Employers duty to provide Bike Storage?

[Beebo]

Can someone with an HR - employment law background help?

My company have always supplied a locked garage for staff to secure their bikes. The lease on the garage has now expired.

HR have today advised that we now have to put our bikes on the street, the office is in Central London.

What are our legal rights? To my knowledge my employment contract makes no reference to the provision of secure cycle storage, however can the company just take this away without consultation bearing in mind it has always been provided? Is the bike storage a perk, or an implied benefit under the terms of our employment? Do we have any lagal righs here?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jugglingphil]

I don't have a HR / employment law background.

I think the company can stop providing a secure place to park cycles/etc. By stopping this small (in terms of company expenditure) cost they are effecting the moral and happiness of those which use the facility. So depending on how many staff use the lockup will have a bearing on the decision to stop. I'm surprised that you weren't given more notice.

Have you or anyone asked management why they are doing this? Would you, and other users, be willing to pay the company if it continued with the lease? Do the company provide car parking for staff for free?

 

[Beebo]

They do provide a few car spaces for senior directors.

We have asked for a round table discussion to see what solutions we can come up with.

 

[siadwell]

No HR/legal background for me either....

I would doubt that you have any rights to anything not specified in your contract or assured by employment legislation. For example, I don't have a "right" to the free tea/coffee at work, but am pathetically grateful to my employer and perform much better when fuelled by caffeine, so it's a win-win situation.

The only way that I would think you could object is if you could argue that the change constituted a material change to your employment conditions, such as cycling is the only mode of transport that is reasonable for you to use so your employer is effectively preventing you from commuting to work.

As jugglingphil implies, it may be worth pointing out to the management the negative effect on morale of their actions.

IANAL and all that.

 

[PK99]

Can someone with an HR - employment law background help?

My company have always supplied a locked garage for staff to secure their bikes. The lease on the garage has now expired.

HR have today advised that we now have to put our bikes on the street, the office is in Central London.

What are our legal rights? To my knowledge my employment contract makes no reference to the provision of secure cycle storage, however can the company just take this away without consultation bearing in mind it has always been provided? Is the bike storage a perk, or an implied benefit under the terms of our employment? Do we have any lagal righs here?

Any help would be appreciated.

..... Dredges memory banks.....

..... finds lurking in a dark and forgotten corner.....


.... Custom and Practice and Implied contract terms.


If you could show that this was long-standing benefit and moreover it had been used as an inducement when recruiting staff, you might be able to argue that it should continue

 

[mr_cellophane]

When I was TUPE'd we managed to keep our car parking spaces. I am sure this was a gesture of good will rather than a legal obligation.

 

[ianrauk]

I have just spoken to Mrs Ian who is Specialist in Employment Law. She says that companies don't have to supply any form of bike storage. However if a company is running a bike scheme then it is usually best practice to supply secure storage but there is no legal requirement to do so.

Your employers has previously supplied secure storage so you could argue that due to custom & practice they should provide alternative storage.

 

[Beebo]

Thanks for the help guys. It adds a few arrows to our bow. Now to speak to the people in charge!!

 

[gannet]

I get to put mine in the under-the-stairs cupboard

 

[Tynan]

arrows go in the quiver

 

[Number14]

You could always buty a Brompton and store it ON your desk. I'm sure they'll then provide some form of storage for you.

 

[Nortones2]

How much does it cost the firm to subsidise directors parking pa per PP (pampered persons)? How does that compare pa/pp with the cost of the bike storage for the pp (plebeian persons)?

 

[Beebo]

You could always buty a Brompton and store it ON your desk. I'm sure they'll then provide some form of storage for you.

What is the max sensible distance for a brompton? my commute is 12 miles each way and takes 45 - 50 mins depending on traffic.

 

[henshaw11]

A guy I was talking to on my first FNRTTC recently (Redfalo on here, I think) was on a Brompton...53 miles good enough?

 

[Brommie77]

What is the max sensible distance for a brompton? my commute is 12 miles each way and takes 45 - 50 mins depending on traffic.

As long as you get a three or six speed 12 miles is quite do-able on a brompton, they are surprisingly good to ride long distance. I have cycled 20miles on my 2 speed, but it can be restricting I always want a faster gear on the flat and downhill.