Is there any way to fight this, going to be charged to park at work but contract states we MUST have use of car"!!

[waitingpatientlynot]

Would really appreciate any thoughts or advice on this issue which has been dragging on for some time at work.

Basically I work in the public sector. The building I work in was built under PFI but the surrounding land is owned by the Local Authority.

For my job it is essential that I can a car to drive every day as that is the nature of the work (seeing clients at home). It says that in my contract and and we have no access to 'pool' cars or similar.

The LA are in the process of changing the access to parking on the site as there is insufficient parking (sometimes taking staff and clients 30 to 45 minutes to park which is unworkable). This has resulted in any non essential workers not being able to access permits. All other workers are going to be restricted to 3 days parking a week, regardless of job role or traveling distance to/from place of work. AND we will be charged about £30 a month for this priviledge!!!

We have a right to 'appeal' and I have lodged mine, stating that I will not be able to fulfiul my job description if I do not have access to parking 5 days a week. have no idea when this will be heard or if there will be a positive outcome.

But this still leaves the issue of having to pay to bring my car to work when I have no choice (ie cant choose to use park and ride or car share etc).

Any ideas or advice on this would be very appreciated!

Many Thanks

In effect you will be getting a cut in salary if this plan goes through. This needs taking up with you manager, with HR, with your union and possibly with your own lawyer.

However there are things to take into consideration before you go in all guns blazing. For example whether the GBP30 is a drop in the ocean of a huge salary or an important amount, how making a fuss might impact work relations, how important your role, how irreplaceable you are.

It does sound like a ridiculous set up though- and surely a sensible management team would sort it out without this sort of aggro.

Are there other parking places they can rent? Can the spaces be better laid out so more cars can park? Can a parking attendant be used to valet park so more cars can be crammed in? Can a company minibus be organised to collect those who don't need their cars each day from a suitable point?

Thanks empire!

Well None of us earns a huge wage, I'm a nurse and whilst £30 wouldnt have been so bad a few years ago it will be more of a hit now as we aren't gettting a pay rise or petrol allowance rise and are losing benefits in other areas (for example clothing allowance, it wasnt' much but its all cumulative!)Thats on top od the pinch we are all feeling so it I feel it is worth challenging. Unfortunately the union is useless, they have refused to 'help' us with other issues despite individuals being represented privately and 'winning'if that makes sense.

I think the main problem is that there are two NHS trusts working on the same site, ours and the other one which was there first and is leading the way so to speak with regards parking.

It is a really good place to work but with the petrol increase and this it is going to cost me £150 a month MORE to work so its getting more and more unfeasable .,

So sorry to hear this. Sounds like you have tried the normal stuff. Letter to the newspapers? People will surely back you- they need community nurses. You are doing a much needed and valued job.

I'm an essential car user. We aren't allowed to use the car park (limited space and managers with permits only) and most of the surrounding area has just been designated residents only. It's now parking meters for us or (as I have done) make alternative arrangements. I'm having to pay £10 a week to the local landlord to park in his pub car park. The parking just isn't there and there's no point in complaining about it.

I don't understand how an employer can insist you have a car and then not provide somewhere for you to park it.

What do they expect you to do?

by empirestateofmindFri 25-Mar-11 12:12:56

"I don't understand how an employer can insist you have a car and then not provide somewhere for you to park it.

What do they expect you to do?"

I'm afraid there are thousands of employers who have people in jobs that require them to use a car/travel round a location by other means who do not have the facilities to provide them with free car parking.

The issue here is that the OP has previously had access to free parking and will no longer due to there not being enough space to provide that for everyone.

OP what's the situation with parking in the surrounding area as ilovesooty mentions? Is it all residents only? Have you looked into and costed alternatives?

Also, if the parking was previously free and the reason for restricting to essential workers and to 3 days a week is because of space, what is the £30 for?

In my first reply (Mon 21st) I did try to offer some advice flowery, I don't live in the UK and have no experience of this sort of situation and find it very strange. You suggest it is not unusual. I am amazed the employers concerned can find employees.

Hi All
Thanks for the replies
just to clarify a bit, The hospital premises I work out of is basically surrounded on two sides by dual carriageway, no parking allowed at any time. The other 'side' is just fields, and there is a small pub and about three houses on another side, one very small 'lane' services this so not an option for parking unfortunately. The pub is very busy and I cannot imagine they would want to open the floodgates by offering parking IYKWIM.

I do realise that many other people need their cars to work but also have to pay parking charges, but in this instance my employer relies on a lot of goodwill, in terms of requiring us to use our own vehicles (no access to fleet or company vehicles), we also have to insure them ourselves and as I said before we do not recoup anywhere near the cost of petrol.

The £30 (this is what it will cost for me but it could be less or more depending on salary level) allows you to access the car park 3 days per week but there is no guarantee of a space so in theory you could be paying for something you cannot gain access to.

Also what are we supposed to do on the other two days, walk on foot to see patients- I think not!!

I have sympathy (some!) with the people trying to sort this issue out but what they are proposing is both unworkable and unfair. People will leave and the patients will be the ones to lose out.

Any more thoughts on possible ways forward would be very much appreciated!

empirestateofmind

Jobs just aren't that easy to come by.

waitingpatientlynot

my employer relies on a lot of goodwill, in terms of requiring us to use our own vehicles (no access to fleet or company vehicles), we also have to insure them ourselves and as I said before we do not recoup anywhere near the cost of petrol.

Me too: except that we do have a pool car we can use from time to time - hardly ever any money in petty cash for petrol though!

Your situation sounds worse than mine: it sounds unreasonable to charge you for a car park where there might not even be a space!

Yes I know you offered some advice, and very constructive it was as well - I was just picking up on that one point you made. It's just not remotely viable to say that any employer who requires someone to drive for work must provide free parking. Yes ideally, but sometimes it's just not possible to do that, and although you may think employers who do not provide parking would struggle to get staff, as ilovesooty says, jobseekers just can't be that picky. Commuting to work just does cost money, whether it's exhorbitant petrol costs, parking charges, congestion charges, train fares, tube fares or bus fares.

The problem is here an essential car user has to date benefited from free parking which is now being restricted to two days a week and charged for.

OP I think in your situation where you are expected to have a car at work and use it for work, and there are literally no parking alternatives on site or nearby, you are within your rights to ask them what they would like you to do with your car on the days you are not allowed parking.

My employer has a new policy whereby it means tests parking charges based on gross salary. This impacts adversely on part-timers, as their salary is assumed to be the full time equivalent even if in actual life that is all they earn. Therefore they might be earning £6000 a year but they have to pay the highest parking charge as if they were on £30,000. Disabled employees and those using cars for work also have to pay the full rate (although the disabled spaces are often occupied by the employers' maintenance vehicles as overflow parking). However those able to benefit from salary sacrifice arrangements, for example for the very limited number of nursery places on site, often seem to come just under the threshold and pay lower charges. It's all very Kakfa-esque and one of the reasons I have got fed up with them and am looking around for a new post.