Norfolk County Council is facing calls to apologise to staff over ongoing payroll problems which have seen people incorrectly paid, almost six months after the issue was first identified.
Council workers say that many have been left in tears over the continuing debacle, with reports that some are worried about their Christmas plans because of uncertainty over their salaries.
Others say the problems, which come as people are struggling with an acute cost of living crisis, mean they are missing out on Universal Credit payments.
County Hall insists the technical issues have now been fixed, but staff say many of the ramifications have yet to be resolved.
The problems first arose in May, when the authority moved its 20,000 staff over to a new HR system, called Oracle.
In July, this newspaper reported that the new payroll set-up had left firefighters and social care staff among those unpaid, with some having to turn to food banks.
At the time, the council said around 34 contracted staff did not get their pay in June, but that it was rectifying matters.
However, it has now emerged that wider problems are continuing.
Staff say they are still experiencing issues with the system, with some saying they are still unsure if they have been paid properly.
The council has admitted around 160 people did not get the correct pay this month, but insists the issues are no longer specifically related to the Oracle system.
One council worker, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said she was initially underpaid in May before being overpaid for the next two months by an amount which outstripped the sum she was owed.
This left her missing out on a Universal Credit payment, while cash was taken for student loan repayments she does not normally meet the threshold to pay.
Other staff in her department have had to go on to payment plans to reimburse the council, following errors which saw them overpaid.
The council has not confirmed how many people are on a payment plan to return any overpayments.
The new system has also led to a problem with getting new staff on the payroll, delaying recruitment, meaning more work for the existing workforce.
The Unison union drew up a document outlining issues staff were facing at the start of September and submitted it to County Hall.
Staff say that while the payroll system may now be working correctly, the consequences of earlier mistakes have yet to be fully resolved.
The document, which has been seen by this newspaper, says: “We are still getting calls from members – often upset, sometimes in tears, genuinely anxious, struggling to cope, frustrated and de-motivated.
“We have had several months of being promised it will be sorted next month – but this is no longer cutting it with our members.”
The union says staff have been left in the dark over whether their salaries have been correctly paid and whether they have paid the right amount of tax.
At a recent council cabinet meeting, the Green group’s Jamie Osborn said he has seen evidence that staff were unable to afford their Christmas and holiday plans, and were considering applying for charity help.
He called for the Conservative-led administration to apologise.
Tom FitzPatrick, the cabinet member for innovation, transformation and performance, said the system transfer was a “very large and complex technical project that has been overwhelmingly successful”.
Mr Osborn said: “To claim that the council's new HR system has been an 'overwhelming success' shows either lack of care, or a complete lack of awareness of the issues.”
Green Party councillor Jamie Osborn (Image: Jamie Osborn)
A council spokesman said there would inevitably be a "small number of issues when it comes to payments".
While 160 people have had pay issues this month, the spokesman said this was due to issues with timesheets, missing manager approval, or a lack of bank details.
He said payslips would be updated to make them clearer to read and help people understand their pay.
“We would like to apologise to any staff member affected and work closely with people to get issues resolved quickly," he added.
"We understand members of staff are frustrated and if people have any issues, they should speak to their manager in the first instance or contact the dedicated payroll email."
"I get stressed just thinking about it"
One staff member, from the community and environmental services department, described the impact the ongoing issues were having.
"I get stressed just thinking about it," she said.
“When I was overpaid, I lost out on Universal Credit. I have to give back the overpayment but I won’t get back the lost [money].
“I knew they would come for it at some point so I had the money there to pay them back.
“Some people have had to go on payment plans because they did not know they had been overpaid. That affects their money at a time when costs are increasing.
"I know a lot of people experience anxiety, worrying their pay isn't correct. It's not just pay, it's people's whole lives that were affected."
The staff member said dozens of people just in her department were impacted, with many “losing confidence in their employer”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here