They want me to change my hours

[purpleme12]

came back from maternity years ago put in flexible working request, agreed the hours and that's that.

Now they're saying they want me to with another day and it's not working. (I think it is working they just want me to with more hours because of course they would so they're just making out it's not working).
Can they make me do this?

I guess they could make you redundant if they've decided that the job is a full time job and you've said you wouldn't want the job on that basis.
Do you have a union?

No I don't
Would still be part time just more hours

Should I join a union?
Is there any point?
I don't know what to do

It's probably too late to join after you've encountered a problem. How about the CAB? They could give you some proper advice.
I'm not an expert, but I think that if the employer has decided that they need your job to be a full time job, or a part time job with more hours, you're on a sticky wicket if you can't or don't want to accept the new T&Cs being offered.

Thank you

Doesn't look good then

If you've had the part time hours for years they are likely to be contractual and so, ideally, should not be changed without your consent. If the employer wants to push it they could dismiss and offer to rehire you but doing so because you're part time may be discrimination.

I would ask Mumsnet to move this thread to employment issues and contact ACAS for advice.

How long have the flexi working hours been in place?

Ok thanks. It's so hard. I'm single with no real support and it's another thing to contend with that's going wrong apart from this is going to massively affect my life for years. Which might not seem like a big deal to people but it is to me

Should I join a union? Is there any point?

The point is they’re there for you when shit like this happens.

If the employer thinks the needs of the role have changed then they can ask you to change your hours. If you can't mutually agree then they can dismiss and re-engage or look at redundancy but that is worst case scenario.

You can't suffer a detriment for working part time but business needs change and working part time isn't a protected characteristic so you can't claim discrimination on those grounds.

It sounds like you need to talk about what they think isn't working and see if you can come up with any alternatives.

Sauvignon when I asked is there any point I was referring to if I joined now would they help me with this problem that has obviously cropped up before I joined. As I don't know if there are any waiting periods

I would try CAB for some free advice or someone specialising in employment law if you can afford it.

What does your contract say? Could you work longer on your working days and keep your days off? There may be room for negotiation.