Pay and payslip issues when on maternity leave

[JAPicton]

I have just received a letter from my employer stating that I have two choices for being paid whilst taking my maternity leave. I can provide my employer with enough stamped self addressed envelopes so she can send my payslip and cheque out to me by post; or I can come into the office to collect at the end of each month (a 16 mile round trip). Surely as an employer this is just a cost of employing someone and not something for me to worry about.
In the same letter she (yes a female with two children of her own) also asked me to return my keys to give to the new permanent employee performing the same role I was before I started my maternity leave. I did not even consider handing back my keys at the time as I still consider myself an employee who I thought was welcome to return at the end of my maternity leave.
Does anyone have any advice please?

Why can't you be paid by bank transfer?

Keys, fair enough I think, I handed mine in when I started mat leave. I think she is being a bit arsey about the wages though. Does she have to pay you by cheque, can't she pay it into the bank or do it online? Whenever I went past my place of work (not often) I picked up a few months worth of payslips at a time, but my boss paid my money into my bank account, so I didn't have to worry about that.

SAE's is a bit cheeky

She will only pay by cheque to all of the staff, I personally have never understood why but she will not do it any other way.

I'm on maternity leave and got my first pay slip since finishing a few weeks ago (paid by BACS) and I've had 36p deducted from my pay for postage (what's strange is that the postmark says 31p and it's not in an envelope, it's just got my address on the outside of the payslip itself ). I'm fairly sure that when I was off having dd I didn't have to pay for postage so it's a new thing. More evidence of NHS cutbacks!

Well I'm pretty sure she can't just not pay you if you refuse those options. Who on earth pays by cheque?! Surely that's more effort than writin a jeffing cheque?!

I think that it is pretty normal to let the maternity cover person borrow your keys while you are off.
Will she pay you KIT days to come in and get the cheque? ;-)

Fair enough to had back keys extra but charging you to provide your payslips