# Salary decrease



## KatieRD (28 Sep 2009)

My husband has been told by his employer that he will be getting a 10% salary decrease as well as all the other employees in the organisation.  He has discovered that none of the other employees are aware of this.  Does he have a right to ask for a letter stating that he will be getting this decrease?


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## 26cb (28 Sep 2009)

Yes he does.....any change in terms and conditions should be officially conveyed to an employee.  He is well within his rights to ask for written confirmation.


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## peteb (28 Sep 2009)

does email suffice for that?


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## mdebets (28 Sep 2009)

Your husband's company has not only to inform him about it, they have to ask him for his consent. And it's his right to refuse this decrease. In this case, the company can not reduce his salary.


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## missdaisy (29 Sep 2009)

Hi KatieRD, it is true that your husband does not have to accept a salary decrease. An employer has no automatic right to decrease a salary. The reason why many people have taken a decrease in their salary is because if a company cannot meet the wage expense it might have to look at creating redundancies.


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## dave28 (29 Sep 2009)

Does this rule apply to a person on a 12 month contract - can't the employer just offer a lesser salary when the contract comes up for renewal ?


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## InReality (30 Sep 2009)

A 12 month contract is just that. As the company has no obligation to keep you on , naturally they can offer whatever salary they want.

Its more complex, if you have had  3 or 4, consequteive , 1 year contracts with the same employer though .


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## toffeeman (22 Oct 2009)

What if you've been placed on a 3 day week?  Do you still have to provide written consent for that?


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## missdaisy (22 Oct 2009)

You don't have to give written consent to be put on a three day week IF your pay or hours are less than half what they normally are.  If the pay/hours are less than half the normal pay or hours this is  a short time situation.  The reduced week would have to be a temporary situation. If the reduced week lasts for 4 weeks or more you can then give your employer notice that you want to claim redundancy. 

If your pay/hours aren't less than half your normal pay or hours this is a change in the terms and conditions of your employment. You don't have to accept this but again if costs aren't cut employer may have to look at making people redundant.


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## brigade (5 Dec 2009)

mdebets said:


> Your husband's company has not only to inform him about it, they have to ask him for his consent. And it's his right to refuse this decrease. In this case, the company can not reduce his salary.


 
So the Government has to write to 350,000 public sector employees asking them if its ok to reduce their salary?


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## Mpsox (7 Dec 2009)

brigade said:


> So the Government has to write to 350,000 public sector employees asking them if its ok to reduce their salary?


 
Under current employment legislation, then yes, that should be the case. Therefore there would be 2 ways for the Govt to get around this, either increase the levies on public sector workers, or pass legislation which would all them to make the changes with the consent of the emplpyees. From what I read over the weekend, it seems they are lining up to go with then 2nd option


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## bigchicken (9 Dec 2009)

brigade said:


> So the Government has to write to 350,000 public sector employees asking them if its ok to reduce their salary?


 
They more than likely won't reduce the salaries, they'll increase the pension levy instead.


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## InReality (10 Dec 2009)

I'm wondering about how the legal side of the PS pay reduction would work out...

If the PS workers refuse the new contract then they will have to go the levy route.

Why don't they go the levy route to start with ?


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## elcato (11 Dec 2009)

> Why don't they go the levy route to start with ?


They drove their 'savvy' to the levy but the levy was dry ?


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## brigade (11 Dec 2009)

As people like to point out, the levy wasn't a pay cut.


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## MOFFY01 (6 Jan 2010)

missdaisy said:


> If the reduced week lasts for 4 weeks or more you can then give your employer notice that you want to claim redundancy.
> 
> and is your employer obliged to make you redundant if he cannot say when the reduced working week will end?


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## Bob Nellies (6 Jan 2010)

So the Government has to write to 350,000 public sector employees asking them if its ok to reduce their salary? 



No. Public servants are not protected by employment law in this regard.


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