Job - advice please

Irish-trucker

howya ,

i'm lookin for some advice on my job :

i work in a centra , mainly the 6 -10 shift at night .
me and my mates who work their , are being taken for a ride every 6-10 shift we do , as at the end of it , we stay for min : a half an hour to 50 minutes - we mop the floor and told were not allowed leave for security reasons
were not paid for the time we stay back , and i want to do something about it , what are my rights

some of my mates are afraid to speak up to management about this for fear of getting the sack , but sure that would be unfair dissmissal right

i would'nt mind -they got a clock in system in work , and we were supposed to get paid by our time on that but ive found out we don't so all there using it just to watch the time we take on our breaks

i'd be very grateful for advice - bearing in mind i don't want to quit .

this basically comes down to principle , and the fact that over a year say - we are being robbed bigtime

thanks - john (a very pissed off 17 yr old )

Slutmonkey57b

While centra probably won't recognise the union, they cannot prevent you joining one or persecute you for using one. In my experience, unions are often just as indifferent to worker's needs as employers, but they are necessary in Irish business.

Talk to a union about what's going on in the job and they'll probably have some advice for you (like join our union probably, but they'll give you some background anyway). If you and your mates all join the union, and all make the same complaint in writing to the store manager, then you are making a start. If the complaint is in writing the management have to at least answer the question of whether or not you'll get paid for the hour.

What's most likely however is that your contract states that you are expected to work "reasonable" unpaid overtime hours when needed. Your defense in that case is that the enforced overtime is not reasonable, but part of the standard day's work. (since it's not occasional). If you have no contract, then you have them over a barrel and can do what you like. If the overtime varies a lot, then you'll find it more difficult to make a case and a union would have to help re-negotiate your contract (difficult to do without company-wide union membership).

Slutmonkey57b

While a lot of people worry about getting the sack for being a "troublemaker", so long as you keep your nose clean as regards defined duties and company practices, they have to essentially persecute you out of the job, or sack you without reason (in which case you've got a strong case to the labour court).

bounty

just walk out on the dot of 10

all gang together and hold your group, put your coats on and on the way out, ask management if they would like to negotiate the situation

if they laugh or dont take you at all serious, walk out

seamus

As Mr. Slutmonkey says - Your contract may state that you occassionally may have to do some reasonable unpaid overtime. The two operative words being those in italics.

Whether you're 17 or 57, you cannot be sacked for rationally discussing the terms of your employment, and your employment conditions with your boss. Best thing is to try and call some kind of meeting with your co-workers. It's time to grow up a little. You all need to decide on what you want, and what you are willing to settle for (negotiation is all about compromise).
Then you choose one person to be the representative - don't choose the least scared or the most vocal person, choose the person that your boss trusts/respects the most (usually the most senior employee). He talks to the boss, for all of you.

If the boss refuses to listen, or refuses what you say, then you write a polite but firm letter, get everyone to sign it, and give it to your boss's boss.

RicardoSmith

Most places try to squeeze some hours out of you. Always have an excuse to be somewhere else, at that time. You've a lift exactly at that time etc. Just leave, quietly so that your gone before anyone notices. What can they say to you?

What are the security reasons? Sound like BS to me.

idontknowmyname

If I stay extra I damn well make sure I get paid for it. I worked in Spar last summer and if I stayed behind late, one night I was 30 mins late, I would take a note of it and physically change my hours on my roster so where it said I finished at 10, I would write in 10.30. I then would mention it to the manager or supervisor who were pretty sound so i always go paid.

RicardoSmith

idontknowmyname wrote:

If I stay extra I damn well make sure I get paid for it. I worked in Spar last summer and if I stayed behind late, one night I was 30 mins late, I would take a note of it and physically change my hours on my roster so where it said I finished at 10, I would write in 10.30. I then would mention it to the manager or supervisor who were pretty sound so i always go paid.

Sometimes you don't have the choice.

Irish-trucker

howya ,

jus thought i'd let yous know - they've a staff meeting for all the shop floor staff , so hopefully we'll get a good go at qeustioning our staying back and not being paid :rolleyes:

and atleast the lot of us will be there , so they can back me up

i'll let you's know if i get a result ,

thanks - john