When are you ACTUALLY redundant?

4Chickens

Strange title I know. Here's the problem:

My sister works 16 hours per week and it looks like she is going to be out of a job soon. There is a strong possibility that they won't be able to pay her for last week, her wages are due on Friday. If they can't pay her wages, is she technically redundant? I don't think she would get contributions based JSA because she has only ever worked in the last two years and that has been at 16 hours per week with WTC on top. Now she maybe able to get income based JSA but her husband is registered disabled and receives benefits accordingly. They live in a council house and pay full rent and council tax at the moment. She went to the job centre yesterday and they just referred her to ACAS and would'nt let her talk to an advisor to find out what she should do if the worst happens and what benefits she would be able to claim. Unfortunately my sister gets flustered very easily and won't stand up for herself so I have come rushing to the resue with no experience whatsoever. So its up to you peeps to see if you can help us at all.

Many Thanks

Debt_Free_Chick

No - she is not automatically redundant just because her wages aren't paid in one particular week. She should turn up for work as normal and continue to do so until she is formally dismissed.

If her wages aren't paid, she should talk to her manager/HR/Payroll department to see what they plan to do. She will be owed those wages even if the company is insolvent so they will be paid, eventually.

Did she take the advice and speak to ACAS?

4Chickens

I don't know if she has spoken to ACAS, I will speak to her this evening. What if they just 'shut up shop' with no formal notification etc? How long should she keep turning up for work and not being paid, before she can sign on? I worry for her because she has little or no self-confidence and I am completely clueless to the benefits system. Basically I want her to have all her ducks in a row in case the worst does happens so that she can respond accordingly.

Thank you for your repy though, I thought no one was interested

McKneff

Hello there, obviously if they 'shut up shop' there is no point in turning up day after day.

Try not to worry for her and to be honest the best advice i can give you is teach her how to go about it, then let her do it, believe me it will boost her confidence.

Dont bother with the what ifs of the situation. Worrying about worrying gets no one anywhere. Tell her to deal with each thing as it happens, easy said i know but its the best way.

Even if they shut up shop, she can claim money owed from the government re redundancy.

Debt_Free_Chick

There is no such thing as "shut up shop". Perhaps if you can describe what's actually happened we can be more specific with our suggestions.

4Chickens

My sister works in a small bingo hall. They have been cutting everything back to the bare bones, even the cleaning products. Takings seem to be going down week on week and they have cut some games completely because they don't have the float to cover the prize money.
My sister was due to be paid for Christmas day as it would have been a working day for her normally. When she got her wages on Friday 1st, she was one shift short, the Christmas Day. When she asked her boss when would she receive her missing money, the boss said 'when we can find the money'. Doesn't look good does it?
I gave her a lecture on Sunday about monitoring every penny that comes in and goes out. I made her do a list of the food she has, then do a menu for the week and then a shopping list to fill in the gaps. I am taking her food shopping this evening and I shall be watching everything that goes in the trolley. Before this she used to go to the supermarket 2-3 times a week, god only knows how much she was wasting. I will be talking to her this evening about such things as Sky tv and any other subscriptions etc. Basically, I will encourage her to do a statement of affairs. Any more tips from you peeps would be gladly received.

Cheer