Change of working hours...legal?

abi-em-mum83 · 16 June 2011 at 10:17AM

Hi my partner has been working for the same company for over 8 years and is a very valued member of staff. He has always had the same hours of work which is 7am-5.30pm and 7-1 every other saturday.
They have recently decided to make some changes in the way they do business and he was told his hours of work could change so he would work 5am -2.30pm mon-fri (saturdays wouldnt change). However he has been told this morning that as from next Tuesday his hours will be 10am-8pm mon-fri. And we are not happy about it at all. One of the main concerns is that he has to pick his children up from their mother by 7pm on a Friday. It takes an hour to get to his ex's to collect them, and at least 45 mins to get home. Which means he will not be able to collect his children till after 9pm, and this is going to cause all kinds of trouble! His ex works from 8pm onwards,so needs the kids picked up by 7pm. I dont drive and have 2 young children and mobility problems so its not like I can jump on the 2 busess and 20 minute walk to pick them up.
Not only that but my health is quite bad, and I depend on my partner to cook supper for us all and the kids,to get them bathed and put to bed. By 6pm most nights Im in a lot of pain and need to take strong painkillers, which I can only do once there is someone here to watch the children. Its all just a mess!
Is there any way legally he can refuse these new hours of work?