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Chat Room on Christmas Day-2007/ Now 2009

Sounds like Mr. Monkhouse has a party going on in the chat room. Let it not be said that I would miss a good time.

That is as long as I can wear my P.J's and bring my coffee.


emma
 
visitor said:
So, it does sound feasible to be "on call" and not be able to leave the area and still use up your 3 weeks of leave time for only a few hours work now and then or not at all.    Bummer,  if your family and friends are across the country and you hoped to be home for the holidays. It's not so much that it is Christmas, but that  it is 3 weeks of vacation time planned to visit family gone.   We  cannot visit our soldier because at our end,  one of us is also on-call for a hospital. No drinking or traveling allowed.  Also no pay received if not called in or all the work is done over the phone, even if  the calls come in the middle of the  night.  Ho Ho Ho, indeed.

Sorry if I am a bit bummed out...   At least police, bus drivers,  nurses, etc. get holiday pay, which is recognition that they and their families are sacrificing their personal lives for the good of society.  And they are Off after their shift.  Maybe I will find a soup kitchen to volunteer  for  for Christmas, but then I would not be around  if the other is not called in.  No can do.   How many days to Ground Hog Day?

Ahhh, I get the feeling from your post above that your child is the soldier in question who is "On Duty." Any of the below may be applicable:

1) Your child obviously failed to put in a leave pass onto which the "address while on leave" .... was recorded as "across the country" and rather submitted a leave pass which gave his current addy for his place of residence at the location where he/she is posted at. Ergo -- why couldn't he/she perform a "standby" duty if they were going to be remaining in the area as their leave pass indicates? That's NOT the CFs fault.

2) Your child actually volunteered to perform this duty over the Holidays (MOST Bases fill Holiday Duty lists either with volunteers such as myself or those doing "Extras" -- meaning they have some kaka to work off). If your child falls into one of these two ... that's NOT the CFs fault. Also, people who volunteer (and I do not mean "Voluntold") for these Holiday duties are usually compensated with "no further duties for a year etc" by most bases. That seems like pretty fair compensation to me, and ergo the reason why I have yet to see a Base required to "Order" someone to remain in the area against their wishes to perform a Holiday Duty after 20 years of service, 3 enviornments, and 6 Bases; I've just never seen it happen -- or even heard of it happening (unless it was those "extra duties" people who deserved them for screwing up). I'm sure it probably has happened though in the extremely rare circumstance and that someone on here will be along to tell us about it shortly.

3) Your child was mandated by the CoC to stay within the area to perform this "Standby Duty" due to lack of "Volunteers" or "Personnel sentenced to extras". THIS would be the "Voluntold" circumstance. Sadly SOMEONE has to perform those duties over the Holidays and this situation is the Last Resort of the Chain of Command to fill duties over leave periods such as this. We don't get paid overtime -- we ARE paid 24/7 (you can confirm that with your child). Your child is also getting 15 working days off -- which are only costsing him/her 6 days from their annual entitlement of 20 or 25 days of leave (that entitled # depends upon their amount of time in). Seems pretty good to me!! Police etc -- take a day off it actually COSTS them vacation time. I suggest that your child isn't really making out too badly. The CoC will usually always tasked a married person who has their family at the base with them to "mandated Holiday Duties" such as this -- thereby allowing single CF members to get home to see their own families. Manadating a single person to perform a Christmas Duty when their family is on the other side of the country would absolutely be the LAST thing the CF would want to do. And, IF your child does have to go into work for a couple of hours or whatever -- he/she WILL get that leave day returned to them. THAT doesn't seem too shabby to me either -- given that it's only taking 6 for 15 in the first place.

I highly suspect that you and your child need to have a chat, so that you can determine which of the above is actually applicable to your child ... I also suspect that it is not number three. There's more to the story than you are receiving.

Vern

#3 is exactly the reason why I volunteered for my Duty ...so someone who did want to travel outside the recall area .... could (we don't get a year off duties here BTW -- for those of you who are wondering).  ;)
 
emmiee said:
Sounds like Mr. Monkhouse has a party going on in the chat room. Let it not be said that I would miss a good time.

That is as long as I can wear my P.J's and bring my coffee.


emma

Clearly there's a requirement for pictures here.

Talk to you on the 25th.  ;)


Roy
 
So far I've had about 10 visitors......however I must go for about an hour to supervise the inmates Turkey Christmas dinner. :-\
 
I gu[burp]ess I shouldn't have had seconds........  :clown:
 
visitor said:
Sorry if I am a bit bummed out...   At least police, bus drivers,  nurses, etc. get holiday pay, which is recognition that they and their families are sacrificing their personal lives for the good of society.  And they are Off after their shift.  Maybe I will find a soup kitchen to volunteer  for  for Christmas, but then I would not be around  if the other is not called in.  No can do.   How many days to Ground Hog Day?

My wife is a nurse and in 20 years and counting she has never received "Holiday" pay as per the Ontario Nurse Association" union agreement.
And she has worked many a Christmas shift, including today.  :( 
TV diner anyone.  :)
 
Baden  Guy said:
My wife is a nurse and in 20 years and counting she has never received "Holiday" pay as per the Ontario Nurse Association" union agreement.
And she has worked many a Christmas shift, including today.  :( 
TV diner anyone.  :)

My wife also doesn't receive "Holiday Pay" - and she's working today (and tomorrow).  She enjoys it, actually - always comes home in high spirits - having done something for those less fortunate (physically) than the rest of us.

