First Job after a year dissappears after a week!!

Alwyn_O

Hi all,

Having a bit of a conundrum here regarding the manner in which I have recently been dealt with. (Sorry for length)

So... i've been unemployed for a year now, having been made redundant from my first job after graduation in 2007. After a vast number of unsuccessful job applications I figured it best to get ANY job availabler rather than following my career. So... this lands me with a full time job working in a cafe. Brilliant... gets me out the house, and gets me off Jobseekers & housing benefits (which I had been on for about 3-4months)

Now the first day I started, I told my employer (Julie, 21) that I had a holiday booked in a weeks time.. Thought this might be a problem, but after the owner popping in the next day I was told by cafe manager (Julie) that the owner (Bill) said, 'Give him the job, and he can have his holiday'!....
Brilliant... smiles all round for me and the slightly dappy house manager,Julie.. who took it upon herself to hire me.

Still with me?...

So my first weeks work goes swimmingly.. I work hard. I am praised for my common-sense and hard-working attitude. I finish the week with 37 hours under my belt having worked 7 days straight (Keen to work, me)

Then I return from France two weeks later. I text Julie to find out my hours for the week as I am due to go back the next day......

I am told " I'll have to see what I can do. Even though he (Bill) said he was fine with you going away, Bill had to get more people in. Its kinda out of my hands at the moment. I will speak to him tomorrow for you"....

Now at this point I am pretty miffed. I go in the next day to make sure I can pick up my weeks wages and get some answers... All Julie has to mumble at me is..."sorry, theres not really any hours.....its all out of my hands at the moment...speak to Bill...oh, you cant have his mobile number though...mumble mumble, sorry...."

No-one had the decency to tell me my job had gone.... I've been on a wild goose chase for a week trying to speak to the owner (Bill) who wont return my calls and the silent partner who I spoke to in the cafe, who assured me would find out what happened and give me a call... no call.

Ho Hum.. Back on the dole for me. Quite a hassle for a weeks work.
They also paid me cash in hand. No wage slip. I am worried they could deny me ever working there as I have declared my hours and time of work there to both DWP and Council for housing benefits...

Not much I can do, really?? Rant over.

Alan

maninthestreet

Sorry to hear this. At least you got your money for the hours worked.

Alwyn_O

Earning money for working as opposed to being given handouts for not working was a small consolation

Twas a real ball-ache to say the least... Even getting my money back proved to be infuriating...

" come back in two days... come back in two hours....etc..."

Got it in the end..

As I was not on a contract, nor on the books...I was wondering what the situation would be as I was paid cash in hand. I don't want to get into any trouble with the taxman.

terra_ferma

Sounds a bit dodgy.

Was it supposed to be a week's trial? Maybe that's what they had in mind and did not explain to you?
Maybe they were not happy and they did not have the guts to tell you?
Or preferred to keep one of the people who replaced you because they think they are better, or even simply because they are a friend's friend etc?
Or that business was not doing as well as they expected?

Personally I would get in touch with the HMRC, so that you don't get in trouble for not paying tax, but you ex-employer do...

PS well done for making a real effort to find a job instead of relying on benefits.

Alwyn_O

Nothing was mentioned about a trial... Those thoughts have crossed my mind. Ah well, best off not working for such a mismanaged place if no-one has the decency or integrity to tell me the situation straight up.

Thanks for the input...I'll follow your advice about the HMRC.

Going into the jobcentre every fortnight can be a soul-destroying process. I'm thankful the system is there for people like myself who are constantly churning out applications and scouring jobsites to no avail. Positivity and proactivity will pay off eventually

shikoku

This sort of thing is happening all too often these days, and to rub salt into the wound you then have the hassle of sorting out your benefits again. Often losing a few days of them in the process.

When you have very little it doesn't take loosing much of it to tip you over the edge.

They could hardly deny you had worked there that could get them into all sorts of trouble and what possible reason could you have for making it up?

easy

Alwyn_O wrote: »

Earning money for working as opposed to being given handouts for not working was a small consolation

Twas a real ball-ache to say the least... Even getting my money back proved to be infuriating...

" come back in two days... come back in two hours....etc..."

Got it in the end..

As I was not on a contract, nor on the books...I was wondering what the situation would be as I was paid cash in hand. I don't want to get into any trouble with the taxman.

Alwyn, you won't get into trouble with the taxman, as you will not have done anything wrong. Make sure you keep a note of the amount and date of the payment, declare it when you go to sign-on again.

It is the employers responsibility to declare and pay PAYE and NI. If they have paid you the gross amount, they will need to make good any unpaid deductions to HMRC.

Alwyn_O

Shikoku - yes.. its been a real pain reapplying for benefits but all is done now (hopefully) so I can concentrate on jobhunting.

Cheers Easy, all monies and date of pay have been declared in writing to the council. They told me they would inform HMRC too.

All done and dusted!
Thanks for the advice.

Barneysmom

Did they not give you a wage slip, I'm not sure that's legal?

Alwyn_O

No wage slip..


As Easy mentioned, they will have to pay HMRC whatever is owed from the gross amount they paid me.

DCFC79

Man that sounds like a right pain in the backside, hope you find something else and not ahve to spend too long on jsa