I work in a petrol station. From time to time, customers fill their vehicles with fuel and drive off without paying. Does the manager have the right to deduct the amount of the “drive-off” from our wages?
Your employer cannot deduct anything from your wages unless there is a term in your written contract of employment permitting this. Even then, the amount that can be deducted from the wages of employees in a retail business is limited. However I would have thought that an employment tribunal would be likely to rule that any deduction from your wages in such a case was unreasonable, as long as the thefts are reported to the police. The tribunal could order your wages to be refunded, but you must make your complaint within three months of the deduction.