Anybody else have an employer who "forgot" to pay them

[RedTartanLass]

This is my first full month back at work after maternity leave, and my employers have not paid me!!!

They are not a small SME but a part of the Department of Education and Skills

I know this will get sorted out, but at this moment £600 overdrawn and by Tuesday probably double that. My nanny has not been paid and her rent etc have been refused payment.

I am incandescent with rage, and am sobbing uncontrollably. Effing B8sta8rds, who do they think there are!! I have phoned the Wages Manager who confirmed that I am on unpaid maternity leave. Oh effing really!!! I went back to work 27 March you incompetent fool.

He said he will contact me line manager and get back to me in a few minutes. "Oh effing really!!! They're all on strike"

Anyway phoned him 5 minutes ago,and still waiting for phonecall!!

Feel a lot calmer for typing it all out, poor ds2 was falling me around going "Sowee mummy, sowee" He thought I was crying because of him wee soul.

[Freckle]

Send an email pointing out that, as the non-payment of wages is a breach of your contract, you will expect immediate payment plus their agreement to refund any additional charges you incur as a result of this.

[RedTartanLass]

Feckle thanks for your quick anser,sorry ,bout the typing, but I'm sitting here sobbing. the effing bastards. I can't phone any of freinds 'cso i'm waiting for him to phone back.

Is it a breach of contract then?

[RedTartanLass]

I can't beleive how much this has upset me!!

[meowmix]

yep - you're contracted to turn up, they're contracted to pay.

Plus IMAGINE if the press got hold of this kind of thing

[RedTartanLass]

meowmix - Very very tempted to chain myself to the railings on Tuesday if I haven't been paid by then!!! Especially since I've just strated the ball rolling for the greivance procdeure about the way I was treatyed while on maternity leave.

[meowmix]

have you spoken with HR? are you in a union?

[RedTartanLass]

Joined the Union about 5 weeks ago, as we are going through reduancies. We are all on strike today and my local office 98% are out on strike. It's the union who're helping me through this grivence procedure.

At least I've stopped crying now,thanks for all your support.

[RedTartanLass]

As for HR PAH, we've got a national automated on-line HR who are worse than useless!!

[sAinTgEOrge]

This happened to me.

I insisted on immediate payment, which took 48 hours paid by BACS. In the meantime I contacted my bank to explain the situation, backed up by a fax from the payroll department. The bank allowed all my standing orders to go out as normal and then all charges on my account, between the offical payday and the actual money going in, were paid by my employers.

Don't let them fob you off with offers of payment by cheque as it will take too long. They will have facilities in place for emergency payments.

[RedTartanLass]

sAinTgEOrge - it's a bank holiday weekend, so even BACS payment isn't going to get in untill at least Tuesday.Unless someone gets off their lazy ass and pays it directly inot my bank.

Anywya I've decided if they say they're not going to apy me today and I'm off to chainmyslef to the work railings!!!

[sAinTgEOrge]

(Call me StG, it's easier )

They can do a same day transfer - I was happy with BACS as I knew my payments would be covered and I didn't need access to cash.

Stick to your guns and insist that all extra costs are covered by them, not you.

[Pruni]

A long time ago, this happened to me.
I was working f/t but on a zero-hours temp contract with a big dept store.
One week "the Securicor guy must not have handed over your pay order" - wtf??
As I was paid weekly, it wasn't such a big deal - BUT I couldn't pay my rent and the bank charged me for going over my limit.
I tried to complain but as I was on a temp contract, at the time I had barely any rights. Everyone just fobbed me off.

If you've ever read Nickel and Dimed or Hard Work, you'll understand that once this happens once, you realise that you are one of the people they write about, and you have nothing to back you up if your employers make this mistake.

RTL I bloody hope they don't fob you off.

[RedTartanLass]

Right away to phone him back,he said he was going to phone back in a couple of minutes

[Flossam]

I've just started a new job, having just brought a hous and relocated. I haven't been paid either, phoned them and they told me I might be able to expect some part of them the end of next week. 1st mortgage payment due in 2 days. Childminder bill is here, two lots of council tax due, bills for old flat due, all totalling over £1300, before accounting for the rest of this months bills or food. I phoned and complained, and they did say they would pay me some cash today to try to help, but now they aren't, as apparently the cashiers office of a large NHS trust does not have any money at all untill next weds, which concviniently is the same day as the soonest day they can now pay me. I'm so screwed so I can well sympathise with you!!!!!!!

[sAinTgEOrge]

You really have to make yourself a PITA to these people, so that they can't ignore you and let the situation go on.

Keep at them constantly, insisting that it is sorted. If you have a contract stating when your payday is then they have to honour it, or pay the consequences.

If you have to arrange an overdraft to cover their error, then they should pay all relevant charges.

[RedTartanLass]

Phoned the man back, I swear it took 11 different phone calls to get to the right person!! Goverment bloody switchboards don't give a fig, they just put you through to anyone.

Anyway gave him what for, over the phone, for not getting back to me, before he butted in and said he was trying to get it sorted before 12 deadline.

