Employees at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS FT are currently asked to undertake voluntary additional hours via the bank scheme and are paid at their flat contractual hourly rate (plus unsocial hours payments).
But Agenda for Change terms and conditions state:
- Overtime rate: A single rate of time-and-a-half applies to all overtime hours.
- Public holidays: Overtime on public holidays should be paid at double time.
- Part-time staff: Additional hours worked by part-time staff are paid at plain time rates until they exceed 37.5 hours per week, after which the overtime rate applies.
- Time Off in Lieu (TOIL): Staff can request TOIL instead of pay. If operational reasons prevent taking TOIL within three months, the hours must be paid as overtime.
- Senior Staff Exception: Staff in pay bands 8 and 9 are generally not entitled to overtime payments.
In addition to the hourly rate, working outside standard hours, such as nights and weekends, attracts extra percentages depending on the pay band.
What is happening now?
The RCN, in collaboration with Unison, has formally registered a dispute with your employer after the situation was highlighted during a consultation on additional hours working in the theatres department. The trust has agreed to ACAS conciliation in an attempt to resolve this dispute.
Please complete our short survey so we can better understand how widespread this situation is across the trust. This will help provide an indication of the next steps we need to take to ensure you are paid at the correct rates. Please also take a moment to check your details on MyRCN.
