Firefighters and social care staff have been among workers left unpaid by Norfolk County Council in recent months, due to a new computer system which has been described as 'an absolute farce'.
Problems with the multi-million pound payroll system has left scores of county council staff with financial worries.
And, at a time when the cost of living crisis is hitting hard, a union representing firefighters says some of its members have been turning to foodbanks.
Bosses at County Hall have apologised for the issues, saying they believe 34 contracted staff did not get their pay in June.
They said, when the 'glitch' was spotted, emergency payments were made instead.
They admitted other payments, such as expenses, overtime and payments for casual staff have also been hit by delays after the introduction, in April, of the new myOracle computerised human resources and finance system.
But some of those affected say there have been issues going back for months, from before the new system went live.
Ryan Hastings, secretary of the Norfolk branch of the Fire Brigades Union, said he knew of several firefighters who had not been paid.
He said: "For six months now, we have had firefighters at all different levels who are not being paid or have not had their full pay packet when they should have."
Mr Hastings said extra payments for on-call staff who had hit availability targets had been due this month - and that money had not been paid.
He said: "They were expecting it and it was not there. There are people who rely on that to pay their bills and their mortgages and it's not acceptable for it not to be paid to them.
"The cost of living is going up massively and we have got members who are using foodbanks.
"When money which you expect to be there is not, people become very agitated and angry."
One council worker, who did not want to be named, said: "This new system came in over the last three months and it has been an absolute farce.
"There are people who have not been paid at all, some who have only had half of what they should have received and some who have been paid more than they should.
"I just think the people who imposed this on us should stand up and be counted, because it is not fit for purpose."
A spokesperson for Norfolk County Council, said: "Out of the 21,000 staff on payroll, we are aware of 34 people who did not receive their contractual pay on their June payday.
"These individuals were all paid using our emergency payment methods.
"Other irregular payments such as overtime, hours worked by employees without fixed hours or reimbursement of expenses may have been delayed in some instances and where necessary, additional payments have been made to support individuals.
"We fully appreciate the impact that disruption to pay or reimbursement of expenses and have been working hard to resolve payment issues.
"We have been communicating directly with staff on a regular basis where we apologised to anyone who has been affected by this issue."
The council has not confirmed how much MyOracle cost, but a contract notice from 2020, when the council tendered to replace its then 14-year-old HR system, suggests it cost at least £18m.
The council says the system will save an estimated £20m over 10 years, with further potential savings of up to £11m more as part of wider transformation programmes within County Hall.
Jonathan Dunning, branch secretary for union Unison, said: "It's a new system and there have been a large number of issues.
"We have got a Unison lead on this and, for those members who have raised concerns with us, we have been able to fast track a response and they have then generally received their pay.
"We have been working together to try to sort this out. Overall, I think the system will prove to be a positive change, but it is currently having an impact on a number of our members."
The introduction of the new system comes at a time when the county council needs to find £60m of savings in 2023/24, as part of efforts to plug a £116m gap by 2027.
The council is bringing in consultants to carry out a strategic review to save £20m a year and has asked departments to identify savings for the forthcoming year.
Options being considered - which will be discussed at a meeting of the Conservative-controlled cabinet on Monday (July 4) - include cutting funding to mobile library services by almost a half and shutting recycling centres on certain days.
Firefighter strike looming?
A firefighters’ union leader has warned of strikes after reacting angrily to a 2pc pay offer.
The executive of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is recommending rejection of the offer, which it said is well below the soaring rate of inflation.
Between 2009 and 2021, firefighters’ real pay has been cut by 12pc, or nearly £4,000, the FBU said.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary said last week: “This is utterly inadequate and would deliver a further cut in real wages to firefighters in all roles in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis.
“This proposal will anger firefighters, those working in emergency fire controls, and those in all uniformed roles in fire services across the UK.
“It is galling to be insulted in this way, especially after our contribution to public safety during the pandemic.
“The Fire Brigades Union and our members do not consider or take industrial action lightly or without ensuring that all efforts to resolve the issue have been exhausted.
“Our members will now begin to discuss this offer and the executive council will reconvene shortly to discuss our next steps.
“We will now consider all options, including strike action.”
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