I'm so confused by the whole Maternity Pay situation, and wondered if anyone can advise.
I normally work 2 days every other week, but only one day every other week of it isn't term time, and I also work every bank holiday. From day one I have had issues with my pay and payroll. I am regularly underpaid for my usual work, and have had to wait as long as 6 months to receive pay for overtime. I am not able to take holidays, so I receive holiday pay. Sporadically.
No matter what I do, what I say, how much I complain, payroll are utterly utterly rubbish. They never apologise, they never even acknowledge any mistake. I simply get 'corrections' in my next pay. But the corrections are usually wrong too, which makes it really hard for me to keep up with where they are up to in paying me money I am owed. I have even been told "why are you always chasing us? You don't enough for it to matter". I complained, but it was denied and I was about to start maternity leave, so I left it.
But now I am on maternity leave, I am getting paid around double what I was being paid when actually working. I believed I was not entitled to SMP because of how little I earn, and was ready to apply for MA. I just needed work to give me a form confirming my ineligiblity for SMP. This never came, and I was told by work that I am entitled to SMP so they will pay me it. I took the opportunity to ask that they also pay me what they owe me. And the first month of maternity leave I thought they had done just that. I got SMP plus around the amount they owed me, which added up to around double am average months wage. But then the second month I got the same again. And now in the third month I have got MORE. Its as though they are paying me my ordinary wage, plus SMP and then this month an extra £150. I don't even know what this all is, because they are so utterly useless that despite numerous requests they have not sent my pay slips to my home address. I don"t live near work and obviously have a newborn and an older child at home with me, and with the snow just getting to work to collect my payslips has been impossible. I am now going to make this a priority, but my children have chicken pox now (ffs!) so it'll be another week or so.
In the meantime - what the hell do I do??? I don't want to spend the money. I don't want to phone them right now because of how ride they are and how unhelpful and frankly I have enough on my plate! How can I sort this all out? I have tried everything I can before maternity leave and never got anywhere. This isn't even a small company. It is a huge Russell Group university.
If you actually read all this - well done! I am so bored of the whole situation, and now so confused, on top of being sleep deprived and worn out! (and dh is working away this week, just as chicken pox strikes!)
So yeah. Please be kind in any responses. :)I feel stupid for being so confused by it all, but it just doesn't make sense!!