Working away - legal rights? Help!

SarahLou

Exactly - £5 a day goes no where - £5 per meal would be pushing it, but per day!? :eek:

One of the many annoyances they're all having with this company.

Like you say, its common decency really that if you're going to send staff away when they don't want to go then you have to sort of make it worth their while. Alright, they still get their normal (rubbish!) wage but when you're normally just working a Mon-Friday based not far from home thats alright but to then expect them to work away more and more frequently (and in some instances, some of the workers have been away for 5+ months at a time) then it gets a little daft.... especially when there is then "no money in the budget" for them to claim petrol home and back on Friday evening/Monday mornings!!!!

inmypocketnottheirs

Is the company making a profit?

teabelly

Sounds like whoever works out the cost of these jobs is an idiot! I'd suspect the company isn't making much of a profit and is so afraid of not having work that they take any old job without any regard as to whether it will make money or lose it. If they lose money on a job then they'd be better of paying people to do nothing rather than taking on the contract.

Perhaps the first activity on any new site should be to dig a latrine?

SarahLou

They have joked before now about digging a latrine for themselves! :rotfl:

As for whether the company makes a profit - I believe they are. So far as I'm aware, the company is doing well compared with their competitors (many of whom are now completely out of business like I intially said). They are keeping everyone in work and haven't had to lay anyone off or even threaten it. So yeah, making enough turnover that they should be budgeting for "away jobs" better.

As for the people tendering for the work not calculating their costs properly - spot on. There are three (but mainly just two) who actively search out and put tenders in for work. Out of the two main people, both of them are infamously bad at getting the budget right, one more so than the other. They are forever bickering and arguing about it too. Not professional at all. :rolleyes:

inmypocketnottheirs

SarahLou wrote: »

As for whether the company makes a profit - I believe they are. So far as I'm aware, the company is doing well compared with their competitors (many of whom are now completely out of business like I intially said). They are keeping everyone in work and haven't had to lay anyone off or even threaten it. So yeah, making enough turnover that they should be budgeting for "away jobs" better.

Turnover is not profit. Turnover is the amount of income the business receives. Profit is what is left after all the overheads and expenses are paid.

There are a lot of companies using the 'R' word as a reason for cutbacks, when they are already profitable. However there are a lot of companies that are struggling to make ends meet.

It really is hard to quantify which side your OH employer falls into. Maybe they are having to fight harder for the business by reducing their rates, or the business has a high level of debt to support. There can be any number of reasons for businesses struggling.

There is no excuse for treating employees as disrepectfully as this employer seems to be doing, but if the company is not profitable and is struggling to survive, what is best? To take these drastic cost cutting exercises, or to reduce staff or salaries?

Also, if the staff are so dissatisfied, there is nothing to stop them getting a job elsewhere if the treatment is so unreasonable. Nothing shows an employer disatisfaction more than the loss of trained and competent staff.

SarahLou

Very true - I don't know how the companies finances look really, I'm not privvy to such information

But yes, those members of staff that have left over the last 12-18 months or so have gone on to do completely different things and are now, we believe, earning far more money and enjoying their working lives a lot more. Good on them. Alas unfortunately there is nothing out there at the moment that my Hubby could put in for (but he is looking )

Unfortunately though, the company hasn't twigged why there is a high turnover of staff at the moment, the company is getting worse, not better, in the way in which it treats its staff.

And when they've taken on replacements they've taken on, shall we say, less than desirable and not massively qualified individuals. (A lot of it is "who you know", not "what you know" with this company it would seem - another irritating factor). :mad:

Thanks to everyone for their advice. I'll be showing my Hubby this thread when he gets back on Friday (if he gets back on Friday!!) and I suspect he'll get on to at least ACAS about this when he gets back from his current "away job" stint.

Hopefully also it means he won't get sent away again immediately or in the near future. He's already missed his daughters first independant walking steps....

happyhappyshopper

any more news on this situation?

dacouch

Surely if your husband has a dig around he could unearth another job

SarahLou

Just edited my original post on this after a suggestion from another user on another thread I have just started up about this farce of a situation.

I've edited my original post to remove my husbands occupation just in case it ever comes out and doesn't put him in favour with his bosses that his wife has broadcasted how utterly ludicrous it all is

(Although I'd happily have a chat with his bosses and tell them just how ridiculous it all is).

For those who read and followed this thread (thanks everyone), see the new thread I've started on a new issue here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2612893