Last week I was told totally out of the blue that I would receive notice before I go off for Christmas hols that my hours will be cut to one and a half days a week after January.
I'm half off my rocker with fury.
I was categorically told by someone in senior management that this would not happen. My hours were a major concern as soon as I found out that I was expecting...both my partner and I work for charities, we don't get paid a huge amount as it is. I made a point of talking to the manager, and I was assured that my hours wouldn't be cut like this.
How the h*ll are we supposed to get by on that little amount of maternity pay?????

As I'm seriously upset, I wondered if any of you can make me smile with some SERIOUSLY GOOD IDEAS FOR VENGEANCE AT THE CHRISTMAS PARTY....I promise not to carry them out, but babes and I could do with a seriously good laugh about now.

I am shocked. I never expected they would treat their staff like this.
With the pay we get in the charity sector, and the extra hours and heart and soul we put into it...I honestly expected better treatment.

Cosy:evil: :cry:

Firstly Congratulations on the pregnancy but sorry to hear about your treatment.

Remember - Revenge is best served cold!!:twisted:

Ideas

Put a serious dose of laxative in a Vol au Vent

Wipe something gross around the lip of their mug, it wont do anything, but it will certainly give you satisfaction.:gag:

Find out where they live and order a few things like
A skip
Free sample incontinance pants

How's that for starters?
There must be a few good revenge idea web sites

LOL, thanks Mikey.
I'm still debating the Christmas party, seeing as I had to pay for my ticket.
The disgracefully drunk and embarassing thing obviously isn't going to happen, but I'm desperate to amuse myself with other ideas.
So far the best I've managed is the angry and impassioned speech about leaving a mother and baby destitute, delivered from atop the buffet table...but I'd prefer some ideas with a little more class, lol!

Cosy:D

rather than silly antics at the christmas party why don't you speak to a solicitor and see if you have any recourse legally?
You can't be sacked for taking maternity leave, so making your employment difficult/insufficient to live on would probably be grounds to claim constructive dismisal and sexual discrimination.

Good luck with the baby, that's going to be worth more pleasure than getting revenge on some half assed manager.

Just to be on the safe side though, go to a greengrocer, and buy some chillies, the first one chop it up really fine and when you get the chance sprinkle it over what ever the manager is eating. Second, just break one in half and as mikey said rub it around the rim of his/her drinking vessel.

The last one needs you to be brave, rub as much chillie onto your hand as possible, then find the manager and grope him, in ten minutes flat he will be singing that well known song "goodness gracious great balls of fire".

Be wary of using the afore mentioned hand when you go to the loo though, it works on women too......hummmm now there's always the toilet seat in the ladies :heyhey: :heyhey: :heyhey:

Thanks, Cyclone...a sane and reasonable bit of advice.
I do intend to seek help, but I also like to contemplate vengeance while I do...just to let off some steam.

My husband is a member of CIPD, and he doesn't feel we can take this far...long story short, cut hours were always a possibility, pregnant or not, so they can a) say that they never promised me my hours wouldn't be cut, as it was a verbal discussion (I know, I know, learnt my lesson there, but after 6 years, I expected better from them) or b) say they simply changed their minds, which they legally have a right to do.

I feel that the way they did it was cowardly. And the fact that they did it at all after making promises is frankly appalling to me...but promises don't count for much in the business world, I'm afraid. Especially verbal ones. I am wondering if I have any grounds under their obligation not to cause undue stress and anxiety...but I doubt it. I'll keep everyone updated, but in the meantime...

keep me smiling with dreadful vengeance stories, please!

Cosy:D

are they cutting other peoples hours, or have they singled you out?

Do the cut hours take effect after your maternity leave or do they affect your maternity pay as well. If it's the latter then it's more likely to have ground as them persecuting you for getting pregnant.

You could always go off sick, I have a feeling they can not change anything when you are off, maybe wrong.

Do you get sick pay?

I prefer the chilli trick though!!:clap:

Originally posted by mikey
You could always go off sick, I have a feeling they can not change anything when you are off, maybe wrong.

Do you get sick pay?

I prefer the chilli trick though!!:clap:

I had a similar problem a few years ago. I was pregnant and ill in hospital, when i came out of hospital I had a letter saying I had been dismissed (a large company). they harrased me to come back to work, so I left hospital and went back , the day I returned they officially dismissed me. I went to tribunal and they would agree to pay approx £2000 in compensation. This, I felt, was not worth 2 days in court (after JUST giving birth) and informed my solicitor to cancel it the morning of the hearing.

If you are taking on a large company, beware. Your best bet is to go off sick and not return, then look for another job later.

Part time employees have to receive the same level of treatment as full time employees. If no full time workers have had their hours cut then strictly speaking your employer needs to justify the reasons for cutting YOUR hours down. I would chat to Citizens Advice. Like Cyclone says unless they give you any other specific reason then you have a good case.

LOL, Owdlad!!:gag:

Yes, I think it seriously affects my maternity pay...I believe you get paid according to the average hours of work in the 8 weeks before you leave, or similar (worked it out, but don't have the exact details here)...I would like to leave in April...that means my maternity pay will be based on one and a half days a week. In other words, sweet f.a.

I won't get paid sick leave...we get very little in the charity sector...which is a git, cos I'm stressed half out of my wits, in case my light tone fooled anyone, and that's bad enough for babes, without having to go in and deal with all this at work. But no work, no pay at all...

Cyclone, our funding is project based, e.g. my funding only affects 3 or 4 of us. Are my managers having their hours cut at the moment...ummm...NO!
Would I want my immediate manager to have her hours cut? No! She is a sweetie and it isn't her fault.

