"Asked" to work in store an hour away

Alias090

I work with Lidl as a store assistant. I have basically been TOLD to work in a store an hour away from 5pm to after midnight ( possibly 1am) And to pick up and drive another fella with me (No please's or thank you's or would it be possible's here!)

It seemed I had no choice in the matter but I informed them that I was working in my regular store at 7am the next morning and I probably wouldn't be home until 2am.. Which is obviously no where near rest period entitlement. They simply gave me the store operations managers number to sort it out myself. Although, unsurprisingly, he hasn't got back to me.( Hoping I'll just grin and bare it I guess)..

Anyone have any experience of a similar situation? I'm not aware of any fuel supplements they offer but I would be surprised if any. I stand to make about €25 after tax and fuel (unless the fella I'm lifting throws me a tenner which still won't make it much better) for 7 plus hours work and 2 hours driving... Then to get up after 4 hours to work again. Doesn't sit well with me at all!!😒

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

If I were you, I'd do it the one time, and hope they were just in a tight spot and you were able to help out.

Any more incidents, I'd be making sure I got hold of that operations manager.

Alias090

Duracell Bunny wrote: »

If I were you, I'd do it the one time, and hope they were just in a tight spot and you were able to help out.

Any more incidents, I'd be making sure I got hold of that operations manager.

That's easy for you to say! You're the Duracell bunny! Haha.

Thanks though, I agree, I don't fancy making a habit out of it and allowing them to think that I'm a soft touch for the crappy jobs!

doolox

You may have no choice but to do it once but be thinking of a excuse, family commitments etc to get out of it the next time.

Since the govt has imposed so much tax on workers many employers are having to force workers to do overtime and work elsewhere by threats and coercion but they cannot openly threaten disciplinary action for non compliance.

You need to get working on your sob-story and you cover up so as not to be "available" the next time.

Also now is a good time to have a dodgy car or for your partner to have a sudden urgent need for your car.

I would also insist that the passenger pick up their share of the tab. Google maps can be used to calculate fuel costs and I would insist on this, in a nice way of course.

In future in jobs like these you have no car and no way of getting to a destination 1 hr away. The less that the boss and mgt know about you the better.

daithi84

I definitely wouldn't do it unless extra money or fuel etc were agreed in advance, also an employer legally has to give you 11 hours rest time in between shifts so he either changes your time the next day or you go home early!

blindsider

Check your contract. Can they ask you to work in another store? (There probably is a clause.....) The 11-hour rule is quite strictly enforced - you may want to use it in the future.

"Minimum rest periods in Irish employment law are governed by the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997. And up to 2 years remuneration can be awarded in compensation to an employee for breaches of the Act.

Section 11 of the Act stipulates that an employee is entitled to a “rest period of not less than 11 consecutive hours in each period of 24 hours”; this is the daily rest period."

Also look at Section 25 - "Time-keeping records" - your employer is obliged to keep records of the hours you work. In your case, this would potentially be an issue for your employer.

http://employmentrightsireland.com/working-time-and-minimum-rest-periods-in-irish-employment/



Also, you're driving a colleague to work - is this work time? Are there any car insurance issues here? (Open question - I don't know.)

I will hazard a guess and say that the manager in question does not understand the legislation in this area. S/he should!

I'd work the hours once, and afterwards explain that you can't do it again.

Ray Palmer

In fairness Lidl work their staff very hard so a 11 hour shift isn't just a long shift it is a big physical challenge.

I get people saying let it go this time but somethings are a bit extreme and I would class this at that level. Expecting to drive somebody in your car to a place of work is way out of scope but added to the shift length is extreme. A different location is absolutely bonkers on top of that.

Your contract might allow for moving work but unlikely to say you can be moved to another store willy nilly.

road_high

Alias090 wrote: »

I work with Lidl as a store assistant. I have basically been TOLD to work in a store an hour away from 5pm to after midnight ( possibly 1am) And to pick up and drive another fella with me (No please's or thank you's or would it be possible's here!)

