Deduction for Training Costs - HELP!

scuttymacdutty

Hi everyone, I was hoping someone could help me out here.

Over the summer I started working at a company that sounded very promising albeit it's a fairly new company. They offered me the job on the spot and I was very enthusiastic about it, however things started to go downhill drastically.

* I was required to apply and pay for a PVG.
* I was given 4 days of training without pay. (I missed out on hours at the job I still had during this time).
* The job required a drivers licence and own transport, however no money was paid towards petrol costs. (I easily spent £20-40 on petrol a week if not more, during this job).
*On many occasions I worked from 7am until 11:30pm and sometimes only had a 1-2 hour break all day.
* I expressed that I was diabetic and after having a moderate hypoglycemic episode, whilst working, I was still expected to continue working until 11 that night.
* I wasn't paid in the first month, one of the employers had to give me money from their own pocket.
* The second month I was underpaid and had to wait 4 weeks and 4 attempts of contacting them to get it sorted. I had bills and rent to go out which was really inconvenient and worrisome for myself.
* They updated the rota without notification (sometimes the night before) and sometimes I would work 7 days a week.

I eventually handed in my notice after having enough and I received my final pay slip today to find that they have deducted £190 to cover training costs which has left me with a measly £52. (I didn't work as many hours as I ended my employment before the start of the month).

There is a probation period of 3 months in which I terminated my contract. It does state in the contract that 'Should your employment be terminated during this time all training deductions will be deducted from your final salary'.

However, £190 deduction for a few hours for 4 days which consisted of a few PowerPoint presentations and some physical moving and handling techniques seems a bit steep?

Shouldn't there be a pre-estimate given for which I need to agree on, with a breakdown of the training costs? This is a tiny company so the training was done by the owner himself. I'm just not entirely sure what my rights are and feel that I've been taken for a mug yet again.

Comms69

Your rights are for a court to decide the matter, are you willing to do that for the £190?


(for what it's worth, I'd say you do have a case, BUT it's not ironclad)

Undervalued

scuttymacdutty wrote: »

Hi everyone, I was hoping someone could help me out here.

Over the summer I started working at a company that sounded very promising albeit it's a fairly new company. They offered me the job on the spot and I was very enthusiastic about it, however things started to go downhill drastically.

* I was required to apply and pay for a PVG.
* I was given 4 days of training without pay. (I missed out on hours at the job I still had during this time).
* The job required a drivers licence and own transport, however no money was paid towards petrol costs. (I easily spent £20-40 on petrol a week if not more, during this job).
*On many occasions I worked from 7am until 11:30pm and sometimes only had a 1-2 hour break all day.
* I expressed that I was diabetic and after having a moderate hypoglycemic episode, whilst working, I was still expected to continue working until 11 that night.
* I wasn't paid in the first month, one of the employers had to give me money from their own pocket.
* The second month I was underpaid and had to wait 4 weeks and 4 attempts of contacting them to get it sorted. I had bills and rent to go out which was really inconvenient and worrisome for myself.
* They updated the rota without notification (sometimes the night before) and sometimes I would work 7 days a week.

I eventually handed in my notice after having enough and I received my final pay slip today to find that they have deducted £190 to cover training costs which has left me with a measly £52. (I didn't work as many hours as I ended my employment before the start of the month).

There is a probation period of 3 months in which I terminated my contract. It does state in the contract that 'Should your employment be terminated during this time all training deductions will be deducted from your final salary'.

However, £190 deduction for a few hours for 4 days which consisted of a few PowerPoint presentations and some physical moving and handling techniques seems a bit steep?

Shouldn't there be a pre-estimate given for which I need to agree on, with a breakdown of the training costs? This is a tiny company so the training was done by the owner himself. I'm just not entirely sure what my rights are and feel that I've been taken for a mug yet again.

This is one of the few situations in employment law where it may matter if you have actually signed the contract of employment.

Most aspects of a contract are established just by turning up to work and getting paid. However for training costs to be reclaimable the law requires a specific agreement to be in place. The normal interpretation of this is that it is only enforceable if you have positively agreed to that term by signing the contract. Even then the amount reclaimed must be proportionate and reasonable.

That said, Comms is correct, is it worth the agro for £190 plus of course saying goodby to any chance of a decent reference?

If you are not bothered about the reference aspect (formal or informal!) then send them a carefully worded letter and see what they say. You don't have to follow through with court action if you decide it is not worth it but, if you sound serious, the firm may well just pay up for the same reason.