Quick Question re pay!

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Louise B — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:12:49 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

Be very careful what you wish for. Salaried vets get a rough deal at some practices! If you are salaried you do not get overtime. And usually no time off in lieu, regardless of how much extra it can sometimes be eg. during staff illness/holidays. Salaried vets usually work very long hours and don't get any extra pay at all for on call, even if they are working constantly all night. I realise that the average vet assistant's salary of £25,000 to £40,000 is a lot more than nurses are on, but, on the whole, they will all work a lot more hours after having done a lot more training. (I'm talking average, before I get too many over-worked nurses shouting at me! )

I'd guess that if nurses became salaried they would end up doing a lot of 'unpaid' overtime, as you are paid this in your salary - officially! Obviously there is an argument that neither vets nor nurses should be doing any unpaid work/overtime....but as you all know, the boss decides......

[/quote]

True. I have locummed as a nurse at some practices where I earned more per hour than the veterinary assistant because they were salaried whereas I was paid hourly.

Re: Quick Question re pay!

loobylou — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:52:13 GMT

I get paid a salary rather than hourly pay but still get paid for overtime/ callout or extra duties. The boss prefers us to take the time back but we can be paid for it i we wish.

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Sal the 1st — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:46:05 GMT

yup I have been salaried - thats how I ended up working a 6 day /64hr working week and only getting paid for 40 hoursfor 13 weeks, its not all its cracked up to be.

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Claire Cameron — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:38:40 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]I'd guess that if nurses became salaried they would end up doing a lot of 'unpaid' overtime, as you are paid this in your salary - officially! [/quote]

This is how my practice works. I'm salaried so anything over normal hours is unpaid overtime

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:37:30 GMT

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Minnow — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:22:00 GMT

I wish the RCVS, after reading all our surveys, ( you've all submitted them right?) will look at the hours worked and the pay. I hope at that point they also look at the working time directive, minimum wage etc and then give us a definitive answer. It seems that if you phone BVNA, RCVS, legal helpline or gov.com that none of them seem to quite reply in agreement.

We need to know if its right only to be paid a small retainer when you are expected to stay on site?

Can you work a day shift followed by a night shift and then on into the next day?

Can you work all week and then be on site from the Friday night to the Monday morning on your own but only get paid for the time you are working directly with the animals?

How does the system work for salaried vets and should we be doing the same?

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Jo RVN — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:57:21 GMT

I should add that I would be required to be on site for the full amount of time though.

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Jo RVN — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:56:31 GMT

I get paid for the 8hrs, and as I am not contracted to do nights - I do them to cover holidays etc - i get paid an on call bonus. If I am on a weekend, i get paid for 8hrs each day, the on call bonus each day and then write down overtime for whenever in the night you get called or go and check inpatients. it's a bit complicated, writing down each time you have been to check inpatients/deal with an emergency, but it means you get paid for it on top of the 8hr day.

Re: Quick Question re pay!

hissycat — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:36:35 GMT

In regards to my original question, I contacted the BVNA, HSE etc and apparently they don't have to pay you for your break even if you have to be available to deal with any problem that may arise and have to answer phones and cannot leave the premises. So basically they can make you work for nothing

Re: Quick Question re pay!

SmegSlayer — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:05:45 GMT

My nights used to start at 5pm through til 9:30am the following day on weekdays. Fridays was 6pm-11am Saturday and the weekend was 6pm Saturday till 8am Sunday then back at 6pm on Sunday til 9:30am Monday.

When I started going to college it was on Mondays and we had to go straight after doing weekend nights and then work tues-fri as normal or if we hadn't done the weekend we would do monday night straight after college. It nearly killed me!

Re: Quick Question re pay!

christinam — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:09:44 GMT

When I used to do nights I got paid for my 'Lunch' break as you could not leave the building, as no where to go at 4am, plus if emergency came in, you might of been needed.

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Practice Manager — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:05:04 GMT

Yes you are entitled to pay as they cannot make you work for nothing. The nature of that pay however needs to be looked at.

If you are working an 8 hour day, 5 days a week doing all the normal stuff a nurse does and your then also having to work an 8 hour night shift as on site, on call and only do nursing duties if and when required you need to talk to you employer about extra pay.

If you are working an 8 hour day, 5 days a week doing all the normal stuff a nurse does and then also having to work an 8 hour night shift again doing all the normal stuff a nurse does then -

Your at or possibly over the 48 hour working week.
Your working more than legally allowable for anyone 24 hour period in regard to breaks.

If its just an on call issue talk to your employer if its more than that talk to a solicitor.

Thanks

Ian Thompson

Practice Manager

Ashfield Veterinary Group

www.ashfieldveterinarygroup.co.uk

Practice Management Consultant

www.PracticeManagementConsultancy.com

Re: Quick Question re pay!

SmegSlayer — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 07:42:49 GMT

Left that practice in 2006

Re: Quick Question re pay!

dinkyd — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:35:48 GMT

Think you need to check what is in your contract.x

Re: Quick Question re pay!

SmegSlayer — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:08:47 GMT

Hang on, i did 2 years of 16.5 hour nights without being paid for them. We were told it was because what we would have been paid went towards training (even tho i was young enough to be funded at the time)

Re: Quick Question re pay!

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:16:43 GMT

Hi, yes if you are on the premises you are entitled to be paid.

Loubylou is right too re the break, technically you are not on a break, unless of course you pre arrange a break time where the vet wont contact you for call outs...but thats not going to happen in this job is it.

Re: Quick Question re pay!

loobylou — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:07:42 GMT

Yep, if you are required to be on the premises you have to be paid for all that time, including when asleep.
Not sure about tea breaks but if rules stipulate you have to have that break on site and still be available for phones etc (not technically a break!!) then I think prob yes!