Dear Colleagues,
Following talks with the company regarding removal of the company fuel card and existing expenses system the company have committed to various actions to assist the introduction of the new system.
The talks have been frank so far and very useful and cordial.
The commitments were put to our members in a conference call and it was agreed that it was insufficient to address the basic issues of trust and whether the system is fit for purpose.
It was therefore decided to request further talks on the matter
Anyone wishing to be a local rep in these talks then please contact me at:
The email exchange with the company is shown below with the guarantees being offered
From: <[email protected]>
Date: 5 September 2015 03:29:53 BST
To: Sonia Burridge <[email protected]>, “Sam Young (HR)” <[email protected]>, Alex Murphy <[email protected]>
Subject: Consultation
Hi Sonia
I put the below suggestions to our members in a conference call yesterday. So apologies for the hour that I am getting back to you formally
They had a lot of issues surrounding this matter. The issues are issues of:
1) Trust. They are concerned the guarantees below will leave them chasing their money on a weekly basis and ultimately see them out of pocket. They believe that a float of only two weeks and a claim system that takes a week to pay potentially just isn’t enough time. Also, they don’t feel some of the management team would be sympathetic to them and this would further cause them stress
2) Fitness for purpose: They are concerned that the software underpinning the change just isn’t up to it. That it is over complex and given the number of their jobs and the various routes they may go down will mean they just cannot fill out the forms with any meaningful accuracy
3) There is concerns regarding personal use and tax and I am waiting for a form of words on that
They have agreed to further talks and I will send over some names for collective discussions supported by the the RMT as soon as I have them all.
There are some individual cases that may require individual discussions. They can notify you of these particular issues
Many thanks
Paul Jackson
RMT Branch Secretary
LUEngineering (0692)
07810643681
——
The new fuel arrangements are intended to be introduced for all grades on the LUL areas.
MJ Quinns agree that under their proposal that no individual will be expected to pay for business fuel.
To enable that commitment Mj Quinns are happy to implement the below
All other existing terms and conditions remain unchanged except for the method of acquiring and paying for fuel
Staff that are presently allowed to book from home will continue to be allowed to do so
Staff will take photographs of their odometers at the beginning and end of each journey. They will also keep copies of any fuel receipts. This will then enable staff to check the mileage they add onto the GoggleMaps system is accurate and the fuel reimbursement equals the fuel that they are actually using. This information will be used for any reviews
Anyone that needs IT support will be entitled to assurance. Any existing special needs will be honoured. It is accepted by MJQuinns that minor errors may occur and these aw not disciplinary issues but the company may ask staff to amend these errors.
This will enable the correct payment of any monies owed and will allow for any diversions/ idle time/ traffic jams etc.
A float will be calculated for each driver that is equal to their expected fuel usage for the previous two weeks.
Any claims are submitted for 9am on a Monday morningthey will be paid on the Friday of the same week. If a payment is not going to be made that Friday because of an internal error which is not the drivers fault then we will ensure payments are made by BACS or CHAPS, however drivers must inform us of any discrepancy asap.
In the event of a theft of motor issue that is not the fault of the driver, then MJ Quinns will reimburse the driver for any list fuel using the existing expenses system
MJQuinns confirm there is no intention to monitor private journeys and the existing safeguards remain unchanged
MJ Quinns will allow staff to use their tablets/ PCs at Finsbury Circus or Barking to lodge these claims. No one is expected to do this in their own time or on their own pc.
Staff can request a review at anytime if they believe their claims are inaccurate. This review is to ensure that staff are fully paid for business mileage. Any short term errors will be dealt with by the usual expenses claims process. Any longer term issues may result in the fuel rate being altered.
Staff that exhaust their float or have severe financial issues should raise with the management teams at the earliest opportunity. It is envisaged that the float allowance and repayment and constant review of the mileage and fuel used should mean that at no time will the fuel be exhausted