Annual leave entitlements for shift workers?

I work 12hr shifts,4 days on,4 days off and 4 nights on and 4 nights off this cycle continues all year…..can anyone tell me what annual leave entitlements I am to get. Our manager and HR say only 14 per year…we are saying it should be more.we have no union to turn to. We are saying this is wrong but they are not moving on this and told us the matter is closed.we contacted nera they didn’t work it out for us but sent us this:

(a) 4 working weeks in a leave year in which he or she works at least 1,365 hours (unless it is a leave year in which he or she changes employment),
(b) one-third of a working week for each month in the leave year in which he or she works at least 117 hours, or
(c) 8 per cent. of the hours he or she works in a leave year (but subject to a maximum of 4 working weeks):
.which ever is the greater to the employee.



If anyone can just come up with how many days per year we are officially entitled to by irish law ,much appreciated


Thanks all…………….

I would think the simplest way is to take 8% of hours worked.

On average you work 365/8*48 hours a year (2190).
8% of this is 175 hrs.
175/12=14.5 days.
Is this what HR have said you are due?

Or,you work an average working week of 3.5 days.4 weeks holidays equates to 3.5x4 which is 14.
The legislation does say that whichever way is more beneficial to the employee should be used.So,you could push for an extra half day a year.

vandriver

going by the below table:


(a) 4 working weeks in a leave year in which he or she works at least 1,365 hours (unless it is a leave year in which he or she changes employment),
(b) one-third of a working week for each month in the leave year in which he or she works at least 117 hours, or
(c) 8 per cent. of the hours he or she works in a leave year (but subject to a maximum of 4 working weeks):
.which ever is the greater to the employee.


a/ we will work 2196hrs this year,our working week is obvisouly 4 days, 4x4 =16 days


b/one third of 4days =1.333 x 12 =16 days


c/2196hrs by 8per cent = 176hr divided by 12 =14.6days approx

so a and b gives us 16 days going by this and c gives us 14.6 days but it does say to the employee which ever is the greater so we believe we should be entitled to 16 days per year for our 4 x 12 hour shifts as it is the greater of the 3 …HR have gone for the lower of 14.6 days but will only give us 14 days.

It's not obvious to me that your working week is 4 days.In fact on an 8 week cycle,you work 4 days a week for the first 4 weeks,then 3 days a week for the next 4 weeks,making and average of 3.5 days per week.

I agree with vandriver.

Put simply, you work 182.5 days each year.
This is an average of 3.5 day per week.