My office swipecard has broken. Can I be made to pay for a new one?

Your employer is entitled to charge you for a new card if this is specified in your contract, as you will technically have accepted this term when accepting the contract. Have a look at your staff handbook to see what the policy is where you work on authorised deductions from your salary. If you ask, your employer must give you a written copy of that part of your contract where you have agreed to such a deduction.

If your contract does not expressly allow for deductions to cover incidents like this, and where you have not signed a separate agreement to state you agree with being charged for replacement cards, then your employer should not charge you. This is especially so if custom and practice in the workplace has developed that your employer has always paid for cards in the past, and where the card has been broken through no fault of your own.