Hi All, Thank you for all your posts. My boss received his letter and apart from paying my overdue wages hasn't responded yet. I decided I didn't want to continue trying to work for him and so wrote to him and told him I resigned, without notice due to him breaching my contract by breaking the trust and cutting my hours without my agreement. So far I've not heard another word from him at all. Which, in all honesty suits me down to the ground. I've had two interviews and been offered another job, closer to home and better money so I'm really pleased with the way it's turning out. I just hope he doesn't try to sue me for not giving notice! Thanks again everyone, I wouldn't have had the nerve to stick up for myself without you!

Hi Stuart, thanks for your comment. Unfortunately I'm not certified sick at the moment, my doctor wouldn't give me a cert for the first week, apparently I have to self certify until the 8th day. Pretty sure I won't be able to go back next week anyway though so I'm sure she'll sign me off from next Monday, but that won't cover the point where he's dropped my hours unfortunately. Starting to think I should have paid the £25 for a private sick note! Might look into doing this retrospectively. I only want my wages that I worked for and earned and to be able to move on.

Hi, Thank you everyone for all your help. I'm going to wait and see what happens as far as getting my wages. I'm officially off sick until Monday but since I'm still in a lot of pain I doubt I will be fit to return to work next week as I can't stay sat down for very long without seizing up! Hopeless! My contract states my set hours per week and I have worked them ever since I started there. There has never been any variation and is not any clause in the contract allowing him to adjust my hours. It is a very basic contract as it simply states job title, hours worked and times, holiday allowed, notice period, and tells me to look at the grievance procedure for information on that. So far I've never seen this procedure! My wages are paid in a very unusual fashion, I can't really go into detail on here, but my wages due on the 18th would have been completely made up of hours I had already worked. None of my wages are paid in advance, if that's what you were asking. Luckily I keep a diary anyway and have details of everything, every day worked, every derogatory comment etc. I have cancelled all my DDs until I know when the money will come, my bank suggested I do this to avoid charges, and now I've got to contact all my utility companies etc on the bright side I've sent my CV off for several interesting looking new jobs, now my youngest is at school I can do more hours. I suppose I just have to wait and see, and hope that he'll do the right thing. I will keep you posted and thanks again.

Hi, thank you guys. Tbh I'm fairly sure I can successfully get a new job pretty quickly, as there are several advertised that are right up my street and I'm not overly concerned about getting extra money. Would just like my wages and to be able to walk away without anything nasty happening to me because I'm supposedly in the wrong. So far I have a perfect employment history and am overqualified for my current role, but took it because the hours suited, I'd rather not have any black marks on my record when applying for the next job, and I'm worried that a prospective employer may be put off by me taking a previous one to a tribunal. I know that's not supposed to happen, but it can't help I'm sure.

It all sounds awful. I really feel for you, I'm in a similar situation with a very unreasonable boss. I know it isn't fair but is it worth you trying to fin something else and letting them all get on with their very petty minded ways by themselves? It is harsh, but ultimately maybe the stress and upset is not worth the possibility of a claim maybe coming through. Doesn't stop them doing it again to others I know, but might make you feel better if you get out of there. Good luck.

Thank you. I'm hoping not to get the sack, ideally, I know in this case it might be the easiest way out but I'd rather not have that on my record. I'd just really like to have my wages and be allowed to go on my way. Naiive I know. I'll keep you posted on how it goes, and thanks again.

Hi Marie, Thank you very much. I have sent a recorded delivery letter today with the text you gave me. As it happens I would really like to quit the job anyway, and preferably without having to give notice because I know he will make my life a misery for the entire 12 weeks if I have to stay. I've been reading elsewhere that cutting my hours that way is a breach of contract, do you know if this is true please? If it is, do I then have the right to quit without notice to look for another job? Thank you very very much for your help, it is much appreciated.

Hi, My sister has had svereal jobs requiring CRB checks and at each one she has had to have a new CRB done before she could start work. Not a problem except that some employers wanted her to pay for her own.

Hi, Can't wait to hear the approach! Right, yesterday was when I got an email advising me that he had other personal expenses and so was reducing my hours by a third. Today I called to ask why I hadn't been paid and he told me that I'd get my wages when I returned fit for work. I am usually paid by bank transfer on or before the 18th of each month, and have all previous bank statements to show this. I think he's got the hump that I'm not in work and is trying to punish me for it. It wouldn't be so bad but I'm in an awful lot of pain too! Thank you very much for your thoughts.

Hi HB, thank you but my screen name isn't my real name and I haven't listed any others, so not sure what you mean? Thank you for trying to look out for me though!

Hello HB, no it wasn't I fell down the stairs at home.

Hi All, Wonder if anyone can help me. I've had my job 18 months and always worked the same hours, (contracted). I had an accident a few days ago which meant that I have been off work. I don't have a certificate because my Doc won't give one for the first week. It was my payday yesterday but my boss hasn't paid me, saying he won't until I'm back at work again, and that his needs have changed so my hours have been cut by a third. I can't afford this cut and because of the way he's treating me (very derogatory, unreasonable and rude) I would like to leave. I need more money to pay my rent and have two children to support. There are other jobs advertised at the moment which have start dates prior to the end of my 12 week notice period. I therefore don't want to give him 12 weeks notice, miss out on a job I think I can get and end up totally out of pocket. Plus I think he's trying to make me go back in to get my wages so it looks like I've agreed to the cut in my working hours, which I haven't. What can I do? Do I have any rights to obtain my wages, which are paid in arrears anyway? Really desperate as have DDs coming out of the bank in a few days and no money to pay them. Thank you all very much in advance.

Hi All, I don't know if any of you with cancelled gym membership problems are aware of this but the Office of Fair Trading took Esporta to court over their contractual terms being unfair and unreasonable (ie 3 months cancellation notice is too much once out of the 12 months committment period) and Esporta lost. This from what I can see makes the 3 month notice period debt unenforceable. I found this on the OFT website. Hope it helps.

If it's any help I have a relative who works for the HA and it's part of his job to go out checking the barriers on their territory every day. This means they troll the motorways looking for damage on a regular basis. It's unlikely that your daughter would be billed for the damage caused by others as they'd probably already have a record of it. If in doubt maybe the police would have a record of exactly where the damage she caused occurred. As far as we're aware they don't bill you for everything they possibly can but if damage has been done it has to be repaired to protect other road users, therefore whoever caused the damage should pay. Also it's like the other post said, to protect the guys fixing it they have to put traffic management into place, cones trucks etc and this costs money too. It's not a case of ripping you off or anything, but it could well be more than you'd want to pay yourself as opposed to losing the NCB.

I had exactly the same thing happen to me! They wrote off my car, denied receiving documents, didn't record information in my file, denied I'd told them about speeding points and finally insulted me with a cheque that was less than 25% of the cra's value and less than the policy cost for that year! They also cancelled the policy instantly without informing me and left me driving my husband's car uninsured (I thought I'd still got 3rd party on another car cover). I spent hours on the telephone shouting, asking nicely, being reasonable and trying to sort this out. Ultimately it seems despite my being a loyal customer for 7 years I'm supposed to be a liar. I'd suggest you keep records of who you speak to and when, including what they tell you, send everything recorded delivery and to a named manager, and finally hassle them constantly because it seems to be the only way they'll listen - they finally caved in slightly and added another 20% to the settlement, but had the cheek to deduct £100 for them losing my MOT, which they said they couldn't check online for because they'd lost my registration document!!!!!!! Good luck because you'll need it!!