can anyone offer me advice on this complicated problem?

[mariedawn]

i began working in my local shop on April 3 last year. I was initially taken on on a temporary basis to cover sickness for two months, however they were very impressed and told me that they would like to keep me on after the other girl came back, after two years of unemployment i was delighted to accept. They gave me a four hour a week contract on the understanding that i would probably work a lot more hours as it was coming up to holiday period etc. To cut a long story short, the other girl decided not to come back, i ended up working anywhere between 17 and 30 hours a week sometimes over six days. This wasn't an issue until my partners 2 year old came to live with us three months ago, obviously this has caused a few child care issues, i explained that i would no longer be able to work daytime shifts between monday and thursday but could work all weekend and could manage evenings. However i did indicate rather strongly that i wanted my hours to stay around 16/17 a week (4 shifts)as i had no desire to become a stranger to my partner. Since then i have constantly been asked to work six days a week, and, the straw that broke the camels back came when three weeks ago i saw the following weeks rota and they were expecting me to work 5 evenings, meaning i would hand the little one over to my partner (who gets up at 5 in the morning for work) at around 4, then i would arrive home at around 10ish, to find him asleep. I broke down at work, became very tearful and explained that this was causing a great deal of problems in my relationship and that i was struggling to cope (i think a 'woman on the edge' is an appropriate quote! lol) and the following day the sickness started, i saw my doctor on the monday who signed me off for a week, when i returned to work i found that i now only have sunday evenings (4hours a week) and when i questioned this i was told that that was all i would get until i became more 'flexible'! i know i stupidly signed a four hour contract, but after 15 months of working almost full time hours can they do this to me? do i have any legal rights? i will lose my tax credits and my family will suffer dreadfully, does anybody know anything about these things?

Your contract is 4hrs so that's all they need to give you. You don't sound flexible, which is what your employer said.

I too work evenings, 5-11pm. I too hand over my dc at 4pm, and sh starts work at 5am. We rarely see each other. But that's how we chose to set things up.

well, i'm sure it does suit you, however, i enjoy seeing my partner occassionally, it is after all the point of us living together! :)

Speak to them again. They cannot "punish" you for taking off sick. Legally Im not totally sure where you stand. But why dont you figure out what you can work and tell them. That way maybe they will look into getting you more hours.

If you were working so much before I doubt they can cope with you doing less hours for long.

If they asked you to do the five evenings then wouldn't you have still seen your partner at the weekend?

They're right I'm afraid, your contract is 4 hours and that's what they've given you. Maybe them offering you the five evenings was them being flexible also. It can't work both ways. Unless there's another job locally with hours to suit (which rarely happens nowadays) then, if you want to continue to work there, then yes, you'll have to be more flexible,

So how would you fit your
16 hours in then?

So you told them you didn't want to work Monday to Thursday daytimes, but could work evenings. Then they made you work 6 days per week, which you did. Then when you saw that they'd put you on the rota doing five evenings instead, you realised the implications for your personal life and were subsequently signed off sick for a week, yes? And you have returned to work to find that you are being given your contracted 4 hours.

While I'm sympathetic to your situation, I'm confused as to when you do want to work, as you don't seem to want Mon to Thurs daytime and you don't seem happy with working five evenings per week even though you originally said you could work evenings. That doesn't leave an awful lot of flexibility for fitting in 16-17 hours per week. Perhaps you just need to be very clear with your employer? Legally, unfortunately there's nothing you can do as your contract states 4 hours.

If you can't/won't do the hours they need you in because it's apparently making you Iill and you want to see your partner more then what are they supposed to do? They don't run the business for your convenience. Lots of people have to not see each other much and manage to get on with it. If you don't like it then get a job with the hours you want.

I really don't understand this... You won't work evenings, you won't work weekdays, and yet you feel they are wrong for saying you're not flexible in all honesty, they have been very understanding and I'd have done the same regarding cutting your hours down!