Contract of Employment - Minimum Hours

kilasuit

I've just recently started working for McDonalds as a full time employee and this week i have only 18 hours though my requested hours is 30+ and my contract states a minimum of 7 hours a week. I think this is a shambles and tbh am almost considering goin back on the dole as i have bills like rent, and phone to pay and it cant be done on 7 hours a week.

Saying that next week however i applied for fri sat and sun off as its my 19th b'day and they have given me no hours what so ever. I think that this is a breach of contract and am thinking of bring it up with CAB and also the local connexions service (as am currently 18)

Whats your advice here?

bumblebee23

If your minimum contract is 7 hours and you have been given 18 hours I don't see what the issue is, you are getting over twice as many as your minimum. I think it's fair to say that if you have a contract giving you 7 hours per week it is unreasonable to expect them to give you 30 hours each and every week.

If they haven't given you any hours for next week then they are in breach of their own contract as they have guaranteed you a minimum of 7, I would advise you to speak with your line manager before going to the CAB though as it can probably be resolved very quickly.

As for going 'back on the dole' I think that you should think yourself lucky that you have a job as there are thousands of people on the dole that would love to have your job and will be quite happy to take it off your hands for you! I would also be cautious about quitting any job at the moment, as far as I am aware you can't claim JSA if you have voluntarily left your job and other employers might be a little worried about someone who quits a 'stable' job in the midst of a credit crunch - it doesn't really show forward thinking.

kilasuit

Initially it was supposed to be a full time job.

Advertised as full time and also at interview told it was full time. Now 7 hours a week isnt full time it's 1 shift.

Dont get me wrong i'm more than happy i've got a job but theres no way i can live off 7 hours a week which isnt even £2000 per annum.

Think of it in this way that if you were offered a job stating that it was at least 20 hours a week only to find out that your actually only contracted to 7 wouldnt you be miffed for these reasons
1. I was mislead into accepting a contract that essentially gives them the right to not offer me the correct hours of the advertised post.
2. You essentially cant actually budget anything as you never have worked enough to pay any bills
3. I got this job bcos it was FULL TIME not PART TIME.

See where i'm coming from now?

Also i bet you hadnt spent 6months + on the dole b4 attaining your current job unlike how i have.

kilasuit

bummity bump

alwaysonthego_2

If you went to the CAB the would look at your contract and would say that they are not doing anything wrong because it states that you are contracted to work the minimum of 7 hours a week. There is nothing you can do, just look for another job.

bumblebee23

kilasuit wrote: »

Initially it was supposed to be a full time job.

Advertised as full time and also at interview told it was full time. Now 7 hours a week isnt full time it's 1 shift.

Dont get me wrong i'm more than happy i've got a job but theres no way i can live off 7 hours a week which isnt even £2000 per annum.

Think of it in this way that if you were offered a job stating that it was at least 20 hours a week only to find out that your actually only contracted to 7 wouldnt you be miffed for these reasons
1. I was mislead into accepting a contract that essentially gives them the right to not offer me the correct hours of the advertised post.
2. You essentially cant actually budget anything as you never have worked enough to pay any bills
3. I got this job bcos it was FULL TIME not PART TIME.

See where i'm coming from now?

Also i bet you hadnt spent 6months + on the dole b4 attaining your current job unlike how i have.

Unfortunately you signed the contract for 7 hours, you should have brought the issue up before you signed and agreed that the company are able to offer you a minimum of 7 hours per week.

I'm afraid you can only blame yourself if you were 'misled' as you should have read your contract thoroughly before signing.

If you have not already done so, speak to the person now who originally offered you the 30 hours per week position and ask them why your contract now only states 7 hours per week. Then take it from there, if they advise you that 7 is the maximum they can give you in a contract then you can work out for yourself whether it is worth you working for those hours.

If you do decide to stay with McDonalds on your 7 hour contract, then you need to be prepared that there may be weeks where you are only given your contracted hours.

And no, I haven't spent 6 months on the dole before getting my current job, instead I moved from one end of the country to the other to be with my partner. I had to go out every single day and apply for tons of jobs to get my current one and did not claim any benefits for the month that I had no income coming in. So yes, I do know how hard it is to find a job, and equally I know how hard it is at the moment to keep a job, so I would advise you to try and resolve this within the company before handing in your notice and going back on the dole.

kilasuit

bumblebee23 wrote: »

I'm afraid you can only blame yourself if you were 'misled' as you should have read your contract thoroughly before signing.

The actual Paper version that i signed had no mention of it being a minium of 7 hours.

I am actually going to ask for the copy of it so that i can actually work out if in an way it is stated that i may only work 7 hours a week.

If not then i think a tribunal my be accountable for. But only after double checking with CAB

bumblebee23

kilasuit wrote: »

The actual Paper version that i signed had no mention of it being a minium of 7 hours.

I am actually going to ask for the copy of it so that i can actually work out if in an way it is stated that i may only work 7 hours a week.

If not then i think a tribunal my be accountable for. But only after double checking with CAB

How many hours does it state on the contract that you signed? Normally you would be given a copy of this at the time of signing it?

You definately need to see the original contract and I would look into this first thing tomorrow morning if I were you, before the contract gets 'lost'.

alwaysonthego_2

kilasuit wrote: »

The actual Paper version that i signed had no mention of it being a minium of 7 hours.

I am actually going to ask for the copy of it so that i can actually work out if in an way it is stated that i may only work 7 hours a week.

If not then i think a tribunal my be accountable for. But only after double checking with CAB

There is no point going to the CAB for help unless you have your orginal contract to hand othewise they will not be able to advice you.

A tribunal will not accept your case unless you put in a grievance in writing and you need to wait 28 days afterwards before you put an application in. You may be asked to pay legal costs if you have no chance of winning the case.