I’ve worked three days a week for a firm for seven years, putting in an eight-hour day. Until recently they’ve paid me at time-and-a-half for any extra hours worked. But a new manager now says if you don’t do 40 hours a week he doesn’t have to pay overtime. Is this true?
You are entitled to the agreed payment for any extra hours worked to date. But unless you are contractually obliged to work overtime (in which case you could argue that the time-and-a-half rate has been set by custom and practice) you will have to reach a new agreement if you want to continue working extra hours. As things stand, you’re not obliged to work overtime and your employers are not obliged to offer it.