Furloughed at an advantage to those put on temporary part-time hours? What are my rights?

BlueFrogs

I haven't been furloughed but instead had to sign T&C's to accept temporary part-time hours so I am working 80% hours (30) for 80% pay which I have no problem with however I would like to know my rights with regard other things such as holiday accrual, holiday payment, pension contribution etc as it seems to me that those of us working part time hours are at a disadvantage to those who have been furloughed.

At the time of signing the T&C's my workload was very high with pressing deadlines and I felt pressured to sign & return within a few hours, the communication that accompanied it stated 'if you don't accept this temp change in hours then formal consultations may lead to the role being placed at risk of redundancy' as the only earner in a household with dependants I felt that I had no option but to sign them.

I have been told that I have to take 40% of my holidays before the end of July but those taken whilst on P/T hours will be paid at P/T money even though most of them were accrued at F/T hours whereas those furloughed will get full pay for their holidays.

If on furlough the government will contribute to pension however my pension contributions will be reduced due to working P/T hrs.

Anyone who has been furloughed & returns to work after 1st July on P/T hrs will get paid for their hours plus a % of furlough pay meaning they will receive more than me working the same P/T hours which seems really unfair as I have been working throughout the whole period.

My hours were reduced on 19/05/20 and is expected to last for at least 2 months.

I feel unfairly treated & would have been at an advantage if furloughed rather than continuing to work throughout and being forced to reduce my hours and would be very grateful for your advice on my rights.

Many thanks

Comms69

Furlough is an option for employer, not employee. And there is no need to be fair. Sorry

TELLIT01

If you are only working 80% of the hours you can only do 80% of the job.  Don't be pressured into doing extra hours 'free'.

Barny1979

Conversely those furloughed may be at greater risk of being retained in the long-term. Unfortunately things are unfair at this point in time. I've not been furloughed, so had friends earning money and having lots of free time, however I have greater job security and  also been  able to work from home and not put myself at risk like other workers. Be thankful.

General_Grant

Comms69 said:

Furlough is an option for employer, not employee. And there is no need to be fair. Sorry

Although not able formally to initiate, the employee has to agree, do they not?

Comms69

General_Grant said:

Comms69 said:

Furlough is an option for employer, not employee. And there is no need to be fair. Sorry

Although not able formally to initiate, the employee has to agree, do they not?

Yes, sorry should be clear, the employee has to agree, but as you say it is down to the employer whether to offer or not.

Marcon

BlueFrogs said:

I haven't been furloughed but instead had to sign T&C's to accept temporary part-time hours so I am working 80% hours (30) for 80% pay which I have no problem with however I would like to know my rights with regard other things such as holiday accrual, holiday payment, pension contribution etc as it seems to me that those of us working part time hours are at a disadvantage to those who have been furloughed.

At the time of signing the T&C's my workload was very high with pressing deadlines and I felt pressured to sign & return within a few hours, the communication that accompanied it stated 'if you don't accept this temp change in hours then formal consultations may lead to the role being placed at risk of redundancy' as the only earner in a household with dependants I felt that I had no option but to sign them.

I have been told that I have to take 40% of my holidays before the end of July but those taken whilst on P/T hours will be paid at P/T money even though most of them were accrued at F/T hours whereas those furloughed will get full pay for their holidays.

If on furlough the government will contribute to pension however my pension contributions will be reduced due to working P/T hrs.

Anyone who has been furloughed & returns to work after 1st July on P/T hrs will get paid for their hours plus a % of furlough pay meaning they will receive more than me working the same P/T hours which seems really unfair as I have been working throughout the whole period.

My hours were reduced on 19/05/20 and is expected to last for at least 2 months.

I feel unfairly treated & would have been at an advantage if furloughed rather than continuing to work throughout and being forced to reduce my hours and would be very grateful for your advice on my rights.

Many thanks

People do seem to love banging on about 'their rights', leaving the poor old employer to struggle as best it can to keep the business going in times of unprecedented difficulty.

There is nothing unlawful about what your employer has done. Maybe be grateful that they are trying to hard to ensure you continue to have a job - and possibly even supporting them in that aim?

General_Grant

BlueFrogs said:

. . .

I have been told that I have to take 40% of my holidays before the end of July but those taken whilst on P/T hours will be paid at P/T money even though most of them were accrued at F/T hours whereas those furloughed will get full pay for their holidays.

Has your actual rate of pay per hour changed?  No - you are working 20% few hours for 20% less pay than for full-time.
So if you take paid leave - in hours which accommodates the different amount of time per week - those hours will be paid at the same rate as your hourly rate as is and as was.

sharpe106

I haven't been furloughed but instead had to sign T&C's to accept temporary part-time hours so I am working 80% hours (30) for 80% pay which I have no problem with however I would like to know my rights with regard other things such as holiday accrual, holiday payment, pension contribution etc as it seems to me that those of us working part time hours are at a disadvantage to those who have been furloughed.

What did your new contract say about holiday pay etc. I would assume it will all be pro rata now.. Furlough was never meant to be fair. It was meant to protect jobs.

At the time of signing the T&C's my workload was very high with pressing deadlines and I felt pressured to sign & return within a few hours, the communication that accompanied it stated 'if you don't accept this temp change in hours then formal consultations may lead to the role being placed at risk of redundancy' as the only earner in a household with dependants I felt that I had no option but to sign them.

In theory you could try to claim you were forced to sign it, but if you did that I think you know what the end result would be. 

I have been told that I have to take 40% of my holidays before the end of July but those taken whilst on P/T hours will be paid at P/T money even though most of them were accrued at F/T hours whereas those furloughed will get full pay for their holidays.

If on furlough the government will contribute to pension however my pension contributions will be reduced due to working P/T hrs.

That would depend on your contract, the pension contribute will probably be decreased to match your new salary, you could argue your holidays are averaged out over the year. Rather then what you are currently working

Anyone who has been furloughed & returns to work after 1st July on P/T hrs will get paid for their hours plus a % of furlough pay meaning they will receive more than me working the same P/T hours which seems really unfair as I have been working throughout the whole period.

That is the way it is rather then think you have been dealt with unfairly be thankful you still have a job. 

My hours were reduced on 19/05/20 and is expected to last for at least 2 months.

I doubt your 2 months pension contributions difference will make much difference over the long run, you can ask to increase you contributions for 2 months if you want to equal it out. 

I feel unfairly treated & would have been at an advantage if furloughed rather than continuing to work throughout and being forced to reduce my hours and would be very grateful for your advice on my rights.

You may have found if they have furloughed you then they would have made redundancies, so you would not have been better of in the long run. If you feel that unfairly treated you could always leave. Furlough was never meant to be about being what is best for the employee but what was best for the business. 

Savvy_Sue

BlueFrogs said:

I have been told that I have to take 40% of my holidays before the end of July but those taken whilst on P/T hours will be paid at P/T money even though most of them were accrued at F/T hours whereas those furloughed will get full pay for their holidays.

Specifically this bit, the f/t hours you accrued are still yours to take. Your leave entitlement over the year should consist of X months accrued working f/t and X months accrued working p/t. Whether you take them during p/t or f/t working affects how much you're paid, but the hourly rate remains the same. 

BlueFrogs

Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply to me.