work expects me to work through unpaid dinner hour

SueC_2

surreysaver wrote: »

Has the coach travel been risk assessed? Are there any staff that suffer from travel sickness? Risk of deep vein thrombosis from sitting down in a cramp seat?

Are the big wigs aware that staff are missing out on legal entitlements to breaks by attending the lecture? If not, make sure you tell them. Your managers probably lie as much to the big wigs as they do to you. The big wigs probably think everything is hunky dory in the lower grades due to lies told by middle management.

When you get on the coach, you could suggest that the driver smells of alcohol. Call the police and have him/her breathalised. That should hold up proceedings. Or while you're at the lecture, you could ring up the bus company and cancel the coach. That should disrupt your manager's plans - that way there will be no staff back at the office! Or simply just take your entitlement to lunch when you get back.

Too many employers these days pay minmum pay, give minimum breaks - they act only just legally. So employees should make sure they take what is legally theirs.

Is this serious?

pinkkiss

speedbird1973 wrote: »

This thread HAS gone on hasn't it!!

Maybe from my perspective I just can't get my head around how things at your end of the wage spectrum work. But why wouldn't you be interested if your company is taking over someone else or merging with them? it your business is creating jobs rather than losing them it's a good thing. Are you really not interested in your security?

you seem to have made it back from the experience in one piece! you were never going to take in what was said, and you were never going to enjoy your free lunch. be honest!which insurance company is it? I do a lot of work with Aviva, Axa and RSA, they all seem like excellent employers. Carphone Warehouse is the only call center enviromnent I've walked through and thought "jesus!"

i understand the merger is a really good news but its nothing new, we've all known for ages
its cis


And this in a recession - what an amazing attitude!


it was interesting to hear at first ... when the merger happened 3 months ago ! we weren't told anything new today, everyone agreed it was a total waste of time, since everything said has been posted on the intranet at some point. Thats what i meant about it being nothing important

timmmers

pinkkiss wrote: »

i normally spend 70 - 80p on my dinner in the canteen ... chips and gravy. Do some people really spend £4 on their dinner everyday :eek:

And the speach was in no way about redundancies haha, it was a bragging speach about how well the companys doing, and how we've merged with another company which means more profits, jobs blah blah nothing useful

No wish to be awkward here....but do you not see how those two things are probably related ?

How do merged companies usually save money to increase profits?
In fact, the main saving is staff no longer required and branches closed etc.

t

surreysaver

SueC wrote: »

Is this serious?

Absolutely. I'd love to work for this employer - think of the stress I could cause!

Oldernotwiser

moneysavingexpert79 wrote: »

Oh you're such a butt muncher! What do expect her to say: "Oh, isn't that superb Mr Manager! That means our jobs will be secure Mr Manager! Arn't our senior management more valuable than pure gold itself Mr Manager! I think this meeting was a superb use of company time and I don't mind giving up my lunch hour to hear this unlike some rebels Mr Manager! And those mustard sandwiches - mmm-mmm. I can't believe you didn't charge us for them - you did after all go through the hassle of ordering them for us! OH THANK YOU MR MANAGER! I knew they wouldn't ship all our jobs to India, our senior management care too much for us!":rotfl:

Rather better than saying "Do you want fries with that?" I'd've thought.

pinkkiss

moneysavingexpert79 wrote: »

Oh you're such a butt muncher! What do expect her to say: "Oh, isn't that superb Mr Manager! That means our jobs will be secure Mr Manager! Arn't our senior management more valuable than pure gold itself Mr Manager! I think this meeting was a superb use of company time and I don't mind giving up my lunch hour to hear this unlike some rebels Mr Manager! And those mustard sandwiches - mmm-mmm. I can't believe you didn't charge us for them - you did after all go through the hassle of ordering them for us! OH THANK YOU MR MANAGER! I knew they wouldn't ship all our jobs to India, our senior management care too much for us!":rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: thats really made me laugh i thinks its what they were hoping to hear !

surreysaver

Al24 wrote: »

I work clinically for the NHS and every Thursday I attend an hour long meeting which is held over my 1/2 unpaid lunch hour.

If I were the OP I would be more concerned about the content of the meeting, and take my own food if I didn't want the food provided.

The trouble is, it is people like you that are willing to work for nothing that allows employers to walk all over people and makes life harder for others.

Bogof_Babe

We used to have to go to "speeches" only they were called conferences, were often at the other end of the country, and we had to stay overnight in shared hotel rooms.

Funny that no-one (as far as I can remember) treated them as anything other than a perk - a trip out from the office routine, with a chance to feel like we really belonged to something. The hotel stay and evening dinner/ free breakfasts were much appreciated too.

How times change...

speedbird1973

ah so by being interested in my company's performance I'm an @rse licker! not at all my company works hard for me. I go to work to earn money, but I take pride in my work. My clients pay tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds a year for my teams expertise and services. Despite the fact it's "business to business" we still want to provide great value for our clients and within reason we'll do what we can. If i lunch at my desk and someone calls, I deal with it and I enjoy dealing with it.

I think if people don't take pride it what they're doing they should let someone more suitable do it. it's not about bowing to the managers and kissing butt. It's about doing a good job. I find some attitudes on here quite disturbing to be honest. I agree with the poster who made the point that it's people like you lot that have destroyed the Great in Great Britain!

speedbird1973

pinkkiss wrote: »

i understand the merger is a really good news but its nothing new, we've all known for ages
its cis


And this in a recession - what an amazing attitude!


it was interesting to hear at first ... when the merger happened 3 months ago ! we weren't told anything new today, everyone agreed it was a total waste of time, since everything said has been posted on the intranet at some point. Thats what i meant about it being nothing important

Well it sounds like a pointless meeting. Surely better dealing with people like us on the phone all day!? I work with CWS, not CIS though.