Repeated Wrong Amount In Monthly Salary

[Waxwing]

My friend works for an extremely well-known company as a cleaner on a zero hours contract for just over the minimum wage and also gets paid monthly in arrears (which I think is appalling, but that's another story)! He has usually done around 40 hours a week for the past year.

On at least 3 occasions in the last 12 months including April's payslip, Payroll at Head Office has messed up again and mis-keyed the number of hours he (and some of the other staff) have worked. This has resulted in a gross payment of £300 rather than the £1,020 he should have received for March (at the end of April).

The company (although I am not sure how high it has been escalated) simply say tough, we can't do anything - we'll make up the difference next month. He obviously can't live on air, never mind being evicted.

Is this legal? What can he do? Thanks for any advice.

[factor-fiction]

If it's their error I think any decent employer should make up the shortfall although some companies may not have the payroll systems to deal with supplementary payments and associated TAX/NI.
I'm also on a similar zero hours contract and sometimes have to wait an extra week or two for payments because of processing delays but I've learnt to live with it- but if it became a major problem I'd look for another employer

[Peter Pedant]

No it is not legal

and this is what he can do:
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/work_w/work_rights_at_work_e/rights_to_pay.htm#h_if_you_dont_get_paid_or_you_are_paid_late

[Waxwing]

Thanks for the advice - have printed out the CAB document and will help him write a letter.
BTW if the ultimate boss can afford his own island, you'd think he could pay for competent payroll staff and systems :)

[black_cat51]

doesn't everyone get paid in arrears? What is so appalling about that?

[Waxwing]

In this company, salaried staff get paid on the last Friday of the month for the previous 4 weeks work.
Zero hours contract staff get paid on the last Friday of the month for the month before (e.g. in April, he is paid for March - or in this case partly paid).
This means that as he was on benefits and started work on April 2nd 2013, his JSA stopped immediately (although he was given emergency housing benefit) and he had no money until the end of May. Although he appealed and went to the CAB, if it hadn't been for friends and family he would have had no food or electricity for 7 weeks (the last of the JSA went on buying a second-hand bike to get to work).
I'm sure there are many other companies who do this; I simply think it's wrong.

[factor-fiction]

One of my agencies pays a month later too-e.g. work on 5th May, get paid 30 June. I've learnt to live with it- the money comes eventually. It's difficult when you start but on the plus side when you come to leave there will be a money coming in for at least a month after you finish

[Peter Pedant]

Black cat - with this system with really crap hours and really crap hourly wage, basically the poorest is bank loaning the employer.

one of our employees was paid £19 for a month
yes nineteen
and was assured it would be OK in thirty days
and said yeah what am I gonna live on until then ?

( I think we all lent him money - which means WE subsidised the laziness of our nationalised employer )

[Peter Pedant]

.

FF meet black vat - she is one of your contractors

The American multi nationals apparently just said we arent gonna pay at thirty d., we are gonna make it sixty....
and when all the little people like FF in the land of the free squealed,
the multinationals said: we are just gonna do it....
That;s a free market for you !