mistake on cash-do i pay??

bananatrees

hi iv been working in a retail company for 7 months. at the end of a day my cash was short 50euro and as i handle quiet a bit of cash it seems i made a mistake with change. im expected to pay the 50 euro out of my back pocket. is this right to have to do this? i was told my cash could not be wrong so 50 was taken from the float to put in my cash and an iou put in the float.
im worried that this sounds weird, what if i was 200 off? do i have to pay as it was my mistake?
thanks

aman

It really depends on the T&C of your employment contract. There are companies that do hold you accountable financially for till shortages but this should be in your contract. If it is not they do not have a right to deduct it from your salary without your agreement.

Wishbone Ash

bananatrees wrote:

hi iv been working in a retail company for 7 months. at the end of a day my cash was short 50euro and as i handle quiet a bit of cash it seems i made a mistake with change. im expected to pay the 50 euro out of my back pocket. is this right to have to do this? i was told my cash could not be wrong so 50 was taken from the float to put in my cash and an iou put in the float.
im worried that this sounds weird, what if i was 200 off? do i have to pay as it was my mistake?
thanks

I afraid it's perfectly legal if it is expressed or implied in your contract. If you do not have a contract (not legally required) but have been employed there for more than 2 months you are legally required to have a copy of the Term and Conditions of your employment. Check for it there.

Payment of Wages Act 1991

(2) An employer shall not make a deduction from the wages of an employee in respect of—

( a ) any act or omission of the employee, or
( b ) any goods or services supplied to or provided for the employee by the employer the supply or provision of which is necessary to the employment,
unless—

(i) the deduction is required or authorised to be made by virtue of a term (whether express or implied and, if express, whether oral or in writing) of the contract of employment made between the employer and the employee, and
(ii) the deduction is of an amount that is fair and reasonable having regard to all the circumstances (including the amount of the wages of the employee), and
(iii) before the time of the act or omission or the provision of the goods or services, the employee has been furnished with—
(I) in case the term referred to in subparagraph (i) is in writing, a copy thereof,
(II) in any other case, notice in writing of the existence and effect of the term,
and
(iv) in case the deduction is in respect of an act or omission of the employee, the employee has been furnished, at least one week before the making of the deduction, with particulars in writing of the act or omission and the amount of the deduction, and
(v) in case the deduction is in respect of compensation for loss or damage sustained by the employer as a result of an act or omission of the employee, the deduction is of an amount not exceeding the amount of the loss or the cost of the damage, and
(vi) in case the deduction is in respect of goods or services supplied or provided as aforesaid, the deduction is of an amount not exceeding the cost to the employer of the goods or services, and
(vii) the deduction or, if the total amount payable to the employer by the employee in respect of the act or omission or the goods or services is to be so paid by means of more than one deduction from the wages of the employee, the first such deduction is made not later than 6 months after the act or omission becomes known to the employer or, as the case may be, after the provision of the goods or services.

bananatrees

Thanks for the replies...
wishbone your a life saver i was looking everywhere for that. Iv been there 7months and never signed or recieved terms of employment/contract. So I'm going up to head office today to get a copy of it and find out what their policy is. Im hoping it will all work out, if its the rules then fine but I have a feeling its not so better safe then sorry.
Thank You!

squibs

If you were 50 euros over, would they let you keep the money? I don't think so...

nanook

just a point to note on this one.

The 50 that they deducted from your wages, they must give you prior notice and also, the deduction must not dramatically effect your standard of living.

An example, if you only earn 100 per week and they deduct 50 that is 50% of your wages. Even though you are deemed as responsible for the cash on your shift, they can not effect your standard of living so a agreement has to be arranged, like 10 a week for 5 weeks something on those terms.
I actually work in the retail sector in a managerial job and though this may not be fair, once a staff member has been docked you find the mistakes stop.

just my thoughts on the subject