Site times

[Mattirons]

Hello! I’m really interested in finding out some form of advice/assistance with my current issue at where I work for a landscaping company.

My boss states that I need to be ‘on site’ being the building site for that’s days work between 08:00am - 16:30pm, I do not get paid travel time or overtime for any extra hours.

I am field based but he won’t agree with that, if I had a single place of work I’d be getting to the yard for 08:00am everyday but I’m not, I’m field based.

I have a company work van, I then have to drive to my labourers house and pick him up in the morning and then head to our yard.

our sites are roughly an hour or more travel so I’d be needing to start at 05:00am, do my work duties of picking up the labourer & then heading to the yard then site.

im arguing the fact that the second I get in the van and use my work phone to state that I’m ‘travelling’ on our work app, heading to the labourers house is classed as work, regardless of site times. I never get home for 16:30 as I have to drop off the labourer after a days work.

ive worked out that if I stick to the site times, I’ll be giving roughly 4 hours of ‘work’ for free.. which equivocates between 6-7,500 a year in unpaid work.

in the contract he handed out (which I haven’t signed) it had many contradictory points throughout, which I just can’t get my head around nor understand.

any assistance or help would be greatly appreciated as we have basically been told if we don’t do the hours we shall be replaced.

i apologise if this hasn’t been typed out well or makes much sense, in a sticky spot and really need to get this sorted.

[ULA]

A lot of what you ask comes down to what is in your contract particularly about your location of work and whether or not you get paid overtime.

What does you contract say on these two points.

[Mattirons]

The thing is I’ve asked for a copy of my contract several times to no avail, in the contract it states that the yard and our office is classed as site, yet when you say this to the boss he denies it and states that’s not what it means.

we don’t get overtime only on weekends but I’m arguing about how we are working over our stated hours, as I’ve not agreed to opt out of going above 48 hours per week! Pulling my hair out

[ULA]

If the yard/office is given as your location of work that should really be the location for your which you work the hours as detailed in your contract. However you need to check whether there is any other clause that covers working from a location where you are landscaping which I presume are customer dependent and for which would be a regular part of the job that you do?

How long has your contract been in place and if it has been for a while, what has caused the sudden issue?

[Mattirons]

It states that the hours are for sites, then mentions the yard/office as site! I’d class myself as field based as I have to go either to the yard or timber merchants on a regular basis before going to sites.

its been in place since the start of the year but only two people signed it, as everyone else were shocked at what it stipulated with it’s various bullet points.

ive never took notice of it, as it’s never been a problem before, we go to site, do our work then get home. I never would have took the job on if he told me I’d have to work on my own time before being paid from a certain point in the day.

ive just asked for another copy of the contract and when I receive that I’ll be able reference bits on here for an outside look/opinion?

I have no issues with working, but I do with being expected to work for free, I’d be commuting/working an extra 4 hours a day which is something I never agreed to nor was made aware of at the time of joining back in august last year.

thank you for your assistance so far

[ULA]

Sounds like it would be good to see an anonymised copy of your contract which you can upload her once you get it. That way it will be easier to see exactly what has been written and advise accordingly