Wife losing job...What do we claim for?

trw

Ok so heres the deal. At the monent me and my wife have a 9 month old baby. Shes been off maternity for about 3 months, she had the standard 39 weeks off (Don't know if you actually need to know this). Problem is she will be losing her job within weeks because she can't work nights because I do. I claim working tax credits and she claims tax credits(or i think thats what she claims, joint claim).
Apart from this tax credits i've never claimed a benefit and to be honest I don't know much about it. Same with the wife. At the monent my wife does about 20 and i do 18 hours(my hours are very fexible and i could knock it down to under 16 without any troubles). I really don't know were to go, all these benefits seem completed and I just don't know what we are entitled to. We pay £105 rent which includs Council Tax and Water Rates. Can we get help with rent? Please help as this is just depressing us. Do we claim income support or what? Sorry if I sound clueless but i actually am when it comes to this

Oldernotwiser

trw wrote: »

Same with the wife. At the monent my wife does about 20 and i do 18 hours(my hours are very fexible and i could knock it down to under 16 without any troubles).

It would be more sensible to work more hours rather than fewer as you will be the only bringing money into the household!

trw

I totally agree but when I say fexible, only to about 20 hours. Then theres no more hours and we cant live of 20 hours, get them cut down easily enough, just not put up.

DaisyFlower

If your only working part time at 20 hours then there is plenty of scope for you to find a second job or to move to another one with full time hours. If you currently work nights then your wife should easily be able to find something around your shifts as long as she is not choosy.

Surely you knew that your shifts would clash months ago and could have looked for other employment over the last full year. I dont get why you cant work around each other given that you both only work minimum hours anyway.

trw

No because we thought she could carry on doing day work. However her manager has had a change of heart and said nights or nothing. So she will be jobless. As for me yes i can get 20 hours in, however thats not enough to live on. I have been looking for a day job for months and nothing. I apply for at least 1 a day and still nothing, Couple of job interviews here and there but no luck yet. The problem is saturday night, because we will both need to work it. Otherwise we could of worked around it. So you see the problem.
Please don't say to me "Well you could of looked for a job ages ago". I have, i don't want to be in this position but I am. I have been looking but unfortately its too late now, so again help!!!

kb92830

trw,

Both of you under the law are entitled to request flexible working, given that your wifes employers have gone to this point with you thinking she wouldn't have to work nights would infer the option to work days was a possibility. Whilst the employer does not have to grant flexible working they at least have to give it serious consideration and offer a reasonable explanation why they are not granting it. If your wife fails perhaps you could also apply as it is there for the father as well as the wife.

G51shopaholic

As kb92830 states - there are regulations about being allowed to ask for flexi hours.
Again you, as the dad, could ask for this as well.
Also your wife should raise complain procedure against ruling that she can only return on nights.

trw

mmmm ok. Problem is, my work is Nights only. However hers is night and day. So lets say if we do talk to management but they decline the day situation then what? Like I said I can get roughy 20 hours. But what if they do for what ever reason turn down the day work and do fire her because she can't do night work on a saturday? Then what? Too make this easier shes a bar maid, so working nights is very important to the bar. So if it goes all t*ts up, I still need to know what we are entitled for.

trw

entitled to*

clairec79

If you work nights as well but only 20 hours how many nights is this over? If you do 2 full night shifts could she work round those?

If you are both working Saturday nights and that's the only problem how many hours is actually a problem? Would you be able to get a regular babysitter for each Saturday night especially if your baby sleeps through

Has she gone to the manager about dropping her hours so working the other nights but not the Saturday

trw

I don't understand why you don't understand? She HAS to work saturday night, HAS to. So do I. With her not working the Saturday night she has been told either you work it, or lose your job. To me this means job lost. We may be able to get a sitter some saturdays but certainy not all the time. Doesnt matter if we can get a baby sitter Sunday to Friday, its Saturday that is the problem. If we can't come to some sort of arrangement with her work and if she does lose her job, all I want to know is what we are entitled to? After time she will get another job and so will I. But for now what can we get to help us?