Suspended for refusing to do the contracted hours.

[Dulal666]

Hi Guys,

I need some advice on what to do.

I have been suspended from work due to the fact that I don't want to work the contracted hours my company give me,

It all started 8 months ago, the company was making redundancies. I was kept on to manage the office, back then i was asked to manage the office on my own and that i will have someone with me in a few weeks to help me manage, after 5 months of working 10-12 hours a day with no breaks i got fed up and told my manager that i cant do it any more I was told to leave the business and that i was easy to replace. since then i have been working 9am to to 5:30pm till I received an email last week stating that im not working my contracted hours. I replied to that email and told them i will not be working my contracted hours until my requirements are met. So far i have worked 8 months with hardly any time off, no lunch because i dont get the chance to get out of the office, i had to miss my holiday to Magaluf because my manager couldnt get someone to cover me for that holiday.

It feels as though all my hard work over these months have gone to waste and feel very worthless because i fell into my managers words and feel cheated out of my rights at work.

Now i think its my turn to raise disciplinary action with my manager but i dont know where to start? Please help.

Thanks

D

[factor-fiction]

I'm struggling to follow Dulal666's point.
What are your contracted hours currently.
What hours do they want you to work.

Dot- i don't think there is an obligation to pay overtime at time and a half after 41 hours.

Some jobs state something along the lines of 'the hours necessary to fulfill the duties although the office hours are typically, but not necessarily, 8.30-5.30". This is subject of course to teh working time directive

[bednobs]

from my reading of it, the posters contracted hours are 8 am - 5:30 pm. She has currently decided to alter her hours to 9 am-5:30pm daily, because that was her old contract last year, before she signed the new one

[Eve]

If you can't work the hours they need you to then maybe it's not the job for you.

I am contracted to certain hours in jobs I've done with an additional contract stating that I work additional hours as and when required. I often work many hours a day passed my contracted hours as that is just how it is. I've had jobs where I've been in up to 3 hours early on a daily basis and stayed upto 5/6 hours later on a regular basis and then come in on weekends.

My lunchbreaks can be meetings or just worked through, I can be out on a work do all evening but still work at leasr my contracted hours without any additional pay or similar.

I have a job, that is the important thing for me, especially in the current economic climate. Many people have had to work longer and harder for the same or even less money in some circumstances.

Unreasonable treatment shouldn't be tolerated but asking you to work your contracted hours is hardly unreasonable.

If you can't sort the issue to your satisfaction, maybe you should look elsewhere for a job if you feel that badly treated, somewhere you can work set hours with a set lunchbreak etc...

[factor-fiction]

Thanks bednobs. I read it that way too but couldn't work out what her grievance was in that case. However she does need to sort out with her employer her entitlement to holidays.

[twix123]

You need to speak to your Personnel Department, especially if your manager is not being communicative. You also need to speak to ACAS for advice.

Under the European Working Time Directive, you are entitled to a 20 minute break if the working day exceeds 6 hours, therefore you should refuse to skip a lunch break.

You shouldn't have to forego your booked holiday, and before the year is out you should have taken your entitlement of 4.8 weeks leave, or more if so contracted.

[dotty.]

if you did get any holiday, would you be paid under your contracted hours for the 4 plus weeks you have as holiday?