Safety Boots Compulsory

[djtdjt]

Starting a job on Monday through an agency, they say safety boots must be worn, will take £20 from first pay packet to pay for them, I looked on the HSE website and it says the company should supply them free of charge. Anyone had any experience of this? I don't want to cause a fuss but £20 is a lot of money to me.

[sherrardk]

Maybe they are making you get your own pair so you can wear them elsewhere (I assume that the job is a temp one), pretty daft if every company you temp for has to provide you with a new pair of boots.

[djtdjt]

Yes that's a good point, thanks for that, lucky I asked, did not want to start complaining before doing any work!

[sherrardk]

It's just a thought (I could be wrong!). Good luck with your new job.

[bednobs]

if you are working through an agency, they are your employers

[EDDIE51]

I work through an agency and it was the same with me, they supplied safety boots but took the cost out of my wages. However the boots are mine to use where ever I want not just for work with the same agency.

[Maydup]

I hope it went well today (and the boots fitted)!

[EDDIE51]

Thinking about it it is logical , as we work for an agency we have no continuous employment we work hour by hour. I could have got the boots and walked out of the job after the first hour with a free pair of boots.

[factor-fiction]

You may actually be employed via an umbrella company arrangements which has certain tax and NI advantages but usually means that you claim it as an expense, they deduct expenses from your gross pay and then they add the gross back to your net pay. I'm not sure of the legality of this regarding essential PPE equipment but I bet they'd argue it's factored into your gross pay rate somehow

[EDDIE51]

PPE is compusory , so if you supply your own or have to buy it you can claim the cost back out of Income tax as expenses. How ever I don't earn enough to pay tax so there's no point in my case.