Worker paid double her salary wins fight to keep it

Natasha Keenan, 36, took her case to Ashford Employment Tribunal in April after her employer Barclays noticed the error and requested she give back the overpayment, thought to be approximately £20,000.

A judge has now ruled Mrs Keenan of Erith, Kent was unaware of the bank's mistake in awarding her a full-time annual salary despite the fact she worked part-time.

According to the judgment, Mrs Keenan, a complaints officer, will remain on her current salary.

The tribunal also confirmed she will not have to repay any previous overpayments by her employer. Barclays had since said it would not seek to reclaim any overpayments.

In a written ruling, Judge Martin Kurrein called Mrs Keenan "an entirely honest and convincing witness" and said had she known of the bank's error she would have informed them.

Mrs Keenan originally began working for the Woolwich Building Society as a cashier in July 1993, working her way up to a full-time team leader at Global Home Loans before going on maternity leave. She then returned on a part-time basis on a £9,520 salary.

When the business was taken over by Barclays in February 2006, staff were told they would be given "substantial pay rises".

Her new contract in October 2006 gave her salary as £17,000 plus London weighting, with her working hours as 19.75 per week.

It did not indicate this was the full-time equivalent pay and Mrs Keenan assumed this was the pay rise earlier indicated by her employers.

Mrs Keenan subsequently applied for a staff loan based on her stated salary and was awarded a £3,000 bonus in 2007 for her performance the previous year.

She then applied for a mortgage based on her salary in March 2008.

It was not until December 2008 that the error was spotted and the bank requested she repay her salary "overpayment".

Judge Kurrein said: "The claimant is an intelligent woman with many years' experience of the financial services industry.

"I thought it highly unlikely that if she had suspected a mistake had taken place she would have acted as she did in taking out loans and credit cards, committing herself and her husband to a mortgage and a further child.

"It was clear to me that she takes a very responsible attitude to her financial affairs, as the respondent would expect her to, and that she would not turn a 'blind eye' to such a mistake in the hope that she might somehow get away with it.

"She would be fully aware that if such a mistake occurred she would be likely to have to repay any sums she received as a consequence of it.

"I assessed her character as such that she would not put her professional position and family situation in jeopardy by taking such a risk."

Mrs Keenan was unable to be contacted today.

A Barclays spokesman said: "We have no further comment at this stage as the decision and its impact remains a confidential matter between the Bank and its employee. However we can confirm Ms Keenan remains a valued employee of the company."