Late wages, don't know if this should be in Legal or Money, but thought I'd try here first.

[NatalieJane]

DH's contract states pay day is last working day of every month.

He's worked for them for nearly 9 years, they've never been late with paying wages before, although they are piss taker's in every other way.

Boss, who is usually available by 7am isn't picking his phone up, and is a smarmy bugger who lies slimes his way out of everything, would be just his style to not be available when the shit hits the fan.

It's the end of the tax year.

We've got DD's due out tomorrow.

DH's engineers haven't been paid either.

We use Barclays internet banking, which although is a shambles most of the time, one thing it does do is shows when things have gone into the account but not actually cleared yet, it isn't showing on there as being due in tomorrow.

Is this bad? Well I know it's a PITA arse, but all things altogether, is this likely to be more to do with the company being in some sort of trouble? Or just a mistake?

I know you've not got magic looking glasses, but I am worried, mainly because of the fact that it's the end of the tax year.

I am not so sure that the end of the tax year would have a huge impact.

Has there been signs that the company are in financial difficulties?

I would suggest a phone call to the bank at 9am. Explain the situation and perhaps get an emergency overdraft facility in place, just so that you are not charged hugely for the DDs going out without the funds to cover them.

I have to say that IME it would not be a "mistake". These things are set up to run like clockwork month after month.

How many other employees might be affected? Have they any idea what is going on?

Sorry not to be a lot of help.

It must be incredibly worrying for you, but hopefully you will find out within the next few hours what is going on.

The company always plays the line 'no wage rise this year, we've not got the money' and that is from when DH started working for them, so nothing to do with the climate we're in now, they are just tight buggers!

Last couple of months they have tried docking a lot of people's wages because their time sheets (they fill in by hand) haven't co-incided with the trackers on the vans. There was a big hoo hah over it because lots of them either didn't start the van as soon as they got in it, or switched the engine off though were still doing paperwork/on (work related) phonecalls etc.

Though, there has been a new 'boss' in place since July last year, and there have been almost weekly problems with him, putting people down as having a sick day, when they had booked holidays, letting his favourite engineers go out on double time while leaving no work at all for the next day on normal time, and he has been proven an out and out liar on many of these occasions.

There have been small cock ups with wages, like people not being paid for just a couple of hours overtime, so they query it, boss says they'll be paid in the next months wage, and they've never got it. One of the newer engineers started in October last year, he is still waiting for his on call payment from October, boss keeps saying he'll sort it, but hasn't.

So yes there are things that make it sound like the company could be in trouble, but no one knows if it actually is in trouble or if it's just this boss being difficult

They are still taking new engineers on, there is usually much too much work to be done, DH works at least 12 hours a day, plus most Saturdays, plus is on call over the weekends 1/4 weeks.

I can't weigh it up.

Sounds like it is a terrible place to work. Sounds like it is very badly run.

Maybe the fact that it is so badly run is a good sign today because a well run company would not have let anything like this happen.

So has nobody been paid today? If all the employees are in the same position then they all need to get hold of the boss and get some answers.

I urge you to contact the bank though, to avoid massive charges.

Good luck.

DH has managed to speak to the boss, boss is saying that the company bank with RBOS, engineers who also bank with RBOS (that will be 1 out of 70 odd engineers apparently ) have been paid, so it seems like a banking error, they will know more when the wages guy get's to work at 8.30-9 o'clock.

DH says it would be a good way of buying time to make it look like a banking error if they are about to go under. But then it could still be true.

I will deffo sort the bank out at 9, tomorrow's DD's should be covered by what's in there anyway, it's the ones due out on the 2nd that are the biggies, then we will be in trouble.

MMmmm Sounds a little fishy to me.

Keep me posted.

I agree with PA. Sounds fishy.

Have a word with your bank and see if anything's clearer from their end.

Might be worth googling the company name/boss. Also, if you go to the London Gazette website you can check for outstanding winding up petitions against companies.

I really hope it is just a banking error.

Any News Natalie?? Hope there was a simple explanation.....

Yes all is OK.

Seems they tried to do some more penny pinching, something to do with the bank tranfers, instead of using BACS (or whatever it is, I am clueless!) they just transfered the money, so people with the same bank got paid on time, but the other banks take longer to process it.

It didn't work, they ended up paying £45 for each transaction to get everyone paid by the end of play yesterday!

Big bloody PITA for a while, but now just a big pheeeeeew!

Glad it's all sorted but you might want to keep your eyes open for other signs of the company being in financial trouble if they're starting to try to save cash to this extreme... Make sure any claims for on-call/overtime etc go in straight away and get paid promptly. It could be that the bosses are just arses or it may be that they're starting to feel the pinch and desperately trying to keep their heads above water - if the latter then it may be time for your DH to start considering other jobs etc.

I'm pleased you have got your money, but be careful........