Am I wrong to refuse? More importantly might I be in breach of my contract?

Question

I started to work as a traineer (construction) site welder for my girlfriends step-dad about 18 months ago. I have had so little trainning and am still getting paid as an apprentice with no end in site. I found out a few months ago that the company might split or cease trading altogther and may lose my job. So few weeks ago I told my boss that I would be leaving soon for another job when I found one. I am currently under going the recruitment interviews to become a Prison Officer.

My current job often involves early starts and occasionally late finishes but nothing like this. About half an hour ago I got told that I would be picked up at 3:30am tomorrow from my house in Worcester, south of Birmingham, to travel to Truro in Cornwall. Work a few hours there, then travel to Yeovil in Dorset. Again work a few hours there and finaly travel to Gravesend, the otherside of London arriving at about 8pm the same day. To get up at 7am to start work at another place in Gravesend.

Answer 1

Ring the ACAS Helpline who deal with such enquiries on a daily basis. They are quite impartial.

Their Helpline number is : 08457 47 47 47

good Luck.

Answer 2

I am responding from the USA so our laws here may differ from yours. I would consult your country's equivilent of the Board of Labor.They handle questions like this one. Your age (18 yet?) may be a factor in the answers you get. If this gets you no where, I would sit down with your girlfriend's stepdad and let him know of your concerns about the job you are doing for him potentially ending soon and ask if it is true. Is so, then HE may be breaching the contract not you, but you would both win if it is what you want also. Offer a 2 week notice to your old job if you are leaving before the job ends

( that is how we do it here in the USA)  to give the employer that you are leaving time to replace you if they feel they need to and to train your replacement. Open , honest communication is important for all parties.I would assume that you are young (under 21?) and young men and women have starter jobs and they move from one to another and take the experiences with them in hopes that it gains BETTER employment with better hours , better pay, and ultimately the dream job you have gone through training and schooling to get to. I do not think any employer would willingly hold back a

young man who wants to pursue what you want to be. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

you need to check the contract that you signed with them, it should state how many hours your contracted to work and other clauses. if you can, show the contract to your dad as he should know better than anyone.

Answer 4

its usually called paying your dues, doing what you are asked to do.  that gets you called dependable, a positive trait in future employment,  don't know if you are in breach but going is a good thing even though you will be very tired