Legal aid centre: Withholding wages and employment conditions

Questioner

Can the company withhold wages if you work your hours and days as you have been working for 7 years?

Lawyer

Good evening, in order to provide a thorough response to this, I would like to hear from you in advance on what grounds the employer withholds wages?

Questioner

They want to give us the choice of working 10% more for the same salary. Or continue working the same with a 10% deduction from your salary. Because the company is in very bad shape. If we do not respond by July 26, they will assume that you work 10% more. However, they do say that if a profit is made in 2013, we employees will receive 10% of it. Hoping to have informed you sufficiently ...

Lawyer

Dear Sir/Madam, in principle an employer may not unilaterally change employment conditions. This may be different if a change clause is included in the employment contract. Could you send me a copy? If the company is indeed in a bad financial position, the judge in a possible procedure could come to the conclusion that you as a good employee must cooperate with the change, because the interests of the employer weigh more heavily. Have you had access to the financial documents?