Hours and shifts?

CarMe

I would really appreciate any advice please.
I've bren in my company almost 6 years, when I started I signed a contract saying I was available to work 8-8, over these years I've bent over backwards working any shifts I've been asked to but not obliged to, night shifts, weekends and every single Christmas day bar last as my mam was dying. While my mam was dying I was heavily pregnant and asked to finish at 4.30 every day as others got to pick and choose hours but this never happened. I've just come back from maternity leave and am on rotational shifts, some weeks finish 4.30 and some finish at 9pm. I do not have anyone to mind my baby after 6.30 so am unable to work late shifts but am told it would be unfair on others to allow me this, I accepted this until yesterday a girl who is in the company 2 years arrived back from maternity leave too and told me she won't be working past 6 as she stated this in her original contract.
My life has changed massively since I started in the company and I feel so hard done by here. Can anyone please offer me some advise on this.

wmpdd3

As you contract says you are available till 8 pm I would try inforce this with the employer, as the other person has.

Really you can only get what you can bargain out of them. If you are trained in something specific, maybe you can re-arrange your hours so you can do this task. Are you doing the same job that you were before maternity? You are entitled to return to the same role if this is possible.

Try have a sit down talk with the person doing the rotas, lay out your position, what you have given to the company and put it to them that you want to set out a way of working that will work in the long term.


Are you on a much higher rate than the other newer people? If so they could be very interested in reducing your hours to 30-35 hours per week to save payroll.

I was in a similar role and the only option left open to me was to go part-time. I would have paid more for creche and a childminder than my wages.

CarMe

Thanks for the reply, sadly I'm on the same wage as everybody else which really is only just enough to get by. I would look elsewhere but I'm applying for a mortgage at the moment and need to be in the same job x amount of years as far as I know.
I just feel furious that I'm being treated like this, last year a woman asked for set shifts because she liked getting home on time to see her grandson and that was allowed.
In fairness the company has downsized a lot since I've been gone and they claim that is the reason, yet they've also said the reason is that its unfair to others.
I wish I could afford to go part time but I really can't.
Not sure what to do

wmpdd3

Try the citizens information office.

I take it, you place doesnt have a union? If not maybe you could approach the union for any advice.

You're right, you are better having the same place of work for mortgage applications. I was looking at a full time creche and a child minder. The problem is now that the baby goes asleep at 7pm every night so it would never have worked as I'd be taking a sleeping baby from the minders house at 10pm.