Employment

[Pamphelia]

I have worked as a cleaner in a private members club for the last 20 years. Recently a new steward has been appointed who has complained to the committee that I have not been doing the job properly and has said that some of the members have complained. I refute all the allegations but nevertheless have been given a verbal warning. I am not sure whether I have any protection in law due to the amount of hours I work. What should I do?

[Baldric]

What hours do you work?

[Pamphelia]

I work 8 to 10 Mon to Fri

[Dogsbody2]

Hours worked are irrelevant.
You appear to have a permanent part time contract and hence the same protection in law as any other employee with at least two years service.

[Buenchico]

Part-time workers have exactly the same rights as full-time employees do. Protection against unfair dismissal starts after you've been employed for a period of 2 years. (It was actually just 1 year in your case, as you'd have been covered by the old rules).

In practice, there's very little you can do about an unfair warning but - as stated above - you're protected against unfair dismissal. (However, if people have genuinely been complaining about the quality of your work - and they continue to do so - it might then be hard to argue that any eventual dismissal was unfair).

[Pamphelia]

Thank you very much for your advice

[bednobs]

you need to find out which areas of your work they feel are falling below the standrds they want, then change.

[EDDIE51]

The warning must have stated what the problem is. So think back and review how you do the job and where an improvement can be made. You should ask for specific examples of how they say you have not been doing the job.

[chrissa1]

The new steward! Was the "old" steward happy with your work? I would have thought that if your work had been substandard for 20 years, someone would have brought it to your attention before now.

Odd :/

Good luck.

[cassa333]

What supervision did you have under the old steward? Did you just come in and get on with your work then go home?

Just as a balance on this, it is sometimes the case that ifnot properly supervised for long periods of time we become lax. We don't notice it, we don't admit it and we resent it if anyone else says it and it takes a new broom to pull us up by the boot straps and get us back on track.

If I were you I would ask for a comprehensive breakdown of your job, what the standards are and where they say you are falling below standard. Self monitor with the standard firmly fixed in your head and even ask the steward to check the areas he wants improving.

At the end of the day just because you have been there twenty years doesn't mean you are good, it could be that your supervision was poor.

[Pamphelia]

I take on board what has been said. Thanks