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Some background.
My OH has been employed on a continuous basis, though with different owners, in a national chain of shops for over 12 years. She works 30 hours as a supervisor, and has always followed a shift pattern, sometimes working extra hours to cover sickness/holidays etc. Or if a colleague needed a particular day off.
She works mostly anti-social hours, but does work 8 day hours on Monday.
She was summoned with no prior notice to a meeting with her branch manager and area manager who told her that due to the financial situation they were having to reduce hours and that she should lose three hours. She was also told that her new rota would involve losing the Monday hours and working the hours from 6am on Sunday morning. She already works late night Friday and all day Saturday.
She felt intimidated at the meeting, and was the only person at her branch to have a meeting with the branch and area manager. She was asked to get back to her branch manager, which she did, in writing, on the next day. She did clarify that she was being asked to do these things, not told.
She responded by letter directly refusing to work the early morning, and refusing to give up the Monday day hours. She also said that they could only reduce her contracted hours with her consent, and she would be willing to give her consent to losing one hour per day from her Tuesday, Friday and Saturday hours.
She asked her branch manager about the letter and was told it was being dealt with by the area manager. The letter was totally ignored and she received a letter from the area manager inviting her to a meeting to find a way forward.
She replied stating that as no written correspondence had been received, she would not attend the meeting. She also raised other points in the letter.
She received a reply from the company’s HR consultants, pp’d by her area manager, disingenuously answering two of three direct questions posed, not acknowledging in any way her previous correspondence, and inviting her to yet another meeting, on a date when she had pre-booked holiday.
She wrote back again, restating her position and saying that she could not attend as she was on pre-arranged leave and again asking for a substantive response to her previous letters.
Today we receive another letter with no content other than an invitation to a further meeting.
Are the company obliged to reply in writing? Is there any employment law which says they should?
My wife thinks we should accept the offer of going to a meeting, but in listening mode only, my inclination is to raise a formal grievance about the area manager based upon his disgraceful and disrespectful treatment of a long standing employee.
We have been through a lot recently, and could do with getting this settled.
Can anyone suggest what our next actions could be.
Thanks
vdr
My OH has been employed on a continuous basis, though with different owners, in a national chain of shops for over 12 years. She works 30 hours as a supervisor, and has always followed a shift pattern, sometimes working extra hours to cover sickness/holidays etc. Or if a colleague needed a particular day off.
She works mostly anti-social hours, but does work 8 day hours on Monday.
She was summoned with no prior notice to a meeting with her branch manager and area manager who told her that due to the financial situation they were having to reduce hours and that she should lose three hours. She was also told that her new rota would involve losing the Monday hours and working the hours from 6am on Sunday morning. She already works late night Friday and all day Saturday.
She felt intimidated at the meeting, and was the only person at her branch to have a meeting with the branch and area manager. She was asked to get back to her branch manager, which she did, in writing, on the next day. She did clarify that she was being asked to do these things, not told.
She responded by letter directly refusing to work the early morning, and refusing to give up the Monday day hours. She also said that they could only reduce her contracted hours with her consent, and she would be willing to give her consent to losing one hour per day from her Tuesday, Friday and Saturday hours.
She asked her branch manager about the letter and was told it was being dealt with by the area manager. The letter was totally ignored and she received a letter from the area manager inviting her to a meeting to find a way forward.
She replied stating that as no written correspondence had been received, she would not attend the meeting. She also raised other points in the letter.
She received a reply from the company’s HR consultants, pp’d by her area manager, disingenuously answering two of three direct questions posed, not acknowledging in any way her previous correspondence, and inviting her to yet another meeting, on a date when she had pre-booked holiday.
She wrote back again, restating her position and saying that she could not attend as she was on pre-arranged leave and again asking for a substantive response to her previous letters.
Today we receive another letter with no content other than an invitation to a further meeting.
Are the company obliged to reply in writing? Is there any employment law which says they should?
My wife thinks we should accept the offer of going to a meeting, but in listening mode only, my inclination is to raise a formal grievance about the area manager based upon his disgraceful and disrespectful treatment of a long standing employee.
We have been through a lot recently, and could do with getting this settled.
Can anyone suggest what our next actions could be.
Thanks
vdr
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