change in hours?

21yrold

Hi,

I work 6.5hrs on a saturday and the company have just sent all the shops this email...

With this in mind and with this objective, and following research and feedback from the site providers we are going to be extending our opening times on a Saturday on a trial basis for the next two months. What we plan to do is open every Saturday 7am until 7pm. So starting this weekend 30th and 31st January and running every weekend until the end of March. This as you will all agree will help us all make some more money, for us in sales and for you in bonuses as in this period we are already paying the rents.



Is this allowed as its only 4days time?

Thanks in advance

21yrold

JUNIOR

What does your contract of employment say ?

If your contract states hours , then they have to give more notice.
But read carefully !;) additional hours and all that crap.

J

libbyjade

Also, if it's not in your contract, they can look to vary your contract so that they can change it by giving you a weeks notice for every year you've worked there.

21yrold

I will have to check it all when i get home tonight

I've worked there for 4yrs so thats helpful, thanks jade

Will get back to you guys later!

Mudd14

libbyjade wrote: »

Also, if it's not in your contract, they can look to vary your contract so that they can change it by giving you a weeks notice for every year you've worked there.

They dont have to give one weeks notice for every year. This notice is only for termination by either party where the statutory minimum applies.

There are no set time periods for variation of contracts only that which is resonable. ie paid monthly, one months notice would be resonable, weekly, one week etc

wuckfit

Are you getting more hours or are they going to alter shifts to suit the new pattern?
I'd welcome a couple of extra hours pay in my pay-packet every week, especially in the lean months of January and February.

ceridwen

Personally....

I'd send them an email right back saying summat like:

"With reference to your email of (date) re the fact that the shop opening hours will be extended. I currently work from x time - y time. This is a workshift of 6.5 hours. Could you please inform me which times within those new opening hours I will be working my 6.5 hour shift please? - Thank you."

(If I was unable/unwilling to work different times to my current ones - I would add something along the lines of "My shift is currently worked from such-and-such time to so-and-so time. I regret i would be unable to work before x time and/or after y time.")

If you would like/have time to work an hour or so overtime - you could add something like: "I would be willing to work 1 hour/2 hours extra to the 6.5 hours I currently do - the extra money would be very welcome.."

The ball is then in their court.

bap98189

That Email does not say you are going to be working for the full time the store is open. It only says the shop is going to open longer hours. Can they do that, yes of course they can. Can they make you work the full 12 hours, possibly, but that will depend on what your contract says. I would suggest you speak to your manager first and ask when they expect you to work.

21yrold

Hi again

In my contract it says this....your standard hours are 36 hours a week, 6 hours per day, 6 days per week. You maybe required to work extra hours as required by the need of the company. The business will be flexible wherever possible to suit the needs of individual employees; howeever, any change of hours will not form any part of custom or practice or overide the standard contracted hours.


Now i work:
Mondays 0
Tuesdays 13hrs
Wed - 0
Thursday - 13hrs
Friday - 6.5hr
and then every other weekend for 6.5hrs each day

The shop only has 2 employees to each shop so they would be intending for the person who works the saturday to do the whole 12hours...

So where do i stand now with this

Thanks again for the imput

ceridwen

First thought was the Working Time Directive - but, if my maths is correct(?), then if you worked the full 12 hours on your Saturdays - that comes to 42 hours 50 minutes.

So - you would be within that maximum 48 hours average - darn...that option isnt a goer then....

Hmm....I DO wonder how long a "shift" is allowed to be by law. Obviously there is the legal right to a break after 6 hours work - and I presume you ARE getting that break on those 2 long days per week? I wonder whether you can be made to work such a long shift as 13 hours at a stretch though - or even 12 hours? - that could be worth investigating...

Certainly - any employer who expects anyone to work a 12 or 13 hour workday is being totally unreasonable at the least. You cant be having any "life" at all on those long days....

EDIT: I havent got time to check for that now myself - but have a look on the relevant bit of the TUC website to see what you can find about maximum shift length allowed:

www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/rights_main.cfm

21yrold

Its thru our choice that we work the 13hr shifts...we can do 6.5hrs everyday but we are better off only coming in every other day, it does work out better that way.

I am unable to work 12hrs this weekend due to car problems so if i say to them i am unable to this weekend they cannot hold it against me i presume?

Im happy to trial it for the month after anyway ie more pay etc but its just this weekend that is the problem