On-call information

Summary

A request was made to the Manx Utilities Authority regarding on-call staff hours, pay rates, and response times. The authority clarified that they operate a 'Standby' system rather than a traditional on-call arrangement, providing specific ranges for coverage hours, payments, and typical response times.

Key Facts

• Manx Utilities staff have a 'General Availability' clause in their contracts for advice outside hours with no special payment.
• A separate, remunerated 'Standby' system is used to ensure maintenance of service levels.
• Standby coverage hours vary between 15.5 and 24 hours depending on the day and employment terms.
• Typical standby payments range from £20.81 to £75, with critical infrastructure weekend cover reaching £127.23.
• Staff are expected to respond to call-outs safely, typically within around 15 minutes.

Data Disclosed

• 15.5 hours
• 24 hours
• £20.81
• £75
• £127.23
• 15 minutes
• 2024-06-05
• 2024-07-04
• 3905771

Original Request

Within the Isle of Man government, several departments have 'on-call' staff who return to work outside of their core hours; 1) How many hours 'on-call' are these staff expected to provide to their employer? 2) What is the hourly rate and/or call-out fee paid to these staff? 3) What amount of time are they expected to respond to a 'call-out' in?

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Manx Utilities PO Box 177, Douglas Isle of Man, IM99 1PS

e: enquiries@manxutilities.im t: 01624 687687 www.manxutilities.im

Our ref: 3905771 20 June 2024

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 5 June 2024, which states:

"Within the Isle of Man government, several departments have 'on-call' staff who return to work outside of their core hours;

1) How many hours 'on-call' are these staff expected to provide to their employer?

2) What is the hourly rate and/or call-out fee paid to these staff?

3) What amount of time are they expected to respond to a 'call-out' in?"

Our response to your request is as follows:

Manx Utilities (MU) staff have a ‘General Availability’ element of standard terms which enables MU to call upon employees to give advice or take charge of any matter within their competence, outside normal working hours and without reporting for duty. There is no special payment for this, it forms part of the standard contract. This element is not frequently used but is an important aspect of managing unplanned events on critical services but is not an ‘on-call’ system as such. In order to ensure maintenance of service levels Manx Utilities enhance the General Availability coverage by operating a separate pre-planned and separately remunerated Standby system. This again differs from a typical ‘on-call’ arrangement.

1) How many hours 'on-call' are these staff expected to provide to their employer?

Given the large number of staff providing standby across our various departments, breakdown of these hours per role cannot be provided as it would require substantial compilation and collation. However, to assist we can confirm that standby (assuming this is what is meant) can cover 15.5 to 24 hours depending on a range of variables including day of the week and the terms on which a worker is employed.

2) What is the hourly rate and/or call-out fee paid to these staff?

The standby payment is not calculated on an hourly rate and as it is not an ‘on-call’ arrangement there is no specific call out fee. The typical standby payment varies between £20.81 and £75 depending on the day of the week and terms and conditions.
One non-typical type of standby for initial fault response on critical infrastructure can be as high as £127.23 for a 24 hour period of cover over a weekend.

3) What amount of time are they expected to respond to a 'call-out' in?"

Staff are expected to respond at all times in a manner which prioritises safety above all other considerations. Typically, standby staff are experienced in emergency response and can usually do so safely in around 15 minutes.

Please quote the reference number 3905771 in any future communications.

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I will now close your request as of this date.