New boss

[amazingtoxic]

There is a new boss at work that is trying to throw her weight around. There are four of us working in the gym that also go to uni, so all have the same hours. She is refusing to let one of us decrease our hours and is also saying the she will try and fix our work hours so we can attend uni but if she can't, we will have to put up with it - can she really do this, especially considering we started working there with them knowing our situation.

Secondly, she is trying to make us all attend a staff meeting for 3 hours, regardless of whether we are due in on shift or not. I don't believe we will get paid for this and also if we don't attend she has threatened us with a disciplinary.

Thanks

[vinrex7]

i dont think she can make you attend if it's not on a day that you work, if you go in on your day off you should get payed for it. if you signed a contract stating your hours of work then she cant make you do any more, but if you p*ss her off chances are she'll make your job a nightmare.

[ChuffingHell]

As to attending uni, firstly consult your contract. if you are employed on a full time contract and your previous boss had done you a favour in adjusting your hours to accomodate uni without amending your contract to reflect this, then if your employer now needs to change this then (since that's what you signed up to in your contract of employment) you can't complain and if you do go against it, your employer could dismiss you for breach of contract

If your shifts or number of hours aren't defined and you are given things on an as and when basis, then you can say you can't make these particular shifts. But the employer at that point is within their rights to say that the needs of the business change and therefore people are required who can do these particular shifts. In that instance, you could be made redundant.

As to staff meetings, yes you should be paid for it. It's a work matter whic you are being called for - thereforeyou are paid for work. Simple as. Tell her to consult acas.co.uk or 08457 474747 for confirmation of the legal stance before she threatens disciplinary action.

So stand your ground on the staff meeting - politely but firmly. As vinrex says, you don't want to p*ss her off.

As to hours, if you're not in breach of your contract, just see what happens as to whether she can accommodate it. She may just be going through the new-boss-making-an-impression stage so it might just go away. Although if it really can't be worked around, you have to accept you could be out of a job through redundancy.

[amazingtoxic]

Thanks very much for your help, I will do as you say, I was taken on as a part-time member of staff, doing 20hours a week, which should not really be a problem (trying to work them around uni) but with 4 of us going, I don't know what she will do. Although my contract does not say anything about working around my uni hours there was a verbal agreement with the guy that first hired me, don't know if that make much difference.

Thanks

H