Cosy:rant:

You should get paid sick leave..it shoul dbe adjusted pro rata against what full time employees get...its the law. Your maternity leave should also be adjusted pro-rata to what a full-time employee gets..again thats the law.
The DTI have a good guide online to part time workers rights within the workplace..may be worth checking out.
It doesn't matter whether its a charity or a multi-million pound company..they still have to abide by the rules and regulations set out by the DTI.

Cosywolf,

the best thing to do, as far as your pregnancy is concerned, is weigh up how much stress this is all going to cause you. If it is more stressful to go through all the legal channels (which in my experience it is) then I would avoid it. I ended up on state benefits for a while (a first) and had PND after the birth due to the stress while pregnant.

In a few months time you will have a really wonderful gift, maybe less money than you had, but don't let that tarnish things. Don't let it all spoil what you have, you have the best thing now, and money can't buy that.

I had a good job and a mortgage to pay, it was a real struggle having no job or maternity pay but we survive these things. I do wish I had not been as stressed as I was at the time though and I could have made it much easier for myself by forgetting it all.

i know this sounds very defeatist, which is not generally my nature at all, but I am at the other side of it all now and have the benefit of hindsight.

Good luck with it all and try and stay happy and relaxed.

Cosy get yourself some legal advice and then on the side get me the names and dates of birth of people respsonsible.

Happy hunting

Moon

Thanks, Wibbles.
I have just been told to speak to ACAS, and I will go check out DTI.
Sick pay is one month full pay, two weeks half. Full stop. Having suffered some problems earlier in pregnancy (plus of course, flu, etc in the past 12 months...how quickly it goes), I have used my full pay quota...and considering my wages-to-be, I hardly dare cut any pay now by taking two weeks half pay.

I've always hated maths...

One possibility is to leave just before my hours are due to drop...I believe that they then must base maternity pay on the hours I was working (4 days a week). Unfortunately, that also means less time afterwards with babes...a harsh trade.

Cosy:confused:

I've got my serious head on now:( cosy go to the doctor and get him to sign you off as sick, there is no way they can change any of your conditions of service whilst you are ill.

To verify this ring ACAS on 0845 747 4747. or they have a web site http://www.acas.co.uk/index.html

Thanks, Bonny. I definitely see where you're coming from. It's good to hear from someone who came through it all...

Moon, thanks...and names and dates of birth to you as soon as I can get my hands on them, lol!!!

What a load of lovely, helpful people you all are...

but you do make me feel slightly guilty about my burning desire for vengeance, lol. I'm just letting off steam, honest!:D

I am a COMMUNITY worker...my lovely loyal friends in the community have a right to know why I'll be seeing less of them, and doing less work for them.... I have kept to the simple truth, and the bare facts, but I have not been silent. ...and they are doing a grand job of supporting me through it, too. Masses of thanks to all of them, for their loveliness.

Cosy:clap:

PM'd you cosy. Hope that it helps. I think that you have a good case. The LAST think I would do is to diss them publicly though. Secure your position first. Going public can be very counter-productive.

Originally posted by cosywolf

but you do make me feel slightly guilty about my burning desire for vengeance, lol. I'm just letting off steam, honest!:D


Would you like to know details of what I did to the bosses who did similar to me...should make you feel a whole load better, worked wonders for me :twisted:

Moon

Moon - you are an evil witch! :clap: :clap:

Thanks Tony, and all of you.

No dissing has been done...just a statement of facts so that everyone is clear about what's going on. Because my hours of employment will directly impact upon the people I have spoken to. Call it early warning that they will need to be looking elsewhere to get my jobs done.

I am off to speak to the contacts you lot and others have given me. I'll keep you updated on the situation.

And come on, I know at least some of you must have more demonic CHristmas party stories! I'd like to be able to savour them if I decide to pop along to eat my fill of buffet, etc, seeing as I already paid for it.

HUgs to you all,

Cosy

Originally posted by Tony
Moon - you are an evil witch! :clap: :clap:

well yes :twisted: however I would actually define evil as refusing a two year overdue payrise specifically because of time off had to grieve a dead child...

Hi all, quick update...good news, more or less.

I have found that I should receive pay according to what I am receiving up to 16th Jan. So that is a HUGE weight off my mind!

Hoorah for Woodseats advice centre for all their help, phone calls, and sympathy (I'm sure there would have been tea, but as it was over the phone I had to make my own).

I will not, however, have the right to return on a contract offering me more than 1 1/2 days...so that sucks.

And I am still confused about when I should leave, but at least I have a little more understanding of the whole thing.

Plus there are other people on the case now, which is a load off my mind.

As for the stress I have been caused for the sake of what amounts to, for them, a relatively teensy amount of money? We'll have to have a serious discussion about that. My trust and respect for an organisation I have championed relentlessly for years? Pretty much gone. The realisation that people I trusted could not only cause me this much grief at such a fragile time, but do it so casually...I'm gutted.

Thanks so much to all of you for stirring me out of my little whirlpool of self-pity and inactivity so that I could get a few things sorted...HUGS ALL ROUND.

Cosy:cool:

PS...for those thinking otherwise, I'm sorry to say that being signed off sick does not stop them changing your contract/giving you notice.

Hello Bonny
Read your note on vacuum cleaner/brushes and felt pens ;)
Got a simple solution to the pen lids.
U could team up with cosywolf - mite help her.
Mite be rubbish but if you like it and can coppyrite it then go 4 it.
don't want to post it but can't send 2 yr private email unit i've submitted 5 posts :|
I guess this will be removed by the sys-op but here's my email address try pm'ing your details to them instead? I'm always coming up with ideas but I'm simply too lazy or not meant to do much about them.
J

How about we, the undersigned, write to the charities board & patrons with a petition expressing that we will boycott said charity & spread the word via the web unless they change their archaic policies? :heyhey: :thumbsup:

Should rattle a few cages:rant: