Re: slaves
Date: 4 Jan 2007 at 07:13
Hello,
I know that this message is very much out of date, but it is worth while pointing out that there are things that can be done if employers are behaving illegally. Firstly, it is not illegal to pay less than the minimum wage if accomodation is provided. However, not to pay for hours worked is illegal.
UK employers are required to provide a contract of employment to workers. This helps establsih your rights and responsibilities. However, I am not sure whether you would get many job offers in the catering and hotel trade if you insisted on seeing one before you start work, and as it is easy to dismiss someone who has been working for two years, even getting one after you have started work is difficult.
What can you do about it? I understand that trading standards officers of local councils are responsible for enforcing minimum wage regulations and I advise anyone who has had such difficulties with an employer to write to their local oouncil to report the offence. Even if this does not solve your particular problem, it may help to establish a pattern of effending behaviour which will be helpful in future cases.
> I am writing to you because I wonder if you would like to write something
> about work condition in one of the “hotels” in Saxmundham .I was a barmaid
> in there and I don’t wish anyone to work in there. The people leading this
> place are (polite saying) strange. They abuse their employees ,examples:
> they don’t pay for extra hours like work in the kitchen (claiming that you
> need to cover costs of energy ,food, water and so on but they charge for
> accommodation as well), they don’t pay minimum wages ( wages are 4,10 £
> per hour minus taxes etc.), you need to work 8 hours without any break
> (standing behind the bar, I personally was working even longer), even
> dinner you need to eat standing behind the bar and serving clients in the
> meantime Moreover they didn’t want to give back passport to my friend (the
> other barmaid) and wanted to throw away us in the middle of the night
> despite we were paying for room,we were forced to call the police because
> we ware afraid that they will beat us.I don’t even want to mention about
> the atmosphere in this pub the way the management treat barista .rotation
> of workers in that place is unbelievable which can only confirm that all I
> am writing here is true. Everyone in Saxmundham knows about situation but
> no one before didn’t want to do anything about this. But in my opinion
> someone should do finally something .It is not a revenge I just don’t want
> to protect other people from being slave like I was for last two months.
> quess what place i am writing about!!!
Messages In This Thread
-
slaves
Kate — 20 Sep 2005 at 23:36 -
Re: slaves
Pete Rowberry — 4 Jan 2007 at 07:13