Girlfriend struggling to get paid for overtime worked (Sainsbury's).

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I have been working at Sainsbury's for 3 years now, the first year being a bog standard but very acceptable low paying job and the last two years being an absolute farce. "Incompetence" only goes so far to describing the lazy, inconsiderate baboons working in management, that is when they manage to keep down their job and don't leave, transfer or take time off due to stress.

We've reached our breaking point this month however as for almost a full calendar month, my girlfriend is still yet to paid £360 worth of overtime owed to her. Basically, we received a corporate letter stating the automated system, Kronos (the same system they ditched the HR department for as it's more cost effective and totally not prone to **** ups), had indeed, ****ed up. It hadn't paid the entire store for any overtime worked, and with my other half being an online shoppers, her contracted hours are pitiful and she relies on overtime to make a decent wage. Thankfully due to the aforementioned half wits in charge, overtime is always available since scheduling is never correct and we're always working behind.

We've gone to our almightly overlords at least 10 times a week now looking for a solution but when they aren't delaying a response ("I'm so busy right now, I'll meet with you next week and sort it!") they're flat out hiding from us so they don't have to even think of a way to weasel out of helping.

Don't get me wrong, our managers definitely have a lot on their plate. but it's all self inflicted. Our main manager (the "4s" as Sains calls them) is so utterly out of her depth that she has over the past few years created such a dire work environment I see no escape from it unless she's ridden of.

I've spoken to out "HR" department (it's barely a thing, a call line where they backhandedly give you generic responses) and they're saying we need to get our line managers to sort her pay, but like I said they're refusing to help us.

Can someone offer some support or just shed some light on what actions we can take in the grander scale of things? My other half has since signed up to the union in a last ditch effort to get something sorted, but 2 weeks in and we're still waiting for them to send us our welcome letter. We definitely want to make a complaint about our manager but we're apprehensive in doing so as we know our store manager and line managers are buddy-buddy.

I don't really see other option but to seek help from the government. Sainsburys is legally obliged to pay your girlfriend's overtime, so you could reach out to a government representative, such as the State Labour Department. Here is a link that practically sums it up! https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/i-did-not-get-paid-by-my-employer-what-can-i-do-33403 Hope I helped!