Is it legal for Barclays to force me to bank with them because i work for them?

Dr_Cuckoo3

PC_Gabriel_Kent wrote: »

Get a grip. Condition of employment just like wearing a name badge or company uniform. Human Rights, !!!!!! are some of you on about.

Do you wear a name badge outside of work then :think:

datostar

eleanora_ wrote: »

Under the HRA 1998, your human rights are:

• the right to life
• freedom from torture and degrading treatment
• freedom from slavery and forced labour
• the right to liberty
• the right to a fair trial
• the right not to be punished for something that wasn't a crime when you did it
• the right to respect for private and family life
• freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom to express your beliefs
• freedom of expression
• freedom of assembly and association
• the right to marry and to start a family
• the right not to be discriminated against in respect of these rights and freedoms
• the right to peaceful enjoyment of your property
• the right to an education
• the right to participate in free elections
• the right not to be subjected to the death penalty

(copied from the Directgov website)


Which of these is breached by staff bank accounts, exactly?

Possibly some people think that banking with Barclays equates to torture and degrading treatment?

barak

Azrael_1701 wrote: »

HBoS doesnt have such policy. I did switch to them after i started working but only because of the staff accounts. I know of many people who dont hold any form of HBoS account.

HBoS are obviously more flexible. I've only just noticed this thread, but it reminds me that about 18 months ago when opening a Halifax account, I asked who did their cheque clearing. I assumed it would be Bank of Scotland and was surprised when told it was Barclays.

Presumably this dated back to the days of the Halifax Building Society which needed a clearing bank, but the merger with Bank of Scotland was I think as long ago as 2001.

Andy_L

Organic12 wrote: »

A very valid point. What I don't understand is why banks apply this policy to employees who neither work on the retail part nor are customer facing.

As a large business would they be facing bank charges which they avoid by using their own system?

opinions4u

barak wrote: »

HBoS are obviously more flexible. I've only just noticed this thread, but it reminds me that about 18 months ago when opening a Halifax account, I asked who did their cheque clearing. I assumed it would be Bank of Scotland and was surprised when told it was Barclays.

Presumably this dated back to the days of the Halifax Building Society which needed a clearing bank, but the merger with Bank of Scotland was I think as long ago as 2001.

While they still hold some Barclays suspense accounts I'm pretty certain that they've been clearing their own cheques for at least 15 years!

stevemLS

Cook_County wrote: »

I would argue that The Truck Act of 1831 made this nasty practice illegal.

The Truck Acts made it unlawful to pay workers in anything other than cash, to prevent employers giving "credits" in shops owned by them etc.

It might have been a valid point had The Truck Act 1831 not been repealed in its entirety 34 years ago (by the Wages Act 1986, itself now repealed).

barak

opinions4u wrote: »

While they still hold some Barclays suspense accounts I'm pretty certain that they've been clearing their own cheques for at least 15 years!

I'm only reporting what I was told after various members of staff were consulted.

Just as a matter of interest, when you say "I'm pretty certain that they've been clearing...", who do you mean by "they"? Was Halifax a clearing bank before the HBoS merger?

opinions4u

barak wrote: »

I'm only reporting what I was told after various members of staff were consulted.

Just as a matter of interest, when you say "I'm pretty certain that they've been clearing...", who do you mean by "they"? Was Halifax a clearing bank before the HBoS merger?

They've been offering current accounts since 1990. Cheques drawn on that current account were cleared in-house via a data centre in Copley near Halifax.

Cheques paid in to Halifax accounts were cleared by Barcalys for many years, but I'm fairly sure that changed in the mid-90s. I suspect they now employ a 3rd party provider like Unisys, along with many other high street banks, to clear cheques.

I would hazard a guess that the member of staff concerned remembers the "old days" .

Fiddlestick

Organic12 wrote: »

As my employer puts me to this inconvenience, I insist on taking a short walk to the nearest branch to get the transaction completed every month, in their time, not mine (ie lunch "hour"). If the queue is long, tough. I've had no negative comments only supportive ones, it's a shame most people are too scared to do likewise.

If I were your manager I would write you up on a disciplinary matter for this.

You have the facility to set up a standing order to transfer the money out of the account and into one of your own choice.

Wasting company time to walk to a branch to do this is clearly a malicious waste of company time!

PC_Gabriel_Kent

Originally Posted by Organic12
As my employer puts me to this inconvenience, I insist on taking a short walk to the nearest branch to get the transaction completed every month, in their time, not mine (ie lunch "hour"). If the queue is long, tough. I've had no negative comments only supportive ones, it's a shame most people are too scared to do likewise.

You are lucky to have a job. Why dont you start acting like an adult instead of a child. If you dont like Barclays policy then leave..