Hi all, I’m currently a postman for royal mail who paid for my class 2 training which I passed, I signed a contract with them before training began saying I would stay for 2 years with them or if I go I have to pay £2000, now I would stay but they have no jobs for me in my area and after 18 years as a postman ive had enough and I want to go do driving, I just want to know how legal these contracts are or is there any way of getting out of them? My manager has suggested I get sacked by basically not turning up for work and cease contact so they terminate my contract but that is a very last resort
You made the agreement presumably something in writing so stay or pay to leave I’m afraid.
If it’s in writing it’s a legal binding contract of not not much they can do about it if you leave. They could try depending on if there was a verbal contract which could also be legally binding.
Getting sacked is a ridiculous way to go about it as it won’t look good to a new employer.
So either grin and bear it until you can leave or pay to leave.
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You agreed to it, so stick to it. Or pay the money.
What makes anyone think it’s acceptable to do otherwise.?
This is the reason I paid for my own class 1 even though my boss offered to pay half, so I could leave once I had enough experience without any pressure.
If you want to leave it looks like you are gonna have to cough up the 2k, but if i was you i would try to come to some sort of pro rata arrangement with them IE you have used the said licence with them and for their benefit for example say 1 year so pro rata you think that 1k is a reasonable amount to pay back, 6 months £1500 is reasonable etc.
2000 divided by 24 = 83.33 per month. Include your calculations and make it clear you are happy to go to court and let a judge decide what is reasonable if they don’t agree to your request. You never know they may accept your request, if not you will have to cough up or go to court with a chance of losing and having to pay costs etc, its worth sending the request in though because even if they reject it you could settle before they took you to court, just play brinksmanship with them.
Edit, getting dismissed would not free you from having to pay back what is in your contract. DO NOT GET SACKED!
shullbit:
This is the reason I paid for my own class 1 even though my boss offered to pay half, so I could leave once I had enough experience without any pressure.
If you want to leave it looks like you are gonna have to cough up the 2k, but if i was you i would try to come to some sort of pro rata arrangement with them IE you have used the said licence with them and for their benefit for example say 1 year so pro rata you think that 1k is a reasonable amount to pay back, 6 months £1500 is reasonable etc.
2000 divided by 24 = 83.33 per month. Include your calculations and make it clear you are happy to go to court and let a judge decide what is reasonable if they don’t agree to your request. You never know they may accept your request, if not you will have to cough up or go to court with a chance of losing and having to pay costs etc, its worth sending the request in though because even if they reject it you could settle before they took you to court, just play brinksmanship with them.
Edit, getting dismissed would not free you from having to pay back what is in your contract. DO NOT GET SACKED!
Just to add the last part about getting sacked may free him from contract. With my place if i leave i pay remaining but if they sack me its written off so will depend what is in the contract.
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Newstart90:
shullbit:
This is the reason I paid for my own class 1 even though my boss offered to pay half, so I could leave once I had enough experience without any pressure.
If you want to leave it looks like you are gonna have to cough up the 2k, but if i was you i would try to come to some sort of pro rata arrangement with them IE you have used the said licence with them and for their benefit for example say 1 year so pro rata you think that 1k is a reasonable amount to pay back, 6 months £1500 is reasonable etc.
2000 divided by 24 = 83.33 per month. Include your calculations and make it clear you are happy to go to court and let a judge decide what is reasonable if they don’t agree to your request. You never know they may accept your request, if not you will have to cough up or go to court with a chance of losing and having to pay costs etc, its worth sending the request in though because even if they reject it you could settle before they took you to court, just play brinksmanship with them.
Edit, getting dismissed would not free you from having to pay back what is in your contract. DO NOT GET SACKED!Just to add the last part about getting sacked may free him from contract. With my place if i leave i pay remaining but if they sack me its written off so will depend what is in the contract.
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I would like to see the wording of that in writing, getting sacked would be because you did something that could be considered to be gross misconduct and you would still be liable, but if they finished you because they have no work for you then that’s a different matter.
I think this is just another Troll post, almost identical to one I read on a Driver FB group earlier today.
If I thought it might be genuine, I’d say - What a fantastic reason for companies NOT to do something for their staff. Call me old fashioned, but to me, being an adult means honouring agreements, unless something drastically changes, which it hasn’t.
