Wage Advice Sought - Working Abroad

[SoreHead]

Hi

I work 35 hours a week, 9 - 5, Mon - Fri and I am salaried. My terms of employment states there will be no extra pay for hours worked over the basic working week. I have been asked to work abroad, travelling Saturday and working Sunday - Thursday with travel, accommodation and 2 meals per day on expenses.

My question is: would I be entitled to payment for travelling and working over the weekend?

Working abroad would be a great opportunity for me in my career but I am completely against being asked to work for no wage. I fear if this is the case and I turn it down I won't ever be considered for this type of opportunity again.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[sjbeale]

Travel to work is not usually paid. You would need to speak to your employer and get the new hours agreed before you sign a new contract.

 

[cory beevers]

Can you get paid for the time you are traveling?

 

[The Byre]

I work 35 hours a week, 9 - 5, Mon - Fri and I am salaried.

I wish I could get away with a 35-hour week!

would I be entitled to payment for travelling and working over the weekend?

There is no statutory entitlement, as far as I know.

Working abroad would be a great opportunity for me in my career but I am completely against being asked to work for no wage. I fear if this is the case and I turn it down I won't ever be considered for this type of opportunity again.

An there is your answer - either grasp the opportunity, or move out of the way and make room for somebody who will!

 

[fairdealworld]

Lots of people work at the weekend. Shop assistants, nurses, police officers, fire officers, radio presenters, chefs, waiters, power station workers, the list is endless. I'm a shopkeeper and as far as I'm concerned the 'weekend' is just two days called Saturday and Sunday. You are still only working a five day week so why should you be paid extra for working at the weekend?

As you say yourself this is a career opportunity. Sometimes career opportunities involve a certain amount of extra hassle + maybe a bit less free time and the pay back is better long term career prospects. A lot of people spend a lot of time commuting, whether it be to get a good job or simply to get any job at all. You are not necessarily going to be spending more time travelling overall than many people are clocking up each and every week and they certainly aren't paid for it. Several of my friends advanced their careers by doing Open University Degrees on top of full time jobs, now that is really really hard work and most of them had to pay for the course themselves.

You're going to be paid for when you are actually working. You are getting free accommodation, free meals, free travel + a career opportunity. You'd be mad to turn it down. Your 'travelling at the weekend' would be a great opportunity to devote time to studying to further your career, or, as it is indeed 'your' time you can spend it playing games or watching movies on your tablet.

Unless you had pressing family reasons to turn down this opportunity you'd be mad to refuse it.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

As someone who used to work offshore and ashore in palaces like the Middle East and West Africa for far to many years we always got paid from Home to Home, plus a bonus for working outside the country and free insurance for accident and healthcare

If you had a work accident whilst abroad would the company pay for a medical flight home if needed or just pay for a taxi to the local hospital abroad and take you off wages

There are a number of things to consider and most depend on how big and well organised the company you work for is, Big companies tend to plan for the worst whilst small companies just fire fight after a problem

 

[ethical PR]

Organisations that require weekend/out of hours working, do something offer time off in lieu.

Have you checked what it says in your contract/terms regarding this issue?

As others have said this sounds like a great opportunity to advance your career, but if you only ever want to work 9-5 in any given role then perhaps advancing your career is not for you.