PAYRISE RETRACTED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE. Is this legal? Please help!

YESSRYAN

Back around the 19th February my manager rang me on Microsoft Teams to inform me of 2 things, he informed me that I would be receiving a bonus in Februarys pay and that from 1st March a pay rise of £2,000 would come into effect. This was great news to me as we'd recently had our first child who had started nursery so the additional salary was incredibly welcomed.

Fast forward to the end of Feb and my bonus lands as expected, now, on the 16th March I decided to hand my notice in as I couldn't keep working for someone who treated me with such little respect. My manager dealt with this not in such a great way, the relationship deteriorated quite quickly so fast forward to end of March (23rd) and my payslip comes through via email as usual, upon opening it I realise that our previously orally agreed pay rise from the 19th Feb wasn't on there.

I messaged my boss to ask if it had been retracted and he instantly called me, again on Microsoft Teams to confirm that after I handed my notice in on the 16th, 'the business' made the decision to retract the previously agreed pay rise the day later on the 17th March.

Now, 2 things struck me as suspicious, his entire demeanor during the call to tell me it had been retracted was off, he looked clearly panicked, anxious as he fumbled his way through the call essentially saying "it wasn't me, it was the business's decision" and finally, he admitted "I forgot to tell you it had been taken back". 

This is where I need help and advice, to my knowledge a company / business CAN legally retract a pay rise (and if I was informed I wouldn't have any issue) - HOWEVER, I feel like because I wasn't made aware the pay rise had been taken away, I'd therefor worked from 19th Feb until 25th March under the impression it was for the previously 'orally agreed' higher salary as this was the last conversation and the last point my manager informed me of a change in salary (and therefore a change in contract).

I raised this entire issue during my exit interview with HR and pleaded that because I was never informed of the retraction, which was again essentially a change in contract, that it was wages properly due and payable and therefor it was to be back dated from 1st March to my final day which would be 16th April. They said they would look into this for me, I left the business the day after my exit interview and yesterday received my final payslip to which there was no extra pay / reimbursement. It doesn't help that my managers fiancé just so happens to work within the HR department either. 

I understand from a legal point of view I have no written / physical evidence as these changes were only ever agreed orally over Microsoft Teams but I'm looking for advice on how to progress, whether I have a leg to stand on legally due to not being informed about the retraction and essentially just any advice anyone can give. I'm absolutely furious the company can simply just do this and get away with it because I'm physically no longer there to complain, and now I've left they're happy just not responding to requests / emails, hiding the issue internally in the hopes I'll go away. 

If anyone has any advice on how I could progress I would be incredibly grateful.

Thanks in advance!

k3lvc

So what happened between 1st and 16th March that the relationship deteriorated to such an extent that you resigned (apparently before they retracted your payrise) ?

Given you've nothing in writing and the fact you've already resigned I can't see you have a leg to stand on.

I'd be adding it the ****-it bucket and moving on with your life being grateful that at least you got the bonus and next time someone promises something you'll ask for it in writing

GeordieGeorge

There’s clearly a lot of detail that you’ve left out, but you’re talking about a couple of hundred pounds that you won’t get without a lot of effort so I’d suggest chalking it down to experience and moving on.

Mickey666

k3lvc said:

So what happened between 1st and 16th March that the relationship deteriorated to such an extent that you resigned (apparently before they retracted your payrise) ?

Good question. 
Especially as the OP said "This was great news to me as we'd recently had our first child who had started nursery so the additional salary was incredibly welcomed."

Seems like a bad time to resign.

YESSRYAN

Mickey666 said:

k3lvc said:

So what happened between 1st and 16th March that the relationship deteriorated to such an extent that you resigned (apparently before they retracted your payrise) ?

Good question. 
Especially as the OP said "This was great news to me as we'd recently had our first child who had started nursery so the additional salary was incredibly welcomed."

Seems like a bad time to resign.

