Bloomin? Cheek

[Serendipity]

I started a new job about a month ago and I made it perfectly clear at the interviews that I ride a bike and would be using said bike to travel to and from work. At the time there was no problem. I turn up every day, suited and booted and I don't even take up a space in the staff car park.

Then, on Friday I was presented with a letter that basically says (and here I will summarise because it’s a bit wordy):

[Cannon]

What a crock. You could easilly get hurt coming in by car as well.
What happens if you were hurt on the weekends in your own time ?
Do they ban people from extreme sports or skiing , I doubt it.
Can you imagine the boss going on a skiing trip and getting paid SSSp after breaking his leg

Don't sign the letter. Its your choice how to commute to work, as you do it in your time not theirs.
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Staffs Riders Forum

[wilbur]

When I renewed with ebike this year I ticked the for business box just to see how ridiculously high it came in at and it came back at exactly the same price. So I am now insured for business use as well.

Just a thought.

[syl]

[Cillit-BANG]

I'd tell them to stick it up their arse. I would find it quite offensive to be honest.

Have they never experienced any car crashes then?

Reading this has ruined a perfectly good sunday morning. What the hell is going on to people in Britain.

[hmmmnz]

i'd say show that to a union rep(if you have any) or a lawyer and get them to send a letter and scare the be jesus out of them, that is clearly out of order, don't sign,
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[markandmindy]

Bang out of order. There are clear guidelines as to what an employer can and can not ask of an employee. what if you got injured doing a 'dangerous sports' activity or at one of these team-building bullshit days?? tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine ( politeily, of course!!!) and see an employment law specialist if you are not a member of a Trade Union. You've got a clear case here of discrimination and harassment.

[Serendipity]

Sorry, I didn’t intend to put a damper on anyone’s morning. Please bear in mind that I re-phrased the letter for comedy value and the original was written in much more reasonable terms. However the meaning is the same and I’m sure you can empathise with the righteous anger that I felt on Friday when they gave me the letter.

My initial drafts of reply letters were somewhat venomous and although I had no intention of delivering those particular copies I found the process of writing them very cathartic and enabled me to step back and consider my options with a clear head.

I am now re-drafting my reply based on some of the suggestions above, particularly from dmahon, but all your comments are welcome, thank you.
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2007 CBF1000 & 2016 CBF1000F - Commuter heaven | 1994 CBR600FR - Awaiting defibrillation

[DucatiEVO]

[Blau Zedong]

Made me a bit mad too lol. As you said it smacks of discrimination, a mate of mine broke a few ribs wakeboarding few weeks ago, yet his employer hasn't made him sign a declaration telling him any future wakeboarding accidents will not be covered by the firm's sick pay scheme. See a solicitor that specialises in employment law, there's plenty out there and you might be able to find one with a cheapo initial consultation fee, at least then you could find out if it's worth fighting. I hate it when employers start dictatiing your lifestyle out of work - for me it's only a step from stopping people drinking and smoking in there own time as they might get ill from it.
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[sickpup]

As far as I can tell they have no legal right to stop SSP.

Details are here and there isn't an opt out scheme for them. It would appear they are breaking the law and have been stupid enough to put it in writing.

[Kickstart]

[sickpup]

Whoops. See what you mean.

[Pete.]

The way I read it, they are supplying a company car but Serendipity chooses to use a bike for work. This is exactly what I do.

Whilst on the one hand it looks very discriminatory to tell an employee that they would get lower sick pay benefits because they use their bike for travel to and from work, on the other hand they have provided a much safer method of transport for the employee yet he chooses not to use it. You can understand their point of view, the employee has chosen to make their journey to work more perilous despite being provided with a safer mode of transport. The company doesn't want to suffer financially because of that.

If they don't supply a company car, I would say that what they are doing is wrong.

BTW you only have to have "business use 1" insurance if you DON'T travel to and from the same work address every single day. If your place of work is the same location every day for the whole year, you only need social, domestic & pleasure (and commuting to& from permanent place of work).

Best to check the small print on the last one because I used my bike for a whole year without realising I should be business use 1, and only found out once I came to renew.

[Kram]

Get them to give you give you a company car...

Get involved in some accident that involves you having 3-4 months off (bad back)


and get full sick pay
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[Ste]

They're complaining that being involved in a serious road traffic accident would cost the company a lot of money and so are saying that should you be involved in a RTA on your bike which resulted in a lengthy sick leave then you'd only get full sick pay for the first 5 days and then you'd be onto SSP?

I'd be writing back asking are the same sick pay limits being applied to car drivers involved in a RTA. Would also ask them to confirm that the 5 days of full sick pay then onto SSP would only apply if it was a RTA when travelling directly to or from work, in other words should you crash your bike at the weekend and be laid up in hospital for 6 months would you receive full sick pay for that time. Are there similar restrictions on people who require lengthly (more than 5 day) sick leave for other reasons?

Sick pay is useful, I got a couple of months of it after being in a RTA and didn't return to my job. RTA was in a car, not on a bike.

[stinkwheel]

Why on earth would he want a company car? You get taxed pretty heavily on a company car.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

get a company bike!

Umm, can't really see how they can argue that, what you do in your time is up to you. What happens if you're out for a blat on sunday and get injured? Do you get full pay then because you weren't using the bike for work??

Classic example of picking on the lil guy.
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[_Will_]

I took out an insurance thing at work that costs all of something like 50p a month and pays out in the event of an accident, i took it specially for the bike, it gives me more money than i earn(only work 1 day a week) if i end up in l'hopital due to anything.
Even large sums of money for losing things, eyes, limbs/movement/brain damage/death, its £5000 per finger ....which one can i live without
Glad my company does this as it covers me, handy as im a biker, what your work has done is just discriminatory in my eyes, the feckers.
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[Itchy]

The last sentence breaks company law big time , silence can NEVER EVER EVER be used as acceptance into a contract and this has been tested 1000s of times in court and has set precedents over the last 100 years.


Me thinks you'll be seeing Mr P45 sometime soon,

as you said you started one month ago employees in the UK have virtually no rights until they work there for at least 3 months , then you get a sort of implied contract,

Ask the question Ste said earlier , otherwise commute in on bike park somewhere else they've no control over how you travel privately its why travel from home to work in tax law is considered private usage even in a company car., and use a company pool car = no BIK = no tax liabilities because of this if used soley for work.

You may well be discriminated against but the system is weighted in favour of employers such is capitalism , sure you can sue , sure you can get some compo say £5-10K , but you'll never work in that industry again since your name will be tarred black forever.
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[Itchy]

[_Will_]

I work for Dhl/exel and they go thru IAG as far as im aware
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[Pete.]

I had some guy approach me at work offering that sort of insurance and he stood there reeling off lists of stuff I would be able to claim for and how much. I stopped him after a short while.

"Will it cover me if I have an accident on my bike?" I asked.

"Well no sir, that is one of the things it would not cover you for unfortunately".

"Well you can fuck off then" I said and walked off.

[_Will_]

The bloke who talked to us said it before i had a chance to ask, biking/extreme sports/car accident/at home/at work, i think its just rediculous stuff like death defying stuntman that they dont bother with or if done bungeejumping
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[Pete.]

Hmm wonder if it covers landspeed racing