new seniority rules

[babyboy1]

I work at one of the hospital here in london and they have just recently changes the seniority rules on our unit. our seniority used to be that the more hours you worked the closer to the top of the list you were. They have now changed it so that we rotate so one pay you are on top of the list then every pay period you move down one spot but htey have also paired this with the fact that hours have to spread eavenly no matter when you are on the list so if i'm at the top and there is more them one shift available I can only get one then the rest have to be offered to the rest of the staff. I guess my question is, is there anything I can do about this our boss didn't discuss this change with us she just did it. I have never been at a place where seniority has worked like this and it is very fusterating as I used to get lots of hours as this is my only job but now suddenly I'm not getting any.
I guess i'm asking if she is aloud to do this and do I have any ground to fight it.
TIA

[Poufey]

Is your place of employment unionized? If so, there will be a collective bargaining agreement which stipulates how seniority is adjudicated, and this isn't something that can be changed, unless the collective agreement is changed. If your place isn't unionized, did you sign any type of employment contract that stipulates your conditions of work? If so, take a look at that and see what it says around seniority. Basically, it's not fair or the “right“ thing to do to change people's shifts willy-nilly. I'd recommend you talking to your HR department directly- they'll be able to better advise you as to your best next steps. I'd broach them by stating that you depend on your shifts and you have gone from having x amount of shifts to y amount of shifts, and that your family can't be sustained based on the current working hours. They should at least be able to explain what is happening, and they should also be able to give you some advice as to what to do next.

PM me if you want any further advice!