Do I have to do anything I am asked to do?

mefistos

Hi guys, I started working as a kitchen porter 3 months ago and it was all fine and well. But now my boss is opening a new restaurant and he wants me and the other kitchen porters to do construction work ( bring down some walls) and some painting and other stuff. I haven't signed my contract yet so I am not sure what to do about it... I don't feel like doing construction work for minimum wage (which is why he is giving the job to us because he doesn't want to pay for professionals to do it) when I came here to wash dishes... Also I feel like if I refuse to do that work I will get the worst possible hours to work in the coming weeks ( the work on the new restaurant is going to take 2 months). What should I do?

Lux23

Unless you're trained in something like that you won't be insured if anything should happen to you so I believe you're well within your rights to say no. Painting or light similar tasks might be OK, but knocking down a wall requires people with the experience.

ED E

Start looking for a new job now.

B.A._Baracus

Tough call.
Refuse and you'll probably be blackballed. Maybe even get the sack down the line. Depends on how bad your boss is. The whole "well you didn't suit me so I'll make you regret that"

Word of advice, I'm sure other people working there don't want to be doing the same. Keep your frustrations to yourself tho. Last thing you want is one of them stooging off to your boss before you have even said no.

All in all if you do not want to do this then do not do it. He can't force you to. But as said above saying no will probably have backlashes. Just apply for other jobs if you say no.

mefistos

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Tough call.
Refuse and you'll probably be blackballed. Maybe even get the sack down the line. Depends on how bad your boss is. The whole "well you didn't suit me so I'll make you regret that"

Word of advice, I'm sure other people working there don't want to be doing the same. Keep your frustrations to yourself tho. Last thing you want is one of them stooging off to your boss before you have even said no.

All in all if you do not want to do this then do not do it. He can't force you to. But as said above saying no will probably have backlashes. Just apply for other jobs if you say no.

Too late, I was talking about it with other kitchen porters, both of them did manual work for boss before (cleaning restaurant after fire, manual work on Bosses house, moving Boss from old house to new house etc), and today to my surprise I got the worst possible hours I could get.

Also I am not getting any breaks at work(e.g. Today I will be working 9-10 hours straight without any break whatsoever). I get calls in the middle of my day off to come to work because one of the guys is hangover. Sometimes when its busy and there are supposed to be 2 guys I am there by myself because the other guy is drunk. None of the guys is getting fired as they have been working there for few years now.

I will look for something else, thanks!

Terrontress

If I were you, I would phone Joe Duffy. I know that sounds glib, but he always promotes cases like this and will embarrass the employer into not doing it again.

seamus

mefistos wrote: »

Also I am not getting any breaks at work(e.g. Today I will be working 9-10 hours straight without any break whatsoever).

Just take your breaks. You are entitled to 15 minutes after 4.5 hours, and a further 15 minutes after 6 hours. In the latter case, you can work 6 hours and take 30 minutes.

Let them know in advance that you will be taking your break, so they're not surprised when you're not there.

I get calls in the middle of my day off to come to work because one of the guys is hangover. Sometimes when its busy and there are supposed to be 2 guys I am there by myself because the other guy is drunk.

Neither of which are your problem.

Don't answer calls on your day off. Continue to take your breaks even when you're on your own.

You're going looking for something else, so you've nothing to lose by working to rule.

mickdw

To be honest, someone with no knowledge experience or will to do construction work wouldnt be worth anywhere near minimum wage so its a false economy by the boss.
Im fairly confident that a couple of good men at proper rates would be more cost effective than a team of kitchen porters wondering where to start.
In short, the boss is a fool.

thelad95

By the sounds of it, you're working in perhaps some sort of family run business where the long term employees are more like friends than employees to the boss and as such have a messed up two way relationship where he can make them do stuff they're not meant too but they can also take the piss with him (e.g. Take a day off hungover/drunk) and he won't fire them because in his eyes, they've become indisposable because he knows most others wouldn't work for him under the same conditions.

You're just in the door and he's essentially testing you now to see can he pull the same crap with you and if not, as others have said, he'll find a way to get rid of you.

I've been in a situation similar to this and the best advice is to just run a mile and find a different employment. You've made it clear that you don't agree with his stupid conditions and nor should you.

mefistos

seamus wrote: »

Just take your breaks. You are entitled to 15 minutes after 4.5 hours, and a further 15 minutes after 6 hours. In the latter case, you can work 6 hours and take 30 minutes.

Let them know in advance that you will be taking your break, so they're not surprised when you're not there.
Neither of which are your problem.

Even if I'd take just 15 minutes the chefs wouldn't have clean plates so they'd have to wait for me to get back and wash them. My 4 hours in is when it usually starts to get busy, there is no way for me to take a break when it gets busy and I am by myself.

thelad95 wrote: »

By the sounds of it, you're working in perhaps some sort of family run business where the long term employees are more like friends than employees to the boss and as such have a messed up two way relationship where he can make them do stuff they're not meant too but they can also take the piss with him (e.g. Take a day off hungover/drunk) and he won't fire them because in his eyes, they've become indisposable because he knows most others wouldn't work for him under the same conditions.

You're just in the door and he's essentially testing you now to see can he pull the same crap with you and if not, as others have said, he'll find a way to get rid of you.

I've been in a situation similar to this and the best advice is to just run a mile and find a different employment. You've made it clear that you don't agree with his stupid conditions and nor should you.

Yep the other two guys have done so much for him already in and out of work and they continue to do whatever he asks. What bothers me is that I went there to be a kitchen porter and now I am basically required to do everything. If I wanted to paint or take down walls I would apply for such a job with proper salary.

seamus

mefistos wrote: »

Even if I'd take just 15 minutes the chefs wouldn't have clean plates so they'd have to wait for me to get back and wash them.

That's not your problem.

My 4 hours in is when it usually starts to get busy, there is no way for me to take a break when it gets busy and I am by myself.

You can take your legally-entitled break earlier in the shift. Take 30 minutes after working 3 hours and then you're clear to work the rest of the shift.

screamer

You could agree to do it but tip off the health and safety authority. No way you should be doing construction work especially demolition work unless you're a skilled and experienced person. Your boss sounds like a complete chancer....get a new job asap.

Senna

Agree to do it, find a sledgehammer then find the water mains, if this cowboy wants something demolished/broken, give him more than he bargained for.