If you're having trouble with your boss denying those rights then get advice
Get up to speed on what you are entitled to at work and say goodbye to job nightmares
For most Antipodeans and South Africans a working holiday in the UK is a time of adventure and new experiences. But what happens if your job turns out to be a nightmare?
An obnoxious boss, unpaid overtime, having to do dangerous or uncomfortable work — such things can make life hell.
Justine, a 22-year-old Australian, experienced all this while she was working at a pub in west London earlier this year. And while she put up with it (see 'Horror time'), you don't have to.
Your entitlements
All employees, including agency (temp) workers, have these rights from their first day of work:
- The minimum wage of £5.52 an hour (£4.60 for 18- to 21-year-olds)
- Working time rights (including breaks, four weeks' paid holiday a year and a limit on how many hours you work each week)
- Health and safety protection
- The right to join a union
- Protection from discrimination
Tackling the boss
According to the independent Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), the best way to deal with problems at work is to have an informal chat with your immediate manager. An Acas spokesman says it's better to do this sooner rather than later, before the relationship becomes antagonistic. If you need to talk to your boss:
- Prepare what to say.
- Agree on a time to meet in a quiet place.
- Try to stay calm, and don't get emotional or personal.
- If this doesn't work then most companies have a formal internal grievance procedure.
Getting help
The Acas helpline and Citizens Advice Bureau (Cab) offer free, outside advice.
If you are threatened with being sacked, the Cab might be able to help.
"[We] will help you work out what your rights are and advise you of your entitlements, and provide options on how to deal with the situation and your employer," Cab press officer Moira Haynes says.
"If you're having trouble with your boss denying those rights then get advice — you might be able to get those rights enforced." So whether your boss is a total nightmare or trying to squeeze a few unpaid hours out of you, there is help available to make your working day more bearable.
See www.citizensadvice.org.uk. For Acas call 0845-747 4747 or see www.acas.org.uk. The Trades Union Congress Know Your Rights phone line is 0870-600 4882, or see www.worksmart.org.uk
Horror time
When Justine (not her real name) left Australia for the UK in February she was relieved to have a live-in pub job lined up through a recruitment agency at home. But what should have been the beginning of an enjoyable experience quickly turned into a nightmare.
"From day one I realised I had a tough boss," she says. "He was rude and cruel." Some of the problems Justine encountered at the pub were:
- Working more than six hours straight without a break.
- Working unpaid overtime.
- Working seven days straight before getting a day off.
- Having to clean an acid leak in a toilet.
- Being sacked without notice and then being told at 12.30am to vacate her room immediately.
"Be aware that workplaces can be different from back home," Justine says. "But if you think you are not being treated properly, you don't have to put up with it.
"I now realise if such a situation was to arise again, I would not persevere and try to put up with it because there are so many job vacancies in London offering employees appropriate working conditions."
