Being underpaid (again)

wtf!

I don't remember exactly how it went last time. I'd call them, say you think you lost a day's pay (20% right?) this week and could they check that out please because your timesheet adds up to five blah blah. See what they have to say about it when you're acting all innocent.

If they say "no, we reduced your pay", then I don't have immediate advice short of torching them. You could try going up their management ladder for a start, following the same general line as before. Does a 20% pay cut take you under minimum wage?

Pretend you don't know that. Call them up and say "I think you might have missed a day's work off my pay slip?" gives them a chance to pretend it's a mistake and fix it without any confrontation needed on either side (or it might be a mistake, but they sound like absolute cunts). When you've ascertained their position, then you go up management and think about revenge.

And if it was me I'd look for another job, right now, at the same time.

Agencies are cunts. When I was working in the UK they tried to pull swifty's like this on me and others I was working with all the time. This was labouring mind so I guess they thought that many of the workers weren't in a position to complain. I actually ended up getting a rate rise for me and a couple of my fellow workers at two different agencies by actually making some thinly veiled threats of fucking up the job for the agency if we didn't get better money. Be aware though, you gotta be prepared to follow through if they call your bluff.

All the best
gregg

my god man. i'm sorry to hear that.

I worked as temp for about a year and our timesheets had two carbon copy sheets behind an original. We would fill out our own hours over the payperiod and then have our supervisor at the actual job sign off on it. They would get the last copy, the agency would get the original, and I would get the middle one. When we were notified of the temp job we were gonna take they would always tell us how much we would get paid first. Sorry I rambled, but I guess I'm just asking if they don't do this over your way? If they don't operate like that, that seems just really fucked. If they do, and they did that to you any anyway, thats just really really fucked. I suppose I'd reccomend finding out if there is any other temps at your specific jobsite your at and see if they haved suffered a similar experience. If so, bringing if up together might well give a tad more weight to your bitching.

Further toward revolution comrade of course!!

If this is the new low pay for everyone (charming! ) then you may have to suck it up..of course they owe you the difference from when you started til the announcement of the change - which they also should have given you notice of..but they haven't even told you formally by the sounds - pricks!! It is good that you have spoken to the others - knowledge is power! At least you know where you stand from now on even tho it is not where you would like to be.

Love

LW XX

I'd still call them up and say, "I seem to have been docked a day's wages, what's going on?" pretending you think it's just you for now. Force them to actually tell you that they've reduced your wages, then request notification of this in writing. Also record the phonecall (should be possible on most mobiles I think, although I've not done it). If they won't notify you in writing, let them know you'll be writing to the managing director (or whoever) to request the same information.

As far as I'm concerned, the fact you've been working on particular wages, and these have been changed without agreement, constitutes a breach of contract. You don't need a fully written contract of employment for the precedent of wages to have been set - surely they agreed your original daily rate at the start? And you have old payslips right?

http://www.thompsons.law.co.uk/ltext/l1170003.htm

= get on the phone fucking fast.

If it was me, I'd do this:

1. call them up, force them to show their hand, ask for something in writing, and then request something in writing yourself if they don't send it.
2. start looking for another job
3. get legal advice. CAB is probably your best free bet. I don't know what union you'd come under and I doubt they'd give a shit to be honest. If it's as solid as I think it is - i.e. the deduction is illegal, informing them that you're taking advice can be enough. Also some solicitors will do a half-hour free consultation, but most won't know fuck about employment law.
4. See if anyone else you work with is pissed off enough that they'll fight it as well, try to persuade them if not, explain the risks but also that you'll be much harder to ignore if you go together.

Ach, temp agencies.

I agree that getting a new job lined up is good advice. The trouble with agencies is that they can, and do, just get rid of you.

If you can't get it sorted out by talking to them/grievance - you'll need to make an 'unlawful deductions from wages' claim at the Employment Tribunal and if they sack you for doing that, you then have a claim of unfair dismissal for 'assertion of statutory rights' (no qualifying service needed).

Good luck

Very odd. I'd still call them up and say there was money missing in your last payslip tbh. As long as no change again next week that saves a lot of hassle though!

Yeah keep an eye on it as Catch intimates - as they obv. don't know their arse from their elbow.

Good day for you today - i guess the Milky Bars are on you.