Hi,
I work as a Parking Host (according to our company, it's cleaner's job, customer service job, security job and cashier's job in one) in Yorkshire. Our company operates 3 different car parks in the city centre and I work in one of them. There was a change in working pattern of all the Parking Hosts in our town last year, after (verbal) agreement accepted by us and the company, we basically switched to 4 on - 4 off shift pattern, with four 12-hour shifts at work and 4 days off.
When we made this agreement, we accepted the company's scheme, which defines all 3 car parks in a town as a Cluster - that means, that if there are two of us working on our car park in one day and something happens in another one (somebody will get suddenly sick, etc.), one of has HAS to cover the affected site without questioning it.
So let's get closer to my problem: What is happening now - the company is trying to save every penny on it's staff (they make huge profits every year anyway) and it dismissed 2 or 3 Parking Hosts. The situation now is, that every time one of us is either sick or on holiday, one of the car parks is unmanned and has to be covered by someone from another site.
But our company stepped to another solution - they want us to cover 2 car parks at once. And how it is supposed to work? Well - right now I'm on my four 12-hour nightshifts in one car park, which is busy approximately until midnight. I also have an emergency response mobile phone from another carpark (which is approximately in 1 mile distance from my workplace) and my company wants me to WALK over there, DURING THE NIGHT by myself, if a customer needs sorting out. They also want me do go over there to do some duties. Now this town has a very busy nightlife, thanks to massive amount of students.
I am just wondering - do they have the right to ask me to leave my original workplace, have a 15-minute long walk to another site across the whole Leeds city centre? Even if I am supposed to be a part of a cluster, do they have the legal right to ask for such things? Isn't that a breach either of my contract, or Health&Safety Act, or both? Is there any legal advice I can get easily and personally (I honestly don't know, if Citizen Advice Bureau can handle this)?
They do ask for another things that are not in our contracts, but I still honestly believe, that they cannot do this. I am not even saying about the 'customer service' I am supposed to provide to the customers on our carpark, because everytime I leave, it takes at least 15 minutes to get back - if something happens on my carpark and it needs to be sorted out by myself personally, the poor customer must wait until I arrive - that's the strategy of my employer.
I would like to write a grievance about this matter, but I honestly don't know, if such fight does make sense. I am a full-time international student of European Law at university (and thus I am not much acquainted with UK laws) and I am not the only one of the Parking Hosts, who complains about the manners of our employer. But it seems, that I am the only one, who is trying to sort this out, as my colleagues are too afraid to support me without showing them a proof, that we CAN actually change something.
So, please - if there is someone, who can help me with this case, I would be happy if You offered me any solution to this, legal advice, acts and laws dealing with such matters, and so on.
Thank You.