Tricked into employment?

[Deleted User]

My partner has taken employment with a home care agency.

She applied to work 26 hours per week, because she needed 26.

So they took her on and gave her a verbal offer of 26 paid hours per week.

They gave her an offer letter for the role, but it didn't state how many hours.

So she waited a couple of days, because you can't push to far on your first few days.

So she was given some further forms, training costs and so on. She signed to say she would repay her training fees if she left. Which is fair under normal circumstances.

She also paid £50 for her CRB check.

Well she started to work (out in peoples homes yesterday). They sent her here and there, but found out there was nobody to be with her as she was promised because she has never done this before, so she was asked to pick up another trainee and work together so she did. She then did some work and they were met by a trained employee, so this employee told her to change dressings (which could be illegal as she isn't a nurse?)

So all in all this week she has worked 6 days so far, of which she is due to be paid 15 hours only!!! She is only paid for the time spent at her calls, and they couldn't find her enough calls to make the hours stated.

She is going to leave, because she is being used like a slave. She has to repay the training costs, loose the money for the CRB and has been left to pay her own fuel bills.

Surely this should not be allowed as they have tricked her into working for free. And the worst thing is, her pay dates are as follows

Work 1st Feb - 28th Feb - Paid 25th March

Work 1st March - 31 March - Paid 25th April

Feeling like this should be illegal.

little_miss_muppet_face

My husbands workplace work like that with regards to wages, so i think its fairly normal. Work 1 month, paid the next on whatever payday it is (his is also 25th)

Sorry i cant help with anything else.

pinkshoes

It's normal with care work - you get paid for the hours you spend with the client, and you have to pay for your own transport to get there!

I know someone who kept being sent 20 miles away for a 2 hour job, so by the time she'd paid petrol, it wasn't worth it.

I'd write to them saying that the agreement was 26 hours, so they need to find her 26 hours of work per week. Failure to do so would mean them breaking their side of the contract, so she will have no choice but to leave, as the job applied for was 26 hours per week, and she made it very clear that she needed at least 26 hours. Under these circumstances she should state that she is NOT liable for training costs as the company didn't keep their part of the agreement

clairemosa

I totally agree with 'pinkshoes'. She should not be liable for any training cost for the reason stated above.

[Deleted User]

Thanks all. I do hope so.

It's funny because she was leaving her current job for this, because it was more hours, but actually it's turned out to be less :-/

I just don't know how people manage like this, oh and they had a daily ROTA, emailed out at 10pm the night before!!! We have children so this just doesn't do.

Thanks again all.

SailorSam

That sounds totally unfair.
It's bad enough to have to pay you're own travelling costs between jobs and not getting paid for that time, but imagine if you never had a car and had to depend on public transport.

[Deleted User]

I know I was quite shocked about the whole thing.

But what's worse is how the people are treated, and some people had to have their lunch at 9am because there was nobody going to them at lunch time.

This may be normal though, but there were people using milk bottles for the toilet and one man had a camping loo that was overflowing and spilt when you picked it up it hadn't been emptied for so long!

I think it's worse for the poor people who need this not so careing care.

philip1988

assj wrote: »

I know I was quite shocked about the whole thing.

But what's worse is how the people are treated, and some people had to have their lunch at 9am because there was nobody going to them at lunch time.

This may be normal though, but there were people using milk bottles for the toilet and one man had a camping loo that was overflowing and spilt when you picked it up it hadn't been emptied for so long!

I think it's worse for the poor people who need this not so careing care.

Name and shame this company. The old and vunerable shouldn't be treated like this

[Deleted User]

I don't mind giving the details out of the Company, but would prefer to wait until the situation is resolved. I don't know if you can report this to anyone, I think their contract is with the local Council.

I would never use a Company like this myself, but I guess when you start to use them (being the family) you get to know what they are like.

spugzbunny

I was listening to the radio the other day about this exact issue. I would definitely report them to the council ... once resolved. As you say it is not far on the employees or the customer. Without a complaint the company keeps getting away with it.

cockaleekee

philip1988 wrote: »

Name and shame this company. The old and vunerable shouldn't be treated like this

This is not the place to "name and shame", as doing so gives the company chance to resolve/ hide what they have done wrong.

OP, your wife should make an immediate report to the Care Quality Commission. Emphasis on immediate because this needs to be done now, not when she has sorted out her issues with the company. If vulnerable people are being harmed this has to be the first priority.