to use for the wedding and the following day. I stated this in May, repeated it in June reminded them in July and then when I got a sneak preview of the roster at the end of July, with me flying away from base on both days, TOLD them I was not going to be available. Intermediate rostering apologised and changed the days to my owed days off.

I used to do the same for Christmas and Boxing Day, but after 5 years of earlies on Dec 26th, I have now given up!!!

[cargo boy]

Nowdays due to pilot shortages if you have a nasty flight ( very early morning with multiple legs) , pilots report sick in the evening, report fit in following noon and do a cushy evening flt !!Bhoju, unfortunately that kind of attitude does you no favours amongst your colleagues who are on standby or, if your crewing department are in the habit of messing other pilots lives around, they will just change someone elses roster to cover the unpopular flight that you have avoided by pulling a sickie. That other person probably has their roster messed about and they just end up picking up all the dregs that you have left them.

[Immelmann]

bhoju75


I believe your attitude is f.. ck....g up rostering even more to the disadvantage of all the pilots!

[Map_Shift]

I also needed an RDO for a wedding. Having not used any of my quota, AND not having any other leave allocated between May and October, I foolishly thought that it would be granted unless I heard otherwise.

Silly me.

Like you krisskross, instead of a Day Off, easyJet rostered a block of days away form base - presumably to rule out a one-off sicky. Sadly, after roster publication and realisation of the unfolding nightmare (family harmony severly affected) and despite the efforts of the Base Manager and Intermediate Crewing, the damage was already done and no way of changing it was possible. Leave Administrator - thanks a bunch!

The 'Joint easyJet and BALPA Collective Crewing and Rostering Protocol' describes how Guaranteed Days Off (GDO's) can be booked, quote, "for special occasions throughout the year". I feel that the Company reneged on this clause.

Item 10 of the same document states -

"easyJet pilots will extend to the Company all reasonable goodwill to secure OTP blah blah blah . . . Discretion should be considered favourably blah blah blah"

Well, you can probably imagine my line of thinking on that matter!

[Ultralights]

a technique i was known to use was go into your supervisors office with 2 forms filled out, one for a days rostered leave, and another sick leave, place both on his/her desk, and tell them to take their pic!

i did it the first time as a joke, and surprisingly it worked! leave form signed, with the comment of "get the f#ck out before i change my mind!"

[Doug the Head]

It´s called "Low Cost," i.e. Penny-wise, Pound-foolish! :rolleyes:

I completely understand and sympathise with kriskross´ and Map_Shift´s frustrations. It´s a story you hear throughout the EZY network.

As I´ve said before, with 100+ aircraft (and associated crew) it´s time in EZY for a computerbased bidding program so people can plan their own lives instead of some guy or gall in the PortaCabin Palace who doesn´t give a sh!t about anyone´s personal circumstances.

Unfortunately management still think it´s cheaper to have paper and pencil planners with the resulting sick days instead of investing in the future and buying a piece of software. :(

Personally, I don´t even bother with RDO´s anymore because then the company can see a pattern and can accuse me of pulling a sicky. I see it as a last resort, but when I really really need a day off I simply call in sick.

Oh yeah, I also call in sick once a year as compensation for having to do my medical in my own time, but not on the same day as my medical of course. ;)

I no longer get mad, I get even whilst I look around for a new job! :cool:

[**MM**]

Only one company I've worked with has had computer based rostering and it was the only one that seemed to keep the crews happy (relatively!).

One guy regularly called in sick to Operations on the Saturday before a Sunday-Saturday flying week, then call the office on a Monday and report fit. Hey presto, a week of home standby, with no real chance of getting called out, and only one day classed as sick by the company!

Happy days.

[Banzai Eagle]

krisscross

Sounds like not enough crew to me then. Sorry I must be naive

[kriskross]

Banzai Eagle, I quite agree with you, but then I am sitting around the crewroom waiting to Base Train 6 new ones!!! If only we had a serviceable aircraft!!!!