Felt mistreated for a temporary job?

Jlawson118

For an extra bit of money in my pocket for Christmas, I applied for Royal Mail's Christmas temp job back in September and I managed to get in. Starting on the 7th November and just thrown straight into the deep end with no prior training apart from health and safety training. So at first, it was all "Grab a scanner and get sorting" leaving us to be mind readers, finding a postcode was one thing, but knowing what to do after that was the difficult thing, I was trained up by agency staff on what to do properly, and once I learnt, I was removed and thrown into the deep end of something else completely.

Although my issues are mainly regarding pay.

So originally I was working from 6pm until 10pm. Included in that was a 20 minute paid break. One week, we were asked if we wanted to start coming in from 5pm and working five hours and be paid for five hours, I said I'd do it. Then when it came to it, the sign on sheet stated that we'd be paid for 4 and half hours, turned out they'd given us a ten minute extra break and cut it off our pay. This was still applicable even if we decided not to have a break. Me and my team all decided to go back to four hours.

This also happened when asked if we wanted to work for seven hours one particular Saturday, we got docked half an hour's pay.

But we were told from the beginning that we would be working straight through until the 23rd December and then that would be it. Although on the 22nd they brought us into a room and stated we were no longer needed and we would not be paid for the 23rd.

40 people including myself managed to get our names down to work two weeks after Christmas on the same hours. So this week we started again on Wednesday and at 9pm was told to just go home and we would not be paid for the final hour simply because there was no work to do. They lost a lot of workers after that night, but regardless, I stayed faithful and continued to work there, they eventually found work for us an all was back to normal.

But I'm feeling like we've been treat unfairly for pay. I mean I know compared to the overall amount that we'll have been paid for all these weeks, it's not all that much but it's still something. We can be paid for 20 minute breaks so why do they dock it for half an hour? Especially for 7 hour shifts. Or is that how jobs pay?

I'm a little unsure about the rights in this department but I'm wondering if it is legal? Or just unethical?

elsien

If you're working more than 6 hours the working time directive states you are entitled to a 20 minute break, but it does not have to be paid.

What is paid and what isn't will depend on your contract - what does that say? And have you asked your line manager why the difference?

daytona0

elsien wrote: »

If you're working more than 6 hours the working time directive states you are entitled to a 20 minute break, but it does not have to be paid.

What is paid and what isn't will depend on your contract - what does that say? And have you asked your line manager why the difference?

Indeed...

https://www.gov.uk/rest-breaks-work/overview


BUT the reason why I felt a bit reluctant to post is that OP had only worked 5 hours, and the contract seems to state that 4 hours would entitle you to a 20 minute PAID break. So I think that OP has some sort of point there...

Possibly a mis-understanding between the agency and Royal Mail too...


I unfortunately cannot help OP out with advice on the above, but I will point out that you'll probably be out of work in the next few weeks once Royal Mail return to normal. It is, in my opinion, more important to try and survive this cull as this will prove much more profitable in the long run. Start querying the pay and you've probably written your ticket back on to the dole

Jlawson118

daytona0 wrote: »

Indeed...

https://www.gov.uk/rest-breaks-work/overview


BUT the reason why I felt a bit reluctant to post is that OP had only worked 5 hours, and the contract seems to state that 4 hours would entitle you to a 20 minute PAID break. So I think that OP has some sort of point there...

Possibly a mis-understanding between the agency and Royal Mail too...


I unfortunately cannot help OP out with advice on the above, but I will point out that you'll probably be out of work in the next few weeks once Royal Mail return to normal. It is, in my opinion, more important to try and survive this cull as this will prove much more profitable in the long run. Start querying the pay and you've probably written your ticket back on to the dole

I've not been on the dole anyway so it won't be back there, although I'm contemplating joining the agency for the odd few shifts until I find something better. The job generally isn't too bad once I eventually learnt what I had to do. Although I'm a student at university so it was just a little part time job

caprikid1

Having done Christmas casual work for the post office, I found the rate of pay very fair and it was a very casual arrangement in terms of hours etc. Very and as when needed.


In the end I worked every summer every Christmas and found it a great job to supplement my degree. I had some great laughs and would happily recommend it to anyone.


As stated don't burn bridges on this one, I used to work some 12 hour shifts at double time , which even now would be ok money 20 years later !.