Standby shifts

Stand-by shifts according to the VR and SA agreement

Stand-by shifts may be imposed, according to which employees are obliged to be contactable by telephone and to respond to call-outs. Where no other arrangements are negotiated in the employment contract, the following shall apply:

• For each hour on stand-by duty during which the employee is confined to home, he shall receive payment equivalent to the rate for 33% of the hourly rate for daytime work. On public holidays and major public holidays, the proportion shall be 50%.
• For stand-by duty in which the employee is not required to respond without delay, but where he is prepared to go to work as soon as he is contacted, he shall receive 16.5% of the hourly rate for daytime work for each hour he spent on sand-by. On public holidays and major public holidays, the proportion shall be 25%.
• For a call-out when on stand-by, employee shall receive payment for the time they work, though never for less than 4 hours except when their daytime work begins within two hours of the time when they turn up for work. However, payment for stand-by work and for after-hours/overtime work shall never be combined.

Stand-by shifts according to the VR and FA agreement

Stand-by shifts may be negotiated where an employee is obliged to be contactable by telephone and to respond to call-outs, in which case 1/3 of daytime wages must be paid for every hour of stand-by unless otherwise negotiated in the employment contract.

If the employee undertakes stand-by shifts on public holidays and major public holidays, he is to receive the abovementioned proportion at overtime rates.