Anyway money's going in this afternoon, and I have to see my local office about getting money for any overdraft charges.

Thanks all for your help, although was getting a bit fired up and ecited about chaining myself to the railings

I'll need your adivce in minute for the email I'm going to sned.

[KTeePee]

This happened to me when I went back to work, again a big company but crap HR dept. They gave me an interim payment once I pointed out what had happened and paid all the bank charges I incurred

[waterfalls]

Not read the whole thread, someone may have mentioned it, but they are legally obliged to sub you your whole wages, and pay any bank charges you may get from the date you should have been paid.

[spidermama]

Well done RedTL - You have inspired me to kick ass.

I totally sympathise with your fury. I went back to work on April 3rd. Three weeks before starting I requested a contract. I've had to constantly phone and email them, to the point where they think I am being a PITA .

They haven't paid me anything and they finally sent me a contract a couple of days ago with a figure well below what I had been quoted when I accepted the post. I also have serious cash flow issues and this delay is costing me money.

I have just emailed the proper boss to ask her to call me at home to discuss the contract. I'm finding it really hard to be assertive and am very pissed off with them for treating me like this. It's such a shit way to treat employees and it certainly means they're not getting the best out of me. Like you I'm fuming.

[RedTartanLass]

Well here's the email, it is far more emotional that I would like it, but that was the advice I have been given by my union about the original letter.

Dear Acting Chief Exec who doesn’t give a damn because he’s not being made redundant as is moving to another local office soon anyway.


I trust you have received the letter I sent you last week, about how abysmally I was treated by crap government department whilst on Maternity Leave. I have now another example of the total lack of respect this office has for me.

I shall set the scene, waiting to pay for my nappies and baby food at the busy local supermarket at the beginning of a bank holiday weekend, my card is declined. Exit one very harassed, upset mother and 2 screaming babies.

When I get home I find I have not been paid this month and I have incurred bank charges and several of my direct debits have been declined, including payment to my nanny. I phoned my nanny, who was sobbing down the phone as her rent and several other bills have been declined because I have not paid her.

I this point I become very emotional and try to phone someone at the crap government department who would be able to help me.

10.45 – phone 0845 1234 explained my situation, who put me through to voice mail.
10.48 – phoned 0845 1234 who said they were putting me through to Mrs X. Even though, I asked call centre operator NOT to put through to voicemail, that is where I ended.
10.50 – phoned 0845 1234 who put me through to Mr Wages Manager.

Mr Wages Manager explained I was on unpaid Maternity Leave, and I told him this was not the case, I had returned to work on 27 March. By this time I was inconsolable, as you imagine, and Mr Wages Manager probably had difficulty understanding me through the sobs. Mr Wages Manager said he would phone me back, in a couple of minutes.

11.50 – Mr Wages Manager had not phoned me back, and knowing from previous experience how bad the crap government department are at resolving issues, I started to panic. Unfortunately I did not have Mr Wages Managers surname.
11.51 – Phoned 0845 1234 explained the situation, they put me through to Mr Y, who could not help at all. He advised ringing 22222.
11.53 – Rang 222221 – no answer
11.55 - Phoned 0845 0194170 – Put me through to voicemail at crappy hr department.
11.58 - Phoned 0845 1234 – Put me through to the Burnley Chamber of Commerce
12.00 - Phoned 0845 1234 – Eventually got through to Mr Wages Manager.

Mr Wages Manager informed me that payment would be in this afternoon, and to speak to my local office regarding compensating for all the bank charges I have incurred.

I be obliged therefore, that we meet at 9.30am on Tuesday 2 May, to try and resolve these issues.

Regards

very very angry RTL

[LeahE]

You might want to change that last line

"I be obliged therefore, that we meet at 9.30am on Tuesday 2 May, to try and resolve these issues."

as it doesn't quite make sense as it is. But if you've already sent the email I have no doubt he'll get the message.

[hana]

this happened to me when I returned from maternity leave as well ( with both children if you can believe that....)
I insisted upon being paid as soon as I found out by a bankers cheque that could be cleared the same day - they delivered it to my house via courrier ( was only working part time) This was a local council office

[lalaa]

happened to my dh. we've got a flexible mortgage and were right up the limit and i couldn't pay our credit card bill. had to have the house revalued with view to putting up our limit. it was only then that i checked the bank statement and realised what had happened. dh's employer paid all the fees we had incurred. very anxious time. hope you get it sorted - ever thought about working somewhere else?!

[mawbroon]

Any update RTL? Is the money through yet?

I hope so

MB

[RedTartanLass]

The money was in by 2pm !! Feeling a lot better today, thanks for all your support. Sometimes I could just kiss all you vipers

Thanks LeahE, yes I have amended it to I would be obliged, lalaa - have job interview week after next if I don't get out of here soon, I will make myself ill.

Looking forward to Tuesday with my "meeting" with Chief Exec!

Now spidermama, we want to hear about your ass-kicking!!

Thanks MB!!