Resolved Question

My boss is making me pay for damage i caused to a work van. I dont understand why i have to when its insured?

They made me drive a van with one wing mirror and suds law i reversed into a pillar on the side i had no mirror. The damage cost £700 and my employer is making me pay for it.

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Your employer cannot make you pay for it. An employer cannot make any deductions from an employees wage (apart from tax deductions) without their specific consent in writing so don't worry about that.

Whether or not you can be sacked for causing the damage is another question and it would be up to you if you feel that making a contribution to the cost of repairs would stop you getting sacked but there is definitely no legal requirement for you to pay for the damage.

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Other Answers (7)

• In a nutshell, did you advise the employer of the broken wing mirror, before driving the van? Did you have another person with you, who could have seen you back on the blind side?
  
  In any case, refuse to pay. An employer has to show that you were negligent and caused wilfull damage, for him to be able to get you to pay up.
  
  If he threatens to make deductions from wages for it, that is classed as an illegal deduction from wages, and you can go through an industrial tribunal to claim thr pay back, but you have to go through the company grievance procedure first.
  
  I would strongly recommend joining a union if you aren't already a member of one. If you are a member of a union already, advise them now of this problem you are facing for more advice.

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• Legally your boss should pay for any damage you do to the van during work hours. If you damage the van while not working(say you take the van home on weekends and drive it for personal use), then you are required to pay.
  Your boss probably does not want to pay the excess on the claim and also pay the higher insurance rate in the future.
  Unfortunately you do have the same problem all employees have. He has power over your job. In an economic climate that many people have lost their jobs, unfortunately you may be pushed into paying for the damage just to keep your job.
  If you do pay the cost, and you leave, you can try and take him to small claims tribunal to get the money back.
  
  But again, if you did the damage during work, it legally should be paid by work.

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• This sounds very fishy. Usually you would not have to pay anything regardless of what the damage is. If you have an employment contract, it should state what your employers policy is for when driving company vehicles. Some employers ask their employees to pay the excess when its their fault but this is not that common.
  
  Perhaps your employer is asking you to pay as they don't actually have insurance.

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• Your boss has no legal right to charge you for this. Let me guess, you are not in a union.
  
  See the citizens advice bureau for legal advice on this.

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• I bet your not in a union and really you should not of took it out if you were not happy with it.

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• You boss does not want to put in a claim. That would raise their insurance rates. So, pay the money for the damage.

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• You should not have to pay anything, i think your boss is a twat...

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