You can cycle how far!!!???

[palinurus]

Norman Tebbit's dad would be f***** these days.

 

[palinurus]

Seriously, that can't be legal.

 

[pshore]

Update - I didn't get the job because I will cycle there and not drive.

Reed Employment, the people who were handling this, have also essentially told me not to use their service again

Well, Ian Duncan Smith was telling people to get on a bus to find work. You didn't do that did you.


If its any conciliation, if you cycled a number of miles to an interview that I was at, I would know you were keen and wanted the job and were not a lazy b'stard. A definitely employable attitude from someone who would get things done and complete whatever was thrown at them.

 

[ColinJ]

Norman Tebbit's dad would be f***** these days.

That's a good one; I like that!

Perhaps the famous speech could be rewritten for the current era?

I grew up at the start of the 21st century with an unemployed father. He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking 'til he found it. When he was asked how he would get to work, he lied about the bike, and said that he would commute to work in his (imaginary) Ford Mondeo. He rode to work on his bike and left it in the garden shed of his aunt Janice, who lived just down the road from the warehouse. He lived in fear of his boss finding out about the bike, so he used to walk into the warehouse every morning carrying an unplugged car stereo and a well-thumbed copy of Autocar.

 

[661-Pete]

Cookiemonster, if you're not sure what to do next, get along to your nearest Citizen's Advice asap. I can't see how any employer or agency can get away with this.

 

[Arch]

Reed Employment, the people who were handling this, have also essentially told me not to use their service again

Then of course, you mustn't. And for their benefit, I think you should write to the CTC about it, so that they can publicise the fact so that no other cyclist uses them either, employee or employer. They must be well off enough to lose all that custom.

Even better, a letter to the Mail. They'd go bonkers trying to work out whose side they were on, the anticyclist people or the honest chap just trying to get a job...

 

[sheddy]

Nice one !

 

[661-Pete]

My employers use Reed.

 

[monnet]

Cookiemonster, that is one of the most incredible things I've ever heard. I'm really sorry about the job. I agree you should speak to the citizen's advice bureau. I'm pretty speechless. It's a disgrace if that can be used as a legitimate reason for not employing someone.

In the early 80's when there was a really heavy snowfall my old man cycled in to work (wool/acrylic kit, shoes with clips and straps) about 6 miles out of town. The only people in on his part of the site were the cyclists. All the drivers had claimed it was too dangerous/they were snowed in. They got the day off as 'special leave' the cyclists all had to do a full days work with no recompense. The old boy took a different view to getting into work after that. WHich is my way of saying that, as a rule, cyclists are more likely to make the extra effort to get in to work in the first place. Possibly because they actually enjoy commuting.


And take Arch's advice. The comic value might even take the edge off not getting the job.

 

[Arch]

I seem to remember a couple of months back in the snow, it was those who cycle commute who were getting into work. In our case, the trikes never missed a day actually doing the job, so we won out over the big council wagons that way too.

 

[classic33]

Update - I didn't get the job because I will cycle there and not drive.

Reed Employment, the people who were handling this, have also essentially told me not to use their service again

You might have a claim on the grounds of discrimination.

A few years ago I applied for a part time job teaching kids how to cycle on the roads. One major requirement of the job was that you had to have a car(to teach kids how to ride a bike!). Questioned this at the interview & it was dropped as a requirement. All three previous candidates had to be reinterviewed because of this. However I wasn't as I didn't drive.

Questioned the decision again and, was told that the ability to drive was more important than the ability to cycle safely in traffic. Complaint made & they were forced to apologise.This in the days of Peter Shepherdson of "killer bikes" fame.

 

[Ghost Donkey]

Update - I didn't get the job because I will cycle there and not drive.

Reed Employment, the people who were handling this, have also essentially told me not to use their service again

Unless you have something in writing to that effect you may have a problem prooving this. It's quite likely they could say it was something else they've made up which was the problem and that you are using the cycling as an excuse to give them a bad name. If you have something in writing then go to town on them. I especially like the idea of contacting the CTC if you are a member. See if you can get John Snow to interview them on channel 4 news . Local news may be interested in this type of thing.

Even better, a letter to the Mail. They'd go bonkers trying to work out whose side they were on, the anticyclist people or the honest chap just trying to get a job...

 

[buggi]

25 miles each way - that's pretty impressive; more than I'd want to do regularly.

I did a few summer commutes to my old job which was 15 miles each way and a bit lumpy, but I couldn't be bothered doing it in bad weather, or in the dark in winter.

to tell the truth, i only do it about 3 times a week. What do you take me for... some kind of nutter?

+1. Mind you, plenty of people at work can't seem to manage to get to the first floor without a lift....

i got in the lift at work (to go two floors, which i'm entitled to because i cycle 25 miles to get there!) and a girl got in. She had obviously been to the smoking hut (she smelt of smoke) which is a least 100 yards away and she was very out of breath, and fat, and got off at the first floor. The shocking thing was... she was only about 18.

Update - I didn't get the job because I will cycle there and not drive.

Reed Employment, the people who were handling this, have also essentially told me not to use their service again

that is surely illegal!

 

[Calum]

Norman Tebbit's dad would be f***** these days.

That just made me spill my coffee!!!