Custom and Practice

[Astle68]

I work nights and i do 4 nights on and then 4 nights for 11 hours each night . If we were not scheduled to work a bank holiday then the company would give us back 7hrs 45 min as holiday allowance but if we were scheduled to work a bank holiday then we would get our normal pay plus an extra 11 hrs on to our holiday allowance for the hours we worked.Now because of a goverment directive the company gives us all bank holiday hrs at the start of the year onto our hoiday allowance but at 7h 45min for each one ,so if we work a bank holiday then effectively we only get 7h45 instead of the 11 we used to for working it . So when we work a bank holiday we are losing 3hrs 15 min compared to what we used to .We have not signed anything to say we accept this and as they were doing it the other way for years is this legal and can they change it ?

[pink-kittens]

Of course they can change it

TBH, if you don't work the BH but because you were scheduled to work you were getting 11 hours pay, then you have been very lucky over the years Why should you get 11 hours *just because* your were on the schedule? You don't work them so why expect to be paid extra wages for them?

[Astle68]

We got extra hours for working bank holiday because its a bank holiday and that is how its alway been done at my place of work . You say i have been lucky for getting hours (not wages) for when i wasnt rostered in but again that was their policy and has been for at least the 7 years i have been doing nights. Surely if that was their policy then it forms a contract whether it was written down or not as it has been done this way for a number of years and to change it would require us to change our contract

[pink-kittens]

but they are able to change your contract, written or otherwise, within reason (and this is certainly within reason) giving appropriate notice; which you are getting

Of course you werte getting etxra wages if you were rostad in - not rostad 7.45 hrs, rostad 11 hours = extra pay aka extra wages or maybe you havent explained it very well?
Either way, its not illegal and they can change it as they wish, see above

[buildersmate]

As PK says, yes, provided they give you notice of the intention to do it. The notice should be at least your contractual notice period - typically one week for each year of service to a maximum of 12.