If you are a full-time reserve member of staff, then it is possible that sometimes, you might work more or fewer than you contracted hours because your group's admin give you more longer shifts than shorter ones or vice versa.

This is dealt with by looking at your hours over 12-week periods.

• If, over the 12-week period, you work more than your contracted hours (ie. 12 times 37.5 hours), you are paid for these hours at overtime rate.
• If, over the 12-week period, you work fewer than your contracted hours, then management can make you work these hours, but ONLY in the next 12-week period, not subsequent ones, and ONLY up to a maximum of 8 hours.

Unfortunately, this is not spelt out clearly in the Framework Agreement, although it is spelt out in other agreements and minutes. Equally unfortunately, management's SAP system allows shifts to be allocated that break these rules, and management tell us that this could take three months to fix.

However, company management accept that these are the rules. So if your group's management or admin allocate you duties that break these rules - for example, trying to 'carry over' more than 8 hours, or to carry over hours to 12-week periods subsequent to the one immediately following the one in which you worked fewer than your contracted hours - then contact your RMT rep immediately.