Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

[sutty86]

Good morning after some advice really...

i work for a private ambulance company who have started a new 12 hour contract but i work normally 12.5 hours , half hour unpaid break...

My contract states that i work at a certain ambulance station which i applied for the position of (its local)

recently my crew mate has been on leave and they asked me to work down at the main station (40miles 1.5hours driving in an ambulance, on a good run)

which normally happens in shift time , so for example -

get to home station at 10:30(check ambulance etc) - to start shift at 11 until 2300

so what people have been doing before me is travelling down to the main station at 11 and finishing at 21:30 to get back for 2300

unless there is an emergency , we are contracted to A+E Work even though im only trained as Patient transport.....

so i agreed to do this monday evening ( all parties were happy via the phone)

So my first shift was yesterday morning at 11am i set off to the main station in the ambulance got there at 12:30 to get a few missed calls and voicemails asking were i am etc....
i got told to come straight to the office on the voicemail , so go into the office.....

basically getting told i should of traveled out of shift time(in my own time) so setting off from my house at 0900, and in my own vehicle,
to finish there at 2300 to travel back to my house and get back for 00:30 (but 80percent of the time we finish late) so had some time on to that factor...
only having a 1hour meal break inbetween (30mins unpaid) so when i get in after a shower, and food, i have to wake up at 0700 to start the process again for another 3 days (4on4off)

THIS has never happened before, and only two weeks ago a colleague at my station did what i did on this particular day and nothing was said, i also did a shift last week and same again nothing...

i vented my frustration and got basically told im doing it or else ill lose my job, im rubbish at confrontation....

and this morning ive got up to do my second day and i got myself worked up , didnt sleep last night, got a banging headache,

phoned up this morning saying i couldnt come in due to work related stress.... as im exhausted...

i have had upteen calls since i phoned up this morning at 7am and voicemails from work....

im just sick to death of been mistreated they wouldnt ask anyone else at my station to do this( and they havent)

it just that im the newbie and soft touch....

sorry about the rant, is there anything i can throw at them legal terms,
enforced overtime?driving hours?

[Kati]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

[MENTION=19071]teaboy2[/MENTION] is good with employment issues ... hopefully he'll be on in a bit xx

[teaboy2]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

So you pick up your ambulance at your local station at start of your shift, to travel to the main station - And they b*llocked you because they wanted you there for the start of the shift, am i right?

p.s. book an appointment with your doctor and have him sign you off with work related stress, so then you will have a sick note to give to employer.

How many phone calls did you received after you called in sick, and what was the content of the voice messages, where they aggressive or abusive i.e. name calling for example?

[sutty86]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

So you pick up your ambulance at your local station at start of your shift, to travel to the main station - And they b*llocked you because they wanted you there for the start of the shift, am i right?

p.s. book an appointment with your doctor and have him sign you off with work related stress, so then you will have a sick note to give to employer.

How many phone calls did you received after you called in sick, and what was the content of the voice messages, where they aggressive or abusive i.e. name calling for example?

Yes , but apparently i was not allowed to take the ambulance which has always happened before....(theres no communication between managment)
the company is on its backside really (lots of people leaving atm) they only care about profit (private ambulance)

sorry if it comes across confusing i was so frustrated this morning... calmed down slightly...

[teaboy2]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

Right so they wanted you to take ambulance and be at main station for your normal shift start - But then they didn't let you take the Ambulance (or failed to tell you you didn't need to take the ambulance) so you had to go to main station in your own car?

[sutty86]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

sorry its quite confusing English isnt my best subject...

Normally work 11am-11pm from a yorkshire dales station, but have to start 30mins before to complete vehicle checks... so 10:30...

i was told i could take the ambulance which i was suppose to be in (crew mate on leave) and head down to major town station to do normal shift hours ( set off from dales station at 11am to town station and finish in time to get back to dales station for 11pm..
this was agreed on the phone , monday evening and this HAS ALWAYS been the case...

So yesterday i set off at dales station at 11am and got to town station at 12:30 pm to receive a telling off for being late and taking the ambulance from dales station.... apparently i was suppose to get there for 10:30 to do vehicle checks there (on one of there ambulances) and come down in my own vehicle (which is a learner legal motorbike - not the quickest of things,and im only just passed my CBT , not much experience)
i was never told this until yesterday...

but speaking to my colleagues at the main station , they have been in an identical situation and have refused and took down DALES ambulance and finish on time (12 hour shift)

does that help???

everyone at work are struggling with the 12 hour shift (tired wise)it has only been implemented last 2 months, used to be a ten hour shift.....

[teaboy2]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

So they agreed verbally over the phone, then tell you otherwise when you did what was verbally agreed.

Put in a formal grievance - Stating it was verbally agreed on the phone prior to you attending the main stations that you would arrive at the minor station at the usually time and leave for the main station with the ambulance at 11am and that you would leave the main station and 9:30 to get back to the minor station in time for the end of your contracted shift hours. Only to then be told once you arrived at the main station that you were suppose to be their for 10:30am which was not what was agreed verbally over the phone.

