Glass half empty
Question
I am currently employed full-time (40 hours a week) earning £25,000 a year, which is written into my contract. My employer has told me he is cutting my hours to 20 a week and halving my salary. Can he do this and what are my options? He also refuses to pay holidays - is this allowed? He won't listen to me and doesn't seem to care about legal rights.
Answer
It would be a good idea to have a look over your contract, which forms an agreement between employer and employee. Your rights and obligations should be outlined in the terms section. There may be something mentioned there regarding your working hours and whether or not they can be reduced.
Sometimes contracts can be flexible and certain sections may be at liberty to change at the discretion of the employer. If your employer does want to change the terms and conditions of your contract, they should initially contact you to discuss the changes as there may be something you don't agree with or are unhappy about.
It sounds as though you're having difficulties communicating with your employer at the moment, so it might be a good idea to try and arrange a time when you can discuss this issue with him. Perhaps you could ask another trusted colleague to be there to help to mediate and make notes about what has been discussed.
If you have tried all this and had no luck, it might be worth looking for another part-time job, which is more suited to your needs. For more advice on getting started, visit Lifetracks.com.
You are entitled to paid holiday unless you are self-employed. The minimum entitlement is currently 5.6 times the hours you work in a normal working week per year. If you work five days a week, you are entitled to at least 28 days of paid holiday a year.
For professional help and assistance regarding contracts and other employment issues you can contact Acas, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. You can call the Acas helpline on 08457 474 747 from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. You could also get advice from the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368 or use the online enquiry form.
Updated: 12/08/2010
Question answered by bss
