[Scotland] Council workers told to repay £40k wages after ongoing payroll error

Workers at Glasgow City Council have been told they must repay £40,000 to the local authority following a payroll error that left them unwittingly receiving extra wages for years, BBC News reports.

The payroll error affected five refuse staff and was only discovered after a recent internal audit. It revealed that the workers had accidentally been paid extra amounts for contractual overtime every month.

Errors in some cases are reportedly believed to date back up to four years, with one individual earning around £15,000 extra.

The GMB union stated that the five workers involved have been under pressure about the repayment plan, which will require them to repay £40 to £70 per month.

Union representatives unfavourably compared the repayment plan to senior council staff who negotiated retirement deals for themselves without consulting councillors. Only one of the senior staff involved in that situation volunteered to repay the money.

Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Chris Mitchell - GMB convenor for Glasgow's cleansing and refuse workers - said the mistake was an honest error by the council's payroll department, but that it was unfair that workers were left facing financial stress because of it.

He said, "If you look at a Glasgow City Council payslip, you'd need to be a lawyer to understand it. If you're getting contractual overtime payments, then you wouldn't know it on the payslip unless you were already looking for it, or you checked with your colleagues what they were earning.

"£70 a month is a big deal for a lot of our workers. We're not earning a lot, and this has come right out the blue. It is a lot of pressure on these people.

"It is like a pay cut because you've not realised you're being paid more, and now you're adjusting your budget to deal with having less money every month."

Mr Mitchell reportedly stated that he had previously raised problems regarding payments and was frustrated that the payroll system had not been improved.

He said, "I've been told they were looking at a more robust policy, but clearly they haven't actually done that. There have been a lot of cuts at the council and mistakes have been made, but it's low-paid workers that are suffering."

The Employment Rights Act of 1996 gives employers the right to take deductions from an employee if a mistake has been made resulting in overpayment. However, an employer must follow strict protocols, including giving notice of their intention to the affected employee and drawing up a payment plan if the amount cannot be paid as a lump sum.

Source: BBC News

(Quotes via original reporting)

Workers at Glasgow City Council have been told they must repay £40,000 to the local authority following a payroll error that left them unwittingly receiving extra wages for years, BBC News reports.

The payroll error affected five refuse staff and was only discovered after a recent internal audit. It revealed that the workers had accidentally been paid extra amounts for contractual overtime every month.

Errors in some cases are reportedly believed to date back up to four years, with one individual earning around £15,000 extra.

The GMB union stated that the five workers involved have been under pressure about the repayment plan, which will require them to repay £40 to £70 per month.

Union representatives unfavourably compared the repayment plan to senior council staff who negotiated retirement deals for themselves without consulting councillors. Only one of the senior staff involved in that situation volunteered to repay the money.

Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Chris Mitchell - GMB convenor for Glasgow's cleansing and refuse workers - said the mistake was an honest error by the council's payroll department, but that it was unfair that workers were left facing financial stress because of it.

He said, "If you look at a Glasgow City Council payslip, you'd need to be a lawyer to understand it. If you're getting contractual overtime payments, then you wouldn't know it on the payslip unless you were already looking for it, or you checked with your colleagues what they were earning.

"£70 a month is a big deal for a lot of our workers. We're not earning a lot, and this has come right out the blue. It is a lot of pressure on these people.

"It is like a pay cut because you've not realised you're being paid more, and now you're adjusting your budget to deal with having less money every month."

Mr Mitchell reportedly stated that he had previously raised problems regarding payments and was frustrated that the payroll system had not been improved.

He said, "I've been told they were looking at a more robust policy, but clearly they haven't actually done that. There have been a lot of cuts at the council and mistakes have been made, but it's low-paid workers that are suffering."

The Employment Rights Act of 1996 gives employers the right to take deductions from an employee if a mistake has been made resulting in overpayment. However, an employer must follow strict protocols, including giving notice of their intention to the affected employee and drawing up a payment plan if the amount cannot be paid as a lump sum.

Source: BBC News

(Quotes via original reporting)