What should I do about this situation with this job agency?

[ironpony]

There is a government job agency that helps people in the mentally disadvantaged areas, as well as immigrants, etc, getting jobs.  I had some problems with them where I talked about it in this previous thread before:

https://www.loveshack.org/forums/topic/600674-should-i-stop-doing-business-with-this-job-agency/

So they act frustrated with me if I do not take jobs where I have to work out in the freezing cold but that's always the jobs they offer me.  But still act frustrated when I turn them down.

After a lot of this though, they asked if I wanted to participate in a work program where I work at a place for three months, but that company doesn't pay me for it.  The job agency does.  So I said sure, and they put me at a job where they will now pay me for the hours I work there as part of this test program.

Earlier on when I started, I got the opportunity to work on a movie someone was shooting since I want to get into that field more.  I asked the job agency and the company they put me to work with if it was okay if I took a few days off almost two months away to do that and named the dates, and they both said sure, that will be totally fine.  So I signed on to work on the movie shoot.

Now almost two months later, the job agency gets frustrated with me again because the company they put me with, has been working me over 30 hours a week, when I wasn't supposed to go over.  Well they didn't tell me I wasn't supposed to go over.  I didn't know.  I just did what I was told.  If the company showed me my schedule of hours to work, I worked those hours.  But now they are frustrated with me and says they may not be able to pay me for extra time I was working now, and are frustrated over this now.

Then just today, when I am working on the movie shoot, they keep calling me so I finally answered while on a break.  There is a job available and they had an interview set up but couldn't tell me because they have had trouble getting a hold of me that day.  I have my phone turned off so the microphone will not pick up any sounds during the shoot.

But they have an interview at a great place, or so they say and want me to go tomorrow.  I told them I can't, I am on the movie shoot, and have no time for these days off.  But they got really frustrated with me in tone again and kept pressuring me to go.  I told them that I had these days booked off for the shoot and I told them that before and they said it was fine.

But they were frustrated about it.  I kind of lost it on her a little at this point and gave them a more strongly toned what for about it, and kind of regretted it after, thinking maybe I shouldn't have done that.  But I feel like they have pushed my buttons with getting frustrated over me with not taking any jobs in the freezing cold, which I said I didn't want to do over and over and over again with them over the years, and now the payment problem, and now wanting me to go back into town and leave a movie shoot, thus destroying my reputation in the filmmaking industry if I do that, and I was already going over stress to make a good impression on the shoot, so I feel like they just pushed me to a breaking point, with them being frustrated towards me all these times they talk to me.

But now that I have and the bell has been rung what should I do?   Thanks for any advice on it!  I really appreciate it!

Edited May 12, 2021 by ironpony

[Happy Lemming]

In the US, it is illegal NOT to pay an employee for the hours they worked.  I can't speak for Canada or this program, but I think they HAVE to pay you for the hours you worked.

Every employee is entitled to put in and have a vacation.  You put in your "vacation time" request well in advance, they honored it, so don't beat yourself up for going on vacation & working on the movie. There is no need to answer their calls while you are on vacation.  When I worked and was on vacation/personal time, my phone was off and I didn't check my voicemail.  I was on vacation and couldn't be reached.

Return the calls when your "vacation" / movie shoot is done.

If you feel like you were "short" with them, apologize later in an e-mail.  For now, concentrate on the movie and doing your best to learn from that experience.