Travel Allowance

[Foxel]

Looking for a bit of clarification on Travel Allowance. If that is what it is called, being paid for travelling to different offices.

I'm contracted to an office 15 miles away from my home. There are at least 4 offices closer.

I often get sent to another office an extra 10 miles past my office. When this happens I can claim for the distance between offices. I claim nothing for the offices closer to me.

I also get sent to another office 20 miles from my home, in a different direction from my office. For this, I have been unable to claim any allowance either from my home or from my office. The only difference is the direction I am travelling in. In future, I will just refuse to use my own car.

Any clarification appreciated.

[mw7485]

I'm pretty sure that if your contract says you will be employed at office x, then that is where you should turn up for work. If they want to send you somewhere else (in any direction) then they should provide both the time and resources (ie, van) to get to that other office from office x. That is certainly the principle for the "older" contracts.

What "exactly" does your contract say about where and the hours you will be working?

[aiden01]

Looking for a bit of clarification on Travel Allowance. If that is what it is called, being paid for travelling to different offices.

I'm contracted to an office 15 miles away from my home. There are at least 4 offices closer.

I often get sent to another office an extra 10 miles past my office. When this happens I can claim for the distance between offices. I claim nothing for the offices closer to me.

I also get sent to another office 20 miles from my home, in a different direction from my office. For this, I have been unable to claim any allowance either from my home or from my office. The only difference is the direction I am travelling in. In future, I will just refuse to use my own car.

Any clarification appreciated.

Why are you using your own car

[Foxel]

The contract says your initial place of work is x. RM may require you to work at any other place in the UK.

I don't get how they can pay for one direction, or because I go in the general direction of my DO, but not if I go in another.

I tend to just get a text the day before with the location and start time. It's been this way since working with Agency. My start time is the time I should be there for, so I'm not getting paid for travel time in any sense.

[Foxel]

Why are you using your own car

When you start you are on a temp contract and just told the basics you need to be here or there for x. So I've never been told otherwise, and everyone else does it. But the people working as a reserve are generally new and as well know no better. You don't want to rock the boat until you're clear from 'probation'. I've seen how they treat people. There are no spare vans so if I complained I doubt I'd still be here or I'd be getting shifts at my local DO all the time which I'd rather not.

It's why I'm asking so I know what the rules are when I challenge them. All advice is welcome.

[mw7485]

The contract says your initial place of work is x. RM may require you to work at any other place in the UK.

I don't get how they can pay for one direction, or because I go in the general direction of my DO, but not if I go in another.

I tend to just get a text the day before with the location and start time. It's been this way since working with Agency. My start time is the time I should be there for, so I'm not getting paid for travel time in any sense.

And you're currently a probationer? And the advert you responded to originally had a location as part of the work description?

[Foxel]

And you're currently a probationer? And the advert you responded to originally had a location as part of the work description?

No longer. Certainly did.

[Shirtbuttons]

Most car insurance policy’s quote insured to travel to one same place of work, if you were to have an accident travelling to another office your insurance will be void unless you have told insurance firm. Oh and remember the fine and maybe 8 to 10 points on your licence for no insurance.
Please check with your insurance company as I did and was surprised. To travel to different offices you will need business insurance.

[Foxel]

Thanks, yes we were advised by the manager we'd need business insurance. He meant to claim allowance though and wasn't bothered about us driving to different work locations if we didn't.

[redlen]

You need to check in your contract of employment if it has a specific mobility clause. If that is the case, you need to tell your insurance company.

And for the record, 12 months'' probation means nothing now.

An employer can dismiss you within the first two years of employment and the dismissal will be automatically fair unless it involved a protected right

In reality, it is now a two years probationary period

[Foxel]

There is no mobility clause, they cannot make me use my own car. But they can put me down to work anywhere in the country.

All the recent RM contracts I have seen state the job as a temp role for 6 months. Even though the managers tell you it's permanent. Just makes it easier to get rid of you by just letting the 6 months run down. It's not as easy getting rid of someone in the first two years or a permanent contract, even with the 2 year rule. You can still take them to a tribunal for instance for unfair dismissal, discrimination etc.

[redlen]

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/19 ... ection/108

These are known as automatically unfair reasons and they include:

Health and Safety dismissal
Pregnancy-related dismissal (only if the employer was aware the employee was pregnant)
Dismissal related to asserting a statutory right
Dismissal relating to Trade union membership or non-membership
Dismissal in connection with the national minimum wage
Dismissal connected with refusing to exceed the 48-hour working week
Dismissal for whistleblowing