Work uniform

Pauly1234

Hi Everyone,

I work in a bar/restaurant part-time. We are given a company branded polo shirts, but are required to wear and supply our own plain black trousers & plain black shoes as part of it.

My question is, What are my legal rights.

Should my employer be required to pay for them as I had to buy them for work only as part of their mandatory uniform. They are not something I'd normally wear outside of work.

I've had to buy few pairs to cover my shifts

Any info would be great

Thank you

nicechap

Pauly1234 wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

I work in a bar/restaurant part-time. We are given a company branded polo shirts, but are required to wear and supply our own plain black trousers & plain black shoes as part of it.

My question is, What are my legal rights.

Should my employer be required to pay for them as I had to buy them for work only as part of their mandatory uniform. They are not something I'd normally wear outside of work.

I've had to buy few pairs to cover my shifts

Any info would be great

Thank you

You can claim the cost of them against tax if you use them exclusively for work. Google Mallalieu v. Drummond (HMIT) [1983] STC 665..

Plus you can claim the costs of cleaning your work uniform.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/uniform-tax-refund/

EDITED TO ADD: They cannot impose uniform criteria based on race or gender grounds you also have the legal right to find alternative work more to your liking.

MacMickster

If your employer didn't have any kind of dress code would you go to work without trousers on? If not then you would be paying for clothing to wear at work in any case. Before you claim that you would just wear your normal clothes remember that they would wear out and need replacing more frequently if they were worn at work as well as outside of it.

Many people work for employers who have a dress code. The employer doesn't have to pay for their workwear (and most don't).

Edit: The advice by the previous poster is incorrect. Even if you would personally never wear plain black trousers or shoes outside of work, they are normal everyday wear for many people and nothing prevents you from wearing them outside of work if you chose to do so. Consequently you can't claim tax relief on the cost of buying and washing your trousers, in the same way that many people are unable to claim in respect of the suits that they are required to buy and wear in the office.

Les79

Ask your mum/dad how they handled it with your school when they bought your school uniforms.

Marvel1

Pauly1234 wrote: »

They are not something I'd normally wear outside of work.

Funeral? The only time I wear black trousers and shoes.

Comms69

Sorry who gets upset over owning trousers..?!?

RichardD1970

Les79 wrote: »

Ask your mum/dad how they handled it with your school when they bought your school uniforms.

Comms69 wrote: »

Sorry who gets upset over owning trousers..?!?

Why the sarcasm? Have I missed something on this thread?

The OP has asked a perfectly reasonable question which crops up fairly frequently.

So much so that there is even a guide on the main MSE site dealing with it.

Les79

RichardD1970 wrote: »

Why the sarcasm? Have I missed something on this thread?

The OP has asked a perfectly reasonable question which crops up fairly frequently.

So much so that there is even a guide on the main MSE site dealing with it.

Well, it was a mix between sarcasm and actually a genuine question.


Because either:


1. Their parents have some real-life experience of claiming money back from the school when they had to buy black pants/shoes despite them being "not something I'd normally wear outside of work [school]."


2.Their parents (and by extention me, and maybe others) have missed a trick with claiming for pants/shoes.


That being said, there is a possibility that you CAN claim against an employer but NOT a school which would make my point sort of moot, but I'm taking a risk on that one Though I would genuinely welcome anyone who proves me wrong on that.


I was biting my lip about my even more sarcastic reply, but I'll post it as satire:


OP should ask their employer for advice on how to claim money from the Job Centre when they have to wear black pants/shoes to their signing-on meetings next month.

TELLIT01

I suspect that most place with similar uniform requirements would expect the employee to provide their own trousers and shoes. The employer will only provide the 'badged' items. Look around at any coffee shop, as an example, and you will see staff provided with standard tops, but they will be wearing any version of plain trousers/skirt and trousers.
I think you might have difficulty convincing the tax man that plain black trousers and shoes could only be used for work purposes.

hyubh

Les79 wrote: »

Their parents have some real-life experience of claiming money back from the school when they had to buy black pants/shoes

Their parents (and by extention me, and maybe others) have missed a trick with claiming for pants/shoes.

OP should ask their employer for advice on how to claim money from the Job Centre when they have to wear black pants/shoes to their signing-on meetings next month.

Perhaps best not to be quite so sanctimonious if you can't hide your fetish for other people's underwear - your knickers may be in a twist, no need to ask about everyone else's

gettingtheresometime

hyubh wrote: »

Perhaps best not to be quite so sanctimonious if you can't hide your fetish for other people's underwear - your knickers may be in a twist, no need to ask about everyone else's

pants = trousers in America