Company relocation to Zone 1 London

pinteresque

Hello all,

I am hoping that somebody here might be able to shed some light on an issue I am having with my employer's change of premises. I am struggling to find any official guidance online.

My company is moving from TFL Zone 2 to Zone 1, in London. Probably about 5 miles by the flight of a crow. But because of the hefty supplement TFL charge for travelling into Zone 1, the cost of my train/tube commute from Zone 6 will increase by over 100% off-peak and about 90% peak. I will struggle to meet this increased cost.

It's true that I could find another way of getting to work (bus, cycle) but this will still cost me more money than I have budgeted for, and will add lots more time to my journey.

I guess the issue is not directly about moving in London, but about an increased cost of travel as a result of am office move in general.

I am wondering whether I have any right for compensation, grounds for complaint, or whether it's just something I need to accept?

CFC

You need to check what your contract says about your working location.

Trouble is....5 miles is nothing really, even though it's going to cost you a great deal more.

AP007

Get off still in zone two as close as you can and get the bus as with a Oyster card its free if you have a travel card for zones that do not include zone 1.

I think you could be made redundant or fired if you cant get to work you will have to check the contract.

Let us know what area you are coming in from and where the new office/place of work will be and lets see if we can get a route for you?

zzzLazyDaisy

Sorry to hear about your situation, but it is unlikely that you have any grounds for complaint or compensation.

Most contracts these days contain a mobility clause - for example 'your place of work is Timbuctoo but you may be required to work from any of the company's offices within UK'. So the first thing to do is to check your contract.

Even if the move is not covered within your contract, 5 miles is such a short distance that it would probably be considered reasonable.

The other thing to consider is how long have you worked for this company? If you started after 5th April 2012 you are not covered by the general employment protection legislation, and it is easy for the company to dismiss you even if you have done nothing wrong.

It sounds like there are ways round the problem, so hopefully you may be able to sort something out.

Good luck

agrinnall

Have you raised it with your employer? Do they pay London weighting, and if so are they already paying an inner London amount or is it an outer London amount; if the latter will they increase it with the move?

Cycrow

you could just cycle all the way, that would end up being cheaper than what you previously paid.

You could also continue to goto Zone 2 then cycle the rest of the way, 5 miles is nothing on a bike

butler_helen

Cycrow wrote: »

you could just cycle all the way, that would end up being cheaper than what you previously paid.

You could also continue to goto Zone 2 then cycle the rest of the way, 5 miles is nothing on a bike

Assuming there are showers, changing rooms and lockers at the office? Otherwise cycling might be a smelly experience for the OP. I used to cycle two miles and have a flannel wash and it was never quite right... But then I was a student so it was probably an improvement!

pinteresque

Thanks all for the advice. There is no mobility clause on my contract.

However I too think there's nothing much I can do. I guess it just seems unfair that there's not a special guideline for company relocation within larger cities such as London, where a small move can have big financial implications for employees. IE a move of 5 miles in Coventry is not going to cost much more, whereas the same move in London, as I have described, is going to almost double the cost of travel.

Thanks to AP007 for pointing out that I can use a Zone 2-6 Travelcard on buses.

Re: cycling options, I am not averse to it at all, but I can't afford a roadworthy bike, even through a Cycle-to-work scheme. (Also I have a young baby and should probably seek a quicker and less energetic means of travel!)

mcfisco

A roadworthy bike wouldn't be too much <£200

Anyway, given that you have to find money for travel anyway, why not buy a scooter/moped with it?

TrickyDicky101

You could, alternatively, vote with your feet and look for a job closer to home.

gettingready

pinteresque wrote: »

Thanks to AP007 for pointing out that I can use a Zone 2-6 Travelcard on buses.

Another trick - look at London Overground.

I work in Zone 1 but instead of going to Kings Cross or Morning Croscent - I take overground and get off at Camden Rd and walk/bus it from there and do NOT pay for zone 1 travel :cool:

London Overground is great and covers big part of London - you can go from Stratford (East) to Richmond (west) and it does not cross zone 1 so you do not have to pay for zone 1.

Hope you find a way round this problem.