Am having real problems with my pay at work and it's making me feel dreadful!

[Parsleypants]

Hello all. My place of work has a staff (full-time and part-time) of 14. I work 19.5 hours a week. I am feeling so anxious and worried. I don't receive payslips which in the past has caused me huge problems as I wanted to apply for Housing Benefit. I nagged and nagged and finally received some, but they were all wrong so I gave up the fight. I would only have been able to claim about £70 a month so not a huge amount, but it would have made a real difference to me, iyswim? I received a payrise in February 2007 of 5% which never made it into my wages, although I was given a cheque on a couple of occasions. I received another payrise in Feb of this year but it seems to have superceded the original payrise so I have stopped asking about it. Now, I've been working an extra 1.5 hours a month since September but had to pay childcare of £8.50 per week to cover those hours - which means I'm not really in profit but I wanted to do it to show willing and hopefully pick up more hours at a later date as I really need the cash. I wasn't paid at the end of Sept for the extra hours, complained to my line manager and after second complaint my line manager handed me £100 cash in an envelope from overall boss who is probably on the premises twice a week at the moment. Overall boss knows I want clarification regarding my wages (as in August she promised me a "substantial" payrise as I have just completed some professional training) and we were supposed to meet on Monday, but she didn't come in. I am a single parent and this is making me feel ill. I'm struggling financially as it is. I hate not knowing what will be in my account at the end of October, I hate having to fight for the most basic legal rights and I feel absolutely sick and in distress at having to go in tomorrow. Does anyone have any advise? I'm sorry, this is long!

er that would be advice obviously!

I know nothing about employment law but even so I can tell you this is not legal.

Is your tax/NI paid? What do you do about tax credits? Can you ask your union for help?

I believe tax and NI is being paid. I earn so little I probably pay about 2p tax anyway! I did phone the NI people and they said my employer's contributions were being made. I don't have a union, to my knowledge no-one at work is a member of one, but am considering joining one.

Oh and I do receive tax credits. I applied in Aug 2006 and because it is done on previous year's income it was all vey easy because in tax year 2005-06 I was married and a SAHM!

Can you put your request in writing ? It sounds like they are trying to stonewall your perfectly valid query so putting it in writing will make it harder to ignore.

It shouldn't require a formal meeting to confirm your hourly rate and how many hours you are paid for. Its utterly ridiculous that they can't seem to do this, and even worse can't show up at a meeting where they are meant to confirm this.

What is it you do ? Can you get a job any where else ? This sounds shocking. Even when I had a Saturday job in a restaurant when I was 15 I got a brown envelope with confirmation of my hourly rate and amount due.

Hopefully flowerybeanbag or another employment bod will turn up soon, but I didn't want to ignore you.

Thanks anarchy and spooky. I know it's ridiculous that the basics are being ignored. I agree that putting it in writing is the next logical step.

Can you sit down one evening and put on a spreadsheet exactly what you have brought home each month in the last year and then compare that to what you should have earned based on your expected salary?
Put all the details in the letter that you write to them.
Do you have letters given to you when you were told you were getting payrises?

Perhaps call CAB too to see what they suggest?

Good idea 2point4. Both payrises were verbal and never put in writing. A friend of mine in the same line of work is a member of a union and I know they were very helpful earlier in the year when he was having problems - not the same place as me. Think I wll phone them tomorrow and see how much it will be to join.

here is the guidance to employers on what to put in payslips.

They have to give you one, it's the law!

Thanks Betsy.