charge for using company van at work

[grimysparks80]

Hi all.just looking for a bit of advice. I have been with my current company for just over a year. They are asking us to sign a piece of paper authorising them to deduct £40 a month from our wages to cover any potential damage to our work vans. apparently if our vans are undamaged at the end of the year we will be paid the whole amount back. about £500 over a full year. I have no intention of signing this and was just wondering if anyone had any advice. I am not with a union and plan to call acas tomorrow. the van is only used for work and I consider myself to be at work as soon as I leave my house because I work all over wales without going to our central office. thanks in advance.

 

[Andy78]

So they are trying to get the employees to foot the bill for their overheads and running costs ?
Any boss that would implement a scheme like this is entirely capable of pointing to a slight scratch at the end of the year and keeping all your money. Utter scam by the smells of it.

 

[grimysparks80]

That's what i'd do, leave the van at the office and drive in my own car to and from the office. Sod walking 3 miles under UK's weather!! Never heard of anything like that before, maybe a bit different if you were accident prone, and racked up a heap of bodywork damage over the year...lol!!

lol. Im still trying to lose the Christmas pounds from 2008. thought it might be good for me.

 

[jaypp]

lol. Im still trying to lose the Christmas pounds from 2008. thought it might be good for me.

That's what they're doing, trying to help you lose those 'pounds'!!!

 

[grimysparks80]

That's what they're doing, trying to help you lose those 'pounds'!!!

In that case they should take the 500 quid and just pay for bloody liposuction

 

[Engineer54]

lol. Im still trying to lose the Christmas pounds from 2008. thought it might be good for me.

Getting soaking wet and/or frost bitten ain't the best way to start the day!! lol!! I'd be wanting to throw the towel in for the day, before i started!! lol!!

 

[grimysparks80]

Getting soaking wet and/or frost bitten ain't the best way to start the day!! lol!! I'd be wanting to throw the towel in for the day, before i started!! lol!!

make you grateful to be sat in the nice warm van when you get there though.

 

[Knobhead]

I’ve heard of this before many moons ago when I was a shop steward. Seem to remember it ended in court.

 

[Engineer54]

make you grateful to be sat in the nice warm van when you get there though.

Yeah, then to go home to get changed out of the drenched clothes, and a hot cup of coffee to warm up your core!! lol!!

 

[grimysparks80]

I’ve heard of this before many moons ago when I was a shop steward. Seem to remember it ended in court.

any idea of the outcome?

 

[grimysparks80]

Yeah, then to go home to get changed out of the drenched clothes, and a hot cup of coffee to warm up your core!! lol!!

lol. "just off to get the van love. put the kettle on and run me a bath. Ill be back in a jiffy"

 

[NickD]

any idea of the outcome?

Three people put in the stocks for a week and two transported to Australia.

 

[Knobhead]

any idea of the outcome?

The only reference I can find of employee charges is American.

Sorry.
It was along time back.

 

[Megavolt]

Maybe your just court in the cross fire I suspect with 20 van there is a fair share of the lads driving the vans like they stole them. With the uk laws you can't be seen to be singling them out so there just doing it across the lot to cover there ---. can't see a problem as long as its a good profitable company that will still be here in 12 months there not going to cause problems with all there staff not giving the money back.

 

[dan86]

the whole thing smells of bull poo tbh.like you say OP, once you leave your house, you're working.they are obliged to pay for the insurance. if you were using it outside of work however... even then though, I wouldn't expect them to charge.

 

[grimysparks80]

I have been given the form this morning. I have been told it is a company wide policy involving some 200 company vehicles. the form says that if the van is undamaged in December the money will be returned alnog with an unspecified careful driver bonus. I have asked for timeto consider before signing and they told me I must return the form by tomorrow morning either signed or with a letter of explanation for no signature. for 200 vehicles that will be hard to imagine them finding that kind of money in December if all the vehicles are undamaged. the manager assured me that this will not include small things such as scratches, but the form is very vague about the type of damage covered.