I've been working for a Finnish company for over two years now, and I have a few things that I would like to hear some opinions about.
According to my contract, I should be working at least 10hours every three weeks. Officially though, I am usually working over 20 hours every week. I've had that contract since the beginning, and every time I asked to change the contract the answer that I got was that "'we can't give more of those 30- or 60-hours contracts now because we have too many employees and we're not sure we can fulfill them". However, they keep hiring new people, and offering to them these kinds of contracts. Is it normal to still have this contract after over two years during which I have been working much more hours?
Another one about the shifts. We are usually given shifts (normally based on our wishes) for a few weeks. When there are busier times, like last autumn, we are asked, sometimes even insistedly that "can you come tomorrow to work? I really need someone, you're my last option. At least come for a few hours", which usually means I'm there for about 8 hours anyway. During this spring, and especially this summer there won't be that much work to do, partly because there are summer workers who are unpaid and doing internships, so every time when there is not much work, we get a text in the morning (and that means around 6 in the morning, when the shift is supposed to be at 9) saying that we should stay home. Two of my shifts were cancelled in the last 10 days. Are there any rules about canceling shifts so often? It's really annoying to be waken up so early, just to be told to stay home..
Another thing is that, you never know how long you're going to be at work. So I can either find out in the morning that I'm not going at all (or I'm going extra, on a day off) and even though my shift is officially let's say 6 hours, sometimes I am there for 9-10 hours and can't leave until everything is done.
Every time I ask for more hours, the answer I get is "well your contract says you have minimum 10 hours in three weeks, so you can't complain because you are getting those". And still, instead of giving us more hours, they keep hiring other people.
For the last two years I've been at work on almost every Monday and almost every Saturday. I've even skipped whole courses at school on Mondays, hoping that next year they will be on a different day of the week, because I knew that there is a lot of work on those days and I have always been available to do the hardest part of the job, and to be there even for 10 hours (absolutely no pay for overtime). So how can they just use the 10h contract as an excuse for me working a lot less during the whole summer, only to expect me to be available again whenever they need me again? Is that fair?
I know for some jobs it can be unpredictable, and that's the whole purpose of these jobs in shifts, but they do not care at all that they are completely ruining our schedules. And I feel that they are taking advantage of the fact that I am going to work any time they ask me anyway, so it doesn't benefit them at all to give me a better contract and more working hours.
Sorry for long post, really interested to hear opinions.
