I work at the local hospital...the managers have decided that patients and visitors need more car parks and that staff parking will be reduced from next monday. Staff have been issued permits, but there are more staff than permits. I have not been given a permit therefore i cannot park on site. the local streets have residents only parking. I live 4 miles away from where i work and i start at 8 am. I also am expected to be on call for the hospital once a week, and am often called in at 2 or 3 am.  
How am I going to get to work? it will cost £4 a day to go on the bus which i cant really afford and it will take over an hour and a half each way with changes. it looks like i will have to walk or cycle.
If I cycle ( about a 30 minute ride with hills) they do not provide anywhere to lock your bike, and they do not provide overnight locker facilities (although they do have showers).  I would have to carry  with me uniform, towel, shower stuff and a hair dryer. ( not allowed to go to work with wet hair).
If I walk it will take much longer....making it worse for the dogs as I will be away longer. I also will not feel as safe as on my bike. On the other hand I will not need to have all that shower stuff with me.

The BIGGEST problem is this..........once a week I am on call for emergencies overnight. The rule is that I must be able to attend the hospital within 40 minutes of any call. The patients will all need life saving treatment...that is why they need it at night. HOW ON EARTH can i attend an emergency if i am not allowed to take my car?? how can i get there at 3 am? its not safe to cycle or walk at that time! and it would take too long!  The managers have made it clear it is our responsibility to get there...they say we could use visitors spaces at night at a cost of £7.......but i only get a fiver to be on call for the whole night so every on call would cost me £2 out of my own pocket.
I am at my wits end.......and i am so scared of cycling /walking in the dark. Is there anything i can do.? I am not the only one in this boat, but the union cant offer much help

I cannot believe the union is so cavalier about this. Id ask my manager about a Risk Asessment - have they done one, also ask about an emergency staff car parking space in the visitors slot at night, or about a buddy system for travelling. Put it in writing and frame it in terms of how this would help you do your job properly. Why is the union being so useless about this? Get together and lobby the shop steward and Health and Safety Rep at work, get the local health committee on it and any councillors. Sounds like someone wants to charge for car parking to raise money without thinking how patient care will be affected.

Thanks for your advice Lorelei........I shall try again tomorrow getting hold of the union. Unfortunately my union is more of a professional body and are rather weak on the industrial relations front. I have no choice but to go to work on a daily basis, but i have talked to colleagues and we have now decided to refuse to attend at night on the basis of our personal safety. Unfortunately the patients will suffer in this instance, but i think its best in the long term.

Will it not be relatively quiet in the visitor parking during the middle of the night call outs? Could you put a notice in the window saying ou are on call?

Would there be anywhere to park a moped or scooter if you got one to go in on at other times?

It has been all over the tv last night and in the papers. You are right, i could sneak in the visitors car park in the night...the problem is , i am on call from 4 30 ..usually if i get called on my way home i turn the car round and come back. If i am on the bus/bike/walking i cannot do that.....i would have to continue home, and then get my car to come back. This would mean taking longer than the 45 mins target time. Also if i get called in at 6 am i have not got time to take my car out of the car park before the day shift starts. It is a very bizzarre situation. there are rumours that there may be some kind of u turn by the managers over this. I just wish they would decide faster as its stressing us all out!

i wish it were that easy chloe......unfortunately security have strict instructions to clamp all staff parking without permits day or night, EVEN IF THEY ARE ON CALL.  We have been told that we must park in the streets in the neighboring area.which is a red light district. If i pretend to be a visitor there is no way to get out of the car park as the barrier will not let you out without cash in it. I hope they sort it soon..it even got on tv yesterday.

Also did it say in your contract that parking will be provided ? If not then you may have some problems. However if it has been provided before but has now been taken away they should compensate in some way I would have thought.

Lucy
xx

Surely it's ridiculous to ask you to pay £7 for visitor parking in the middle of the night when I assume there aren't many visitors there at that time?? Especially as you say you only get £5 for covering that night. Definitely stand up for yourself (and colleagues)!

Take advice from your Union or CAB - I'm thinking along the lines of a term called 'constructive dismissal' when the company changes your work conditions and make them unworkable.