Is this discrimination ?

Akahotpot

Sorry bit long winded
I have worked for the same company for 20 years I am now a middle manager
My contracted hours have never changed from 42.5 per week which was the standard for the company in 97
I realised about 4 years ago all the other dept now only work either 37.5 or 39 hours after we were brought inline the the wider group but my dept (support engineers in a retail company) were not altered

So now I work more standard hours than all the other managers and even some of my direct reports who started on the newer contracts
I have raised this with both my manager and HR but all I am told is I can roll back to to less hours but I would loose 3.5k salary which would I suspect mean I would be well below the bench mark for my position
Any thoughts people ?
I would really like to have some more free time to spend with my family watch people arrive later and finishing early is really disheartening ,oh I have a perfect work record if that factors

sangie595

It doesn't. And I only typed that because "no" isn't a long enough post. It isn't discrimination.

Guest101

It's lawful, there's nothing illegal about the situation.

pinkshoes

It is not discrimination.

Either negotiate, take the lesser pay for less hours, or leave.

DH had the same but negotiated same pay for lower hours. The company did not want him to leave.

theoretica

How do payrises in your company work, are they individually negotiated? Because I suspect the company may need to see this as two separate things, possibly dealt with by different people.
1) Reduce both hours and salary by x%
2) Negotiate payrise, which could include evidence of benchmarking etc.

Good luck.

xapprenticex

hours worked isn't a protected characteristic.

nicechap

Are your 42.5 hours including lunch/ breaks and the others on 37.5/39 hours without lunch/ breaks?


Most mangers I've ever known always worked in excess of the contract hours (some excessively so), almost as a badge of pride rather than incompetence.


And no, its not discrimination even if you tried to dress it up as age discrimination as new recruits can be any age.

Geoff1963

Matthew 20:1-16
Work isn't fair.

Fireflyaway

Not discrimination but not really fair either. I'd mention it to your line manager again. Maybe someone who knows you might have more compassion rather than HR who are probably following the rules rather than looking at an individual. If nobody budges then I guess you need to decide if the pay drop is worth a few more free hours or if its such an issue you can't get past then decide do you want to go elsewhere.

Akahotpot

Thanks for the feedback

ReadingTim

On what basis are you being discriminated against? Age? Gender? Race/ethnicity? Sexual orientation? Political or religious views? No, didn't think so....

Your colleagues have merely been giveh, or have negotiated different/better contracts. Entirely legally.

There's nothing stopping you from doing similar - surely that "perfect work record" and 20 years' service means they probably won't want to lose you. And if they are happy to lose you, then you're probably better off out of there anyway.