My wife was employed as a shop assistant when the local village shop was taken over by a new owner. She started on the day he took over the business just over 2 years ago. Since that day she has worked consistently over 25 hours a week, with an average over the 2 years of 31 hours a week. She has never been given, or offered a contract, but is paid through the books with pay slips, holiday pay and pension etc. There is a flat attached to the shop, and for some months its been empty. The boss wants to let that flat out on a private rental, but there is a codicil attached by the people who actually own the shop that whoever lives there must work at the shop and it cannot be rented out to anyone other than an employee. My wifes boss has come up with the idea that he will rent the shop out, but to swerve the codicil he will be giving the new people some hours at the shop. He has said that he will therefore be reducing my wifes hours to 20 hours a week, which in all honesty would cause us severe financial problems. When he told my wife the plan he explained that because there is no contract, no hours are guaranteed and that she is actually therefore on a zero hours contract. This is HIS interpretation of it, and therefore he can reduce the hours as he sees fit. Surely he is incorrect, and that because she has consistently worked an average of 31 hours a week, this is an implied contract and any changes to her hours MUST be agreed by her before he can go ahead. As far as I am aware, it is his responsibility to ensure that if he wants staff to be on a zero hours contract, he must say that when he employs people, and must provide a contract of employment that states this. He cannot employ someone on full time hours, then decide later on that because there is no contract in place he wants it to be a zero hours contract. What are my wifes rights here, and what should she do to approach her employer about it.

A friend of mine has worked for his employer for over 20 years and is currently in the top tier of the pay structure for his job. For the last 18 months he has worked a four day week on arrangement with his employer due to a combination of his nearing his retirement age and ill health. He recently took five months off sick and was paid 90% of his wage thanks to his employer's sick pay scheme. After a few weeks back his employer asked him to a meeting where they told him that they had reviewed his pay and want to reduce his current pay per hour and offer him a new contract for less money and did not provide a reason other than they feel that his current pay is too much. Can they do this?

My partner and I live in a 1 bed flat in a house conversion. Our bedroom is above the kitchen/living area of the problem tenants below us. For about 2 years we have been complaining to the landlords about the noise from these tenants. They run a loud extractor fan at all hours of the day and night, bang doors and cupboards, shout at each other and their kids. Now they have a crying baby!! The walls are paper thin to the point where the heating cannot keep the room warm at all. The landlords have written them multiple "warning" letters and had one meeting with them, where they agreed to keep the noise down. This didn't happen. We kept complaining so there was a meeting between us and these tenants, which they denied making the noises. Again it didn't change. I then wrote a formal complaint, in which they reply was saying we are now alleging the noises are happening, even though in the past we have provided recordings of their noise! They also said if we agree to have the landlords come around and do a sound test (which involved one person in our room and one below shouting and banging doors). It clearly to them failed. They have now organised their building contractors to come around to investigate further - but their solution was a bead of silicone around the skirting boards?? This is yet to happen but will not solve the issue. Are we within our rights now to start formally telling the landlords that we are withholding rent payments until this problem is fixed?? It's reached a point where my partner now sleeps on the couch in our living area because the noise is just too much. The other issue is parts of our flat and the building are i believe not up to fire safety standard. By the way the landlords own the entire building. When we first moved in the building inspector and the boss builder did an inspection. The large window in our bedroom needed to be replaced - it was classed as a fire escape and should remain completely open to roll out of. But it just keeps shutting. The builder was told to replace it. Also our front door should have a furry seal around the edge, but didn't and again, should have been installed. To this day, 2 and a half years later, they have still not been corrected. Are the landlords in breach of our contract and fire safety standards?? Could we ask for a rent reduction perhaps?? And should we seek some form of legal advice?? We are at a loss here - the landlords do nothing and the only time you really here from them is to do with rent payments. We are contracted until mid 2107, and couldn't afford to move now, unless the landlords gave us our full deposit back before we moved out - not going to happen! If anyone has any sort of advice, it would be greatly appreciated. Or any more elaboration about anything i have written, please leave a post. THANK YOU!!!!

Hi I'm new to the forum and the reason I am posting here is to seek advice regarding a rather large debt accumulated in Cyprus, which was originally taken out as a student loan. The debt in question is in the region of £40,000 and has already been restructured once, with an interest rate still being charged on it (close on 10%.) The loan is secured to my knowledge with a property, and the lender also insists on myself and the other two creditors (parents) taking out life insurance from a Cypriot insurer, which is very costly. What options are there available to me, as a British citizen, to deal with this debt (e.g. via a consolidation or the equivalent of an IVA), seeing as the bank is inflexible on payment reductions and I may be changing jobs in the near future, which will considerably reduce my income? I want to avoid bankruptcy due to the property tied to the loan and the fact that I work in the financial services sector, where it can be a kiss of death in terms of employment opportunities; I also believe it'd make renting property here harder? Any assistance on the topic would be appreciated. If it is of any help I am a British citizen but also possess Cypriot citizenship.

