Underpaid - what can I do?

i_s

I work for a supermarket and due to being low on funds I took up overtime in another store. The first few months of doing this was fine however the last month I did it I wasn't paid a penny of the overtime worked despite going through the same procedures as the time before. In total I am missing over £400.

Wage slips are released the day before payday and so I informed my manager of the missing pay the day before. The manager said they will authorise a "backpayment" which will be paid into my account the next Friday for the missing funds.

The next Friday came and went and without pay I was told again to wait until the next Friday as it may take that long. For a second week in a row the money wasn't paid into my account.

Despite no contact from my manager about what was happening in regards to my pay I rang the personnel manager for the area for more help to see what could be done. I was told that they would ring my store and get back to me the next day with answers as to where the money was.

Next day came and went and I received no call back from either my area personnel manager or my store manager.

I am not sure what to do, as a student I need this overtime money as I am truly struggling without it and have very little funds to last until the next pay day.

What can I do?

sangie595

Chase it again. Any legal recourse you have will take way longer than a few weeks to implement, and threatening your employer with legal action is the fastest way to have no job.

I appreciate that it's a rubbish time of year for students, but being at a point where you can only survive by getting overtime which isn't guaranteed is a most unwise position to be in. Even when this arrives, what will you do next month? Or the month after? You need to look at how the finances stack up, because, albeit it isn't your fault that the money hasn't been paid, if you hadn't got that overtime you would have been in the exact same position.

i_s

Thank you for your reply, I will be heading into store to see manager later and if no outcome will take it to area manager to try and get some sort of resolution.

As for the second point, I am generally good with money and have found another job which will sustain my expenditures on rent/food etc throughout summer however was given 3 months until the start date so for the time being have had to try and earn the extra through the current job. Thanks again.

jobbingmusician

Do you have a contract? You could try sending a letter before action (head the letter 'Letter Before Action) telling them that you will use Money Claim Online to pursue this money, plus interest, plus any extra costs which you have incurred because the payment is late, if you do not receive payment by a set date.

In any case, if you have incurred extra costs, I would write to them explaining this and saying that since your contract states that you will be paid weekly, you will be looking to them to reimburse these costs.