What if i dont want to work extra time...

[njb73]

Hello Everybody,

I have been running my own Ltd Company now for 3 years where i am the employee. I work in the Oil and Gas sector. Up until now i have had no real problems but today got hit with one where i feel i am not being dealt with fairly.

I work in Brazil on a oil offloading platform at sea, contracting for a UK company. I am contracted to work 30 days away ( 2 days are travel) 28 on platform and 26 days back home. I fly out to the platform and back via scheduled helicopter flight.

Today 5 of us found out that the UK company coordinator forgot to book our seats on the helicopter for this Friday to take us away from the platform and back to the beach to catch our flights back to the UK. We had been asking for seat confirmation prior to today for 6 days.

We got told there was a mess up, and there were 2 seats available on Thursday, 1 on Friday but 2 persons would have to stay until Sunday.

One person volunteered to stay until Sunday, so this left 4 people trying to get onto either the Thursday or Friday flight as we all had plans and did not want to stay for 2 further days until the Sunday.

I contacted the coordinator and pointed out my plans to him and that i did not want to volunteer to stay as it would cost me financially.

I found out later in the day that i had in fact been put onto the Sunday flight program. This decision is now going to cost me financially in a big way, more than what the extra days will pay.

Out of the 5 of us, 2 persons are paye to the uk company and 3 of us are contractors. There is no necessity to keep me on the platform as my replacement is coming out on the Thursday.

Can the Uk company treat me like this and effectively make me stay longer than i was contracted to do, after i made a point of not wanting to do it. No offer of compensation or anything was given.

I can understand this if i were employed by the company, which has happened to me in the past as an employee for another company, but as a contractor, i thought i had the right to say no, or negotiate terms outwith the existing contract agreement.

Have they done anything legally wrong, or do i just have to suck it up ......

Thanks

[tractor]

..

Hello Everybody,

I have been running my own Ltd Company now for 3 years where i am the employee. I work in the Oil and Gas sector. Up until now i have had no real problems but today got hit with one where i feel i am not being dealt with fairly.

I work in Brazil on a oil offloading platform at sea, contracting for a UK company. I am contracted to work 30 days away ( 2 days are travel) 28 on platform and 26 days back home. I fly out to the platform and back via scheduled helicopter flight.

Today 5 of us found out that the UK company coordinator forgot to book our seats on the helicopter for this Friday to take us away from the platform and back to the beach to catch our flights back to the UK. We had been asking for seat confirmation prior to today for 6 days.

We got told there was a mess up, and there were 2 seats available on Thursday, 1 on Friday but 2 persons would have to stay until Sunday.

One person volunteered to stay until Sunday, so this left 4 people trying to get onto either the Thursday or Friday flight as we all had plans and did not want to stay for 2 further days until the Sunday.

I contacted the coordinator and pointed out my plans to him and that i did not want to volunteer to stay as it would cost me financially.

I found out later in the day that i had in fact been put onto the Sunday flight program. This decision is now going to cost me financially in a big way, more than what the extra days will pay.

Out of the 5 of us, 2 persons are paye to the uk company and 3 of us are contractors. There is no necessity to keep me on the platform as my replacement is coming out on the Thursday.

Can the Uk company treat me like this and effectively make me stay longer than i was contracted to do, after i made a point of not wanting to do it. No offer of compensation or anything was given.

I can understand this if i were employed by the company, which has happened to me in the past as an employee for another company, but as a contractor, i thought i had the right to say no, or negotiate terms outwith the existing contract agreement.

Have they done anything legally wrong, or do i just have to suck it up ......

Thanks

The most important thing is, what does your contract say? If the situation is covered, there is your answer. If the contract is silent on the matter, then you have a right to negotiate.

[sal]

The most important thing is, what does your contract say? If the situation is covered, there is your answer. If the contract is silent on the matter, then you have a right to negotiate.

+1

And you say you have been there for 3 years now. Is this the first such case (not with just you but with your colleagues as well)? I highly doubt it, how was this resolved previously?

[BlasterBates]

I would say that as a permie you would probably have a right to be compensated for the delay if you had authorised holiday, but probably not as a contractor.

They could reasonably expect you to book flexible tickets, i.e. business class.

In effect you've probably saved a lot of money by flying economy over the years, but it didn't work out this time.

Worth asking for, but I doubt you'll get very far if they've paid you for the extra days.