Stuck Without Pay: How to Handle a Surprise Notice Period in Your Offer Letter?

Hello everyone,

I was employed in a startup for more than 1 and a half years, and everything was great until I resigned.

Offer Letter Details

When I joined the startup, I received an offer letter in the email body that didn't have much information, except my designation, CTC, and no mention of any notice period. After working there for 1.6 years, I got an opportunity in an MNC and told my employer (telephonically) that I would be leaving the company. They instantly sent me a proper copy of the offer letter in PDF which had a 3-month notice mentioned. I did not sign or accept that.

Resignation and Notice Period

I immediately left the company and sent them a resignation email with a 3-week notice serving from my side to help the company with a proper project files handover, etc. Now they're holding my 2 months of salary and release letter.

Please guide me on what my steps should be and if there is any fault on my side.

Dear member,

The employer has no right to withhold your salary. I recommend you send a letter by speed post. Preserve the second copy of the letter and a receipt in your file. You may scan the copy of the letter and also the speed post receipt and send it by email. In the letter, clearly mention what dues are pending against you.

Give them a time frame of 10-14 days to pay the dues. If the employer fails to pay, then you may file a complaint in the labor office under whose jurisdiction your company is located.

Please note that labor officers are different from labor lawyers. The former are government authorities, and the latter practice in their personal capacity. The labor officers do not charge any fee for their intervention.

Earlier, there was a similar query. You may click the following link to check my reply:

https://www.citehr.com/591298-compan...ml#post2370512

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar