Sir Alan slams equal opportunity laws

[britty 1]

Hmmm....doesnt that get covered in a contract? ...most companies have you sign a contract which lays out what the terms and benefits are?

All employees in the UK are required to have a written contract within 2 months of starting a position. Most contracts I have ever had were very vague and never mentioned required hours. I worked for large multi nationals - so it wasn't as if the company was small.

I worked in a nursing home owned by a national company. My hours stated on the contract were very cleverly put as minimum hours contracted for. This meant that if they were short staffed they gave me lots of hours but if they didnt need me so much then they could just put me down for minimum hours. I was contracted at the time for 18 hours but remember looking at the rota one time and I had five x 12 hour shifts in a row . They told me it was holiday cover and I was expected to do it. I did work it but told them never again (being the nurse in charge I ended up doing 14 hours on most of the shifts, though only got paid for the 12 hours). Sometimes we do have to stand our ground

I'm guessing the nursing home was in the UK? Frankly, IMO, nurses are not given the credit or salary they deserve in the UK. It is a wonder that anyone in the UK chooses to be a nurse, specifically since the salary and work hours do not correspond at all. Here in VA, nurses are commonly paid around $100,000 and rightly so. The UK needs to step up.

[mustang-sally 8]

Hmmm....doesnt that get covered in a contract? ...most companies have you sign a contract which lays out what the terms and benefits are?

All employees in the UK are required to have a written contract within 2 months of starting a position. Most contracts I have ever had were very vague and never mentioned required hours. I worked for large multi nationals - so it wasn't as if the company was small.

I worked in a nursing home owned by a national company. My hours stated on the contract were very cleverly put as minimum hours contracted for. This meant that if they were short staffed they gave me lots of hours but if they didnt need me so much then they could just put me down for minimum hours. I was contracted at the time for 18 hours but remember looking at the rota one time and I had five x 12 hour shifts in a row . They told me it was holiday cover and I was expected to do it. I did work it but told them never again (being the nurse in charge I ended up doing 14 hours on most of the shifts, though only got paid for the 12 hours). Sometimes we do have to stand our ground

I'm guessing the nursing home was in the UK? Frankly, IMO, nurses are not given the credit or salary they deserve in the UK. It is a wonder that anyone in the UK chooses to be a nurse, specifically since the salary and work hours do not correspond at all. Here in VA, nurses are commonly paid around $100,000 and rightly so. The UK needs to step up.

Yes it was in the UK. I was the only nurse on duty at any one time, in charge of 52 residents plus around 14 staff and all for about £10 an hour. Ridiculous pay for the responsibilities. I had to deal with relatives, residents, order and dispense drugs, write a report in all residents files and make out care plans and risk assessments. On top of that I had to oversee all the carers and if anything went wrong it was on my head. You can probably see how a 12 hour shift was sometimes 14, though I never got paid for the extra.

I gave up nursing about 3 years ago and started my own business dog grooming, more money, less stress and I was once again enjoying working. I hope to set up my own business dog grooming when I move to the states. I have been put off nursing for life, much too much stress for too little pay.

[britty 1]

Hmmm....doesnt that get covered in a contract? ...most companies have you sign a contract which lays out what the terms and benefits are?

All employees in the UK are required to have a written contract within 2 months of starting a position. Most contracts I have ever had were very vague and never mentioned required hours. I worked for large multi nationals - so it wasn't as if the company was small.

I worked in a nursing home owned by a national company. My hours stated on the contract were very cleverly put as minimum hours contracted for. This meant that if they were short staffed they gave me lots of hours but if they didnt need me so much then they could just put me down for minimum hours. I was contracted at the time for 18 hours but remember looking at the rota one time and I had five x 12 hour shifts in a row . They told me it was holiday cover and I was expected to do it. I did work it but told them never again (being the nurse in charge I ended up doing 14 hours on most of the shifts, though only got paid for the 12 hours). Sometimes we do have to stand our ground

I'm guessing the nursing home was in the UK? Frankly, IMO, nurses are not given the credit or salary they deserve in the UK. It is a wonder that anyone in the UK chooses to be a nurse, specifically since the salary and work hours do not correspond at all. Here in VA, nurses are commonly paid around $100,000 and rightly so. The UK needs to step up.

Yes it was in the UK. I was the only nurse on duty at any one time, in charge of 52 residents plus around 14 staff and all for about £10 an hour. Ridiculous pay for the responsibilities. I had to deal with relatives, residents, order and dispense drugs, write a report in all residents files and make out care plans and risk assessments. On top of that I had to oversee all the carers and if anything went wrong it was on my head. You can probably see how a 12 hour shift was sometimes 14, though I never got paid for the extra.

I gave up nursing about 3 years ago and started my own business dog grooming, more money, less stress and I was once again enjoying working. I hope to set up my own business dog grooming when I move to the states. I have been put off nursing for life, much too much stress for too little pay.

I don't blame you for embarking on a new career. If nurses in the UK are allowed to be so overworked and so underpaid, why should they stay in the nursing field. Its definitely a crisis and the government and employers only have themselves to blame. Well, on the upside, when you move to the US, you will probably find you can earn a lot more in nursing and have more structured hours if that was an option for you. Dog grooming is also big business here (especially here in northern VA). My neighbours certainly get their dogs groomed each week. One of my neighbours even has a bedroom just for his little dog, complete with fitted closets and a four poster doggy sized bed.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

My neighbor does dog grooming and dogsitting and she has a very successful business (and a great lifestyle not going to an office - I am jealous)