The TEFL Workers’ Union is in dispute with Brighton Language College International (BLC) after a worker claimed she was dismissed after raising concerns with her manager about having to work unpaid on her day off. The union alleges that the worker was summarily dismissed without going through the required disciplinary or capability procedures.
The worker, who will be referred to as “E” to protect her anonymity, alleges that she was expected to supervise the emergency phone on Sunday, her day off, and without getting paid.
Initially, she was supposed to work at the school that day, meaning she’d be paid, but it was decided last minute that her presence on-site wasn’t needed. Instead, she was told she would be monitoring the emergency phone from home.
“E” states that she tried to discuss this with the school’s director:
“He didn’t even listen to me. Instead, he just said ‘Lucky you, you are off this Sunday!’ in a sarcastic manner. This wasn’t ideal for me as I had planned my weekend and my holidays around this but I accepted it anyway.”
Adding insult to injury, “E” claims the phone was used not for emergencies, but for generic student enquiries, and she received dozens of calls over the course of the day.
When workers at BLC are scheduled to work Sundays during the high season, they get Time Off in Lieu (TOIL). “E” had booked her TOIL in advance with the understanding that she would get this deducted from her payslip if, for some reason, she didn’t work that day.
When the day came, “E” was told that she wasn´t needed on the Sunday as there were enough people working on site.
“E” tried to speak with the Director once again:
“I suggested giving the emergency phone to the staff working on site since I was going to be off. The director said that it was part of my contract, end of the conversation.”
“E” felt that this situation was unfair and she tried to speak with the director the next day. He suggested that she should leave if she didn’t like the conditions. At this point, “E” alleges that she felt threatened and intimidated and had no other option but to give her notice.
Her manager didn´t accept this and, according to “E”, he told her to “leave immediately and never come back, you have been sacked”.
Louis Ormesher, a representative of the TEFL Workers’ Union, has been in touch with the director on behalf of “E”. An informal resolution was offered to him but this was denied.
According to Louis,
“No one should be expected to work without pay. When workers raise legitimate issues over payment and working time, they shouldn’t fear repercussions or mistreatment. It’s time for BCL to sort this out.”
As BLC has been unwilling to resolve the matter informally, the union will now begin a public campaign to secure restitution for “E”. She does not wish to return to BLC but does feel the schools need to be held to account for the way they treated her.
Tom Liebewitz, the chair of the TEFL Workers’ Steering committee, had this to say:
“There are too many like “E” in the world of TEFL: hard-working young people who are mistreated and exploited by dodgy schools that don’t respect their workers or UK employment law. We’re here to make sure “E” secures justice.”
The union plans upcoming actions to publicise the case. If you want to help out or if you’ve faced in similar situation in your job, you can always reach a union rep at [email protected]