Hi guys Bit of a dilemma.....I would appreciate any help/support or reference to case law/employment law. I have been employed in a role for the last year at £50k per annum I have found out through management accounts my predassessor was on £65k before he left Job role and associated responsibilities are the same (if not more now!) Organisational procedure insists that the org will pay median rate as a starting point for all benchmarked role Challenged HR to explain why the £15k anomaly. Requested to see evidence of re-benchmarked salary and also requested confirmation as to whether I am on the media anchor point. HR response was that' they could not find benchmarking data (albeit I said could this be because you never did one?) HR also unable to confirm whether i am I the media rate. My suspicions are that the salary reduced for nk good reason and the revised salary was plucked out air. Where can I go with this? What can I do if I have been underpaid for so long? Thanks in anticipation Abs

Hello everyone, I will be leaving the UK soon to move to Australia and set up a new life with my partner. I have debt on credit cards and loans with a few different banks. With circumstances over the next couple of years probably won't be in a position to pay them back. As I need to move to Australia soon I was just going to move and then when I was in a position to pay them back personally and financially in a couple of years get in contact with the banks then. My question is, is it better to: 1) Just disappear and not tell the banks I have moved to Australia so it reduces the chance of debt collecting agencies chasing me in Australia or 2) Tell the banks I am living in Australia so they cannot get a CCJ against me at my last known address in my absence. To be honest I was just going to move without contacting the banks and deal with it all down the line. However I have read on here that Australia has a reciprocal enforcement agreement that could be enforced if a CCJ is logged against me. Therefore am I better telling the banks I am outside the uk so they can not give me a CCJ as unless I am mistaken the only way I could get trouble in Australia for my outstanding debt is if the CCJ is given then enforced. But if I tell them where I am living will I not just get bombarded with calls and letters harassing me?? Any guidance would be very much appreciated. Thanks

So in October I called EE to reduce the tariff on my phone. Was advised I have to stay on agreed tariff for 12 months before reducing and to ring after 30th November. I called today to be told that since EE formed you are no longer allowed to reduce your tariff. You can increase at any time but you can never go below the tariff you started on. I was pointed to the T & C's but that just says they don't have to allow you to reduce the tariff. I asked why something that important wasn't written into the conditions and was just told if it's not written in them then you can't do it. EE just state if your on the Orange side then you can drop 1 tariff during the contract but on EE this is no longer allowed. Anyone else come across this problem?

Hi everyone, I have a LLoyds bank Premier account. I get charged £25 for the account, £6 for an overdraft useage fee and interest on the money that is overdrawn. We pay around £51 per month, the balance doesnt change and hasnt changed since 02/10/2009! we are just treading water, we have a constant balance of £-2090 and cant see a way of paying it off as we cant afford to pay anymore. We have asked to change to a different account before to help us reduce the balance but were told that until we get it down to £500 they cant do anything for us. Can anybody help?

Hi all, I am in a situation and I hope someone can help. I have recieved a claimform today from northampton county court, I had a student account with co-operative bank for £1200. I defaulted on the account and I have been chased by debt collectors (Bryan carter solicitors/Lowell portfolio) for 5 years, I know I should have done something about this but I just ignored all the letters and I regret not doing something. Court fees have been added on to what I owe, this may sound like a stupid question but is there a way I can reduce the overall amount and pay the debt collector and avoid getting a CCJ on my credit file? I am aware if the whole balance is cleared within 1 month from the County court letter the CCJ can be removed. I don't have all the money but I can clear half the balance. I know this may be a long shot but any help will be appreciated.

Hello all! Looking for some advice please... I moved to S.E. Asia 18 months ago, and to date have been managing to make the monthly repayments of approx £400 GBP on my debts. My situation has now changed as I am 5 months pregnant, and health insurance will not cover any of the hospital expenses which I will have to pay in full. Plus the ongoing expense of raising the baby. As such, I would like to know if it is worth contacting the banks to see if they would let me reduce my repayments to something more manageable on an Asian income? I have a credit card with HSBC approx £50 per month A personal loan with Tesco approx £200 per month Overdraft with HSBC approx £100 per month (will be complete in March) Plus approx £50 per month misc interest, student loans etc The credit card and Tesco loan are my main concerns, especially as over £40 per month is to pay interest on the credit card. Please understand that I DO want to repay these debts, just at a more manageable rate. Thank you in advance for any advice

Only someone very naive could believe private firms are participating in the government’s workfare scheme because they want to provide work experience for unemployed people out of the goodness of their own hearts and not as a way of reducing their wage bills by using forced labour at taxpayers’ expense. But ask any of them and they’ll swear the workfare people they’ve taken on are extra to their requirements and are not – repeat not – replacing jobs they would normally have had to pay someone a proper wage to do. Well. It looks like Homebase have accidentally let the cat out of the bag. A poster currently displayed on the wall in the manager’s office of Homebase Haringey – clearly shows the company is using workfare as a means to reduce their payroll costs: This is particularly interesting, as Homebase have recently been lying to telling the public they’re not participating in workfare at all. See my previous post about that here: Homebase are so embarrassed about using workfare – they’re reduced to lying about it Looks like Homebase just can’t stop themselves telling porky pies about workfare, doesn’t it? https://tompride.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/oops-homebase-let-cat-out-of-the-bag-about-using-workfare-to-reduce-wage-bills/

Hi all im new to this so bear with me. I have 2 children who live with thier dad. I dont have any access to them....the reasons are another story. What i wanted to know is i live with my partner who has his daughter every 4 days and her mum has her 4 days etc. I know that if i was to have a child with my partner then my payments would reduce but is this the case with me living with mypartner and being partly responsible with his daughter? Thanks for amy help you can give

This is likely to be a move we will see from other Councils. It will surely affect those who entered the buy to let market before the credit crunch and find themselves with empty houses as the austerity measures bite. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20634448

Rightsnet http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/3579/

I got a £20 voucher that was worth £145 via Hamleys store for a photo shot of me, my fiance and my 16 mo daughter. The photoshot was lovely! I went back myself to view and ended ordering £3385 worth of prints!! Feel sick and have emailed then asking if it is possible to reduce order as I only ordered yesterday. I know hitachi offer a 14 day cooling off period and I was hoping that as my order was only placed yesterday (Sunday) afternoon that possibly I could work something out with them. Cna anyone let me know if they've had similar experiences and what the outcome was....good or bad!!! If my fiance finds out he'll go mental!!!!