To think I have effectively been dismissed?

[Autumnwindinthewillows]

I worked at an office less than 5 mins walk from a major transport hub. The firm then moved to an office with no easily accessible public transport but the arrangement at the time (or so i thought) was that staff with cars would pick me up from the old office. With staff changes this is no longer happening and I cannot get to work without an hour long journey on public transport plus a 1.5 mile walk which is not feasible.

The bosses have basically reneged on the deal and said it is my problem so it would seem i am out of a job. Can I claim constructive dismissal?

I think 3 hours of commuting is a hell of a lot. It'd have to be a pretty special job. I've done 100 mile round trip commutes on motorways and it's tiring and soul destroying.

I seem to remember this being posted before, before the move took place. Was that you OP?

Unfortunately it's up to you to get to work. Yes they relocated but they don't have to provide transport or arrange anything indefinitely.

Maybe it's time to start looking for another job or get taxis for the last leg of the journey.

It's very annoying, but I guess they had to move for business reasons. I'm not sure what is reasonable in your case. I don't think you can really say you've been dismissed, but at the same time it sounds like it is now impossible to do your job. Is it worth speaking to HR to see if you can come to an arrangement of half working from home, half them paying for a taxi or something like that?

1h30 commute in total is not abnormal, I doubt it can be challenged.
It doesn’t count as part of the «working hours» though.

When your colleagues initially were giving you a lift after the move, were you paying them? If not then I can understand why the lifts stopped. If it were possible to pay five or ten pounds per day perhaps a few people could take turns giving you a lift which would help them cover their travelling costs and not be too tied by sharing it out among a few of them. Better to lose that money out of your wage than have no wage at all.

This would enable you to carry on working at least until you find a different job.

We don't have HR - really small company.
The drivers benefited from the move as they no longer pay for £10 per day for parking hence why it was agreed they would pick me up (I thought)
Paying £10 per day for a taxi makes it uneconomical for me to work.

What about in the meantime - can I just not go into work as I cant get there until something else is put in place?

Well you could but I doubt you would get paid and not turning up for work could get you dismissed.

Of course you can't! Ask a solicitor if you really want to know, but the answer will be a lemon.

The drivers benefited from the move as they no longer pay for £10 per day for parking hence why it was agreed they would pick me up (I thought)

Not if they are going out of their way to pick you up.

I get that the cost of a taxi is high but remember the colleagues who are driving very possibly spend £200+ a month on a car and petrol so you aren’t any worse off than them?

It’s not sustainable for colleagues to commit to pick you up and drop you home every day.

Surely losing out on a tenner a day in taxi fares is still better than no wage at all?

And maybe a taxi firm would do you a deal as it’s a regular pick up?

Is it that your colleagues have refused to continue driving you to and from work, or that the one person who was previously doing this has now left the company? What has been happening since the move - have you had lifts and they suddenly stopped; have you tried the commute and found it really bad for your health?
Again, even if your colleagues are better off because of not having to pay for parking, they are still not obliged to be your chauffeurs. You haven't... been so unpleasant and entitled around your colleagues that they have all point blank refused to help you, have you? There have been threads in the past about people who expect lifts and basically insist on door-to-door service, never mind that this adds about an hour a day to the car-owning colleague's commute, people who are persistently late when being given a lift, or stink up the car with their poor personal hygiene, or never stop whining or ranting at the driver...

The additional information about the disability would be useful at the start.

Unfortunately, they can't force colleagues to give you lifts to and from work.

It's fairly common for people to move on when companies move locations.

The drivers benefited from the move as they no longer pay for £10 per day for parking hence why it was agreed they would pick me up (I thought)
Paying £10 per day for a taxi makes it uneconomical for me to work.

That's not come across great on your side. They could pay £10 a day to park (plus petrol + car costs) but now you need to pay £10 a day for taxi that's not fair. If you've said that to them, I can see why they might take the hump and refuse to pick it up.

However I'd be surprised if it was only £10 a day for taxi there and back. That would only get me to town and back, which is about 3 miles from here.

I'm not expecting a lift from home - only from the old office which is 1.5 miles away, and no I haven't been entitled or unpleasant! Three people have left and the replacement is the one refusing.
I get that I was naive in believing the boss when he said I would get lifts.
I'll stick it out until new year by being late / leaving early to keep my work and travel hours the same (i know i cannot do an extra 3 hours per day as i tried in the past and ended up unwell) and then they'll probably dismiss me anyway for bad timekeeping

I don’t understand? Surely your colleagues are paying significantly more petrol as it’s now further away? Surely a couple of the more would be happt to take you if you gave them money for petrol? No one wants to pay for transport to work, but most of us have to.

Witchend
Not only that but the company is well within it's rights to move somewhere and have on site parking for staff.
They might find that being out of a town centre means they have better rates, people aren't stuck in town Traffic, clients and staff can park for free, more flexibility if people need to move between sites/do meetings off site.
They aren't obliged to make their operational decisions around someone's transport logistics and colleagues can't be directed to be a taxi service as part of some tit for tat arrangement just because they now have parking on site and the OP thinks it's unfair.

To be honest, I don’t blame the replacement for saying no. I would.

I'll stick it out until new year by being late / leaving early to keep my work and travel hours the same (i know i cannot do an extra 3 hours per day as i tried in the past and ended up unwell) and then they'll probably dismiss me anyway for bad timekeeping
Cross posted with this.
You can't unilaterally refuse to work your contracted hours because colleagues won't give you lifts!
Of course you'll end up with issues for timekeeping and that will go on future references.

I don't think you've got a leg to stand on; it sounds to me as if you're looking for a get out clause.

Your colleagues aren't your personal drivers, I would be furious if someone assumed I would pick them up and drop them off everyday. It's a gesture of goodwill for someone to say 'oh I'm going that way, jump in!' but it shouldn't be expected.
The company itself is allowed to relocate, there's nothing illegal in that.

The commute is a pain in the arse but if you can't do it (and there is no way around it) then hand in your notice and get job-hunting.

You can't change your contacted working hours under your own steam just because the commute is a pain!!

So speak to your employer about reducing your hours? Although obviously that will reduce your salary.

You need to pay for a taxi every day.