My wage

[Linzi84]

I am unsure of what to do. I work in an office invoicing, answering phone calls from engineers, doing computer reports etc. I get paid monthly. My hours are 10am-6:30pm with 30 mins lunch. I have been asked to start at 9am (until 6:30pm) for �1000 a year more. Which at first sounded ok, but when I worked it out, it only comes to an extra �20 a week before tax (�4 a day extra)!! But a few months ago when I was asked to do overtime and start at 9am instead of 10am for a week, I got paid an extra �50 for the week. (I have not mentioned that bit to my manager yet)

I have mentioned to my manager how much extra money it would mean I would get, he has had a word with the boss, and they have now said I can stay on my original wage and move my hours forward so I would do 9am-5:30pm so I would be working the same hours as before (because they want me to definitely start at 9am) or I can take up the offer of �1000 a year and do 9am-6:30pm. In other words they won't 'up' my wage any.

What do you guys think? Any ideas on what I could say? As it would be nice to get a bit more money, but for those hours it hardly seems worth it! PS-sorry this is sooooo long!! xx

[theo_wyvern]

Not sure the new hours (or present ones for that) even comply with the european working time regulations in the first place. However you may have been asked to optout of these regulations.

Is there an HR department where you work - best always to speak to them - if not then the citizens advice bureauare always useful.

rgds

[Cybergal]

Okay, so they're asking you to work 1 extra hour.  Have you worked out how much you earn per hour now?  If you work that out first and come up with a number that is >�4/hr then you can then multiply that over the year and go back to them with what would be a fairer increase, on the basis that it would keep your hourly rate the same.  You can then argue that if you were to take the �1,000 you would effectively be working at a lower hourly rate than you are now!  However, if you work out that your current hourly rate is no more than �4/hr then I'm afraid you have little argument against the proposed �1000.

 

[Linzi84]

Yes it does work out 'less' by the hour than what I am already on. The boss admitted that! But said I don't get paid by the hour, I get a yearly rate which they divide by 12 and pay me each month. So it isn't fair at all is it??!!

[Linzi84]

Yes it does work out 'less' by the hour than what I am already on. The boss admitted that! But said I don't get paid by the hour, I get a yearly rate which they divide by 12 and pay me each month. So it isn't fair at all is it??!!

[thewillow]

Join a union, girl or get a new job.  You're being taken for granted there.  I think Theo is right about the European Working Time Directive too.

[Hammer]

You are legally entitled to 45 mins for lunch, or 60 mins if you have to leave the premises to get your lunch. Perhaps you could mention this one - although it is unpaid :-(

[stoo_pid]

Assuming you work 5 days a week I'm afraid your employer is not currently breaking any rules. If you work for more than 6 hours at a stretch your employer is only obliged to provide a 20 minute break (30 minutes if you're under 18 and work for more than 4.5 hours at a stretch). If you chose to work the extra hour a day that would mean working 45 or 47.5 hours a week (depending on whether you get paid for your lunch break or not), which is also under the maximum 48 hours, so even then they would not be breaking any regulations. Check these 2 links for the boring legal stuff http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1998/19981833.htm and http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/work_time_regs/ Whatever you do decide, just remember they need you to do the extra time more than you do - if they want you that much they'll pay

[Cybergal]

Yes, it is unfair that they're aware they'll be paying you less for your time (per hour).  Although it's true that they're not paying you per hour but per year, most people I know always work out how much it equates to per hour and thereby what they're "worth".  There's no point taking on more hours at less pay, and I agree with stoo_pid, they need you to do the work more than you probably need the extra �4 minus tax!  If you don't really need the extra money (after tax), then you shouldn't go for it because your quality of life will be less for not much more.  Work out what would be good value for you and tell them that number, saying you'll be happy to do the extra time for that money, otherwise you'll just do the 9-5:30 and they can pay you overtime when they need you.  It might be that if they really need you to do extra hours it would work out better for you to get paid overtime!

[Knob]

Its not worth it.  They are obviously tight.  If you hold your ground, they may decide having you in the office longer is worth paying you decent money for your time. �4 a day is *****

[BenDToy]

Some thoughts - What does your contract of employment say? Does it specify your hours of work? (If you don't have one, I believe your employer is now breaking the law.) No-one is forcing you to work the extra hour, and some people might appreciate the �1000 pa. It seems a bit unco-operative to convert this to an hourly rate. I don't think your employer is being unreasonable here. Think of it as a wage rise (is it a decent %?). You can always say no.

[Linzi84]

My current contract of employment says i work 10 - 6:30pm.

Do you think I should say I will work an extra 30 mins a day and finish at 6 instead of 6:30?