Hey,

I guess you could say there had been a clash of opinions / personalities over the last 8-12 months that built and led up to this point - I didn't agree with the direction the business was taking under his management and I didn't agree with his management style, he was making decisions that impacted whole departments and benefitted all but a few - but understood the hierarchy and therefor I began to look at other employment options. I began looking around January time and so by the 1st-16th Feb I was still in interviews / negotiations with a new job offer and therefor I didn't mention anything as I hadn't signed a new contract yet. 

Resigning wasn't an easy choice, I left my friends and my team but I understood under his management and his lack of respect for my role / industry I would never get the career progression or satisfaction I wanted, I only left once I had a new job offer available so yes, it was a bad time to resign but unfortunately I couldn't see my career progressing under him. 

hyubh

YESSRYAN said:

Back around the 19th February my manager rang me on Microsoft Teams to inform me of 2 things, he informed me that I would be receiving a bonus in Februarys pay and that from 1st March a pay rise of £2,000 would come into effect. This was great news to me as we'd recently had our first child who had started nursery so the additional salary was incredibly welcomed.

Fast forward to the end of Feb and my bonus lands as expected, now, on the 16th March I decided to hand my notice in as I couldn't keep working for someone who treated me with such little respect. My manager dealt with this not in such a great way, the relationship deteriorated quite quickly so fast

Think you may want to read back your own words in isolation from anything else. According to your own account, your reaction to a bonus and a pay rise was to resign immediately after you've seen the bonus money come into your bank account. If you had been more honest about your intentions to resign, it seems very unlikely that a discretionary bonus and payrise would have been forthcoming just before you served your notice.

prowla

Just as well you didn't resign before the bonus was paid!

theoretica

I would be furious too,  but at something around £150 after tax and NI probably not cost effective to take to tribunal.  Are you a union member?

Thrugelmir

YESSRYAN said:

Mickey666 said:

k3lvc said:

So what happened between 1st and 16th March that the relationship deteriorated to such an extent that you resigned (apparently before they retracted your payrise) ?

Good question. 
Especially as the OP said "This was great news to me as we'd recently had our first child who had started nursery so the additional salary was incredibly welcomed."

Seems like a bad time to resign.

 I began looking around January time and so by the 1st-16th Feb I was still in interviews / negotiations with a new job offer and therefor I didn't mention anything as I hadn't signed a new contract yet. 

In other words you hadn't been WFH. During time paid for by your employer you had been seeking employment elsewhere. Then you still expect a pay rise? 

Marcon

YESSRYAN said:

Back around the 19th February my manager rang me on Microsoft Teams to inform me of 2 things, he informed me that I would be receiving a bonus in Februarys pay and that from 1st March a pay rise of £2,000 would come into effect. This was great news to me as we'd recently had our first child who had started nursery so the additional salary was incredibly welcomed.

Fast forward to the end of Feb and my bonus lands as expected, now, on the 16th March I decided to hand my notice in as I couldn't keep working for someone who treated me with such little respect. 

If anyone has any advice on how I could progress I would be incredibly grateful.

'I got a bonus and a pay rise and then quit because I wasn't treated with the respect I believed was my due.'

Clearly plenty of back story here; your post doesn't add up at all. Given the amount involved, just move on and be grateful you got the bonus.

Snuggles

Thrugelmir said:

YESSRYAN said:

Mickey666 said:

k3lvc said:

So what happened between 1st and 16th March that the relationship deteriorated to such an extent that you resigned (apparently before they retracted your payrise) ?

Good question. 
Especially as the OP said "This was great news to me as we'd recently had our first child who had started nursery so the additional salary was incredibly welcomed."

Seems like a bad time to resign.

 I began looking around January time and so by the 1st-16th Feb I was still in interviews / negotiations with a new job offer and therefor I didn't mention anything as I hadn't signed a new contract yet. 

In other words you hadn't been WFH. During time paid for by your employer you had been seeking employment elsewhere. Then you still expect a pay rise? 

How have you reached that conclusion? People WFH can take time off too you know...