Keeping on the higher rate

[PauloC]

Hi

I have just submitted a payroll query, but I wonder if anyone has been in the same situation. I had a pay slip for 17th Feb followed by 5 'blank' weeks so I sold some holiday back to keep me hopefully on the higher rate, which was credited on 31st March (just in time, I thought). I had worked the w/end 25th/26th fortunately, and have just got my payslip, but this is back to the starting rate. I am sure this is not right and have e mailed the payroll dept.
There are definitely only 5 consecutive weeks without pay! If I don't get any joy, I think I will pack it in.

[nezy]

i was told ifyou go 21 days without a shift your rate goes down, if you contact them for shifts its extended to 5 or 6 weeks,not 100% sure though

[PauloC]

Here is part of the automated response (can't even spell)


***If you have a break for more than 6 weeks you automatically loose your
AWR entitlement and your weeks worked is reset to zero***


I'll see what they say, anyway

[PauloC]

So I have lost my AWR entitlement according to their calculations!

Here is part of their response:

Due to your holiday being booked on the same week ending date that you returned to work it did not pause your gap. Please see below for the breakdown of how your gap was calculated.

Week ending 10/02         -        worked
Week ending 17/02        -        1 week gap
Week ending 24/02        -        2 week gap
Week ending 03/03        -        3 week gap
Week ending 10/03        -        4 week gap
Week ending 17/03        -        5 week gap
Week ending 24/03        -        6 week gap
Week ending 31/03        -         holiday/worked

So it seems that it is for weeks you are actually working, nothing to do with payslips on the system, which of course are in arrears.

[tabact]

You are allowed to backdate holiday up to 8 weeks (stated in automatic response from holiday email address) so if you had any holiday still to use do that and it will retrospectively have stopped the clock for one of the weeks you didn't work so there isn't a 6 week gap. One potential problem is we are now into a new holiday year so you may not be able to do that now. Might be worth calling them so you can discuss any options you might have to change the break period.

[PauloC]

Thanks for your reply, very useful.
I really don't want to go back to min wage after 15 months on their books - at the moment I am 50/50. I will try ringing them...sounds a better idea than e mails.

[Lockardian]

It seems to me that you need to avoid six blank payslips. So when they say that you worked w/e 10th Feb, you really worked the week before that but got paid on 10th Feb. The holiday needs to have been paid out in your sixth 'blank' week.

I am concerned as I plan to have six weeks off in June/July and I need to make sure I put holiday in on the right week to 'pause the clock', assuming I have enough holiday accrued by then. Our Friday nightshifts sometines don't get paid until two weeks later (due to management incompetence) so this is one to watch out for too.

I've never understood what is meant by 'backdating holiday' - once the payroll is ran and a 'zero hours payslip' generated, how can it then be changed?