Unauthorised use of RM vehicle

makingsounds · Post by **makingsounds** » 22 Apr 2016, 11:12

a colleague has been pulled in on the quiet by a manager and told that they are aware of at least 10 times he has used his CDV at weekends without permission. He had the retention of the vehicle at his home address but has now had that taken from him pending an investigation. He is looking at serious charges of theft of fuel, falsifying documents etc. Can this info be used ? Any agreements on what can and what can't be used? He's been told that he is looking at dismissal.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 22 Apr 2016, 12:13

makingsounds wrote:a colleague has been pulled in on the quiet by a manager and told that they are aware of at least 10 times he has used his CDV at weekends without permission. He had the retention of the vehicle at his home address but has now had that taken from him pending an investigation. He is looking at serious charges of theft of fuel, falsifying documents etc. Can this info be used ? Any agreements on what can and what can't be used? He's been told that he is looking at dismissal.

What info.

Witnesses - yes.
His own statements - yes.
Tracking - probably as he is alleged to have committed an illegal act outside of work. Any agreements on Telemetry and trackers in disciplinary cases would only cover authorised use during work hours so it would be reasonable to assume that they don't apply when its unauthorised.

But basically, if they have proof he is in deep trouble. Part of the guide for "Overnight Retention of Vehicles" clearly states:

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... =6&t=28616" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

9. Permission is granted solely in connection with activities carried out on behalf of Royal Mail. No personal or private use of official vehicles or powered equipment is permitted under any circumstances

That's pretty clear and unambiguous, he'll have a hard time fighting it.

11. In cases of unauthorised personal use of a vehicle by a driver HMRC may insist on a Taxation charge being made to the driver concerned. Personal or private use is not covered under the terms of Royal Mail’s insurance. In cases of personal or private use the driver or user will be subject to disciplinary action under the Royal Mail Conduct Code.

So he may get a tax bill as well, if I read that right.

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » 22 Apr 2016, 12:36

In the only case of this I've been involved with the outcome was about as bad as it gets. It's very difficult to defend depending on the evidence.

Harv12 · Post by **Harv12** » 22 Apr 2016, 20:58

We had a manager get the then phg todrop him off at the airport for his holidays in one of the works vans many moons ago. Both got the sack

datasaint · Post by **datasaint** » 22 Apr 2016, 21:45

About the only time you could justify it would be an emergency situation, had to get to A&E or whatever. Even then it's still technically against the rules.

NWpostie · Post by **NWpostie** » 22 Apr 2016, 22:32

Exactly why I refuse to take a van home, once I finish work, I don't want to be reminded of it when its sat outside my house, I'm not going to be responsible for company property outside of my work hours.

rubberbond · Post by **rubberbond** » 24 Apr 2016, 18:16

norm wrote:About the only time you could justify it would be an emergency situation, had to get to A&E or whatever. Even then it's still technically against the rules.

That's what ambulances are for,it even has it written on the vehicle,in case of doubt,in capital letters too.

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 24 Apr 2016, 19:31

it happened at our office. the charge was gross misconduct. a fantastic rep from the mail centre managed to save the lads job. very rare this sort of thing gets a positive result though.