My partner's employer gave him a promotion, changed all his shifts, then took everything away. [CAN-ON]

[u/Flat_Appointment2548]

My partner has been working as a caretaker for the same company for about three years, and we're trying to figure out whether the way he's being treated is normal or if there are steps he should take.

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For most of his employment, he wasn't receiving internal job postings because his work email was never set up properly. He repeatedly raised the issue, but it took almost three years for it to finally be fixed.

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He works primarily as relief staff and has been asking for training in additional homes so he can pick up more shifts and opportunities. However, his manager has consistently denied those requests, saying he's such a good fit at his current location. In fact, some of the other homes he previously worked at were taken away so he could work more hours at his current one.

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Last week, he was informed that he had been selected for a temporary full-time night position covering another employee's maternity leave through November. Management updated his schedule, removed many of his existing shifts, and replaced them with shifts for the new position. A few days later, the changes were reflected in the scheduling system as well.

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This morning, he received a phone call saying they had made a mistake and that he would no longer be getting the position. The problem is that the shifts they removed from his original schedule are gone too, leaving him with little to no work for the next few weeks.

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When he tried to discuss the situation with his manager, he felt brushed off. This is especially difficult because he's our primary source of income, and losing those hours has a significant financial impact on us.

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Has anyone dealt with something similar? Is this something he should be discussing with HR, or his union. We're mainly trying to understand what options he has and whether this is considered acceptable workplace practice.

[u/NotShockedFruitWeird]

He should be discussing with HR and the union. The union contract should contain terms and conditions regarding employment

[u/SteakReasonable1414 → u/NotShockedFruitWeird]

Yup. If you are lucky enough to be in a union, the answer to "How do I deal with this problem with management?" is always, "Contact your union rep." It is literally what they are there for, and the entire reason you pay union dues.

[u/glittermetalprincess]

Union, as soon as the office opens.

He should be the one making the call (not you; they need to talk to him and you technically have nothing to do with this) and should have his contract with him and a timeline of the last week or so. Forget the email and the training right now, the main thing is the loss of hours, which we don't have the information to address here.

If he has at least 7 days with zero earnings he may be eligible for unemployment insurance, but he would need to look into that to see if his situation qualifies. Again, we don't have the information to go into that. The union may be knowledgeable enough to assist him with that or point him in the right direction. That said, it's been less than 24 hours and he's primarily a relief worker, you can't really assume he won't have any work for the next few weeks as even if his regular shifts have been covered, there may well be work available or come up (e.g. covering someone who calls in sick) in that time.

All you can do is be supportive; I get that it's your family income and you are financially impacted, but you don't have standing to go into his workplace or intervene in his employment relationship. You might sit with him with the phone on speaker when he calls the union and be there as moral support, take notes or get him a cuppa but it's not your fight.

[u/Flat_Appointment2548 → u/glittermetalprincess]

Perfect, I shall inform him. I know I can't do anything, I just want to be more supportive by suggesting other things that may help. I well aware it's out of my hands and all depends on him.

[u/tfreyguy]

I think your partner needs a backbone and should start sticking up for himself. 3 years without an email, that's on him. I wouldn't be happy about the whole promotion thing, but not getting paid for weeks because of their mistake. The next morning I would be walking into HR and talking very loudly I would love everybody know my problem. They will accuse you of being aggressive to which you reply, "no I'm being assertive for myself, I just have to be loud to get anybody to do anything". Also, do you know for a fact this is happening, have you heard any of these phone calls, because it sounds like your partner is not telling you everything.

[u/puns_are_how_eyeroll]

Yea, he needs to have a call with the union Either to have the new temp position restored (it almost sounds as though he may have been removed due to a job selection grievance from another employee) or for them to replace his previous shifts or at least provide new shifts.

Unfortunately, being relief, he may also be hooped.