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Original poster

Parking

22 replies

AspieAndNT · 22/09/2015 21:16

I work in a hospital. Payment for the parking comes out directly from my salary. There is no choice in this arrangement if you want to park in the hospital car park. Surrounding streets are all double yellows.

My team frequently can not get parked and so are late for work. Our manager has now said that if we can not get parked and so are late, that time will be deducted from our annual leave entitlement.

Can they do this?

OP posts:

BonzoDooDah · 22/09/2015 21:20

Yes I'd say so - your working hours start from when you start at work, not when you leave home. So you need to build in time to park if there is no space. Seems harsh if there are no spaces but that's the rule in all jobs.
I suppose it just varies in how they penalise you for being late.

AgentProvocateur · 22/09/2015 21:21

Do you mean they can't get parked in the car park they've paid for? In which case, there needs to be a discussion about paying for something they can't access. Regardless, it's their responsibility to start work at the agreed time - they need to leave enough time to find a parking space.

m0therofdragons · 22/09/2015 21:29

We have exactly the same at our hospital - I park on the street closest and walk for 15 minutes. I wear trainers and keep heels at work. If it's really raining I wear jeans and change into smart clothes at work. I don't complain as parking is limited and people coming in with broken legs, ill children and cancer etc should take priority. Employers do not have to provide parking and it's the employee's responsibility to be at work on time. (Although it's really annoying).

JeanSeberg · 22/09/2015 21:30

Of course he can do that, parking isn't done during work time. However, as it's a problem for a lot of people, as the manager you could look at ways of solving the problem or putting a team together to look into solutions.

Original poster

AspieAndNT · 22/09/2015 21:30

AgentProvocateur - that is correct. We pay for a car park that we can not get a space in and so are then forced to park in the visitors car park and pay there too.

I work 10 minutes away. If I am not in the car park by 8am, all spaces are gone. When I start at 10am, I drop the children at school and I am in the carpark for 8.50am - over one hour early just to be able to park.

OP posts:

AlpacaLypse · 22/09/2015 21:33

OP can you clarify? Are you being charged for a parking spot that you can't use because they've sold more spots in it than actually exist? (My local council is guilty of this one...) Or are you being billed only for the days that you actually manage to get your car into it?

AlpacaLypse · 22/09/2015 21:33

Sorry xposted...

BonzoDooDah · 22/09/2015 21:35

True enough AgentP. They shouldn't be charging you for a facility they then don't provide. You would need to be refunded for every time you couldn't park there.

FishWithABicycle · 22/09/2015 21:37

Yes I think this is reasonable. Driving is not the only way to get to work (especially at a hospital - I bet you could park for free 2/3 bus-stops away and get a bus, or keep a folding Brompton bike in your car boot, for less than the typical price of hospital parking) and everyone has to take responsibility for getting into work on time.

MrsLeighHalfpenny · 22/09/2015 21:41

Tell them you will no longer be bringing a car to work and ask for the deduction in pay to be stopped. Then either park a way away and walk to the rest of the journey, get a bus or taxi, get a lift, cycle, get the bus or walk. But get to the office on time.

woodhill · 22/09/2015 21:46

It's similar in our car park, unless you are there by 9 forget it, no streets to park in so public transport on late starting days. On now but so great on dark evenings.

You have my sympathy as it is stressful not being able to park, bad enough driving through traffic and gridlock

Original poster

AspieAndNT · 22/09/2015 21:51

Public transport is a possibility but due to having a child with extra needs I have to be able to leave and be able to get to him quickly. Also leaving the hospital late at night (9 and 10pm) and then having to walk to the car along the unlit streets is unnerving.

Oh well.... Many thanks for your input. Really wish I had chosen another career!

OP posts:

yeOldeTrout · 22/09/2015 22:01

it's the same set up at my work & just as impossible to get a space after about 8:50am, although we aren't penalised for being late (not NHS but kinda related).

A large % of people cycle, there are regular bus services too. I take the train & cycle (others take train+bus & bus+walk.

mandy214 · 22/09/2015 22:02

But isn't parking an issue for lots of people? The fact that you pay for it out of your salary is a red herring. It's to do with your working hours.

yeOldeTrout · 22/09/2015 22:02

Could you get a folding bike & cycle from wherever you park the car near your son's school?

poocatcherchampion · 22/09/2015 22:07

Cancel the salary forfeit and just pay to park in the visitor car park?

MedSchoolRat · 22/09/2015 22:27

I bet visitor's carpark charges more than the staff one (ours does).

ripeningapples · 22/09/2015 22:42

I think if you have a disabled child you could ask for consideration to be given to allowing you to have a reserved space. To refuse to do so could be interpreted as disability discrimination by association because your employer is preventing you from looking after your child as much as you need to outside working hours.

It is also wrong in my opinion to charge for parking when insufficient spaces are provided.

I Thi k people are being harsh. Hospital/healthcare work involve unsociable hours and it isn't unreasonable to expect people to be able to get to and from work safely and as easily as possible.

Finally, holiday can only be calculated by rounding up to full half days. There is case law around this and to deduct hours of annual leave to make up lateness I believe contradicts the spirit of the law. Make the time up, yes, but to deduct from annual leave allowances is wrong, especially if you are being charged for parking and the provision is insufficient. I rarely recommend people to go to their union but in these circumstances I think you should.

It's nor surprising hospital staff are so grumpy if this is how they are treated by the employer.

IKnowIAmButWhatAreYou · 22/09/2015 22:49

I'd tell your employer that you're no longer driving and to stop removing the money from your pay.

Unfortunately your working day starts at the contracted hour, not whenever you get there - our company says we have to be fully logged in & working at our start time, despite the fact that the crap company lappy's take up to 30 minutes to boot up sometimes....

Original poster

AspieAndNT · 23/09/2015 06:09

Moral is so low currently and this all feels like another kick in the teeth. I work one
late shift a week and only started it recently because I was told that the needs of the department required me to do so - I wasn't given a choice. We don't choose our working hour's, if we did we would all choose to start at 8am and get parked stress free.

OP posts:

Hamishandthefoxes · 23/09/2015 06:30

Oh op, I sympathise. Hospital parking is such a complete mess.

Is there a park and ride or anything near the hospital where you could cycle from? Otherwise I think you should try and get a reserved space because you need to be able to carry out your caring obligations. Those people who are having annual leave docked for lateness should take it to the union rep.

I know it doesn't help but SIL is a salt and spends her day driving around the area to schools etc but is based in hospital. She's not entitled to hospital parking because she doesn't work antisocial shifts!

flowery · 23/09/2015 11:17

"holiday can only be calculated by rounding up to full half days"

That's not the case at all. Holiday can be calculated in hours and is for lots of people.

However if an employer wants to force an employee to take annual leave, they need to give sufficient notice, ie double the length of the holiday they wish to take.

So in this case, they can't require you to take holiday as they won't have given notice. They don't have to pay you for hours you are supposed to be in work but are not though, so they could give you the option to either have pay deducted or use holiday and still be paid.

If there aren't enough spaces I'd say they shouldn't be selling them, but similarly if people know there aren't enough spaces but choose to still go ahead and pay even though they know they might not get one, presumably that is their choice.

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