Boss not paying wages

eth0_

A friend of mine just rang me quite upset, basically she works in a small limited company, it's just her and another girl in the office. They have an absentee boss, who is usually a bit tardy about paying their wage cheque, but only by a few days.

However, she hasn't seen him in three months and her pay was three weeks late in November, and she has received one weeks pay since then. She can't contact her boss and he won't return her calls. The company office is in a managed building and the owner hasn't been paid rent.

What are her options? Can she go to the small claims court or would she need to sue him to get her wages?

Ironically, the business is debt collection )

Our man in Havana

You cannot use the small claims courts for debts. You must use the District courts to sue the employer for unpaid wages.
So long as a person can prove the debt exists then there will be plain sailing.

Use some of the company's own lines against it:D

boo-boo

Contact the dept of labour (or whatever they're called these days) on Adalaide Road I think. The employer has a lot of legal obligations with regard to the payment etc. of employees & they're the guys to get in touch with

Our man in Havana

Its a ll well and good contacting the Dept of Labour but they will take months to do anything.

Contact a legal professional.

jim_bob

why don't they just take there own wages or items to the value of them

eirebhoy

Originally posted by eth0_
it's just her and another girl in the office. They have an absentee boss...

:eek: The dream job...

Walter Ego

Down tools now and go home.
Your'e never going to see a cent.
Sorry.

eth0_

Originally posted by jim_bob
why don't they just take there own wages or items to the value of them

How on earth do you suggest they 'take their own wages'? The boss pays them by cheque every week.

As for taking items to the value of, well, that's stealing, and two wrongs don't make a right.

Borzoi

This sort of behaviour astonishes me, people seem to think that becuse you work in an office job that your employer is trustworthy - their not.

If you wages aren't paid on the agreed date - walk out the door and don't come back. Better to be stuck for a weeks wages than a month or two.

This is more normal in the construction sector, where people are less trusting and generally living one cheque to the next too.

boo-boo

Originally posted by Silent Death
Your'e never going to see a cent.

If you've been employed for over 2 years (I think thats the time scale) you're entitled to statutatory redundency, which if the employer can't pay the state will.
Its not much but better than f^&k all.
You're also first in the list of creditors for your wages if the company goes wallop - ahead of the revenue even.

But I agree - if the money isn't being paid - walk.

quaalude

This exact thing happened to my friend - dodgy boss, paid by cheque, then tardy with the cheques.

My friend contacted the Labour Relations Commission, http://www.lrc.ie/.
They got someone on the case, and set a date that the boss had to come in and meet with him (my friend) and an arbiter, appointed by them. They set a date for a month after he contacted them.
The boss freaked the morning of the meeting and gave my friend everything he was owed, as the employer is investigated and fined if in the wrong - and these shifty bosses are always in the wrong, so it's in their interest to pay up.

I suggest your friend tries this route.

q