Working on 2 ESF projects querying funding for wages

[brickwall1958]

I work on a Welfare to Work project funded by Community Fund and some ESF and earn £25K. My Company is a registered Charity. I have now been asked to take on a Skills Training project (also funded by ESF) running alongside my original project. My question is this - as I understand it the salaries for staff are included in the bids presumably for full time workers. Can then the company ask a worker to work on 2 projects, are they not raking in 2 salaries for each worker who then has to work part time on each project? It is something running through I and my colleagues minds and although we weren't expecting 2 salaries this is going to spread us thin.

Would anyone have any insight as to how this works? Many thanks for any input.

[Emmzzi]

are you fully occupied at the moment? will you need to do more hours? ask your boss to explain how much time you'll be spending doing what.

[brickwall1958]

Hi, thanks for reply. I am normally fully occupied as have 50 clients on project when at full capacity. Found details of the original bid and we are bound to work 33 hours a week. I will need more than 4 hours to carry out duties on the new project and I'm sure they won't have bid for us to work 4 hours per week on a full on Skills Training programme. We don't even get sick pay so it is perturbing us that our time has been funded probably twice.

[Emmzzi]

mm, the funding is not entirely related to your personal work - it may be 33 hours over a variety of people? managers, volunteers etc.

 

You could go back to the funder and whistle blow if you think it's dodgy, but check your facts first.

[brickwall1958]

No the 33 hours actually had my name on the bid. Agree its dodgy to whistleblow but it doesn't sit well.

[Emmzzi]

when you asked your boss, what did they say? 

[brickwall1958]

Defensive and narkey, didn't answer the question and said other members of staff were doing 2 projects but I don't know anyone who is.

 

[Emmzzi]

Well, there's no law will help here. If you aren't prepared to push it with your boss, and you won't report to the person commissioning the work, there's no other route. Do the work, or don't do the work, or change job. I can't see many other options. I'm not aware of any organisation that will take this on.

[brickwall1958]

No OK you're right. My colleagues and I will have to bring our concerns up with the boss. It was a general enquiry about being double funded.