This is mainly a vent because I know this subreddit would understand. Thank you for being here.
I work for the educational institute (not school) which I won't specify any further for privacy reasons. Most employees are part-time because they usually still study and use this place to earn experience in education. Not really a problem, it's a friendly place… Well, until recently when some “sketchy” things started happening out of nowhere. This is the most recent one.
The institute always receives several free tickets for cultural events around the town which any employee can take. Most of us don't use them, but I regularly do and have been doing so for some time. Never a problem – until this year. Suddenly, some members of the management began dividing us part-timers from those few full-time employees and, as a bonus, they now refuse to call us “employees” because we only work part-time. It's mainly visible with the tickets. This year, these free tickets to events can't be given to us part-timer because “we aren't employees.”
When I recently tried to ask for one, the manager in charge of them told me that he couldn't do that because I wasn't an employee. I was confused, like yes, I am. He sarcastically asked: “Oh, you already see yourself as an employee?” I went to his supervisor who approved me to take the ticket. That worked. I then made sure to spread the word around and told everyone interested to first ask the said supervisor for the tickets to get the approval because he clearly didn't care. Funnily enough, he was apparently the creator of this new policy, yet didn't bother to reinforce it.
Another cultural event is coming soon and this same policy is in place again. Only employees can ask for the free tickets and the part-timers aren't employees so they aren't eligible for the freebies. We can't be given them. I don't plan to attend this event (not something I find interesting), but I still feel hurt. Very hurt and betrayed.
I have a contract. I've been working here for several years, doing several different jobs. I'm even trained to partly cover the manager who told me I wasn't an employee. I'm getting properly paid for every work I do here. I'm clearly an employee. Every one of us is, regardless of what kind of job we do at this place. And no, this is not a legal definition issue or something like that. The free tickets have never been a problem until this year. And suddenly, we are not employees.