New Year

Well Happy New Year to you all, I hope that despite the global economic crisis, 2011 will be joyous and prosperous for you all.


Hubby and I were in the very strange situation, that for the first time in our married lives (11 years if you are interested) we actually had Christmas off together without having to take annual leave. We also both had my birthday off; it inconveniently falls between Christmas and New Year - yes I have complained to the parents, but they claim that they can't do anything after nearly 40 years!!!


I was then working New Years eve while hubby got to stay at home and drink beer!!!! I was on nights and was expecting it to be carnage, having been fed horror stories of previous years, but what a let down ............ for me I saw about half a dozen people, less than I usually see on a Friday night. Even the city was relatively calm, ok various fights, but then there usually are and had it not been for a big fight at a club on the Cowley Road, which due to the numbers inside (approx 800), we had to send more than just one unit too, it would have been no worse then any other Friday night. Then as for Saturday and Sunday.................bored or what!!!


We are now well into the New Year and are both back at work properly. Hubby is now on the main rota at work, which means he now knows what he is doing something like 49 weeks in advance. As I now what my duties are 2 years in advance, we can actually start to have a life!!! Well we would do if they weren't building a new bus station in Slough, and so hubby has been told that the main rota is going to be redone as routes and things will be changing - supposedly in about six weeks time!!


We have still had no news at work if we are going to be affected by the cuts. The police authority have given us notice that our terms and conditions of employment are going to be changing, thought this is not necessarily bad! We are currently paid a basic salary and then get a shift allowance on top depending on what shift pattern you do (we get the top amount because our shifts cover 24/7), and then we get extra again for working weekends. This does mean that some months your pay can fluctuate by several hundred pounds. They are planning to role it all into your basic salary, meaning we will get the same amount each month and unfortunately for many people, this is meaning a pay cut. Quite a lot of staff have had their letters, telling them that their pay is going to be less, but so far no-one in my team has had a letter with any figures in. You of course try to remain positive, and I read an article today where our boss (the chief constable) has said that no front line staff will be cut, and we are classified as front line, so we are keeping all things crossed!!!!


Anyway, it is no use worrying about things you cannot effect, we will just have to wait and see.