I (M28) am a tower crane operator in construction in The Netherlands and i work for a small employment agency.
As a crane operator safety is paramount, today was very windy and i told the site superviser i can do small lifts to supply the various teams on the ground so they can do their jobs. But i said i am not gonna do risky activities today and they where totally understanding. After a while it became so windy that people's saftey helmets would blow of their heads, at that point the superviser told me to come down and that my services would not be needed anymore for this day. I said very well thank you for understanding.
So i called my employer and told him of the situation and he said: 'Wel if they send you home they need to pay for the full 8 hour shift thats company policy,' I said: Yes i know. We ended the call and i went down to the supervisor office and told him.
The supervisor said: Well then you should clean the site for the remaining shift.
I said: Im sorry but that is not my job description if you want i can check all the lifting tools and see if they need maintenance and sort them.
We went a bit in een argue but at one point i said, look it doesn't matter for me i have a 40 hour contract and i get payed either way it is not my intention to set you up this way and really it is not our fault you took the risk the hire a crane operator and you probably already knew yesterday that it was gonna be windy and if not you should have consult the weather forecast to see if its viable to hire a operator. Me and my employer did not take the risk for you, you did.
And then i said i understand you're 'pickle' you don't want to pay for services that weren't provided but this is my employers policy so maybe you should call him and work out a mutual agreement if possible.
He agreed and told me to get some coffee downstairs in the cafeteria and said i'll be with you shortly after i speak to your employer. He then came to me and said he worked it out with my employer and told me i could write down 4 labour hours and said that the remaining 4 hours will be deducted from my vacation leave. 'I was like okay he could just decide that like that' i felt a bit made fun of somehow.
At that moment my employer calls me and the dialogue went like this.
Employer: If you don't want to work i am deducting the remaining hours from you're vacation leave.
Me: I don't understand why you would want to do that you are the entrepreneur i am a the employee i don't have to take these kind of risks, i feel like you should of taken it up for me instead of acting like this and making me look uncredible and unprofessional towards the commissioner.
Employer: You made a choice not to work so if you want to sit home and do nothing its coming from you're leave.
Me: It's not my job description to take a broom and clean up a construction site. 'If you need a plumber you're not gonne hire a stone mason'.
Employer: You're employment contract function says 'General Employee'.
Me: Yes that is true but it also says 'If I do not find the work suitable for my position, I may refuse the work'. Every employer does that so they are empowered and i did not decline the contract at the time because you offered me a indefinete fixed contract. If you would order me to clean up your dog's dog poop, I wouldn't do that either. eitherway i do not agree with the contract anymore and maybe we should change the job description.
Employer: We'll maybe we should change you're salary aswell then.
Me: Well (first name of employer) maybe you should go f:)k your self.
Employer: What is this? why are you acting like this?
(employer all of a sudden begins to change his tone and becomes understanding.)
Me: I don't understand why you are acting like this these things are inevitable in what we do this not the first time either. I work 3 years for you now i am never sick, i am always on time, you don't get complaints , i do my work safe etc, i. don't understand why I owe you something, you owe me.
Employer: Yes but i am frustrated this is a good customer of mine.
Me: I understand, i am frustrated also.
At this point we where just talking casually and where i would be working next week but it bothers me how could be so hostile all of a sudden and give me ultimatums like that in a instant and not be understanding and stand up for me.
Just shows he only cares for the money and thought i would bootlick him because he is my 'boss'.
Thanks for reading i just needed to vent and i am also curious for your opinions.
PS: sorry for typos english is not my first language.