Whitehall union open food bank following pay error

A union has been forced to set up a food bank in a Whitehall office, after a pay error meant that cleaners and support staff were not given their full wages.

The PCS Union stated that some of its members have now set up the food bank in response to the mistake.

They said that staff had experienced difficulties being owed back pay and not being paid on time, meaning some staff did not have the necessary funds to get to work, and some union officials asked for food donations.

A small number of outsourced staff were affected from the Danish-based ISS firm, who were working at the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy. ISS have been operating at BEIS since March of this year.

ISS said it was “extremely sorry” for its errors relating to payroll processing problems.

Ann Marie Bell, Director, GettaSub, comments: “With many workers already struggling with the cost of living, it’s astonishing that payroll errors are leaving staff out of pocket. Whilst everyone accepts that mistakes happen, all employers should have clear contingency plans in place so that when incidents like this occur, workers are properly protected. This should include introducing advance loans, short-term financial support and a wider range of accessible staff benefits.”

The company has stated that all issues relating to issue are now resolved.