Can I reduce my working hours after recently having them increased?

[Anonymous100]

Hi,

To cut a long story short, we have recently gone through a revision in my office and one of the duties postrevision has been struggling every week because it’s far to big.
They have been leaving 4 loops regularly sometimes more, the reason they do this is because although they are two full time duties, they have one guy who is full time on one, then a part timer comes in at 9am and does the other. So they don’t stand a chance because to be fair they are two large frames.

So to help these guys out the DOM added 2 hours to 6 people’s contract on the basis that every day someone would do 2 loops for the 2 hours pay we have been given. then after a few weeks the DOM started giving us 3 loops and sometimes a few of the boys have been pressured into taking out 4 loops for the same 2 hours pay!
I think this is a joke, but you could say it’s peoples own fault for not putting there foot down and saying they are not doing it..

I have also recently recently had an extra 5 hours added to my contract as well to do this LAT shift in the afternoon which is from 2pm to 7pm

The truth is everything is a complete shambles and I find myself having more and more confrontations about it all and I’ve decided that I was happier when I was on a 25 hour contract and I could pick and choose my overtime as and when I wanted to do it, I usually do 10-20 hours a week overtime anyway, I just think I am happier when it’s in my hands and not theirs.

We are 6-7 weeks in since I have had my hours increased, can I tell my DOM I am not happy with the way things are being run and I want to give those hours back so I go back down to my 25 hour contract.
Initially I did it because I would be on 32 hours and I thought with us losing an hour and working towards 35hour working week I’d only be 3 hours off full time and it’s nicer when your on leave that your pay is a bit higher too, but this is driving me mad and I am struggling to keep doing it because it’s not being managed properly.

Where do I stand and what’s the best way to go about this?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

You can ask, but the DOM is under no obligation to accept your request.

Most would bite your hand off though.

[Navalron]

Why should you reduce your hours and money because the dome a test and can't do his job correctly. You can only do what you can do, in your hours. Come in, finish,but off, or overtime and home. As long as your not deliberately being slow f**k him.

[clashcityrocker]

Hi,

Where do I stand and what’s the best way to go about this?

You moved from a 25 hr contract to a 32 hr contract.
On top of this you do some loops on overtime of a duty that is failing.
You also do 5 hours overtime on LAT products.
And you want to decrease your hours so you can pick and choose your overtime?

Am I missing something?
Why not just do less overtime and keep your 32 contracted hours?

[Anonymous100]

Thank you for your responses.

[Anonymous100]

Also!!

What annoys me is in my office when I turn up to do the 2hrs work on the 2/3 loops I said I would do.
There is sometimes 4 loops sitting there for me so naturally I say I’m not doing it.
Then managers give you bull s**t about the bags are light and will only take 30mins each and they are pressuring us to take all the work out and saying the DOM will want a word with you tomorrow if you don’t do it.

So I will argue with them and then usually I will take three loops out with me which takes me 2 hours to do.
Then I kid you not after arguing with me they wil goto the frane next door to me and say to someone ‘are you still okay to do those two loops ? I’ll give you two hours for it.

So I stand there gobsmacked like ‘is this manager mugging me off, does he think I’m stupid or something?
Why do I have to do twice the work for the same money as they are getting? (If I was to take 4 loops) and they only take 2 loops out.

I feel they are taking the piss out of me

[NewPostieUK]

Am I the only one baffled?

If you want to do two hours overtime, do it, if not then just say no.

Don't take four loops out if you want to do two, or none.

Start and finish on time, if the DOM complains just tell him he's messed you about too much and now you don't want to work overtime.

[clashcityrocker]

To cut a long story short .......

[Anonymous100]

I can’t refuse to do it though.
That’s the whole point. I got my hours increased by 7 hours (5 hours on the LAT, and 2 hours to do 2/3 loops on the same duty every single week)
That’s my extra 7 hours so whenever it falls on my day then I have to go do my shift.

My issues is, the 5 hours LAT shift was sold to me like all I would be doing is driving round and delivering these LAT packets, when they are finished then I was told I could go home. Currently what I’m doing is my LAT packets, then I’m being given 4 loops off a walk that didn’t go out, and I’m given 20/30 tracked packets on average. And that’s not what I signed up for, and that’s definitely notwhat anybody agreed before this went live- the DOM has moved the goal posts because he see’s this 5 hour lat shift as a opportunity to clear he’s office everyday.
Had I known beforehand this is what he was going to do, I wouldn’t have agreed to do it because I have absolutely no interest being some kind of mop up boy, and coming back and doing an extra 4 loops and packets on top of my Lat deliveries.
So because of this I want to stop doing it and I’ve asked, can I do that? Can I say to do the DOM, I don’t want to do this LAT shift anymore, and I don’t want to do the two hours every week on that duty which is too long, please take these hours you have given me off my contract so I’m back down to my 25 hours.


The 2 hours I also do each week which was given to me so I could give a duty 2 hours relief each week, I have to do those two hours on that duty when it falls on my day.
It’s been added to my contract for this reason.
But what’s happening is I’m getting to the frame to tie up and the managers are telling me I have to do 4 loops,which isn’t what we agreed. We agreed between 2/3 loops but they are forcing us to take 4, and I’m getting paid two hours for that when there are other people in my office who are getting 4 hours pay for 4 loops.
This is what I’m pissed off about, I have to do the same work but I’m being given half the money.
And I argue with them every single week that I’m not taking 4 loops I’m taking 2-3 loops and then I’m going home.
But they don’t like and they guilt trip you and say your stitching your mate up whose on it tomorrow, they say now his going to take two days of mail out because you didn’t clear it. And I just think it’s out of order I am being put in this position.

[Interested-seeker]

Is your union rep any good? If so, get him/her to talk to your managers about this issue. It can't just be you with this problem, the five others doing it must also be fed up.

Just say no to taking more than 2 bags....just say no and keep saying no! You and the others need to unite together and all say no, that way no one is stitched up.

[NewPostieUK]

I can’t refuse to do it though.
That’s the whole point. I got my hours increased

So it's not overtime then.

You haven't had your contract increased by 2 loops, you've had it increased by two hours (or whatever). You need to stop thinking in terms of loops and start thinking in terms of hours. On the day that you have these two hours added, you have a finish time, like every other day. You need to use the over-run procedure. You need to tell the manager what time you will be finishing and let him decide what to do with the work, either don't take as much out or bring some back.

There's plenty of info about the over-run procedure on here, and you have a rep.

[clashcityrocker]

You have had 2 hours added to your contract to deal with another duties cut offs?
And 5 hours added to your contract for the LAT product?
Mmmmmm..........

[Anonymous100]

Thank you NewPostieUK that’s really good advice, I will try to do this next week.

We have a meeting next week with the union rep and our DOM so I am hoping we can use that to achieve a positive outcome.