Pay deductions

[heatseeker14]

I have posted this before on chat and AIBU in case anyone re-reads this from before.
I started a new office job 6 weeks ago, to cut it short a customer got a parking fine for parking outside our company, whilst work was carried out on his vehicle (we have no parking for customers or employees - either single/double yellow lines/2 hour bays/permit holder only).

I have been told that £5 has to come out of everyone wages to cover the fine? I am only very p/t and cannot afford for this kind of thing to happen on a regular basis.
The guys who work on the vehicles are asked to keep an eye out for wardens, but can money really be deducted from their pay because of a fine? I doubt they have a contract which states the company can make this kind of deduction?
I have to do the payroll next week and do not think this is fair, I will challenge him on it just dreading it really.

I have a few others issues as well and I am starting to regret joining the company.

WTF? If the customer parked illegally, they can pay their own parki fines! surely? If your company carries out work on vehicles, they need to make provision for parking them, on or off site, otherwise the company should take the hit... NOT its employees.

Apologies for typos. Got a bit overwrought there

I know I just can't believe it tbh. I feel so upset as it has taken ages to find a job with suitable hours, now I am not so sure it was a good move.

Firstly check your contract to see if there is a clause about deductions.

...and if there's no such clause you could draw s.13 of the Employment Rghts Act 1996 to your employer's attention.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/part/II/crossheading/deductions-by-employer

That is not a legal deduction.

Just asked employment lawyer DH and he says first check your contract to see if it's stated in there, and even then, you can challenge it on the grounds of 'unlawful deductions from wages' as the fine is a matter between the customer and the local authority and is not even anything to do with the company ( in law at least, although if the customer has to park there to have work done on a car he's left with you, it's really not a good place to run this sort of business, is it?)

The only recourse I can see is if an employee told the customer to park there or parked for him.

We've had to tell our workers after numerous parking fines in company vehicles that if they choose to park illegally they have to pay the fine.

I don't have a contract as such I have never signed anything, just have a letter which states my hours/hourly pay/holiday entitlement.
I don't know what the other guys have, but going on how the company operates, I would imagine they have something similar to what I have.

I am half hoping he will say he was cross at the time and was joking, but don't think this will be the case and am dreading challenging him about it.

What were the circumstances of the ticket being issued eg. Who parked the car/told the customer to park there?

I didn't see what happened, but from what I heard the customer parked out front as usual on a single yellow line (which is where all vehicles are parked whilst work is carried out, not the greatest idea but there is no alternative).
The customer would have come in to advise van was outside and dropped off keys, then at some point whilst work was being carried out a ticket was put on the van. The original ticket vanished and my boss believes that one of our guys took and destroyed it.
The customers ticket will be paid on behalf of the company and my boss wants to take £5 from everyone's wages to cover it (if he knew who removed it, he would be deducting the full amount from that employee).
Hope that all makes sense.

Right, so the issue is the fine doubled because it wasn't paid within the timeframe

He should hold an investigation about the kissing ticket but he can't penalise everyone, that's an unlawful deduction

What he should be doing is making customers aware that they park there at their own risk or doing what our local theatre does with the trucks that deliver the scenery & absorb the cost.

Just to add I have argued the ticket down to reduced cost as it had doubled (well hopefully anyway, I appealed on behalf of our customers so will have to wait and see).
I think the company should absorb the cost, but I don't know how well this will go down considering I am very new to the company.