by Nick H. » Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:44 pm
Update:
I called this (now decidedly-)former employer on Sunday. He had promised pay on Friday, so when the banks closed that day without any activity in my bank account, I was angry (if unsurprised). He told me that he had attempted to pay me, but that the transaction hadn't cleared before the banks had closed for the weekend; I shouldn't worry, he said. Having heard this several times before, I told him that I had no intention in working for him any longer, as that work didn't appear to pay without significant struggle, and that, should the money not appear in my account by Monday, I would be lodging a complaint with the Labour Board, with whom I'd already spoken and had been advised on how to proceed.
He hung up on me.
After that, he inexplicably called me back. He felt I was unjustly threatening him, and that I had no right to speak to him disrespectfully. I mentioned that what I was threatening him with was actually Canadian legislature directly out of the Employment Standards Act, and that a respectful tone was not mentioned in that document as a prerequisite for fair, pre-agreed compensation. He called me some names in broken English. Then, he said that I should call him the next day, and if I grovelled and apologized for my behaviour, he might be so kind as to pay me. If not, he told me he has plenty of experience with the Labour Board ("no doubt," I replied), and that he would happily have them deal with it, because then I'd have to wait a few months for my money, and he felt that was an appropriate amount of spite to compensate for the disrespect I had approached him with.
On Monday, he texted me asking for remaining information in order to pay me. He had asked for banking information, and it had slipped my mind to provide my SIN. I provided the information, while mentioning that this clearly proved that he had never made an effort before to pay me, if the discovery of this missing information was new. I reminded him that he had until the end of business before I started filling out forms. He said he'd pay me by then. He did not.
Today, he called me and explained that it was all my fault that I hadn't been paid. His accountant refuses to deal with someone so irresponsible as to not provide all information without instruction (again, he just asked for my transit number, account number, &c.). I do admit fault and oversight at forgetting to provide my SIN, and I understand that may cause a small delay, but he argues that this disqualifies me from being paid at all. I argued that, if they needed more information, there was some onus on them to ask me, or else, when I called about missing pay, to tell me what was missing. He disagrees. He said I'd be paid today. I was not.
So now I'm waiting for Labour Board forms to arrive in the mail.
I'm concerned about having not provided two weeks notice about quitting, and whether there will be repercussions. My reasoning was that, where I am still not sure I'll be paid for hours I've already worked, I should refrain from working even more, in the event they turn out to be volunteer work. I would also argue that, being owed for 55.5 hours, and also being a poor student, I can scarcely afford to continue making the trip to work without having made the money I'm owed to cover expenses. I don't feel I should have to shoulder more debt and subsequent interest by travelling to work without having received a paycheque yet to cover these costs.
Any thoughts?