Part time or full time?

[tophat]

I have been on a 20 hour contract for about a 18 months, and during this period (and before) my average working hours each week is between 30 & 40, its never any less than 30 hours.
Seeing as i am consistantly working over my contracted hours should the RM legally have to offer me a contract of 30 hours or more?

[dave0876]

im not 100% but the extra hours that you work is overtime which you have the option of doing so i don't think there is a legal obligation to make you full time.

[andy2007]

I have been on a 20 hour contract for about a 18 months, and during this period (and before) my average working hours each week is between 30 & 40, its never any less than 30 hours.
Seeing as i am consistantly working over my contracted hours should the RM legally have to offer me a contract of 30 hours or more?

Are you doing Scheduled Attendance, or Pressure Overtime?
If your hours are being made up with SA, then you may possibly have a case. If it is Pressure Overtime, then you don't have a leg to stand on.

[Phantom]

Try working just 20 hours and don't do any overtime for 2 or 3 months. You'll soon find your contracted hours will be increased.

At the moment there is no need for RM to do this because you are working overtime, its a win win for them.

[dave0876]

Its a bit of a catch twenty two situation really im the same on 24 hours a week but at the end of the day who can live on 24 hours a week with rent and bills to pay.Royal Mail know this and prey on people in this situation.It makes me sick when in reality they have enough work to employ people full time.I agree with maybe starting people part time but i think that after say a year you should be made full time.Royal Mail in there wisdom seem to have no intrest in the welfare of there staff and at the end of the day the staff are the people who make Royal Mail the company that it is not the men at the top who squeeze savings year on year to inflate there already inflated wages with big fat bonuses.

[andy2007]

Its a bit of a catch twenty two situation really im the same on 24 hours a week but at the end of the day who can live on 24 hours a week with rent and bills to pay.Royal Mail know this and prey on people in this situation.It makes me sick when in reality they have enough work to employ people full time.I agree with maybe starting people part time but i think that after say a year you should be made full time.Royal Mail in there wisdom seem to have no intrest in the welfare of there staff and at the end of the day the staff are the people who make Royal Mail the company that it is not the men at the top who squeeze savings year on year to inflate there already inflated wages with big fat bonuses.

If you get SA, then it is compulsary Overtime, that you are contracted to do for a set length of time. If that is what they are using, then you could well have a case for getting your hours increased.

I'm no expert. But surely a god Rep could make a good case for you, as they aren't going to give you guaranteed Overtime (at a slightly higher rate too!), if they don't know that the Work will always be there for you to do.

[tophat]

Thank's for the replies, I am on the Schedule to do these hours. And as dave0876 says that there is no choice really as i need more than 20 hours a week to get by. I just thought that there might be some employment laws that RM are breaking?

[tophat]

Any of the overtime hours that i do over 20 hours is called WEEKDAY OVERTIME which is at the same rate as regular pay.

[Phantom]

Yep, RM have you by the balls, its not entirely your fault, but you need to think long term and sadly a lot of part timers don't think like this or realise how much power they've got but remember when you took the job you knew you'd only be contracted for 20 hours anything after that is a bonus really so you can't complain. You could always barter for a higher hourly rate for your overtime but this is down to you not performing it if they say no which they will for a bit then cave in later on.

I would look for another job if its an increase in hours and pay you want. No need to stay at RM.

[andy2007]

Yep, RM have you by the balls, its not entirely your fault, but you need to think long term and sadly a lot of part timers don't think like this or realise how much power they've got but remember when you took the job you knew you'd only be contracted for 20 hours anything after that is a bonus really so you can't complain. You could always barter for a higher hourly rate for your overtime but this is down to you not performing it if they say no which they will for a bit then cave in later on.

I would look for another job if its an increase in hours and pay you want. No need to stay at RM.

Why should he change Jobs, just to get more hours?
When I started, everyone started as a Casual, went on to FTC or SEC, and went from there.

Unfortunately, RM aren't breaking any Laws. Keeping you on Part Time hours, and making up the hours with Overtime. However, as Tophat is doing SA, it gives some leverage for a Rep to argue for more hours.

Unfortunately, those who are doing ordinary (Pressure) Overtime, have little, if any, leverage.

[heapsy]

Its a bit of a catch twenty two situation really im the same on 24 hours a week but at the end of the day who can live on 24 hours a week with rent and bills to pay.Royal Mail know this and prey on people in this situation.It makes me sick when in reality they have enough work to employ people full time.I agree with maybe starting people part time but i think that after say a year you should be made full time.Royal Mail in there wisdom seem to have no intrest in the welfare of there staff and at the end of the day the staff are the people who make Royal Mail the company that it is not the men at the top who squeeze savings year on year to inflate there already inflated wages with big fat bonuses.

This trend of keeping people part time worries me. I can see genuine problems ahead for RM with this policy. People don't think like they used to and stick with something. If someone is doing 2 jobs, 1 with RM and another elsewhere, what happens when they get fed up and move on? The full/ part time hours could be used to balance work load between staff and provide the right work/life balance for everyone, without much hassle. When RM need people to get stuck in during the busy times, they leave themselves wide open to problems. This is because people often have other things they need and or want to do, and RM will surely suffer.

[Darren Bent]

Good comment. If it want people to support their family / buy their home, they have to give us better rate and hours. Otherwise it will only suit people who want it for pocket money.