Working Outside of Contracted Hours

[FredAstairesUnderwear]

I need opinions on this as on discussion with my other colleagues it seems we are all divided.
I work in a retail banking industry part time for example 20 hours a week, my time is salary paid but I have contracted hours so say 9-5 Monday with 1 hour unpaid lunch break. If I work more hours than my contracted hours, for an example an extra day in the week 11-3 so 4 hours, I would be paid for this. On full days I am paid from 9-5 which are the opening hours, however I am required to arrive in enough time to get the money out the safe, tills on, general pre-opening prep. This all needs to be completed before 9am and takes a minimum of 15 minutes to do. Similar on an evening, the door is locked at 5pm we are not allowed to complete closing procedures until this has happened so usually don't leave until 5.15pm. This is an extra 30 minutes a day which isn't a lot but after doing this for 3 years multiple times a week I have come to realise I have in theory worked a lot of time that I haven't been paid for. My other colleagues are of the opinion that it's not fair but it's just what we have to do, I am happy to do this but I just think we should be paid for it. AIBU?
I should add that this time is non-negotiable, I can't just rock up at 8.58 and leave at 5.01.
I am completely prepared to be told I am being naive or unreasonable also.

I think its kind of the norm that you are expected to turn up early to work in most professions, even more so in customer facing roles.

Also the company doesn't legally have to pay for overtime providing it doesn't reduce your wage to below the minimum wage.

I mean if you're in a union then maybe see, but I don't think it's really that much of an issue to be 15 mins either side of your contracted hours, but then I'm a code monkey and its expected that if something goes belly up at quarter to 5 you stay until its sorted

It was like this 20 years ago when I worked in retail. Paid 9-5.30 but arrive 8.30 to 'get the shop ready' and stay for however long it took for the manager to cash up. So really an extra hour a day unpaid.

These days I work in the NHS and appointments are expected to start the time you start your shift and it takes at least 15 minutes to get ready and at least 30 minutes at the end to write up/pack away etc so I guess nothing has changed. I work part time at the moment so I'm trying to stick to my hours but full time you work whatever it takes to get the job done/keep patients safe.

Yes I bet the value of unpaid work in this country is very high!

My working hours are officially 9am-5pm (with an hour for lunch). Today was a fairly typical day. I started at 7.30am and finished at 6pm. I managed to eat my lunch during a series of conference calls. Every job I've ever had has been like this - or far worse (in my previous role I was working 7am - 11pm with no breaks) and I've never been paid overtime (or asked for it). That's financial services for you.

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Ah OP herein starts the competitive race to the bottom :-)

Yeah? Well I had to lick the roads clean!

I'd love to know the amount of unpaid overtime compared with, say, the amount of sick leave due to stress or the amount of time off due to industrial action, or parental leave. I bet it would be interesting reading.

If your employer is stipulating that you must be there before and after shift then you must be compensated for it, if you're hourly paid at a salaried rate for a contracted amount of hours and coming in early and staying late takes you over those contracted hours then they do need to pay you or stop stipulating it.

Mrsp there's a mandatory minimum holiday pay surely, 20 days?

If your employer is stipulating that you must be there before and after shift then you must be compensated for it, if you're hourly paid at a salaried rate for a contracted amount of hours and coming in early and staying late takes you over those contracted hours then they do need to pay you or stop stipulating it.

Bear in mind that the contract will be worded in a way that you will need to be front of desk by 9am and finished at 5pm, by all means argue the point and union up because obviously its a "race to the bottom, reeeeee" but then those contracted hours then contribute to tax credits and could easily be enforced so you still end up turning 15 mins early and leaving an extra 15 mins late every day so you can make a drink etc in the morning pre shift

What does your contract say OP?

If you have a look here this might help

worksmart.org.uk/work-rights/pay-and-contracts/pay/our-employer-asks-us-turn-15-minutes-work-starts-doesnt-pay-us

I work in HR and would be checking my contract and arguing this if it was me.

My goodness, as an employer, my company must be fantastic! My staff are regularly late and regularly leave early. However, they work hard, usually, when they are at work and ALWAYS stay behind or do extra when we are running late or very busy (about twice every 6 months). This is never more than half an hour on their contracted hours.

After reading all the p^** taking going on by other companies, no wonder our directors aren't millionaires!