In a 20 hour contract, can the employer impose upon your other 20?

[tobester70]

I signed up to a 20 hour contract about 5 months ago, driving for a high street store. Work was plentiful with lots of hours beyond the contractual 20 with promises of more for the foreseeable future. However, the store has suddenly been hit with budget cuts and the department has been instructed to restrict all workers to contracted hours only. And that's fine. With other business interests, half a week was what I signed up to and what I wanted.

My issue though is that they insist on spreading my 20 hours across the week so I get single shifts on several days that earn me little and prevent me from earning anywhere else. I've made the point that if my 20 hours were condensed into 3 days of the week I could boost my income by working elsewhere on the other two days but it is now almost like they are deliberately ignoring me to have a complete monopoly on my time. While taking a part of every single working day, they make it impossible for me to earn any money elsewhere in the other 20 hours of my week. Can this really be legal? Can they effectively have me on stand by for the full week but get away with only having to pay me for half of it? Can they purposefully prevent me from working elsewhere? What could they do if I refused a shift offered to me on account that, on that day, I'm not available?

Up until now it has been a nice job and I don't want to have my head in the contract terms but I sense games going on and possibly deliberate squeezing tactics. I don't wish to lose the 20 hours but they surely can't impose upon the rest of my week without some compensation.

[Sidfish]

Re: In a 20 hour contract, can the employer impose upon your other 20?

Hi, how long have you been employed? In the event that you have been employed for less than 2 years you can't claim constructive unfair dismissal. That is to say you can leave in response to a breach of contract. I would advise that you raise a grievance. i would need to see what your contract states re working hours and days. Even if you have been employed for more than two years I would not advise doing anything until you have received further advice.

[tobester70]

Re: In a 20 hour contract, can the employer impose upon your other 20?

Hi Sidfish. Many thanks for your response. Since posting the employer has taken me by surprise and offered to condense my 20 hours into a regular 3 days, leaving the two others free for me to do as I please. Worked out in the end, just took them a while to respond. Happy now though. Thanks again.