Contract

D - Had a chat with manager I today about my contract.
12 month contract is coming to an end in the middle of April and after plenty of pushing, a few of us have succeeded in forcing our management into making a decision regarding new contracts before we're left without a job.
They came back to us with offers the other week but frankly, they were pretty gash. When I told in a meeting with manager I and TL, I kind of stood up for myself for the first time in my working life. Well, I did once before but it took about a year for what I asked for to materialise and yet I still stayed like a gormless idiot. Anyway, I told them that I wasn't happy with it and that I thought my skills, etc warranted a bit more than the derisory offer on the table. Manager I said he put to the other managers. He doesn't have authority to decide shit since he's only been here 2 months.
Today the two of us had a little chat about it.
Off the to canteen and his usual spot for a 'chat' (He established that pretty fucking quickly eh!) and it didn't take long for him to tell me they had rejected more money. Because I had cunningly hidden a Plan B up my sleeve, I forgot to ask the reasons why not, although his reaction to Plan B has left me hopeful-ish.
Plan B is to work for the salary offered (£14k....up from £13K. big percentage rise I guess but not enough considering they are making our jobs harder) but to actually work less hours. So, instead of the £15k for a 37 hour week that I originally asked for, or the £14k for a 37 hour week they offered, i'll do a 32-33 hour week for £14k. Payment/reward for productivity rather thanfor hours spent in an office.
He seemed to take it on board well, even jotted something down on the derisory contract he had for me, and said he gat back to me after the usual round of meetings blah.
Later that day he virtually leaned over me at my desk and whispered that he'd passed it on up the line and it hadn't been rejected out of hand. That was pretty cool. The news,not his leaning over me.
Funny how he whispered so as not to let anyone else hear. Guess he doesn't know that we're all openly discussing our contracts in the office. Maybe that comes of being a different generation (us in our 20's and 30's) or because there are more non-English working there than English. Maybe those two themselves are related.
Still, that left me rather more hopeful and proud that I stood my ground, as well as having the foresight (Although it could just be maturity..) to have a Plan B.
Let's hope I don't end up looking a tit.