Mandatory unpaid Training

[bumblebubble23]

Can a workplace ask you to attend mandatory training, which you are required to travel for into a city centre. Unpaid. Which costs myself money, for example whether I choose to drive car parking is £15 or more in the city. Could get local transport but still have to pay. Also, I usually work around my three children, the options available for the course would mean either, I pay for before after school club. Or I book the training in the school holidays and pay for childcare as I don’t have anyone available on the particular day in the school holidays that the training is on. This will be a full day course 8.45-5pm with no pay. But will cost me.

It depends what the travel and expenses policy is, and what your contract says.

Where is the city you have to travel to in relation to your normal work location? Is it a completely different city or is it that you normally WFH but would have to travel in to do this training?

Where I work, it would be claimable if it was a city other than the city/town recorded on the system as the employee's base location, but not if they were travelling in to do it when they'd normally work from home, as home workers are contractually expected to attend the office for necessary meetings and training.

However, this wouldn't necessarily be the case universally so you need to check policies and your contract.

The location of the training venue is roughly half an hour away from my work location no I don’t work from home, but it’s an hugely recognised agency I work for where I can book shifts around my children.

If attending the course takes your hourly rate below min wage then they have to pay you at least NMW.

HR person here.

Are you an employee or worker? You say it’s for an agency so possibly you are on a contract for services rather than an employment contract.

Either way the contract should have a section in regard to training and whether you’ll be paid for it.

My organisation operates on the basis that if we are saying you must attend then it is paid

However, for your question only your contract will determine it

If your contract is silent on it, ACAS information is here and you will have to identify what applies to your circumstances

https://www.acas.org.uk/getting-paid-for-mandatory-training

Thanks for that I’ll look into it