Work canteen purchases to come out of following month's pay packets

anonymous1234567

My employer is introducing a cashless system for our new canteen.
We were emailed the idea and asked for feedback. They plan to use our Company ID/swipe cards to pay for any purchases made in the canteen. All spends will then be taken out of the following month's pay packet.
Most feedback given was against this idea with many suggesting we use top-up cards that we can personally add money to using our debit cards instead or just use our actual debit cards.
It would seem that despite the majority's opinion, the company are proceeding with the original idea.
Their argument is that it's the same thing either way and that lots of schools use it. I personally think we should have a choice and paying for lunches in a lump sum before I even receive my pay packet is not the same as spending £4 a couple of days a week out of my bank account that I can personally budget. I also can't help but think this is a good way for the company to keep the money in their pocket for the duration of the month.
I'm just really interested in people's thoughts on the matter.
Thanks in advance.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

why not just take a packed lunch?

General_Grant

anonymous1234567 wrote: »

My employer is introducing a cashless system for our new canteen.
We were emailed the idea and asked for feedback. They plan to use our Company ID/swipe cards to pay for any purchases made in the canteen. All spends will then be taken out of the following month's pay packet.
Most feedback given was against this idea with many suggesting we use top-up cards that we can personally add money to using our debit cards instead or just use our actual debit cards.
It would seem that despite the majority's opinion, the company are proceeding with the original idea.
Their argument is that it's the same thing either way and that lots of schools use it. I personally think we should have a choice and paying for lunches in a lump sum before I even receive my pay packet is not the same as spending £4 a couple of days a week out of my bank account that I can personally budget. I also can't help but think this is a good way for the company to keep the money in their pocket for the duration of the month.
I'm just really interested in people's thoughts on the matter.
Thanks in advance.

I don't understand.

You use your ID card and the cost is deducted from your following month's pay.

How is it that the company is holding onto your money for a month? Surely you are holding on to your money for up to a month before it is taken from your pay.

PasturesNew

If you want to put a spanner in the works, you can always pull out the equality/diversity card and say it amounts to a debt for the food - and some religions (sharia law) don't allow debt, so they'd be denying those people (muslims) access to food.

chewynut

The college I work at went cashless last year. We use pre-loaded cards. I thought my place was bad because they won't 'splash out' on change machines. The only thing that was effective was the students boycotting the canteens. Catering was at breaking point because some places lost 80% of their revenue overnight.

It sounds like your employer is cutting costs. Cashless must be cheaper and they don't even have to buy card machines. So if they do go cashless without pre-loaded cards, might I suggest you boycott? They'll listen when they start losing money

Voltaire7

anonymous1234567 wrote: »

All spends will then be taken out of the following month's pay packet.

As previously stated, they're giving you up to a month's interest free credit on your lunch spend.

Did this not occur to you or any of your colleagues??

Where do you work? Wanting to know so I can completely avoid your company for the rest of my life!

w00519772

The money is in your bank earning interest for up to one month extra. Surely this works in your favour?

dancingfairy

Surely you don't budget for next month based on how much you've spent this month? Most people would check how much money they've got in their bank account and budget accordingly. If you have spare at the end of the month you top up your card, you certainly wouldn't want to have spent next months salary before you get it surely?
df

anonymous1234567

w00519772 wrote: »

The money is in your bank earning interest for up to one month extra. Surely this works in your favour?

The money never reaches my bank account to earn interest. They take the money you spent out before you receive your salary, or keep it in their account, whichever way you want to look at it.

Its like Voltaire7 says, it's interest free credit.

I forgot to add that they are also planning to add an overdraft facility which I really don't understand. If you can access your upcoming pay packet why would you need an overdraft facility? Is anyone going to spend their whole pay packet on lunches in a canteen?

chewynut: I think that's what we'll be doing...packed lunches to prove a point!

Voltaire7

anonymous1234567 wrote: »

The money never reaches my bank account to earn interest.

The money you would use for paying lunch is still sitting in your account earning interest.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

ahh, they are going to shut the canteen.

If enough folks boycott the canteen, then in a few months the company will say it is losing money and has to close.