Change to salary.

Hello,

I am currently employed by a further education college as a lecturer where I qualify for a Market Supplement to my pay as I teach in a qualifying area.

The majority of the team I work in are all paid under Market Supplement A, but for some reaosn when my employment began, I was paid under Market Supplement B which means I have been paid more than anyone else in my team on the same pay scale.

The mistake was noticed last year but my Head of Department and Head of HR decided to leave my salary as it was and were happy to accept that there had been a mistake on the part of the college and that I would continue to paid under Market Supplement B. I also received written confirmation that my pay would remain at the higher level.

I recently applied for and successfully gained a promotion, which would give me an extra £2000 a year. My new role began on the 1st September, but I did not receive any extra pay on my most recent pay slip. I contacted HR to query this and they said that they had not been given a start date, but would ensure I am paid next month and it would be backdated to the 1st September. The email then went on to say that I am "due to be put on the correct market supplement as for somereason you were given the incorrect supplement when you commenced. This willthen ensure you are paid in line with the rest of the team."

The college has removed the Market Supplement pay information from the intranet and I am unable to find out exactly by how much how my pay will be affected before a meeting with HR next week, but I think that I will in fact be worse off than I am at the moment, even though I have had a pay rise for the promotion.


Please can you advise me as to what rights I have in this case?

Many thanks.
Clearing debt to save for a simple wedding.
Starting 2016 With debt of £7700

Comments

  • Wywth
    Wywth Posts: 5,079 Forumite
    edited 28 September 2012 at 10:02AM
    niksyg wrote: »
    Hello,

    I am currently employed by a further education college as a lecturer where I qualify for a Market Supplement to my pay as I teach in a qualifying area.

    The majority of the team I work in are all paid under Market Supplement A, but for some reaosn when my employment began, I was paid under Market Supplement B which means I have been paid more than anyone else in my team on the same pay scale.

    The mistake was noticed last year but my Head of Department and Head of HR decided to leave my salary as it was and were happy to accept that there had been a mistake on the part of the college and that I would continue to paid under Market Supplement B. I also received written confirmation that my pay would remain at the higher level.

    I recently applied for and successfully gained a promotion, which would give me an extra £2000 a year. My new role began on the 1st September, but I did not receive any extra pay on my most recent pay slip. I contacted HR to query this and they said that they had not been given a start date, but would ensure I am paid next month and it would be backdated to the 1st September. The email then went on to say that I am "due to be put on the correct market supplement as for somereason you were given the incorrect supplement when you commenced. This willthen ensure you are paid in line with the rest of the team."

    The college has removed the Market Supplement pay information from the intranet and I am unable to find out exactly by how much how my pay will be affected before a meeting with HR next week, but I think that I will in fact be worse off than I am at the moment, even though I have had a pay rise for the promotion.

    Please can you advise me as to what rights I have in this case?

    Many thanks.


    Some questions:
    Who confirmed you had been successful in your promotion?
    Who advised you you would be paid £2k p.a. more?
    Who confirmed your start date in your new role as 01 September 2012?
    Have you agreed to a new contract of employment?

    Depending on the answers, the employer could be accused of illegally withholding pay.

    If none of this has actually been confirmed, I would suggest you wait until this is provided and if this so called 'promotion' does in fact result in a pay cut which you are not prepared to accept, then politely decline their offer.

    More useful information can be found on the Citizens Advice self-help website www.adviceguide.org.uk or by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline (0845 4040506) or contacting your local CAB office.


    Edit: Two final questions:
    Is there anything in your current (i.e pre-promotion) contract of employment that protects your pay in the event you are asked to carry out another role?
    Is there anything in that contract that guarantees a minimum pay increase in the event of securing a promotion?

    Not all contracts of employment may include such terms, but some, especially with the larger employers, may do.
  • niksyg
    niksyg Posts: 678 Forumite
    Wywth wrote: »
    Some questions:
    Who confirmed you had been successful in your promotion? I received a letter from HR stating I had been successful and was inducted by the head of the department who cover the area I have been promoted to.
    Who advised you you would be paid £2k p.a. more? The extra £2k was advertised with the job and HR have agreed I will get the extra £2k - it's the Market Suuplement they want to reduce.
    Who confirmed your start date in your new role as 01 September 2012? The letter I received notifying of my success at interview stated the 1st September as my start date.
    Have you agreed to a new contract of employment? I have not been given a new contarct of employment.

