Can Ocado do this?

antrobus

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

The question was 'can they do it' to which the answer is 'yes - they just did'.

The real issue [yet again] is what can anyone DO about it?

Well that's an entirely different argument. (And a bit like arguing that you can murder your wife, because you just did, so it doesn't matter what laws exist on the subject.)

As I said before;

antrobus wrote: »

So the answer to the OP's question would be, 'No', since employers can't unliterally change contracts of employment on a whim. However they often do, and get away with it, for the obvious reasons.

SarEl

antrobus wrote: »

Not really, because the question relates to Ocado changing the employment contract. Whether the contact is changing from no Sundays or some Sundays is neither here nor there.

The question may relate to that (although I don't see where the OP asked that - the OP appears to have been asking whether Ocado can make them work on Sundays), but the evidence is that they are not changing the contracts because the contracts already say that some Sunday working is required. The only potential therefore is whether the company would be in breach of contract if they insisted that it meant that some people work every Sunday. And argument which is rather moot since, as Googlewhacker has observed, they will be able to back up such a requirement as a business need, and enforce the change if people refuse to agree. But I suggest that you read the quote you posted again - it says:

You should check either your contract of employment or written statement of terms and conditions to see if you must work on Sundays or would have to if you were asked.

The contract does say that the OP must work Sundays "if asked". So the answer is still very clearly - Yes.

Sambucus_Nigra

antrobus wrote: »

Well that's an entirely different argument. (And a bit like arguing that you can murder your wife, because you just did, so it doesn't matter what laws exist on the subject.)

Erm; no it's not a completely different argument.

The question was 'Can Ocado do this'. See - it's written in the title.

The answer is 'yes they just did'. See - 'Ocado have told employees that they will be required to work Sundays now' - so yes they can do it as they just did do it.

The issue is what can the OP actually do about it, bearing in mind 'It does say in the contract to agree to work some Sundays'.

She can put a grievance in. She can refuse to work them. She can leave. She can work them. She can negotiate and potentially work some. Who knows what she will do.

But the answer to the question is yes, they can do it - as evidently they just did.

upsadaisy

Ocado is changing it so employees work every single Saturday and Sunday. I will have to check the exact wording in the contract, though I know it is something like occasional Sundays. Last time there was a contract change, employees were told sign it or your fired.

As to new employees, Ocado hire in waves, so there would not be just one new employee.

SarEl

upsadaisy wrote: »

Ocado is changing it so employees work every single Saturday and Sunday. I will have to check the exact wording in the contract, though I know it is something like occasional Sundays. Last time there was a contract change, employees were told sign it or your fired. Yes you should. But the problem is that as has been observed elsewhere by some posters, varying the contract in this way is not at all hard to do. I don't think you would have much of a legal case to stop them; and technically, whilst I wouldn't use the words "sign or you're fired" the law does allow them to enforce a variation in this way. The problem with companies like this is that they know how to use the law to their own ends.

As to new employees, Ocado hire in waves, so there would not be just one new employee.

I am afraid that my best advice would be that you start looking for another job.In the end this is not one that you would win, and so the only way of returning to more "normal" working patterns would be to work elsewhere. Sorry

Gingernutty

upsadaisy wrote: »

But I don't think being expected to work every single Sunday and Saturday with your days off in the weekday is fair.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Sorry, I'll just pick myself off the floor before carrying on.....

I worked for Tesco as a night shift shelf stacker. I was 'lucky' in that my two rest days came together as Mon-Tues and Tues-Wed.

I worked Wed-Thur, Thur-Fri (for the busy Friday 'before the weekend' shop), Fri-Sat, Sat-Sun and Sun-Mon.

I was lucky. Many of my colleagues had rest days but not two together.

I liked it as I had plenty of time to do stuff during business hours.

You signed a contract which allowed for Sunday working. Tough.

alisonmeyers

SarEl wrote: »

the only way of returning to more "normal" working patterns would be to work elsewhere. Sorry

Except that for all the people I know who work in retail/leisure/delivery roles, working a non-typical working week is the norm.

The whole point of getting your shopping delivered is that people who are too lazy/uninterested/use it as a budget tool/busy/insert other good reason here... want their deliveries to be convenient. That's kinda an entire facet about ease of use of the service.

In this house, we both work fulltime - getting anything delivered from a company that only works e.g. Mon-Fri or Mon-Sat 9-6pm is a massive PITA, beacuse we're both out the home by 7am, and either of us don't get in until 6.30pm at the earliest (I get in at 7 ish depending on traffic). We end up having to schedule stuff for delivery every 2nd Wednesday (when DH has his day off dep. on how busy his work is with shifts) - inconvenient but not the worst setup I know.

I honestly think that if you begrudge working Sundays you should look long and hard at the type of workplace you are employed in - there are plenty of able bodied workers out there who are desperate for these kind of flexible jobs (e.g. to save on childcare or fit in with a partner's shift pattern, or to take advantage of offpeak lower living costs, lower traffic jams) - I don't want to be harsh but calling working Sundays anti-family friendly or "not the normal way of working" is about 20 years out of touch. Where have you been?!

Or am I the only one who has this perception, based on my own working life to date and witnessing the working pattern of my extensive network of friends and relatives?

I'm quite :eek: at some of the opinions being posted here, I truly am.

SarEl

alisonmeyers wrote: »

Except that for all the people I know who work in retail/leisure/delivery roles, working a non-typical working week is the norm.

But I didn't say get another job in any of those occupations did I? I said get a job that better suits the hours you want to work.

I am not immune to either side of the argument - yes people who work 9 - 5 Monday to Friday want deliveries and shopping and leisure outside of those hours; and people who work outside of those hours don't always want to. The world is as it is, and the only answer is to find a way of fitting into it. Some people actually like working "non-standard" hours. Some people have no choice about it.

Sambucus_Nigra

alisonmeyers wrote: »

I'm quite :eek: at some of the opinions being posted here, I truly am.

Which opinions are scaring you?