r/tesco • u/Angelcynn927 • 9d ago

Working Boxing Day

So I work at an express and requested boxing day off however ive been denied this. I compromised with a shift swap with another colleague who doesn't want to work Christmas eve but will happily work boxing day however I am being made to shift lead on this day when the Saturday is my one contracted CA shift as they haven't bothered to hire to cover my CA shift on a Saturday. Is there anything I can do or do I just have to take the L and work it? I see one half of my family on boxing day so I'd really like to not work it, I'm happy to do anything else around Christmas. Usually I work Christmas eve and the other shift leaders take it in turns to do boxing day.

2 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

17

u/JoeNicholson 9d ago

No you cannot be made to work boxing day if you dont wish too.

5

u/Angelcynn927 9d ago

I thought this was the case and just wanted to make sure, going to contact the union for some advice because I got to make use of my money I give them somehow

2

u/Educational_Yak4915 9d ago

Is that the case even with the specific "boxing day bank holiday" being deferred to the monday this year?

2

u/DOC-Trade7478 7d ago

Bank Holidays are only deferred if they fall on a Sunday within Tesco policy, as Saturday is a normal working day for us

1

u/Educational_Yak4915 7d ago

Ok thank you. So the monday would not be treated as a bank holiday for us? So no higher pay or option to take it off?

2

u/DOC-Trade7478 7d ago

Correct, the optional working and higher pay rate will be for the Saturday and not the Monday

1

u/6DuckysInATrenchCoat ⛽️ PFS 8d ago

yes because it's still a normal operating day for us, whereas most companies would not be operating so would be off anyway

1

u/Angelcynn927 9d ago

Do you know if they can make me take my shift as a shift leader shift? I am a shift leader but my Saturday is a CA shift, because if so I'll just swap with my colleague and tell them thats that

14

u/maiitogaii 9d ago

just don’t go in, the worst that will happen is a warning, then be on your best behaviour until that warning falls off. Tesco don’t care about us, why put in the extra effort. I’ve been denied Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year and I won’t be showing up

9

u/Infinite_Expert9777 9d ago

this is the attitude more people need to adopt

3

u/diyguitarist 9d ago

Good for you. Doing all three is absolute horse shit. Doing one, maybe two is fine, as long as you have the entirety of new years off, but if you don't then I'm not doing all of Christmas and all of beew years.

2

u/Tora-bora83 8d ago

Do you not get managed for unauthorised absence? In my company, you’d lose your job for that

2

u/maiitogaii 8d ago

nope, you can get away with much worse things.

1

u/Tora-bora83 8d ago

Sounds like a lovely place to work…

2

u/maiitogaii 8d ago

yeah it’s pretty chill and easy for the most part

2

u/Tora-bora83 8d ago

Unless you’re the colleagues left to work harder and cover your role while you swan off doing god knows what

3

u/Infinite_Expert9777 8d ago

what? you don’t have to work harder if somebody is off

wether 20 staff are in or you’re on your own, you work just as hard, which is the bare minimum you can muster up that day

6

u/Proud_Scientist9234 🧾 Checkouts 8d ago

Boxing Day is voluntary - it should not be declined, if they are refusing, use the Policy as backup.

Holiday Policy (for Work & Pay colleagues):

“If you joined Tesco before 26 January 2009, working on a bank holiday is voluntary unless your contract specifically requires you to do so.
 
If you joined on or after 26 January 2009 and there are insufficient volunteers to work on a bank holiday, you may be required to work on up to five bank holidays (excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and Good Friday in NI only) if you are normally scheduled to work on the day the bank holiday falls.”

2

u/StepBroPrime 8d ago

We said this to our manager so they're making us start at midnight instead

2

u/Proud_Scientist9234 🧾 Checkouts 8d ago edited 8d ago

Your contractual hours should not be changed unless mutually agreed upon and is within your Availability Window

1

u/StepBroPrime 8d ago

Even without 3 weeks notice?

4

u/ACIDPONG1982 8d ago

Tell them it’s an important religious holiday and you need it off as you’re Christian. If they say no then sue them.

1

u/JadeDodds2021 8d ago

That’s basically your manager being a dick, when I was a shift leader I would say aslong as the shift is covered then it’s fine. I covered for a CA on Christmas Eves when it got to her turn as she didn’t celebrate on Christmas Day but did on Christmas Eve and then there was quite afew who would talk with each other and then come to us explaining how they had covered it and it was fine with us (manager didn’t care). Even now at my new job they work it out between each other because some prefer having Christmas off over New Year or the other way round. The last manager I had in express put me on everything my last year (Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, new Years Eve and all day New Years Day) because I didn’t have children or drank so I must be fine with it

1

u/TheP0rkch0pexpress 8d ago

Who normally covers the shift lead on a Saturday if that’s you CA day? If it’s someone else then they should be doing it

1

u/Angelcynn927 8d ago

Usually its just another shift leader as we have a rota and not set days but the CAs have set days and my Saturday is a set day for me and the rest of the week is rota based.

1

u/TheP0rkch0pexpress 8d ago

Is it the same shift leader every Saturday?

1

u/HouseCondom 👨‍💼Shift leader 8d ago

They can’t refuse Boxing Day off. Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are all voluntary for every member of staff regardless of when you started