Agency calls us in then sends us striaght home

TmanX

Just after a bit of advice about agency work. Been working through a agency at a warehouse for the last few weeks on nights. Yesterday got a phone call at 6pm telling me they didn't need me that night but to come in tomorrow night. Today they rang me again at around 4pm confirming that they needed me in tonight and also asking if I could come in friday night as well (usually do sun to thur). Anyway turned up tonight and have been told there has been a mistake and they aren't running the area I work on tonight so there was no work for me and the other 10 or so people who work on the same area and who all had had calls this afternoon telling them to come in. Lucky I live quite local but some of the people have travelled quite a way on the train and have no way of getting home due to the fact that public transport doesn't run through the night. My question is therefore is there any laws in place to protect agency staff against things like this in terms of paying us something for wasting our time and money coming in to work then being sent home striaght away. I know the nature of agency work means they can finish you at anytime but I just think it's bad that they rang us in the afternoon to tell us to come in when they never needed us. The team leader on the afternoon shift told us that they had never planned to have night shift on tonight so it's not as if it was a last minute decision to not run our area. Spoke to the agency rep before we went home and she said we wouldn't be paid anything which seems a joke. When asked what should the people do who can't get home she just said can't other people drive them, the cheek. Any advice on employment law would be helpful.

TmanX

Just checked my online banking and the agency have under paid me for last weeks work. Really angry!!!!:mad: Got bills to pay but I'm sure they won't care!!! :mad::mad::mad::mad: They treat people like garbage! :mad::mad::mad::mad: Merry fricking xmas!!! :mad::mad::mad::mad:

whitewing

Are you sure they've underpaid you? They may have taken off tax/NI if you've done more hours and gone over the threshold. There is a calculator thing on the main site than you can use to double check.

When I got called in in error by the agency earlier this year, I got paid an hour. Other people's worries - however unfair - are not your battles, so I would not quibble too much if you still need the work. If you accept it once as a mistake, they will probably be more willing to choose you over others for the future. That is the nature of agency work.

TmanX

They paid me £142.42 for 38.5 hours at £6.99 an hour. Should of had £228.42 so under paid me by £86. I've been paid for a full week before so I know how much they should pay me. Better sort it for me tomorrow or i'll properly kick off. Can't afford to wait till next week for the difference to be paid back to me. People shouldn't be treated this poorly agency or not. Really need the money with xmas a week on sunday. Stressing me out. Why can't the agency just do what they say they'll do.

scheming_gypsy

Well the first one has nothing to do with the Agency. The client told them they needed staff, the agency told the staff, the staff turned up and the client told you that you weren't needed

For the wages, all you can do is phone them today. What does it say on your pay slip for them to get to that sum? is it 38.5 hours at £6.99 and then you've got deductions, or have they got less hours

Andy2011

Emergency tax?

Notmyrealname

Have a look at your terms of employment or contract of employment from the agency. There should be a mention of it there.

When I did agency work as a lorry driver, if it got cancelled I didn't get anything but if I turned up and nobody had called to cancel I was guaranteed 4hrs or 8hrs depending on the agency as long as I had the timesheet signed to say I'd been. I remember one Sunday night on the run up to Xmas turning up to find out the cold store at a turkey factory wasn't running and that someone had forgotten to phone the agency and tell them. I got a manager to sign to say I had been - 8hrs guaranteed pay at Sunday rates. One happy bunny.

yvonne13_2

They might not give you a chaps and will just pay you what owed the following week.

Don't kick of though as a temp they can get rid of you quite easy.

Glass_Half_Empty??

I work for agency to they are the pits but its keeping my bills paid for now. I got up at 4 and went 20 miles to work on wednesday morningand was double booked with another driver. I had proof I had been given the shift and still had to go home, but was offered a grovelling apology and 2 hours pay for travelling time and petrol which I will take as a bonus as normally we get nothing.
Regarding your pay ACAS told me not so long ago that by law the company should pay you at the next payroll no earlier and that is fair even if monthly paid. Whether they will pay you earlier is there choice but before you kick off just remember that Jan is just around the corner and the ones who kick off now wont be offered work first in Jan when work is scarce. I know its crap, and its not fair etc I am with you completely but I have been where you are and unfortunately right now is not the time to bite the hand that feeds you. Just ask politely and tell them you would like it resolving before the next payroll as you need it. If they say they cant you cant do anything untill the next payroll anyway so just work this week and check it is there.
And as for anyone saying "this is the nature of agency work".....well this is why they are so !!!! to work for. They care only about themselves and the money coming in from clients to pay for their sports cars and designer gear. If regulated properly then they would be a good alternative to permanent employment but unfortunately they get away with treating people like crap. It should be law that if sent to a job and work is not there then a compensation fee of half the shift should be paid if not full. Watch the mistakes stop then!!

scheming_gypsy

Glass_Half_Empty?? wrote: »

It should be law that if sent to a job and work is not there then a compensation fee of half the shift should be paid if not full. Watch the mistakes stop then!!

But it isn't always the agencies fault, sometimes it's the client who don't even tell the agency.
And don't think i'm defending agencies because they pay my wages as well. I do a 70 mile round trip and the place I'm working at is very health and safety concious. So if there's snow and their car park is 'dangerous', they'll close the site down till it's no longer dangerous and i'll lose over £20 an hour myself. So i'm in the same boat.

TmanX

Just to update rang them this morning and was told the clock in machine hadn't registered me for 2 days so wasn't paid. Can't pay me what I'm owed till next week which really messes up my finances to be honest. Read some of your comments about it being the employers fault and not the agency but in this case I think it's the agency who messed up as they were told by the employer that there was no work but got the dates confused. The agency are on site by the way 24/7. Another point I brought up with the agency is that I have never been issued with a pay slip even though I've been paid 3 times. Agency told me that as there busy over xmas they struggle to post out the pay slips and that if I wanted mine I could go to the office to get it. This is the kind of unprofessional behaviour you get with agencies. Also they have never given me a copy of my contract but like my pay slips I suppose they only issue them to those who complain. They can get away with doing what they want to the workers due to the influx of the eastern european workers who are willing to accept worse treatment and can be exploited more easily. So if you make a stand against poor treatment they'll just replace you with Lukasz who will work for less money, 7 days a week, who accepts worse treatment or doesn't know his rights and doesn't have the language skills to complain even if he does feel he is being treated unfairly.