Hours changed & pay cut. What to do?

Brummie85 · 28 August 2019 at 11:37PM

Hi everyone.

I find myself in an unfortunate position at work, that I'm not sure of and hopefully can get some advice from here. I will try to keep it brief. I have been with my current employer for 2 years & 3 months. No major issues, disciplinary action or formal warnings.

Part of my role involves providing shift cover to colleagues on continental work patterns when they are absent. For this I receive a premium on top of my normal salary. I also get time off either side of cover, essentially I am allowed to pick between the 4 days before, 4 days after or somewhere in-between to suit my myself. It works out well for me & I enjoy it, because I get to see everyone at work.

The client we maintain the site for is having major financial problems (if you believe the news and not what they're spending elsewhere, but anyway). We have seen them cut back on our other departments, make their own redundancies etc. As a team we all had a strong suspicion they were looking at us. Recent behavioural changes like arguing over minor part costs, asking for time sheets to justify every hour of every day are a giveaway.

They have decided that they want to change the staffing levels, specifically targeted at our nights & cover staff. I am 1 of 4 employees paid to cover, but 2 of us (myself included) have been told that they no longer need that level of support. We are being stripped of the shift premium and will be placed on a regular Mon - Fri week.

We offered a compromise - The 4 of us to share the loss and all remain in the role. It should have been a win-win for them. They saved the money they wanted on shift premiums whilst keeping more flexibility. But this proposal was rejected by the client and they want to proceed with their original idea.

Although my job title stays the same - It feels like I'm being demoted and forced to take a pay cut. It's a massive slap to the face, especially when I haven't done anything wrong to justify it. The 2 guys they have kept as cover I have huge respect for - we are friends and I have no issue with them. They are both older, more qualified and experienced. I can see why they got the nod - but the refusal of the shared cuts is worrying .

I have a strong suspicion that the idea was turned down because they want to save more money via losing people over the next 8 months until the contract is renewed or given to a new company. We were told that they initially were looking to make 4 people redundant but then changed their minds. This would have been bad financially. They would have spent close to £40k in payoffs when they are targeting an overall saving of £150k. I think they are pushing people to walk away of their own accord to avoid paying out for redundancies. But they haven't admitted this yet.

None of this has been put into writing so far, nor have I been offered a revised contract. I was just told via a telephone call that they're expecting me to give up the cover aspect of my role on 2nd September.

I have a few questions then....

Unless discussed and agreed to formally - is this actually enforceable ?

Can I ask my employer for information about how they reached their decision? Items such as their scoring process, my score, the minutes from the meeting with the client where the idea was rejected etc.

If I have lost out due to my friends holding certain qualifications, can I ask the employer to offer me training to bring me to a more equal set of skills & capabilities? Especially when one of them left the company, came back and was then given training to qualify them as an authorised person..I know this would be a massive tick on his sheet and not mine - but I was never asked or given the opportunity to train.

If they eventually do go ahead with redundancies and begin picking from the dayshift team I'll be part of, am I protected in anyway? I have been told that the move is temporary and they are hoping to put the staffing levels back up when production increases (I would go back to being cover). But being suspicious of their actions so far, I do feel weary of what they may do between now & then (if it ever happens).

That went on for longer then expected. Sorry & thanks for the replies in advance.