Wages Act 1986

4 Provisions supplementary to ss. 2 and 3. E+W+S

(1) In this section “final instalment of wages”, in relation to a worker, means—

(a) the amount of wages payable to the worker which consists of or includes an amount payable by way of contractual remuneration in respect of the last of the periods for which he is employed under his contract prior to its termination for any reason (but excluding any wages referable to any earlier such period), or

(b) where an amount in lieu of notice is paid to the worker later than the amount referred to in paragraph (a), the amount so paid,

in each case whether the amount in question is paid before or after the termination of the worker’s contract.

(2) Section 2(1) shall not operate to restrict the amount of any deductions that may (in accordance with section 1(1)) be made by the employer of a worker in retail employment from the worker’s final instalment of wages.

(3) Nothing in section 3 shall apply to any payment falling within subsection (1) of that section that is made on or after the day on which any such worker’s final instalment of wages is paid, but (notwithstanding that the requirements of section 1(2) would otherwise be satisfied with respect to it) his employer shall not be treated as receiving any such payment in accordance with section 1(2) if the payment was first required to be made after the end of the period referred to in section 3(3)(b).

(4) Legal proceedings by the employer of a worker in retail employment for the recovery from the worker of any amount in respect of a cash shortage or stock deficiency shall not be instituted by the employer after the end of the period referred to in section 3(3)(b) unless the employer has within that period made a demand for payment in respect of that amount in accordance with section 3.

(5) Where in any legal proceedings the court finds that the employer of a worker in retail employment is (in accordance with section 1(2), as it applies apart from section 3(1)) entitled to recover an amount from the worker in respect of a cash shortage or stock deficiency, the court shall, in ordering the payment by the worker to the employer of that amount, make such provision as appears to the court to be necessary to ensure that it is paid by the worker at a rate not exceeding that at which it could be recovered from him by the employer in accordance with section 3.

This subsection does not apply to any amount which is to be paid by a worker on or after the day on which his final instalment of wages is paid.

(6) References in this Part to a deduction made from any wages of a worker in retail employment, or to a payment received from such a worker by his employer, on account of a cash shortage or stock deficiency include references to a deduction or payment so made or received on account of—

(a) any dishonesty or other conduct on the part of the worker which resulted in any such shortage or deficiency, or

(b) any other event in respect of which he (whether together with any other workers or not) has any contractual liability and which so resulted,

in each case whether the amount of the deduction or payment is designed to reflect the exact amount of the shortage or deficiency or not; and references in this Part to the recovery from a worker of an amount in respect of a cash shortage or stock deficiency accordingly include references to the recovery from him of an amount in respect of any such conduct or event as is mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b).