    Depending on the answers, the employer could be accused of illegally withholding pay.

    If none of this has actually been confirmed, I would suggest you wait until this is provided and if this so called 'promotion' does in fact result in a pay cut which you are not prepared to accept, then politely decline their offer.

    More useful information can be found on the Citizens Advice self-help website www.adviceguide.org.uk or by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline (0845 4040506) or contacting your local CAB office.


    Edit: Two final questions:
    Is there anything in your current (i.e pre-promotion) contract of employment that protects your pay in the event you are asked to carry out another role?
    Is there anything in that contract that guarantees a minimum pay increase in the event of securing a promotion?

    Not all contracts of employment may include such terms, but some, especially with the larger employers, may do.


    It is the not pay increase that I have a concern about, as I am sure I will receive it next month, backdated to 1st September.

    My issue is with the Market Supplement and the higher rate of pay - the mistake was acknowledged by my employer and it was agreed that they would continue to pay me at a higher rate - I just don't see why they suddenly want to change that just because I have been promoted to a more demanding role.

    Any ideas on that part of the problem?

    Thanks!
    Clearing debt to save for a simple wedding.
    Starting 2016 With debt of £7700
  • Wywth
    Wywth Posts: 5,079 Forumite
    edited 28 September 2012 at 4:17PM
    First things first.

    Demand a new contract of employment detailing your new roles and responsibilites, and most importantly your renumeration for this new role.

    If it's not specified in there what you want/were expecting, discuss the situation with your HR department.

    Explain to them, as you explained to us, that because of a mistake on the part of the college, it was previously agreed you "would continue to paid under Market Supplement B".

    Also explain that you were enticed into seeking promotion, at least in part, by their advertisement for the role that specified you would receive an extra £2k per year.

    Good luck :)

    Are you a member of a union? This is the sort of issue they should certainly be able to assist you with.
  • niksyg
    niksyg Posts: 678 Forumite
    Thank you very much for that.

    No I am not a member of a union - used to be a Prison Officer and after being called a scab for working during a strike (I had no choice - I was already in the Prison when the strike started and couldn't leave) I decided unions were not for me.

    I did contact ACAS for some advice, the advisor I spoke to was about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

    Thanks for the suggestions, I will give them a go when I return to work next week.
    Clearing debt to save for a simple wedding.
    Starting 2016 With debt of £7700
  • CAB_National_Representative
    CAB_National_Representative Posts: 220 Organisation Representative
    edited 9 October 2012 at 10:28AM
    niksyg wrote: »
    Hello,

    I am currently employed by a further education college as a lecturer where I qualify for a Market Supplement to my pay as I teach in a qualifying area.

    The majority of the team I work in are all paid under Market Supplement A, but for some reaosn when my employment began, I was paid under Market Supplement B which means I have been paid more than anyone else in my team on the same pay scale.

    The mistake was noticed last year but my Head of Department and Head of HR decided to leave my salary as it was and were happy to accept that there had been a mistake on the part of the college and that I would continue to paid under Market Supplement B. I also received written confirmation that my pay would remain at the higher level.

    I recently applied for and successfully gained a promotion, which would give me an extra £2000 a year. My new role began on the 1st September, but I did not receive any extra pay on my most recent pay slip. I contacted HR to query this and they said that they had not been given a start date, but would ensure I am paid next month and it would be backdated to the 1st September. The email then went on to say that I am "due to be put on the correct market supplement as for somereason you were given the incorrect supplement when you commenced. This willthen ensure you are paid in line with the rest of the team."

    The college has removed the Market Supplement pay information from the intranet and I am unable to find out exactly by how much how my pay will be affected before a meeting with HR next week, but I think that I will in fact be worse off than I am at the moment, even though I have had a pay rise for the promotion.

    Please can you advise me as to what rights I have in this case?

    Many thanks.

    Hi niksyg - we'd recommend contacting your local bureau for advice on this, and before your meeting with HR if you can. You'll need copies of your employment contracts and any letters or emails concerning the terms and conditions of your employment, so they can help with the details. Our advisers also have access to a specialist team for employment issues, so can get further information from them if needs be.

    If you're a member of a union, we'd also strongly recommend that you discuss this with your union rep too.

    We hope this helps.
    Official CAB Representative
    I am an official representative of CAB. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to questions on the CAB Board. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. If you believe I’ve broken any rules please report my post to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com as usual"
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