Hi all, I cant thank you all enough for the advice. I am awaiting a call back from the union rep so will take it from there. Thanks

Remember neil, if your workplace rep lacks the skills or knowledge to help you, you can go direct to the regional rep.

Hi all, I cant thank you all enough for the advice. I am awaiting a call back from the union rep so will take it from there. Thanks

Please let us know how you get on.

HB

The Union Rep you mean?

Please let us know how you get on.

 

HB

Hey, I sure will. Thanks again

Yes, and anything else that happens that you need help with.

HB

Thanks. Am I wrong to ask who has actually suspended me? Because it was my manager who told me but never said where it came from....

"the business" suspends you rather than a specific person, so it's not a helpful question

Any other questions get you into "who saw what" which you'll find out if the investigation goes anywhere, and are therefore best avoided so you cannot be seen to be influencing the investigation (which in law is a neutral process)

Let the rep do the probing if they are having a chat with the manager before the official meeting

Hi, so the rep called and has said that he can only give 'telephone advice' as its only been a month since I joined them....not sure who I can take in with me now as I do not want any off my staff in the meeting, as my manager has told them all that 'I am off sick'....

the tell the rep what has happened and ask them to speak to the investigator/manager. If the rep is a full time officer rather than a lay rep they will know the score, if it is a workplace lay rep it may be harder to get taken seriously depending on how big the company is, how many union members there are and so on.

Its Unite and he was only willing to give advice over the phone due to me not long joining them

I'm sorry to hear that this is the case with the union. It is correct, I went to my union rep for advice shortly after joining and while they were extremely helpful (on an unofficial basis), they couldn't fully help until after 3 or 6 months of membership.

I can't stress enough to be patient with all this and only speak when spoken to. They will contact you when they want to, not before. If any of your colleagues contact you during the suspension period, confirm that you are off sick and thank them for their concern. If this does happen, DO NOT tell HR or your manager that you have spoken to them. Silence is going to be your best friend until you get called in for the investigation meeting (if you get called in, you may get called back into work if they find no proof).

I do hope you get the result you do and the next message we get from you is that your case was unproven

Yeah, really frustrating tbh. Iv not heard anything...yet. But I would rather hav someone with me if a meeting does happen as I know there will be 2 HR people attending.....

if you have friends who are reps anywhere they can come with - legally it does not have to be YOUR rep.... any qualified relatives?

Hey, Im trying to find one. Iv been asking around and awaiting people coming back to me...hopefully I can find someone

I'm not saying that taking someone you know is a union rep is not the right thing to do but I would check that first.

I had trouble with this when I was suspended; I wanted to take an ex-colleague who was a union rep. ACAS told me this would be perfectly fine but HR wouldn't allow this. Said it went against the terms of my suspension and employment contract. They used it against me in my investigation, said I was speaking to external parties about my suspension which was a breach of contract. I never got a chance to find out who was right.

ACAS told me it is fine speaking to union reps but they have to have proof that they are reps of a union but saying that its also down to the company HR policy who can attend.....total nightmare!

Make sure you make an audio recording of any meeting, it could prove invaluable if you end up at an Employment tribunal.

If you do go into the meeting alone and feel overwhelmed at any time then do request a brief adjournment, so you can get your thoughts together and process the information so far. Do not be timid about requesting several brief adjournments, if that is what you need to respond effectively.

ACAS told me it is fine speaking to union reps but they have to have proof that they are reps of a union but saying that its also down to the company HR policy who can attend.....total nightmare!

it is not down to the company. You have no right to be accompanied at an investigation meeting, unless their policy says so, but if it is a disciplinary you have a right to be accompanied, in law, by

- a collegue employed by the same company

- a union rep/official - of any union, employed by any company not just yours, as long as they can show they are a rep/official

Thanks for that. Im still trying to find someone. Is there any timescale for HR to inform me that I am suspended?

Thanks for that. Im still trying to find someone. Is there any timescale for HR to inform me that I am suspended?

HR don't have to inform you you are suspended, since (according to you) your manager has already done so.

Hi all,

On Friday I got pulled into my bosses office who informed me that I was suspended with immediate effect

Are you saying that you don't believe your manager and want HR to confirm it?.

My manager suspended me but it has to be OK'd by our HR and I have not heard anything from them..

My manager suspended me but it has to be OK'd by our HR and I have not heard anything from them..

Surely that's an internal procedure that means your manager needed HR approval before telling you that were suspended? HR don't have to tell you as well do they. is that actually stated in the company disciplinary policy? Presumably you have assumed you are suspended as you haven't been in to work since your manager told you that were suspended?

as llong as they are paying you then it doesnt make any difference.