I've recently changed departments and I'm trying to learn new processes, as well as resolve issues in payment and coordinate on complex technical challenges.
However I find no matter what medium - email, phone, face-to-face, that my colleagues are largely non-communicative, with just me. Examples:
Relevant emails ignored
Emails requesting clarification on technical issues from colleagues will go ignored, which stalls my workflow. Re-asking simply gets no response. These are not trivial queries - usually they're request for changes only X person can do or knowledge that is internal that only X person knows.
Face-to-face played off or excused
Making queries in person gets a response akin to 'X thing is more important, I'll get back to you later on Y', with later never happening. Trying to nail down a timeframe gets vague answers. There's no verbal judo I can think of to force an action. Expressing I can't do anything whilst Y is in limbo gets no response. Arguably, I would have to cause a storm to get a different response but that sets me up for being fired (constructive dismissal?).
Politician answers
Requests from management about pay issues will, after much trying, get empty platitudes along the lines of 'yes, X will be done', which then isn't. The non-response is largely a thing in other management areas (including HR) and the only people who do respond are those without the power to affect anything.
Ignoring emails doesn't happen to others
They will respond to other people's queries (I get CC'd into group emails). If I do ever get a response, it's unhelpfully vague (sometimes only two words), and never answers the query.
In regards to payment issues, this is a thing that does, however, happen to others.
Leaving isn't really an option
Jobs market in the area is unfavourable (extremely difficult to get a decent job), I'm being paid under the table in terms of wage (factoring in travel expenses I earn below minimum wage) and I strongly suspect if my workflow 'stalls' I'd be painted as a non-worker, and if I try to force the issue I'd be seen as aggressive.
Current workaround
I'm presently trying to self-teach how the system works and still supply useful information, and have tried to raise issues of lack of knowledge transfer but my productivity is severely impeded and it's getting to a stage I can no longer progress.
For example, some major issues can't be fixed without changes to system configurations, which gets no response, meaning my systems stop working.
I'm trying to avoid fostering a hostile environment but the situation is extremely frustrating and counter-productive.
So...
How can I effectively counter or solve this issue of non-communication/avoidance?