Disposal of personal possessions by employer.

[Pottyone]

Hello All. Can anyone help with this? My partner's workplace has decided to go into all the rest areas at work and remove furniture and items that have, over the years, been bought in by the employees to make their breaks more comfortable. These items range from comfy chairs to a fridge for their packed lunches. The comfy chairs will be replaced by 'company regulation' chairs. The fridge/microwave etc had been bought by a number of employees chipping in for the cost. No warning was given to enable employes to remove the items themselves and the items have been put in a skip. The items have also been there for years with no complaint being made by management before. The workers do long shifts, and simply wanted a better area for their breaks. Are the company in the wrong? Surely they should not have done this without warning. Will list this under Jobs too as not sure where to ask the question. Thanks.

[bednobs]

if they've been there for years and years, are the people that bought them even working there still? WHo pays for the PAT testing for the electrical equipment? Who makes sure the furniture complies with fire regulations?
Why can't the people that want them just retrieve them from the skip?

[VHG]

I think this is to do with "Health and Safety".

The company cant risk an employee injuring themselves in some way on the equipment in this rest room and then suing the company. The employee may say the equipment was not "official" and was therefore dangerous.

If the company buy the new equipment then they can check it is not broken or damaged and can then defend themselves if they try to get sued.

If you want to blame anyone blame these companies who keep advertising on TV "had an accident that was not your fault..."

[Tilly2]

Perhaps they're trying to make it more comfortable and are sprucing it up.
It does seem odd that 'they' have not informed and/or consulted with the workforce.

Is there any sort of line management?

[Pottyone]

bednobs - the company has previously been happy to PAT test the equipment that has been brought in. Not sure about the cosy seating but don't think it was so old that it wouldn't have had fire reg labels on. The workers do shifts - 4 on 4 off. Those on their rest days will more than likely find the skip is gone, or at the least the stuff will have been rained on.

Tilly2 - it won't be more comfortable. The workforce know what they are getting instead. The company has new higher management and they are coming down on everyone and everything like a ton of bricks. Some of it seems quite justified to be fair, but some of it is just beyond me. And this seems completely wrong.

My main query about this is that these items belong to the workers. Some to individual workers and some to more than one worker when they have clubbed together to buy it. Surely any items belonging to workers should be returned to the workers, or they should at least be given notice to collect the items. Do the employes have a genuine cause for complaint? I know that if I had taken, say, a TV into work for us to watch in our staff room, and someone came and chucked it in a skip, I would not be amused.

[factor-fiction]

I have posted on your other thread.

[joko]

i would get people together and make a formal complaint and a demand for reimbursement for items that actually have pretty much been stolen.

just because the items were on company property does not mean they own them, any more than they own the workers cars in their car park or the workers handbags etc.