It seemed I had no choice in the matter but I informed them that I was working in my regular store at 7am the next morning and I probably wouldn't be home until 2am.. Which is obviously no where near rest period entitlement. They simply gave me the store operations managers number to sort it out myself. Although, unsurprisingly, he hasn't got back to me.( Hoping I'll just grin and bare it I guess)..

Anyone have any experience of a similar situation? I'm not aware of any fuel supplements they offer but I would be surprised if any. I stand to make about €25 after tax and fuel (unless the fella I'm lifting throws me a tenner which still won't make it much better) for 7 plus hours work and 2 hours driving... Then to get up after 4 hours to work again. Doesn't sit well with me at all!!😒

Unless your contract explicitly states you can be shifted to other stores then I don't see how this is acceptable. What if you didn't own a car? And the very least you'd want is a decent mileage rate to cover for your fuel and wear and tear. That is a basic. And agreed beforehand. They
don't own you or your car.

doolox

I'd be VERY careful of carrying people for an employer to another location 1 hr away. You might not be covered in the event of a accident and might have to pay for his injuries out of your own pocket.

Raise this issue with your boss. Also with your insurance. Get any arrangements in writing.

Just too risky to chance it.

Bandana boy

How far away in Distance is the other store ?
Distance not time is what qualifies in work place movements.

Being asked to transport another employee is not fair to either of you.

What do you do if he is not ready when you arrive to pick him up ?
What if you are ill and cannot attend work ?

If this was a once of emergency I would suck it up and take the brownie points if it is requested as a regular occurrence I would have a real problem.

Fridge

Yeah it's not on for them to demand you drive someone else. You pay a lot for your car insurance, and having another person in the car is an added risk, and since you're going to a different store it might be an issue. Maybe not, but what if they was dangerous - would they care? He's probably fine, but they won't be responsible for you if something does happen before you get there. They'll be washing their hands of it. It's hypothetical, but my point is they're putting the responsibility on your shoulders.

And the rest period is unacceptable.

Tramps Like Us

Are you in a union?

dinnyirwin

Dont carry the other person.
If the employer wants to get them to the job let them organize it themselves.
Like someone said above. your wife, girlfriend, pet cat needs the car from now on. So you will be staying with a friend who lives near the other store that night and walk in in the morning.

And in future you cant be staying in that friends place all the time, so this is a one time only deal to help them out. Out it too them like you are really going out of your way to help them out and you wont be able to do it in future.

If they arent paying for your car, dont give it to them.

Ray Palmer

I don't see any reason to lie about why you can't use your car. You simply say you are not willing to do this. They have no legal expectation for you to use your car for their business. If they selected the OP because they have a car that is problem.

Lets be clear the manager should not asked for any of this and needs to be aware of this. It doesn't have to be confrontational. Making up stories suggest the OP has to hide something, they don't it is all a completely unrealistic request from start to finish. Poor management and failure to correctly adhere to employment law. Any regional manager should reprimand the manager for this failure.

doolox

... in this job-starved country.
Like many insular and closed communities where everyone knows everybody elses business and all the bosses in a sector seem to know each other it pays to be indirect and circuitous in your refusals to carry out hazardous and over demanding requests.

There are at least three issues which can go wrong in this case.

The worker can be too tired to do the extra work in the other store and make a mistake and be subject to adverse disciplinary procedings for agreeing to do something without checking to see if it is OK to do it in the first place. You can bet your life that if it is illegal to work on such short breaks that the company will deny any knowledge or compulsion and the blame will fall on the worker.

If an accident happens carrying the other worker without proper insurance to do so, most policies do not cover passengers in a private car, then you will have to pay out of your own pocket for any injuries sustained by the passenger.

The 3rd issue is if the passenger causes the worker to be late for his shift in the other location. I would get this in writing what happens and what to do. Do you go and leave the other worker to his own devices? Do you make yourself late in order to collect the other worker. A contact number for the other places boss would be handy in case of lateness and other snags.

Get all procedures and decisions etc to be followed in writing and preferably with a witness.

Phrase any concerns in a polite but firm way and bring up them ahead of the assignment if possible, insurance, rest period and risk cover for the passenger worker.