Company treating me like ****

Hi all. I have been driving cement mixers for a local company for about the last 10 months. Its my first driving job. I handed my notice in before xmas so that i leave at the end of january as im doing my Class 1, and don’t want to be tied down in a Class 2 job just incase an opportunity for getting Class 1 experience comes up.

Now, my company are taking me for a ride. I am normally based in a quarry local to me (20 min drive), but for the next 2 weeks, i have to drive about 3 times the distance to north bristol (50-80mins depending on traffic) to their main depot. I will not be doing any driving though, from what i have worked out im basically going to be a yard monkey for the last 2 weeks of my employment. I have checked over my contract and there is nothing i can do about it really as the contract covers everything.

Really i just need to get my head down and get on with it as its only 2 weeks but im going to find it pretty hard.

Just wondering what other people would do in my situation. Stay or walk?

I would also love to name this company as i think what they are doing is pretty disgusting and childish really.

Walk .why the hell give a months notice. shud have given a week the week before you wanted to leave

chester1:
Walk .why the hell give a months notice. shud have given a week the week before you wanted to leave

They have to if its in their contract.

In answer to the original question, stay. Its not going to look good to a prospective employer if you walked out of your first HGV job and there’s always the possibility, no matter how small, that they could go after you for the costs of getting in agency to cover the outstanding notice period.

didn’t you say you had a bad back :wink: got to be worth 2 week off :slight_smile:

Stick with it, they are small minded like little kids…don’t come down to their playground level, behave with dignity and show them up for the ignorant people they are.

If they are sending you to work at another yard you should be travelling in the firms time so 80 mins each way 160 altogether that’s 3 hours gone in a 8 hour day, play them at there own game.

Surely, your normal work place is only 20 minutes commute, so that’s where you work from.
If they insist that you work from another depot, you must be due travel expenses & overtime. ■■?

Edited-Great minds think alike, I posted this at the same time as Mac !

I still say walk. bet there’s nothing in his contract about going to another depot an hour away to be a yard man if that ain’t in his contract the the contract is broken . In 30 odd years I have never had it held against me if I have jacked a job in if things ain’t right( always give a week if just leaving and will always do this even if means missing out on new job ). It sounds like they have already replaced him if he is not needed in the depot he is based at So I doubt they will be chasing him for the cost of agency’s. more often than not referances are more about the person than there driving ability so can always get referances from previous employers in the trade he was in before

Name and shame- If the OP is honest there’ll be no comeback. At my last place it says a months’ notice, but the exodus of drivers there in the last few months all gave just a fortnight each. Why have you been relegated to dogsbody? Do they not trust you to turn in, and don’t want to risk a truck sitting idle?

if its was me I would stay. for me I always try to leave any employer on good terms.
you never know you may want to return there 1 day.

call in sick with stress. Bloke i used to work with used to do it all the time, blamed it on depression.

Thanks for reply chaps.

I will never return there after how they have treated me, i have done nothing wrong, if anything gone above and beyond my duty so to speak and they treat me like this.

My contract states that the employer reserves the right to change my normal place of work to any place within the North Somerset and South Glos area and also states the employee from time to time may be required to carry out such other reasonable duties as the Employer may decide which covers the change of place of work and the yard man duties.

If i walk im also not sure what would happen about the money i have already earnt. If i have earnt it is it mine or because i break the contract can they refuse to pay this? Bonus is payed month in arrears and normally a few hundred a month.

Also i would find it hard getting a reference as my job previous to this i didn’t exactly leave in the best fashion haha felt good though :slight_smile:

Unfortunately i think its sounding like i need to stay

Edit - Also contract states that after 7 days of sickness i must provide a doctors note, and i have technically 12 days left.

instantKarma:
call in sick with stress. Bloke i used to work with used to do it all the time, blamed it on depression.

Yep,they cant argue with that :wink:

Ah, bonus, an ugly word at the best of times.

Considering how they are now treating you, what’s your gut feeling that you’ll get it at all?

Be a bugger if you spend goodness knows how much on fuel and travelling time for the next 12 days and the swine dock your bonus anyway through the contempt they are already displaying, i’d read that contract back to front if i were you, cos i can see you ending up taking the bleeders to court to get that bonus.

colz1234:
Thanks for reply chaps.

I will never return there after how they have treated me, i have done nothing wrong, if anything gone above and beyond my duty so to speak and they treat me like this.

My contract states that the employer reserves the right to change my normal place of work to any place within the North Somerset and South Glos area and also states the employee from time to time may be required to carry out such other reasonable duties as the Employer may decide which covers the change of place of work and the yard man duties.

If i walk im also not sure what would happen about the money i have already earnt. If i have earnt it is it mine or because i break the contract can they refuse to pay this? Bonus is payed month in arrears and normally a few hundred a month.

Also i would find it hard getting a reference as my job previous to this i didn’t exactly leave in the best fashion haha felt good though :slight_smile:

Unfortunately i think its sounding like i need to stay

Edit - Also contract states that after 7 days of sickness i must provide a doctors note, and i have technically 12 days left.

It can be 2 seperate sickness’, ie 7 days sick, 1 day work, rest sick, job done.

By if your getting paid from start to finish can’t see that there’s a problem …

I think that you will find your car insurance company will treat this extra travelling as business use, for which you are not covered.

colz1234:
If i walk im also not sure what would happen about the money i have already earnt. If i have earnt it is it mine or because i break the contract can they refuse to pay this? Bonus is payed month in arrears and normally a few hundred a month.

Also i would find it hard getting a reference as my job previous to this i didn’t exactly leave in the best fashion haha felt good though :slight_smile:

Unfortunately i think its sounding like i need to stay

Edit - Also contract states that after 7 days of sickness i must provide a doctors note, and i have technically 12 days left.

If you leave they cannot withhold your money. But as you rightly said, it ain’t going to look good on a job reference. Its only a couple of weeks, not the end of the world.

Bite the bullet just plod on …
You could after all when you leave write a letter to the employment tribunal committee outlaying when you handed your notice they had tried to make things difficult by changing your place and type of work hoping that you would walk without working your notice … ( Is the truck you were driving out on the road if so they have possibly over stepped a part of your contract as your a driver 1st :wink: ) not only that it will be kept in a file just for the time when someone goes to tribunal for something to show the company was acting in an unfair way…
name and shame

instantKarma:
call in sick with stress. Bloke i used to work with used to do it all the time, blamed it on depression.

I’ve known people turn up to work on a Monday morning with a 2 week sick note and 2 week notice of employment termination then walk off the job.

They can’t do jack about it.