staff meeting outside hours

pinkprincessangel

Advice needed:

I work 3 days a week weds to fri, 16.5 a week. I am a single parent with childcare on these days only. I do not work weekends.
However Our new manager has informed me that I need to attend (all staff) a meeting for important paperwork and feedback on a sunday at 9am. I do not have flexible childcare available and I never work on weekends yet I've been informed non-attendance means dismissal.
The buses dont run til 9am, the train doesnt run til after 10am and the company wont pay for private transport. My manager is expecting me to either find someone to care for my daughter while I'm at this meeting, or have her with me there for 3 hours. I will be paid for this but how can i be "available for work" when I have my 3 year old in tow? I am the only person employed there with fixed hours and days. Where do I stand on this?

Thanks in advance

momoyama

Sunday morning???

Are they insane? For all the reasons you've stated, but just because it's Sunday morning.

Seriously, finding time to get all staff together can be a nightmare, but that's just unreasonable.

martinthebandit

Compulsory staff meetings on a Sunday?

Tell him he has two hopes, and Bob Hopes dead

Googlewhacker

momoyama wrote: »

Sunday morning???

Are they insane? For all the reasons you've stated, but just because it's Sunday morning.

Seriously, finding time to get all staff together can be a nightmare, but that's just unreasonable.

Its not that unusual if the employer is retail and opens at 10 on a sunday, getting people in at 9 and not disrupting opening hours is actually beneficial to the company.

How long have you worked for the company?

pinkprincessangel

will be 12 months on the 12th.

Googlewhacker

pinkprincessangel wrote: »

will be 12 months on the 12th.

This is good! even with the statutory 1 weeks notice you will be over the 12 months employment by the company and thus you could go down the route of unfair dismissal if they do sack you (whether you are successful is a differant thing).

I would suggest speaking to the boss again explaining why you cannot make it on the sunday, if he still goes on about it being a must and that you could be dismissed then ask for a copy of the companies grievance procedure.

dseventy

Assuming you can't and/or don't attend, you can't complain (or raise in a grievance or ET) that important announcements were not given to you at that meeting.

Assuming its retail or similair, the 9am start on a sunday (its 0930 "browsing" time for customers) is not out of the question for the role.

Attend or don't, but don't complain afterwards that important annoucements/meetings were had and you did not know....

D70

pinkprincessangel

Just to clarify I work in a sandwich shop at a rail station. Normal sunday opening is 8am, but I dont work sundays. Also looking through my employee handbook it doesnt state I have to attend meetings, or even work sundays. i also found the following:

Your Rights on Sunday Working
Some groups of workers whose jobs involves working on Sundays, have certain protections.
If you are a Shop worker or you work in the betting industry - at race tracks or licensed betting shops or offices - for example, you are covered. The protection allows you to resist pressure from your employer to work on a Sunday if you do not want to. You should not be dismissed, or made redundant or disciplined for refusing to work Sundays. You are protected only if you work in these jobs - other workers should look at their contracts of employment to see if it refers to Sunday working. You are not protected if you have agreed, in your contract of employment, to work on Sundays. You are not covered if you only work on Sundays.
There are no regulations which cover how much you have to be paid for Sunday working. Obviously you must receive at least the Statutory Minimum wage. Check your contract for details of overtime payments for Sunday working. If you only work on a Sunday you are unlikely to receive any enhanced pay, but if you have worked a full week and then the Sunday as well, many firms will pay overtime rates, typically double time for a Sunday.

I dont begrudge attending, its just not plausable with my circumstances and I cannot see why I cant be updated during my shift. :cool:

DVardysShadow

dseventy wrote: »

Assuming you can't and/or don't attend, you can't complain (or raise in a grievance or ET) that important announcements were not given to you at that meeting.

Assuming its retail or similair, the 9am start on a sunday (its 0930 "browsing" time for customers) is not out of the question for the role.

Attend or don't, but don't complain afterwards that important annoucements/meetings were had and you did not know....

D70

While perhaps in the circumstance you might not have grounds to complain if you didn't hear about a staff summer barbecue, you could reasonably expect to be told anything which has a bearing on how you do your job.

Not attending is not grounds for dismissal, it is grounds for thinking that the boss is a berk for suggesting it is.

pink_princess

How long has the new Manager been there? Long enough to of decided they don't want you as an employee?

Personally I would not force the issue of a full meeting as a Manager, I would want the supervisor etc there.

Have you asked if you can be given the minutes instead of attending?

pinkprincessangel

hello my fellow pink princess:D

new manager has been there a few weeks. Our employee files are missing important paperwork and thats what this meeting is mainly for aswell as the usual stuff. I get its an important meeting but i'm stuck with travel and a 3 year old. I've been told by former management that my daughter isnt insured to be on the premises if the shop is shut so she shouldnt be allowed there. I really dont want to pick a fight as he seems a nice guy and i dont think its personal, I feel more like I'm not being heard when I say I have issues with it.:(