Round revision/Saturday Working SPDO

[jetblack]

Looking for some advice chaps.

I've worked for last 15 years for Royal Mail as a postman. First 3 years working 6 days a week - and the last 12 years working Monday to Thursday on the same rural walk/spdo. Another postie was employed 12 years ago to work the Friday and Saturday on my run.

I am now being asked to work Saturdays (the exact amount yet to be agreed) by swapping (say) a Monday with the other chap for one of his Saturdays - my question is, do I HAVE to agree to working any Saturdays at all ? The reason I ask is that:-

1) I am contracted to work Mon.-Thurs.

2) the other postie applied for the Saturday job in the first place ie.this was never a 5 day rolling rota situation

and 3) my partner works Saturdays and I have 3 small kids to look after - if we have to alter this we are going to be a lot of money out of pocket.

Strikes me that there are other ways around this than forcing me to do saturdays. For example, a relief could be asked to do the other posties 1 in 4 Saturdays - and he for example could work a day of my holiday cover to make up for it. ie. 12 Saturdays off a year for him and he (the regular Fri/sat. postie) covers 12 days of my holiday.
He's happy, I'm happy, the reliefs happy - and Royal Mail is happy cos its not costing them a penny extra.
I haven't put this to the manager yet - but I really need to know if they can COMPEL me to alter my days of work.

Thanks in advance for any replies

[demon]

never known royal mail give out a contract of set days of work so check this the have always been hours per week thats how they get away with changing the times so much