Zac_A:
I think this is just another Troll post, almost identical to one I read on a Driver FB group earlier today.If I thought it might be genuine, I’d say - What a fantastic reason for companies NOT to do something for their staff. Call me old fashioned, but to me, being an adult means honouring agreements, unless something drastically changes, which it hasn’t.
Why are you getting on your high horse when basically you agree with the op?
The company has contracted with the postman to give him driving work for which it has provided training to enable the same. The company is failing to provide driving work, therefore breach of contract, therefore the contract is void… possibly.
stu675:
Zac_A:
I think this is just another Troll post, almost identical to one I read on a Driver FB group earlier today.If I thought it might be genuine, I’d say - What a fantastic reason for companies NOT to do something for their staff. Call me old fashioned, but to me, being an adult means honouring agreements, unless something drastically changes, which it hasn’t.
Why are you getting on your high horse when basically you agree with the op?
The company has contracted with the postman to give him driving work for which it has provided training to enable the same. The company is failing to provide driving work, therefore breach of contract, therefore the contract is void… possibly.
I think the postman means they have no HGV work for him, he will still be employed to shove letters through doors, so he does have work just not the sort he wants. So no breach of contract there.
Ask for a transfer to another local depot ? It’s decent hours and money on PO so I would try all avenues before you leave. All the best with it!
I’m in the same boat! Royal mail put me through my class 2 with a private hgv training school and I passed first time at the end of September.
Was chuffed to bits but soon realised there aren’t any duties available. I think this could be partly to do with the on going dispute and waiting on the outcome of VRs. RM are covering duties with agency drivers.
I know a few others waiting for duties too. Are you in deliveries or processing as I’m on a three day processing duty and thinking of doing agency work on my days off just for experience before I forget what I was taught.
stu675:
Zac_A:
I think this is just another Troll post, almost identical to one I read on a Driver FB group earlier today.If I thought it might be genuine, I’d say - What a fantastic reason for companies NOT to do something for their staff. Call me old fashioned, but to me, being an adult means honouring agreements, unless something drastically changes, which it hasn’t.
Why are you getting on your high horse when basically you agree with the op?
The company has contracted with the postman to give him driving work for which it has provided training to enable the same. The company is failing to provide driving work, therefore breach of contract, therefore the contract is void… possibly.
Like anyone else on here, I’m entitled to my opinion, if that to you is “getting on my high horse” then that just shows you’ve got a negative attitude to my opinion, so just scroll on by in future.
However, you have clearly failed to read my post properly, I am in no way agreeing with the Troll-OP and there’s no logical reason for you to believe that is the case, unless you believe I meant that RM weren’t honouring an agreement - I was not, I was saying Troll-boy was in the wrong.
It is is no way a breach of contract by the RM, the OP (if he was real) is just trying to duck out of a standard agreement from a valuable opportunity he was given.
Is there anyone at all on the forums with an established identity who can honestly say they got an HGV qualification through the RM postman-to-driver-route?
OP, who I’ve categorised as a Troll, claims this, then a new member who has never posted before appears to back up the claim. 
Mods/Admin, do you ever check the IP addresses of posters?
Zac_A:
… Mods/Admin, do you ever check the IP addresses of posters?
Yes. 
Zac_A:
Is there anyone at all on the forums with an established identity who can honestly say they got an HGV qualification through the RM postman-to-driver-route?OP, who I’ve categorised as a Troll, claims this, then a new member who has never posted before appears to back up the claim.
Mods/Admin, do you ever check the IP addresses of posters?
I don’t want to get into any pointless arguments here but why do you think the op’s post is a troll?
And also myself? I can understand his frustration tbh
I’ve never posted on here and joined quite a while ago but I find it a valuable reading resource.
And yes I also had to sign a contract that I wouldn’t leave RM if I passed my class 2 this went down in increments as time went on.
And no I won’t be leaving before my agreement ends.
Why should a member be called a troll by another member simply because they do not agree with something in their posts 
Disagree with something posted is fine but please refrain from categorising other members on this newbies forum
ROG the MOD
It’s not a question of simply disagreeing, there’s been many instances of a new member whose initial post is one seemingly designed to be controversial rather than conversational, IIRC I said something similar about “Ahoy Truckers” and look how they turned out…
Calling the OP a Troll was a lot kinder description than my actual opinion of someone who is looking to weasel out of a contract they voluntarily entered into, and for which they received a tangible benfit from.