Point out that their actions of constantly phoning on numerous occasions after you phoned in sick amount to harassment.

You are under know obligation to work at any station other than the one that is your contractual place of work (minor station) and in the event you are requested to attend another station they are legally obligated to compensate you for travel expenses to cover your additional millage, wear and tier of your vehicle or cost of public transport.

Not only that everyone else that has been requested to attend the main station have all first attended the minor station at the start of their shift and drove their ambulances to the main station and left the main station at 9:30pm in order to be back at the minor station for 11pm which is the end of their shift.

Point out that your personal vehicle is merely a learner legal motorbike capable of a max speed of 40mph meaning it would take you Xhr xmins to travel from your home to the main station - which is simply not practical and you are under no obligation to do so!

[sutty86]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

Many thanks for your time been getting more phone calls text and was told it is in my contract I could move stations but there is no time period.

Is there anything on hours worked/driving hours I could use..

They have said I can work at home station tomorrow, there sending a young kid only just passed his course last week up to work with me, I think they have stitched him up also..

But also have a funny feeling they are going to make me work down main station on Saturday and try make me do the 15.5 hour shift.

He did mention about I can claim mileage but that's not the point, its more health reasons and driving, has blue light driving is mentally demanding.

I thank you again for your time and making me feel welcome.
Wish I could contribute back some how.

[teaboy2]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

Can you post up part of contract where they say they can move you to main station please, as your usually place of work is an expressed term of your contract so can not simply be changed willy nilly - I suspect they are referring to reasonable request!

[sutty86]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

4. Hours of work

4.1 You will normally be required to work 42 hours per week which will be made up of carious shift patterns as advised by your line manager that can be on any day of the week.

4.2 ************* may alter your normal hours of work to meet requirements of its business at short notice

4.3 You may request to change your normal hours of work by submitting a request in writing to your line manager. Any such request will be approved or denied entirely at the discretion of ************

4.4 ************ may require you to work outside your normal hours of work on weekdays,weekends and public holidays. Such overtime may be required at short notice

5. PLACE OF WORK
Your normal place of work will be at SKIPTON

20. MOBILITY
You will be based at Skipton although you may be required on reasonable notice to move to any location specified by *********, whether on temporary or permanent basis, for the proper performance of your duties


no mention of time periods for reasonable notice,

[sutty86]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

Spoke to Doctor this morning who says im not in a fit state to work, told me to self certify for a week from yesterday and go back and see him on Wednesday to see how i am...

[teaboy2]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

4. Hours of work

4.1 You will normally be required to work 42 hours per week which will be made up of carious shift patterns as advised by your line manager that can be on any day of the week.

4.2 ************* may alter your normal hours of work to meet requirements of its business at short notice

4.3 You may request to change your normal hours of work by submitting a request in writing to your line manager. Any such request will be approved or denied entirely at the discretion of ************

4.4 ************ may require you to work outside your normal hours of work on weekdays,weekends and public holidays. Such overtime may be required at short notice

5. PLACE OF WORK
Your normal place of work will be at SKIPTON

20. MOBILITY
You will be based at Skipton although you may be required on reasonable notice to move to any location specified by *********, whether on temporary or permanent basis, for the proper performance of your duties - Any location - That would not be a reasonable request (would they really expect someone to travel or move from one end of the country to the other) nor would be a permanent relocation, as it would change your Place of work term and they would need to make a variation of term notice (requesting your agreement) to you in order to do that. Also your location of work has nothing to do with proper performance of your duties, its more to do with providing cover for staff shortages etc


no mention of time periods for reasonable notice,

Reasonable notice would be no less than a weeks notice.

Put in the grievance as i suggested earlier but to the grievance letter the following:

You are aware that upon a reasonable request being made you may be required to work at the main station or any station on a temporary basis, however it is unreasonable to expect you to travel in your own vehicle and its unreasonable to expect you to be at main station for 10:30am and to not leave till 11pm when it is an 1.5hr trip to get there and same to get back, which puts your safety at risk, especially at night when its dark due to the poor headlights on your bike, meaning you can not see where your going hardly its also unreasonable on the grounds that it takes 3hrs out of your own time and amounts to an extra 3hrs of driving on top of the time spent driving the ambulance. On top of that as it has been customary practice for others to start their shift at 10:30am at the minor station to then drive their ambulance to the main station and to then leave the main station at 9:30pm in order to arrive back at the minor station in time for their shift ending at 11pm, then it is not only unreasonable to make such a request of you its also a clear contradiction to normal customary practice!



As for the driving time limits you asked me about earlier, Ambulances are exempt from these i believe sutty.

[sutty86]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

Teaboy your the best, is there anything i can write about the reasonable notice?

[teaboy2]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

Yes you can say reasonable notice would be a weeks notice, not 24/48hr notice - your not in the special forces who can be called upon to perform special ops on short notice!

[sutty86]

Re: Forced to work a 15.5 hour day - driving

Thank you very much, is there any good sites with grievence templates.
I'm rubbish at formal writing,just bullet points