How to ask employer to reverse reduced hours & salary

S

sosleepy

Registered User
Messages
4
will try keep this short... in same job now 18 years & early recession 5 years ago asked to take 10% pay cut, agreed hoping was short term. The 2 years ago asked to take another 10% cut (total to date 20%) but also to reduce 35hr week to 20 hours...

It was sustainable whilst on jobseekers for 9 months, then means tested and only getting €20 a week and as result in major overdraft every month. I work in a small office and no changes every made to my employment contract - all done verbally or via email.

Have asked informally twice to increase my hours but told not feasible.... now I go to work and owe money and come home stressed as full working week compressed into 20 hours.

Now I want to ask in writing to reinstate my hours (or even an increase) and salary but how do I go about it. I was very happy in my job, hence there so long but just can't enjoy working with so much work and financial stress and having a zero bank balance at the end of the month once mortgage goes out!

Was going to give a choice to increase hours & salary and if not to give in my notice - I know it will leave me exposed as having left my position but seems like only resort now.
 
You work in a small office so assumption is that you have direct access to your employer. The best and likely most effective approach to this would be to seek a meeting with your employer. Explain your position exactly as you have done above and keep it unemotional and on a business footing. Advise him that you would like to stay in the employment but that you will need more hours/wages in order to do this. If he is unwilling/unable to offer you a satisfactory solution you can then re-assess your options. Perhaps you should look for an alternative position before handing in your notice.
Alternatively, if you find it difficult to speak to your employer or are reluctant to discuss this matter face to face, then you could document your request in the lines as above and hand him the letter.
 
Give a call to NERA [broken link removed], they are excellent at giving advice on this sort of thing or a trip to Citizens Info would work too, they will probably ring NERA for you.
 
You have a right to request redundancy after a certain period if you don't get your hours restored. Not sure off-hand what the time limit is and what the effect of allowing it to go on for 2 years would be. It may be that you have effectively consented to a new contract, albeit nothing in writing.
If you would be happy to leave getting statutory redundancy then you could follow this route. Hopefully it is still open to you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top