This Weeks Wages

[krooserman1802]

I understand that Royal Mail are liable for any bank charges etc and there is talk of legal action as, if they state they have reclaimed an overpayment

The employment legislation (Employment Rights Act 1996, sections 13-16) sets out rules for the "protection of wages". These statutory provisions apply to "workers", defined as employees and anyone else who works under a contract, other than a person who is self-employed. The rules also, therefore, apply to agency staff, trainees, apprentices, fixed-term workers and contract workers. As a result, this article will refer to "workers" rather than just "employees".

The legislation prevents your employer from making deductions from your wages other than in certain defined circumstances. There are three specific situations where lawful deductions may be made. These are:

where the law requires deductions to be made, e.g. income tax, national insurance contributions, attachment of earnings orders, student loan deductions,
where the employment contract makes specific provision for a deduction, and
where the employer and the worker have agreed in writing to the deduction before the situation arises that would require the deduction to be made.

You will note that these situations all have two things in common:

the worker knows in advance that a deduction may be made in certain circumstances, and
the arrangements for the deduction are set out in writing.

If Royal Mail had stated that the deduction was due to the strike your only recourse is to sue in the county court, but as they have said it is due to an overpayment I cannot see why we are not being urged to do something about it.