Pay issue

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I have been getting annoyed with work recently. I have some problems with my tax and other pay issues. First HMRC give me a stupid tax code and I lose loads of pay, next my company send me a P45 for some obscure reason. I think I have sorted my tax out then last week got a really stupid code again. Contacted them to be told I had 2 jobs, and when I asked for the tax reference for both jobs they gave me the same one for both (so I had 2 records of the same job at HMRC). Then work have started paying me at the wrong pay rate i.e. for a 17 year old.

But the main worry is that for all my problems I have not actually received anything in the bank for over 5 weeks now. I get my payslip at the end of the week to find the money has gone into a bank account that is not mine, and I have never changed my details with them. So every Monday we go through the same routine of emails and phonecalls to get it sorted. Then I wait for a Friday to find it is still going into a different bank. The company have even said that in all likely hood they will not even pay me the cash owed so far.

So today I sat on the phone for a while to see if I was going to get paid tomorrow. Everything was going OK until I gave her the bank details and was told that they are not the ones on record and my cash is going into this other account again. But then the lass said "Oh this has happened to a few others over the past few weeks". Now call me crazy but I am tempted to now call the police as it sounds really dodgy to me. Given that the payroll are a bunch of fuckwits it could be that someone is deliberately syphoning money off.

So should I bother with police or just write this off as an active imagination??

[Ed209]

It's probably just total incompetence. Surely no one stupid enough to think they can steal someones paycheck without them knowing.

I would go as high up as possible, head of HR, even CEO if you can, and say that if it's not sorted you will start legal proceedings for the company's breech of employment contract, and alerting the police to possible fraudulent activity.

I'd make sure your union payments are up to date first though. Could get ugly

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Would it be worth mentioning to payroll that the problem lies with them depositing your money into an account which is not yours. Then go onto tell them that you are worried that fraud is being committed and feel that you should call the police in. Then go on to say that you are hesitant to take this course of action in case it's an error within their department. Then ask if they could re-investigate the situation and come back to you within, say 48 hours.

I would also request to speak to the head of payroll in order to pass this 'request' onto. Presumably they'll go into a flap and give your situation their undivided attention.

That is definitely the course of action I would take - non threatening while putting the fear of God into them.

PS. Got my own battle at work. Just found out that about 20 people who do the same job as me have been paid several thousand more than me for the last 2 years. Because I have a slightly different job title (but the work is the same) they thought f*ck him, even though I have worked there for over 20 years and the others haven't. I am in the process of going into battle. Go high up and have them people kick shit downwards is the way I approach these things. With that in mind I intend to create a shit storm of biblical proportions. This will include throwing their own failure to adhere to policies and procedures at them, victimising me (always a good one that) and breach of contract ( this particular aspect is too long winded to explain).

Here's wishing us both the best of luck.

[feral chile]

Have you tried ringing ACAS for advice rufus? This is ridiculous, having your hard earned cash going into someone else's bank account.

Good luck to both of you in your battles.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Thanks feral. Unlike rufus I'm sure, but I'm actually looking forward to my battle. It's honestly not the money with me (although getting more would obviously be no bad thing), it's the principle. I really want to fight the injustice even if it means going to the lengths where I accuse them of constructive dismissal and then have to go to court etc. If I don't I know I'll never live with myself. I'll always be in a state of regret and anger with myself.

Now, here's a dilemma - I have evidence of one of the three people overseeing my claim for more cash having been corrupt. My heart of hearts tells me to not bring it up because I don't want to see a family man get the sack and because I'm fairly sure it was a one off. That said, he's actually pissing on me and I'm getting wet and uncomfortable. I was thinking of telling him in kind of like a parable ie not telling him directly. However I fear he may just think i've gone doolaly if I kind of start talking in tongues!

What would you do people?

[feral chile]

Thanks feral. Unlike rufus I'm sure, but I'm actually looking forward to my battle. It's honestly not the money with me (although getting more would obviously be no bad thing), it's the principle. I really want to fight the injustice even if it means going to the lengths where I accuse them of constructive dismissal and then have to go to court etc. If I don't I know I'll never live with myself. I'll always be in a state of regret and anger with myself.

Now, here's a dilemma - I have evidence of one of the three people overseeing my claim for more cash having been corrupt. My heart of hearts tells me to not bring it up because I don't want to see a family man get the sack and because I'm fairly sure it was a one off. That said, he's actually pissing on me and I'm getting wet and uncomfortable. I was thinking of telling him in kind of like a parable ie not telling him directly. However I fear he may just think i've gone doolaly if I kind of start talking in tongues!

What would you do people?

[kaosmark2]

Now, here's a dilemma - I have evidence of one of the three people overseeing my claim for more cash having been corrupt. My heart of hearts tells me to not bring it up because I don't want to see a family man get the sack and because I'm fairly sure it was a one off. That said, he's actually pissing on me and I'm getting wet and uncomfortable. I was thinking of telling him in kind of like a parable ie not telling him directly. However I fear he may just think i've gone doolaly if I kind of start talking in tongues!

What would you do people?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

ooh don't know - he might panic and try to get rid of you before you can present the evidence. I don't suppose he could accuse you of blackmail without dobbing himself in. But he might find some way to stitch you up.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I would make the decision as to whether to tell others. I wouldn't talk to him about it because that could be construed as blackmail.

If you think he deserves the sack, bring it up. If you don't, don't. Keep that out of your campaign in terms of thinking of your chance of success, because you've said it's the principle rather than an absolute need for the cash. It wouldn't be very principled to get someone sacked if you didn't think they deserved it.

[russycarps]

maybe the people that get paid more than you are better at their jobs than you

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

maybe the people that get paid more than you are better at their jobs than you

[russycarps]

if you start causing trouble at work the first thing they will do is check your internet and email usage

same with the payrise thing. You say "I deserve more money!" they check your internet/email usage "errrr sorry, no payrise, and also, here's your p45"

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

if you start causing trouble at work the first thing they will do is check your internet and email usage

same with the payrise thing. You say "I deserve more money!" they check your internet/email usage "errrr sorry, no payrise, and also, here's your p45"

[russycarps]

Thanks for the tip off Russy but I work from home and am able to separate my personal internet access from the VPN line I use to go on their system. They even pay half my broadband bill God bless 'em. I know it probably doesn't sound like I deserve to be paid equally to the others but there was a good number of years when I was driven like a dog and worked much harder and longer hours without an applicable pay rise. I'm going for it now as pay back for then so to speak. I also like getting cantankerous with my employers every now and again. I know it's perverse and these are dodgy times as far as job security goes but I don't seem to be able to help myself.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

ahh well it looks like you've got that covered then, so rinse them for all you can!

I havent asked for a payrise in years, but going back to my earlier post, if you say to the management "I know they earn £x more than me, so I want more too" And they reply "sorry Mr Stick, but we believe they are more talented and harder working than you". What would you say?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Forgot to say - I do have an Achilles heal in my plans which is that they'll realise my workload has dropped off dramatically of late when they come to cover my work in my absence. Still, I'm as stupid as the day is long so probably wont let that hold me back!