As for TV dinner - I'm cooking Christmas Dinner (as I always have).
 
Hmmm, nothing extra for working on a stat day??  I thought nurses were more 'organized' than that?
 
Bruce Monkhouse said:
Hmmm, nothing extra for working on a stat day??  I thought nurses were more 'organized' than that?

I stand corrected Bruce.  Just spoke to the expert herself, all ONA stat holidays are paid at time and a half.

 
Well just logged out.......about 20 customers I would wager. Just one from Kabul early in the morn.
Merry Christmas all.
 
Baden  Guy said:
I stand corrected Bruce.  Just spoke to the expert herself, all ONA stat holidays are paid at time and a half.

Mine's a "casual" employee (but can - if she desires, work more hours than a full timer), and some such rules don't apply to her.
 
I am sorry if I offended anyone with my post. I full well recognize that there are many today who are working without pay and many others without a warm meal or friends or family. Those who are sick and injured,  those who are alone and depressed. I  was  only  seeking information  in the Home Front in  the hopes of understanding how  leave and on-call work.  We are new to the DND.  We DON'T have a clear picture.    Is there a family liason that parents  can turn to for information? 

Thank you ArmyVern for your post and the information. Our son is the sort who quietly  does what is needed without regard  for  time off or for remuneration.  We raised  him to do so, but now that he does, it is bittersweet, indeed.  I can encourage him to get the time off he is entitled to, but beyond that, he is his own man.
 
visitor said:
I am sorry if I offended anyone with my post. I full well recognize that there are many today who are working without pay and many others without a warm meal or friends or family. Those who are sick and injured,  those who are alone and depressed. I  was  only  seeking information  in the Home Front in  the hopes of understanding how  leave and on-call work.  We are new to the DND.  We DON'T have a clear picture.    Is there a family liason that parents  can turn to for information? 

Thank you ArmyVern for your post and the information. Our son is the sort who quietly  does what is needed without regard  for  time off or for remuneration.  We raised  him to do so, but now that he does, it is bittersweet, indeed.  I can encourage him to get the time off he is entitled to, but beyond that, he is his own man.

I don't think you offended anyone - at least not me.  We're sticklers for accuracy and clarity around here - that's all it comes down to.

Check with the MFRC (Military Family Resource Centre) at you son's location.  They MAY have some information available for you - or can at least point you in the right direction.  It doesn't hurt to keep checking in here once in a while either - this place is stuffed with information, both common and esoteric, which may help you understand what your son is doing.

Merry Christmas to you.


Roy
 
Sounds like something I owuld have told my mother to get drunk and hang around girls I wouldnt bring home to meet her!

"Yeah mom sorry I cant come home,on call to man the duty center..." ;D

Seriously.

Or maybe he just volunteered for duty cause he didnt want to come home.Seems kinda fishy that if he was trying to get home and submitted a leave pass.... ???
 
X-mo-1979 said:
Sounds like something I owuld have told my mother to get drunk and hang around girls I wouldnt bring home to meet her!

"Yeah mom sorry I cant come home,on call to man the duty center..." ;D

Seriously.

Or maybe he just volunteered for duty cause he didnt want to come home.Seems kinda fishy that if he was trying to get home and submitted a leave pass.... ???

And I think that mom or dad (whoever is doing the posting down below) has already figured that it was a volunteer thing because that sounds like their child.

I've been volunteering for Christmas duties my whole career because Christmas just doesn't mean as much to me as it does to others (I'm an athiest remember). That all being said -- It was still hard when I called my dad on my first year in to say that I wasn't coming home because I was "on duty Supply Tech." To which his response was ... "What did you get in shit for?" He nearly died when I told him that I volunteered -- he asumed it was extras because, well because he knows me well.  ;) I couldn't pull the wool over his eyes ... he's military. He knew it was one reason or the other.
 
ArmyVern said:
And I think that mom or dad (whoever is doing the posting down below) has already figured that it was a volunteer thing because that sounds like their child.

I've been volunteering for Christmas duties my whole career because Christmas just doesn't mean as much to me as it does to others (I'm an athiest remember). That all being said -- It was still hard when I called my dad on my first year in to say that I wasn't coming home because I was "on duty Supply Tech." To which his response was ... "What did you get in crap for?" He nearly died when I told him that I volunteered -- he asumed it was extras because, well because he knows me well.  ;) I couldn't pull the wool over his eyes ... he's military. He knew it was one reason or the other.

That is hilarious!First chuckle I had all day,thanks for that!
My parents have hardly ever seen soldiers.And couldnt figure out why I was a Private for THREE years! Everytime I went home they kept asking me if I got in trouble etc. ;D
Now their all happy.
 
..and once again the circle,

Bruce Monkhouse said:
I'm normally not a 'chatter' but I'm working 0630 until 1830 on Christmas Day so I plan on being in there during that time thinking that those of you whom are also away from your loved ones, might have a place to at least 'talk' to others in the same boat and share some comradeship.

Bruce

I will be hanging around the chat room most of the day.
 
Will try to make it on at some point, just to say a Merry Ho Ho. Can't promise, but I'll make an effort!
 
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