Leaving work - pay problem

LegacyUser

I have been in my job for two weeks and have decided to leave as I was not being trained and instead was being completely thrown in the deep end with things and getting sneaky comments from staff about how long it was taking me to do things. I have sent my letter of resignation and the boss asked me to forward on my bank account details so that ''so monies can be paid''. In her reply email she also mentioned that she would be speaking to the accountant about how much I should be paid as they needed to factor in the orientation and training they provided. Is it ok for them to deduct me for that?

Firstly I had to complete two days 'job preview' and then three days 'work experience'. At the interview stage I was informed that I would be paid for this but when I confirmed it with her prior to the work experience stage the boss told me that I would only be paid for it if I was successful in completing this stage and was placed on the rota. I was then asked to cover for two staff who were off sick, one of these days was a bank holiday. So am I entitled to pay for those days plus double pay for the bank holiday? I was placed on the rota for next week also but when I emailed her she mentioned that the job offer had not been confirmed. However, surely it was implied as i had been placed on the rota?

I have no contract and there was no discussion about my rates of pay. I'm finding it difficult to find info about this online and I'm not sure what my rights are. Am I entitled to proper pay for all days worked without deductions for orientation and training? The orientation only lasted an hour and there was no official training whatsoever. I don't want to rock the boat if I don't have any rights but this seems very unfair to me...

Thanks for any replies!

gerrycollins

as it was only two weeks you have very little to stand on and they sound like the sort that would brush you away.

for the bank holiday unless there is somthing specific in your contract you are only entitled to flat rate for the bank hols. you obviously were not there long enough to be entitled to public holiday payments.

you can contact NERA who will send you out an application from the rights commissioner for unfair deductions from your wages or non payment of wages. When you send in the form they will send a copy to your employer in the hope they will agree with you a payment. However unless they can provide statements and signed argrrements you should be entitled to full payment for your time there however that is at the commissioners ruling discretion plus you can be a good few months waiting for a hearing.

LegacyUser

Well I didn't pursue it further until I knew how much she was going to pay me. Today I received a cheque in the post for €300. She stated that this was a ''token of appreciation''. Now, I worked over 100 hours, 48 of which were after the initial work experience period. Surely, even without a written contract, this is illegal? The above poster suggested contacting NERA so I'll do that tomorrow. Anybody else have any other suggestions or am I just wasting my time trying to get the rest of my money from her?

Mrs OBumble

Try calling in to Citizen's Information - they may be able to make a phone call to the employer that gets results.

LegacyUser

I downloaded that form that was mentioned but it doesn't seem to really suit my problem as I was never told what rate per hour I was going to be paid as the boss wasn't really there on the days I worked and when I emailed her for information she wasn't very precise with details. I also called into the Citizen's Info office and all they told me was to ring NERA. But when I rang them they just said that I had to submit that form. I told her my query was about non-payment of wages but she didn't ask anything else and wouldn't let me elaborate further.

I'm not entirely sure what to do now. Should I contact my employer by letter? What should I say? I haven't contacted her before now because I wanted to be sure of my facts before I wrote to her. Should I query why she initially asked for my bank details but sent payment via cheque?

I know people will probably say that I should have gotten more info from my employer but I tried and she was a closed book and I didn't want to rock the boat too much. When she sent me the cheque in the post she said it was a ''token of appreciation'', as if I was working there for the good of my health and she was doing me a favour by paying me anything at all.