Feel cheated out of my pay rise. Is there anything I can do?

[bobsnotmyuncle]

Long time lurker, first time poster here and hoping there's some employment lawyers out there who can help me!

I returned to work after mat leave 4 days per week, which I was happy with. We've had some large projects at work so end of last year my boss asked if I'd consider going full time. Having talked it over with DP, I agreed, but only if they could give me a pay rise (over and above the extra day's pay) to cover extra child care and loss of WTC etc. They agreed in writing, and I saw the agreement signed by my boss's boss.

Still with me? So since Jan I've been working FT on what I thought was a good wage. I found out last week when I was paid that I'm not on the increased salary agreed, just the extra day. My boss's boss is claiming that it was a mistake and she shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place. But she neglected to tell me or my boss so I was none the wiser and working my ass off and I'm actually worse off money wise than when I was PT!!!

I'm so angry and annoyed with myself for not getting a copy of the signed agreement when it was shown to me, but is there anything I can do? They want me to continue FT and have told me that a pay increase might be possible in a few months as my work is excellent, but I feel completely cheated and we'd made decisions, plans etc based on my extra income. I feel like if I go back down to PT this will hurt me career-wise and I can't leave because I have to go back for a certain amount of time after mat leave. Besides, I do enjoy my job.

Sorry, that was longer than I thought but I'd really appreciate any advice.

TIA

[flowery]

Are they now claiming that the written agreement you saw doesn't exist?

[LovesBeingWokenEveryNight]

Flowery is the best person to deal with this.

[bobsnotmyuncle]

HR is claiming there is 'nothing on my file' but they somehow knew about my change of hours so this is blatantly untrue. I suspect the original has been shredded by now.

My boss has just been honest with me, apologised, said it was a cock-up and she didn't know the document had been changed. I'm planning to ask for an explanation of the 'mistake' in writing as its just been verbal so far but not sure if they have to agree to do this.

[flowery]

I would write formally to your boss and copying in the bosses boss and HR, saying that you were asked to vary your contract of employment to increase your hours to full time. You agreed to this proposed change provided your salary was at the same time increased to x. This agreement was documented in a conversation with x on x day, emails/letter/whatever, viewed by yourself on x date in x office witnessed by x. You started working on the basis of the new terms and conditions on x date.

You are disappointed to now discover that employer intends to breach the new terms and conditions and pay you a lesser salary. You would not have agreed to the variation on the lesser salary due to increased costs that are incurred as a result of your increased hours, and in order that you can continue to support the team on the full time hours, you ask that they honour the mutually agreed variation to your terms and conditions.

See how that goes. Other things you could consider are a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act, for the agreement and anything else, and/or a grievance.

[bobsnotmyuncle]

Thank you for replying and your sound advice.

I think they're banking on me not wanting to make a fuss and the fact I can't just leave. I've also heard redundancies could be on the cards so I don't want to be branded a troublemaker.

[bobsnotmyuncle]

Update: I followed this advice (thanks flowery) and my boss smoothed things over with me by promising that if I stayed FT then there would be opportunities re. role and pay coming up as other more senior staff were planning on leaving. She also said that we would have a review meeting in June once my year was up to discuss this.

Now, she was right and quite a few staff have left/are leaving but we've all been kept in the dark about what this means or if there are any opportunities coming up. I feel like my role has become more of a support role to the senior managers because I have been trying so hard to keep up a good impression, rather than being able to manage my own projects.

But now I just feel like my boss is avoiding me because she cant make good on her promises and I've been strung along for the last 4 months because they rely on me to do a lot of the donkey work and don't want me to leave.

I'm planning to broach this with my boss next week, does anyone have any advice how to go about it? I am close to my boss on a personal level so I don't want to come across as if I'm openly accusing/criticising her management style. On the other hand, I want to know where I stand re. 1) the payrise promised 2) clarification of my role and responsibilities. I am considering going over her head if I can't get any answers and am looking around for other jobs.

TIA

[flowery]

Well, promising that there will be other opportunities and that there will be a review meeting isn't the same as a promised payrise. If you accepted the 'other opportunities' instead of the promised payrise earlier in the year, then I don't think you are now in a position to push hard on that. It sounds like she said it was a mistake, and on the basis that there would be other opportunities, you accepted that.

In terms of how you broach your wider concerns, personally I'd just go with how you've explained it here tbh. You need clarification of your role and responsibilities, you are concerned these 'other opportunities re role and pay' are not anywhere on the horizon, you feel strung along and feel you have ended up in more of a support role and want to discuss next steps in terms of resolving this.