To ask if this is unfair?

[Autieangel]

I work for a local authority. We were due an annual pay increase last April. Our unions battled it out with management and have finally agreed an amount to be back dated from last April.

We are to receive the back dated pay as a lump sum in this months pay. I receive a means tested benefit and as a result of receiving the back dated pay I will lose a month's benefits and end up £20 worse off.

The frustrating thing is if I'd been paid the increase each month since April my benefits wouldn't have been affected at all.

I spoke to payroll and basically there's Nothing they can do. I suppose I'm lucky I'm only £20 worse off. There will be others who will feel the impact more than me. It just seems really unfair that the councils poorest workers will be losing out financially through no fault of their own.

It is really frustrating. I had this back in May. 5 months backdate in one go so my UC was reduced down to around £100

if you work for the nhs they allow you to split the payrise over a few periods to avoid this.

Your employers are obliges to make this as one payment & can't spread the back pay of 2 or months because there is a clause in the unions agreement stating that back pay will be paid in full as soon as possible after the increase has been agree.
If you're really unlucky it will push you into the next bracket for pension contributions - again something you can't do anything about.

Last year the agreement was a year overdue, this year it will be 8 months.
The unions should start negotiations with the employers now and need to understand that a large number of their members suffer when they drag out the negotiations like this.
The offer they've just accepted was the one on the table in March so no one has gained from these protracted negotiations

It's all so frustrating

If it's UC presumably you have been getting more Uc because your wages were lower all these months ?

Mines carers so no not lower.