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Now In: Pay and benefits > Deductions from wages
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In what circumstances may an employer deduct wages from an employee?

What happens if an employer makes an unlawful deduction of wages from an employee?

Can an employer be ordered by law to deduct wages from an employee?

Is an employer liable if it fails to comply with an attachment of earnings order?

Is an employer liable if it inadvertently fails to pay an employee's wages?

If an employee is absent without authorisation can the employer make a deduction from his or her pay?

Is an employer required to pay employees who cannot make it into work because of severe weather conditions?

Is an employer required to pay employees who arrive late or do not arrive at all due to disruptions to public transport?

If an employer closes its business because disrupted public transport prevents employees from attending work does it have to pay its employees?

If an employer's business is closed because of, for example, flooding, is it obliged to pay its employees?

If an employer temporarily has to close its business premises at short notice because of unforeseen circumstances such as flooding, fire or a power supply failure, and there is no work available for its employees as a result, this will result in a period of lay-off. Unless there is a contractual right to lay employees off without pay, or employees expressly consent to being laid off without pay, they will be entitled to receive their normal pay for the duration of the lay-off. If the employer fails to pay employees they may sue for damages, or claim unfair constructive dismissal (if they resign as a result of the non-payment) on the ground that there has been a fundamental breach of the contract of employment. Employees may also claim that the employer has made unauthorised deductions from wages.

Even where an employee's contract of employment contains an express contractual right for the employer to impose a period of lay-off without pay, or the employee consents to a period of lay-off without pay, he or she is, subject to certain exceptions, entitled to a statutory guarantee payment for any complete day of lay-off. Guarantee payments are limited to a maximum of five days' payment in any three-month period. If the employee is normally required to work fewer than five days a week, the entitlement cannot exceed the number of days that he or she is required to work per week under the contract. The amount of guarantee payment per day is based on the employee's normal daily rate of pay, but subject to a statutory maximum.

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