Overnight jobs - fair treatment for night workers

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I live in Melksham ... if I work in (example) Clifton Down on a regular 9 to 5 Monday to Friday shift, I'll pay £12.30 for my return ticket.   If I work a shift later in the day, I'll pay £10.20.  But if I work overnight I'll probably pay £21.50 ... that's an off peak single to work in the evening, and an anytime single back the next morning.

2019 prices, without railcard.

from The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Nearly one in three overnight workers are aged over 50, according to analysis by one of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s largest unions.

Over-50s account for about 924,000 of a record 3.2 million people who regularly work through the night, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) says.

It wants better protection for night workers' health and wellbeing, saying the government does not do enough.

The government said it was proposing new rights for flexible workers, including those who work night shifts.

Jobs most likely to involve night work include care work, nursing, road transport and security, the TUC said.

The union has called for greater protection for those workers, saying that the hours can have a damaging effect on family life, as well as physical and mental health.

According to its analysis, the number of people regularly working night shifts is at its highest level since current official records began in 2005.

[Robin Summerhill]

Why not buy a 7 day season for £60.00 (in either direction)?

[grahame]

Why not buy a 7 day season for £60.00 (in either direction)?

Depends if you're lucky enough to have 3 or more night shifts within the 7 days.

And if you have 2 successive nights, a single outbound anytime, an anytime return and an off-peak single inbound will come to £34.80 - or £17.10 per day.

[Sixty3Closure]

I worked nights for around 10 years and while it was nice to be travelling against the crowds it did cost more than it felt it should for relatively empty trains.

I use to try buy day returns on my way home with a few singles as I worked a random pattern although I quite often forgot as I was so tired.

The night shifts themselves I quite enjoyed as you got days of in lieu, additional payments and the work was more interesting. The first one has gone now and the payments frozen. I was also about 25 years younger so not sure how I'd cope with a 60 hour week of nights now.

I also worked Sundays as part of my normal shift pattern