Has anyone let staff go?

[ch4rli3]

I currently work part time in a salon - and took the job on the basis that I could work 2 days in the week and saturdays, as I have a 1 yr old.

After accepting the job, they asked me if I would work one day 9-5, one evening till 4 -9pm and every saturday, I agreed to this, although I didnt really want to do the evening as it causes problems with my son, having to get some one to look after him till that late etc........ But anyway, understandably in this industry I know its hard not to work at least one late night so I went ahead.

Three months down the line they have decided they need me to work two late nights in a row, so they want to cut out my 9-5 shift and want me to work 2 - 9 as well as my other late night that I do.

They are basically blackmailing me and they have said that if I don't do the 2 - 9 shift, they will cut out my shift completely and will cut me down to 13 hours a week instead of the usual 20 that I do.

I can't afford to lose that many hours as I am struggling for money as it is at the moment!!

I have never been given a contract so have nothing to say they can't cut my hours down, but I am worried that if I don't accept and do the two late evenings, I will loose my job completely as there seems to be a lot of gossip going around between staff that the credit crunch is hitting and the owner cannot afford to pay us.

Has anyone lost their job or had to lose staff due to the credit crunch ?!!


x

 

[RedAdmiral]

As you dont have a contract they can pretty much do what they like to you - sad but true - If the credit crunch is hitting hard then yeah casual employee's will be let go and if you think money is tight for you think about your employer, if your not bringing 2ce your salary in then there is no money in the business.
Last week after paying my rent and wages I had €73 for what? leccy?, myself?, telephone bill? You see it affects us all so we either use our savings to keep paying wages or a big marketing campaign.

If I were you I would help my employer to come up with idea's, can you do a leaflet drop? can you organise a customer appreciation night?

 

[Lucy-Jayne]

Probably not what you want to hear, but even if you were on a contract, if for 'operational reasons' it's deemed necessary that your hours are changed or cut short it can be done.

For example, I am going through the process of changing the hours of some of my employees after doing a review and realising that some of the time they are sat there doing nothing because it's not busy, so it's better for me to utilise their hours on a different day when it is busy. It's not me being difficult, but it's not good business sense for me to have them sat there not doing a lot. This is classed as being for operational reasons. If it's not something that they are able to do, then I am within my rights to look for a member of staff who is able to do the hours I need.

 

[ch4rli3]

I understand that if I was not busy then my hours should be cut down, but the 20 hours a week I work, I am fully booked and I bring in a good amount of money for the business, I have been told this!!

I just feel annoyed that they have told me to work 2 evenings instead of one evening and a day and if I don't, they will reduce my hours!!!

With regards to the helping with ideas..... We have recently moved properties into a gym and have gained lots of the members from their and we have held various special offer evenings and promoted the salon in the town by holding events.

We don't seem to be very quiet considering the credit crunch, and quite often have to turn away business because we don't have any available appointments.

 

[RedAdmiral]

Then no you can only do the hours that fit around your child and will have to stick to that, you are more than happy to cover if ness and if poss but you do not want to change your hours.

 

[divalou]

I currently work part time in a salon - and took the job on the basis that I could work 2 days in the week and saturdays, as I have a 1 yr old.

After accepting the job, they asked me if I would work one day 9-5, one evening till 4 -9pm and every saturday, I agreed to this, although I didnt really want to do the evening as it causes problems with my son, having to get some one to look after him till that late etc........ But anyway, understandably in this industry I know its hard not to work at least one late night so I went ahead.

Three months down the line they have decided they need me to work two late nights in a row, so they want to cut out my 9-5 shift and want me to work 2 - 9 as well as my other late night that I do.

They are basically blackmailing me and they have said that if I don't do the 2 - 9 shift, they will cut out my shift completely and will cut me down to 13 hours a week instead of the usual 20 that I do.

I can't afford to lose that many hours as I am struggling for money as it is at the moment!!

I have never been given a contract so have nothing to say they can't cut my hours down, but I am worried that if I don't accept and do the two late evenings, I will loose my job completely as there seems to be a lot of gossip going around between staff that the credit crunch is hitting and the owner cannot afford to pay us.

Has anyone lost their job or had to lose staff due to the credit crunch ?!!


x

It doesnt matter if you've signed a contract or not with them you still have rights as an employee. If in doubt contact citizen's advice.
They cant sack you for not being able to do those hours and they cant enforce the hours on you either. Really, your'e the one with the upper hand and its you who can take them to an Employment Tribunal.
Record everything they say to you, the threats they make etc, dates times whatever, and say to them that if they threaten you again you will be taking them to a tribunal.
It will either be Unfair Dismissal if they sack you or Constructive Dismissal if they bully you into leaving.

 

[divalou]

They also legally cannot reduce your hours, especially as you can prove that they are only threatening to do so so that you work late nights.

 

[SusanEvian]

I am afraid Lucy-Jane is right. any tribunal in this climate will look at the
operational reasons rule. you have only worked there a short while, and on 20 hours.

It is very simple to make a redundancy now. as they are not a big employer they do not have to "union consult".

The trick that is used nowadays is they make you redundant, but is not you that they are making redundant, its the position that is made redundant.

A month or so down the road they invent a new position, with a new title. very clever, but in the "real world" it is done all the time..

You have no contract, they may invent trick number 3, you was on trial for xx amount of months. it has not worked.


CAB will just say cut your loss and run, they don't want the hassle.




this can also happen.


They can reduce your hours, but they are obliged to consult with you. This means that before they can put this in place he needs to justify the business reasons for what he is doing and show that they have considered your feedback. However in the event that you were to refuse, they could dismiss you (legally this is known as a dismissal for 'some other substantial reason') and re engage you on the new terms and conditions. If you think that the business justifcation they use is not sound you could in theory take them to a tribunal for unfair dismissal, but if he can show an 'economic, technical or organisational' justifcation (not hard in these troubled times) then the tribunal would be likely to find in there favour.

It is not hard for them to do what they want. as I said before, tell CAB you have been there 3,4,5, months and they will laugh. 4,5,6, years is a whole new ball game.

My advice would be find somewhere, as hard as it is, then purchase a pair on Nike`s and run.

Do you really want to work for theses people anyway?





Su