Pay cut by 20% but stilll excepted to work 5 day weeks

aussie_in_wales

Hi,
In March the company I work for said they were going to cut people's hours and pay by 20%. Some of our staff have been put on furghlough
My team is very busy and one of my colleagues is off ill. This means I am working 5 days a week and actually more than my normal 37.5 hours a week as well.
I have mentioned this seems a little unfair and I have been told that  they can only have a blanket agreement for the whole company. So if one team doesn't have enough work to be full time then all teams need to have their pay and hours reduced. The work which I do is not easily done by other teams so it can'e be passed over to the less busy teams.
Does anyone know if there is a lgeal requirement for the whole company to be on the same reduced pay and hours?

Andy_L

aussie_in_wales said:

Hi,
In March the company I work for said they were going to cut people's hours and pay by 20%. Some of our staff have been put on furghlough
My team is very busy and one of my colleagues is off ill. This means I am working 5 days a week and actually more than my normal 37.5 hours a week as well.
I have mentioned this seems a little unfair and I have been told that  they can only have a blanket agreement for the whole company. So if one team doesn't have enough work to be full time then all teams need to have their pay and hours reduced. The work which I do is not easily done by other teams so it can'e be passed over to the less busy teams.
Does anyone know if there is a lgeal requirement for the whole company to be on the same reduced pay and hours?

No. However their internal rules/policy/payroll system/collective agreements may require it

nicechap

aussie_in_wales said:

Hi,
In March the company I work for said they were going to cut people's hours and pay by 20%. Some of our staff have been put on furghlough
My team is very busy and one of my colleagues is off ill. This means I am working 5 days a week and actually more than my normal 37.5 hours a week as well.
I have mentioned this seems a little unfair and I have been told that  they can only have a blanket agreement for the whole company. So if one team doesn't have enough work to be full time then all teams need to have their pay and hours reduced. The work which I do is not easily done by other teams so it can'e be passed over to the less busy teams.
Does anyone know if there is a lgeal requirement for the whole company to be on the same reduced pay and hours?

Its not clear from your post but have your hours been reduced by 20% like other teams, or has everyone's pay been reduced by 20%, both those still at work and those on furlough? 

If your hours have been cut by 20%, why are you still working beyond 100% of your hours?  Is there a grievance procedure you could use or can you just leave 20% early each day and let the work logjam until someone makes a sensible decision.  

How easily replaceable are you? if you went sick tomorrow for 6 months, what would happen to the work?

Or are you willing to resign and claim constructive dismissal (given the current environment)?

There's no legal requirement for everyone to be on the same hours and pay - as far as I know we don't live in a communist economy.

aussie_in_wales

Hi Nicechap, 
Yes those still at work ad those on furlough have all had hours and pay reduced by 20%. The company did this before the furlough systm was announced due to a perception of a drop in work.
I am still working more hours as I don't want to let my clients down.
If I went sick for 6 months the company would struggle. It would be difficult to find someone to replace me at the level I am at. 
I am actually still getting recruitment agents contact me with roles so I don't think it would be too hard to secure a new job. So that may be an option.
I've just raised the issue again and said as I'm earning fee for the company would I be able to take time off in lieu after this. The answer was basically we are all in this together and when times have been tough other teams have been over capacity and maybe your team has been a but under capacity...this is with the background that my team was the only team to earn significantly more than our budget in the last financial year.
Guess I should be happy to still have a job.
I just really wanted to know if they were correct in saying that they legally have to put everyone on the same standing.

jonnygee2

I just really wanted to know if they were correct in saying that they legally have to put everyone on the same standing.

It's not a legal requirement, no. However, they may have decided that, if they were to pick and choose, it might leave them open to various claims of unfairness or discrimination, and therefore instituting a blanket policy was the least legally 'risky' step. 

Brynsam

nicechap said:

aussie_in_wales said:

Hi,
In March the company I work for said they were going to cut people's hours and pay by 20%. Some of our staff have been put on furghlough
My team is very busy and one of my colleagues is off ill. This means I am working 5 days a week and actually more than my normal 37.5 hours a week as well.
I have mentioned this seems a little unfair and I have been told that  they can only have a blanket agreement for the whole company. So if one team doesn't have enough work to be full time then all teams need to have their pay and hours reduced. The work which I do is not easily done by other teams so it can'e be passed over to the less busy teams.
Does anyone know if there is a lgeal requirement for the whole company to be on the same reduced pay and hours?

If your hours have been cut by 20%, why are you still working beyond 100% of your hours?  Is there a grievance procedure you could use or can you just leave 20% early each day and let the work logjam until someone makes a sensible decision.  

Or you could support your employer as it struggles in one of the most challenging situations any employer will ever be in...

JReacher1

recruitment agents would still contact you as they still need to be employed. 

Unless you are 100% confident it is an awful time to consider moving jobs. The last thing you want to be is on probation at a new company during these uncertain time’s.  If you’ve got good job security it’s crazy to throw that away for the sake of a temporary pay cut. 

nicechap

aussie_in_wales said:

Hi Nicechap, 
Yes those still at work ad those on furlough have all had hours and pay reduced by 20%. The company did this before the furlough systm was announced due to a perception of a drop in work.
I am still working more hours as I don't want to let my clients down.
If I went sick for 6 months the company would struggle. It would be difficult to find someone to replace me at the level I am at. 
I am actually still getting recruitment agents contact me with roles so I don't think it would be too hard to secure a new job. So that may be an option.
I've just raised the issue again and said as I'm earning fee for the company would I be able to take time off in lieu after this. The answer was basically we are all in this together and when times have been tough other teams have been over capacity and maybe your team has been a but under capacity...this is with the background that my team was the only team to earn significantly more than our budget in the last financial year.
Guess I should be happy to still have a job.
I just really wanted to know if they were correct in saying that they legally have to put everyone on the same standing.

Well as advised, there is no law saying everyone has to be treated equally (see my signature taken from another member) but there are laws against discrimination on protected grounds, none of which apply from the way you have described the situation. So you are left with:

• Accepting the way things are and run risk of burn out, stress and becoming more unhappy at work:

• Challenging the situation by discussing it with your boss/ their boss etc, using grievance procedure, getting union involved etc but none of these will necessarily bring about a satisfactory conclusion but depending on who has the power in the relationship (& from your reply it suggests your are the more valuable) so may get a result but also it will probably stop you from feeling put upon or taken advantage off: or:
• Change the rules of the situation by finding alternative work,(again from your reply it sounds like that is a potential solution).  

Depending on the culture of the organisation and competitiveness of the industry, it will be your judgement call as to what to do, and you should weigh up other soft factors, like if you did get your pay back up to 100% what effect that will have on your colleagues, your boss (who might be seen to lose fact to you) and whether they will be OK about it or in 6 months time when things are more normal try to get petty revenge on you for standing up for yourself.

sammyjammy

Does this cut in pay put you below minimum wage for the hours you are working?