Work travel problems...help!!!

Tabatha_Kitten

inmypocketnottheirs wrote: »

There is an old saying 'where there is a will there is a way' and I am sorry to say I don't see much will here.

Here Here !!
I have never heard so many excuses from one person in my life.
Your husband has a job. He needs to do everything he can to keep it. And if that means you eat beans on toast for a month or cancel the TV licence then thats what you need to do.
Sorry if that sounds harsh but you need to get real.

no-oneknowsme

Steph - surely there is some-one in you're area who has a car who you could at least ask if they would give you're husband a lift to work for a few weeks.?

To be honest , needing a lift for 10 miles each way isnt an awful lot and you could offer to pay them a set amount of money - say half a taxi fare ?

Where i live i can think of at least half a dozen people who i could approach to put the suggestion to them .

Is there anyone near by who maybe doesnt work themselves (but who has a car) and may be glad of an extra few quid to tide them over ?

If this were my family i would find a way .

Tiddlywinks

It's an employee's own responsibility to get from home to work (unless contracted otherwise) - accept it and then move on to solving HOW he can now get to work rather than blaming his employer for the fact that you have a newborn, car troubles, money troubles etc.

Go to the debt free wannabe board and ask for help with your budget. If your outgoings exceed your income then you either need to spend less or earn more - I'm not trying to be funny, just realistic.

You may have to get a job on your OH's days off. Yes, this will cut down the family time you have together but the extra money will help to secure a more stable future for your family. You are not the first woman to have a baby and have money worries; others work, why not you?

As to transport, before you buy another car make sure you get an insurance quote first - the car may be cheap but the insurance may be steeper than your current model.

In the interim, your OH either doesn't work those shifts, loses his wages and runs the risk of being let go (as unreliable) or you spend some money (yes, it's tight) on a taxi or hire car in order to get full pay and show to his employer that he is reliable.

So, get him to work by any means possible or risk his job in the longer term - you choose.

Tiddlywinks

stephbond89 wrote: »

..my husband works from 4.30pm til 8am...

Just thinking..... what is wrong with your car - would a repair be cheaper than starting again with another unknown car? You only need to keep it going until the new year anyway.

I also noticed that the times of him travelling are reaonable and not really early or in the middle of the night or anything - there must be some way of using public transport. You mentioned that this would be a lengthy journey on the bus - he could use the time to sleep (set an alarm on his mobile to wake him in good time for his stop) or to just read a book and rest - travel time can be relaxing.

hermum

Why don't you ask on Freecycle or advertise on Gumtree for someone who will drive your OH to work for those 2 days a week, gumtree has a rideshare section. As he only needs help for 2 days a week maybe either sets of your parents will help out, it is after all only for a few weeks.
If that's going to be too big a problem the bus sounds like a pretty good option ok it will put more hours in his day a couple of days a week but sitting on a bus is hardly strenuous, give him time to unwind read the paper etc.
It's a job, maybe you should think yourselves lucky that he still has a job in this climate & do everything possible to ensure he keeps it.

gingerdad

would suggest you buy a cheap car for a couple of hundred quid.. one of my staff does this all the time, he has a peugeot 106 at the mo cost him 105.00 includ 3 months tax and mot, that sort would get you past christmas

Lirin

Security are covered under special conditions in WTD-

Direct-gov website:
Exceptions to the regulations
Your working week is not covered by the Working Time Regulations if you work in the following areas:
jobs where you can choose freely how long you will work (such as a managing executive) the armed forces, emergency services and police are excluded in some circumstances domestic servants in private houses The rights to breaks apply differently to you if:
you have to travel a long distance from your home to get to work you constantly work in different places making it difficult to work to a set pattern you are doing security or surveillance-based work you are working in an industry with busy peak periods, like agriculture, retail or tourism there is an emergency or risk of an accident the job needs round-the-clock staffing (such as hospital work) you are employed in the rail industry and you work on board trains or your activities are irregular or linked to seeing that trains run on time

In these cases, instead of getting normal breaks, you are entitled to 'compensatory rest'. This is rest taken later, ideally during the same or following working day. The principle is that everyone gets a minimum 90 hours rest a week on average. This is the total of your entitlement to daily and weekly rest periods, although some rest may come slightly later than normal.

hermum

Has he sold his broken car? My brother got £150 for a vw polo, no tax, mot sold for spare or repair & it went within hours on gumtree. He may get something for the old one to put towards the £250 you borrowed.

annie123

Could your parents lend him a car till payday? or agree to pickup cab costs till payday? after that he could strike a deal with a local taxi firm for a regular booking.

Better to have some income than risk losing his job, failure to arrive at work unless sick, bereavement etc would be grounds to dismiss. Its his responsibility to make sure he can get to work, what ever the costs. And thats still more money than JSA.

I'm sure your parents would be willing to help rather than have their daughter trying to get by on 1/2 income or worse suddenly.

Are you sure the car is dead? have you got a quote for repair?

If the car has died beyond repair I assume you are scraping it, is there car tax due back, and insurance? could payback parents with the money.
Or as he works for a large company, a word with Head office, could they advance cash to cover getting in till payday and repay over 3 months or so?

Where there's a will there's a way, maybe not the way you want but if it he keeps his job in the current climate its worth it.

Fuzzy_Duck

stephbond89 wrote: »

my daughter is 5 weeks old. Ive not even had my postnatal check up yet and your suggesting I go out working leaving my daughter even for a few hours a day isnt something I want to be doing, nor agree should be done by a new mother.

Plus, i would literally be able to work from 3pm on a wednesday until 3pm on a friday as this is the only toime my husband would be home and not asleep after working.

And as I said, I dont want to work whilst i have a 5 week old daughter, she needs me at home.

Fact is though a lot of mothers work soon after giving birth. Sure they'd love to stay at home with the baby, but a lot of people can't afford to and have no choice in the matter.

I've read all of this thread and plenty of people have had really good advice which you simply don't want to consider. Keep in mind that lots of people on MSE have gone through hard times and have survived. You can cut money everywhere if you try hard enough- the old style board is a great way to get tips.

Personally, I would use that loan to fork out for taxis, and encourage OH to look for a new job closer to home in the meantime. Would either of your parents be willing to lend you money until December?