Transferred job locations and not been paid since.Advice?

daastle

Hi!First of all, I've been a reader of these forums for a long time but never was in a personal situation to use them. I hope you can help!

Little bit of a backstory:

I recently moved cities and my job (delivery driver job for a big company) offered me a transfer.

 My first location was monthly pay and my second one is weekly pay. They have an internal transfer method which worked quite swimmingly in what working was regarded (I moved and was working the following day) , but I've not been paid since!

For reference, my last payday was on the 10th of July (monthly)in my previous job. I worked in that location for 2 weeks before moving on the 25th, so was expecting another monthly payday on the 10th of August.

Secondly, after moving, I've worked every week in the new location. That means I've worked 5 weeks , and missed 5 paydays (I've asked other workers and they get paid every friday. My new contract states I get paid every friday too)

I've not only missed the monthly pay I am owed from my old location, but the weekly pay at the new location!

I've tried chasing my managers about it, and I've tried emailing HR and payroll. Payroll won't even answer their phone and neither will HR. The managers seem pretty powerless in getting a hold of HR and payroll,although they seem to be doing the best they can.

I've already had to borrow money to pay my first month of rent in my new location, and its REALLY stressing me out. I've worked 34 shifts and not been paid.The managers and HR seem to be in the slowest email correspondance i've ever seen, and even though I've told them its an emergency, its taken them 4 weeks (since I raised the issue) to get...nowhere.

I opened a case of grievance with the company, but that seems to be a slow process too.

Can anyone give me any advice on what to do? I actually enjoy the job for what it is, and didn't really want to 'quit' the job. But I see no light in the horizon, and the manager has gone on holiday this week.

Is there any kind of legal process I can follow?

Thanks a lot.

tacpot12

I would suggest that you escalate this to HR Director or another director of the company if you can't find the HR director's email address.  I would make the subject line of the  email "Help!".

You can take legal action, but it will take time. If you have home insurance, check to see if you have legal expenses cover as you can usually call their legal helpline for legal advice on employment issues. THey should refer you to the ACAS Early Concilliation procedure. Note that there is a deadline of three months less one day to raise the issue. This deadline starts from the time that you were not paid when you should have been.   

Make some notes on all the different means you have tried. 

Farside71

Do you have a union you can join? Is there an employee representation group?  Sometimes they have direct links to HR.

If you were to take legal action it might make it difficult to keep working at the company.

I agree, that I would be trying to get it to the HR director.  HR might be shambolic (certainly sounds it) especially if they are home working, and your case might not be getting priority as no one wants to pick it up and deal with it.

Jillanddy

Note that there is a deadline of three months less one day to raise the issue. 

It's a deadline of three months less a day from the last date of a continuing action - so since the OP isn't being paid still, then the deadline isn't the issue. The issue is that it will take months to go down this route, as is the fact that whilst the company are very much in the wrong here, there are no guarantees that they will take kindly to ACAS or a tribunal action. So it may well come to the same place - the OP needs another job, whichever way you cut it, but these might be actions for when they have quit rather than if they are still employed. Short-term, there's no legal remedy that doesn't take several weeks at the best (and that recourse would likely to small claims rather than a tribunal).

OP. if there is no response from managers, payroll or HR, is there any way of escalating it far up the chain - it may be drastic, but to stand any chance of speedy payment, drastic may be your only option. An email to the CEO saying you've done everything you can to resolve this, that you are heavily in debt due to this error on the part of the company, and how that doesn't seem to accord with the companies commitment to care for their employees (or whatever b*llsh*t they spiel about how caring and responsible they are). It may not work, but realistically if nobody else is doing their job and you are forced down a legal route you will have had to leave the company long before you get your money anyway. 

oh_really

Get hold of the grievance policy document, it will outline what level your grievance is directed to, (I get you've already submitted it), and the timescale for convening a hearing. If this has failed to take place within the stipulated timescale then esculate directly up to the next level.