total panic

smilesalot1969

please can someone give me advice as im in a total panic. I started a job last august working as a charity home based call center operator. It wasnt what i wanted but after being unemployed for a year i was so desperate for a job id have done about anything. One of the things i did like was it was no fixed hours and you could choose how many hours you worked per week as long as it was a minimum of 10.
One of the down sides was that if you didnt make a sale per week your hours would be cut the following week until you brought your target back up. So far id only had one cut and only lost 2 hours so have been happily working my 32 hour max and claiming working tax as my wages are very low (they monitor you by the second and only pay for the exact time youre calling even if their system is throwing errors)
Last week i had a family emergency and had to take a day off (my daughter went into labour and gave birth) and i didnt get a sale so got my hours docked. Instead of docking me based on my normal weekly hours of 32 theyve docked me based on last weeks hours of 26 and reduced me to 21.5 for next week. ive argued that this is unfair but they wont budge. My wages barely cover my rent/council tax and phone (which i need for work) and i only have my £40 a week working tax to live off.
I've recently had a warning from my housing association of stage 2 of repossession for rent arrears( which were incurred due to being refused a run on of housing benefit) and i just cant survive. I can't quit and go back on JSA because i'll get sanctioned for quitting a job. Im struggling...really struggling. Please help what can i do??

Podge52

It won't help short term but you could fail to get any sales until they reduce your hours to less than sixteen and then you can sign on again.

smilesalot1969

the trouble is with that i will still owe rent in the meantime and wont be able to pay it due to not earning enough. i have no savings and no family to help. im already in rent arrears that theyre threatening me with eviction for i cant afford more. i was actually better off on JSA!!

When_the_going_gets_tough

I think you need some face to face advice. It's a bit complicated, so possibly try an appointment with the CAB to see what the best way forward is for you. Your first call on your money should be for your rent, I think you need some help with debt management and budgeting here as well as whether you are required in law to work at a job that pays less than the minimum wage.

anamenottaken

Do they say you are self-employed or are you an employee with a written statement of your terms of employment? Do you get paid holidays?

Kei

You need to review your contract with them in regards the hours of work clause (this is if you are employed by them).

smilesalot1969

i am employed and i get minimum wage which is fine when i get my 32 hours per week. its tight but i struggle by. where im struggling is when my hours get cut by a third from one week to the next due to not meeting targets. if i dont meet target this week then next week they get cut again and so on. I cant quit as id be sanctioned but i honestly am better of on £70 a week jobseekers and my rent paid. i was so thrilled to have work i didnt realise the implications of a zero hour contract

piglet25

Might be me being dim but they do pay your phone costs don't they? Just with you saying about it in the OP am a bit confused

Lieja

Have you asked your housing association for advice? The one I work for has been having a massive push on financial advice and support for tenants after all the welfare reforms etc. If you're upfront and explain to someone who knows all about what you're entitled to, then they might even speak to someone from rent collections who can arrange for the repossession to be put on hold while you get things sorted. Ring up your local office and ask if they provide financial advice and support. I'll bet they will, because with he bedroom tax and other cuts they'll be having a lot of repossessions on their hands if they're not doing anything to help!

As they say up my way, shy bairns get nowt!

smilesalot1969

i have spoken to the housing association, theyre coming to visit on thursday so im hoping to beg them to give me a chance to repay the arrears but its looking likely that my hours will ber cut AGAIN next week leaving me with around 18 hours. I cant live on that. I'll lose my working tax and still be left to pay everything from my wages which is getting lower and lower. I cant even quit the stupid job or i'll get my JSA sanctioned for god knows how long

Lieja

smilesalot1969 wrote: »

i have spoken to the housing association, theyre coming to visit on thursday so im hoping to beg them to give me a chance to repay the arrears but its looking likely that my hours will ber cut AGAIN next week leaving me with around 18 hours. I cant live on that. I'll lose my working tax and still be left to pay everything from my wages which is getting lower and lower. I cant even quit the stupid job or i'll get my JSA sanctioned for god knows how long

You don't know for certain that you won't qualify for JSA, it entirely depends on circumstances. Do you get written confirmation of your hours being reduced? Ask for an appointment with your local Job Centre and explain your circumstances, at least then when you have your appointment with the housing association you can show that you've been trying every avenue to sort the problem. You should also be able to claim housing benefit based on your reduced hours, so make sure you're getting what you're entitled to!!