Hi all. I was assaulted at work little over a month ago, this was entirely the fault of my employer as they didn't take the required steps to ensure staff safety. Despite many complaints from the team. I haven't been to work since and have been signed off with work related stress. My employers haven't contacted me at all during this time and the meeting is at my request follow contact that I made with HR. I don't want to return to work. I want them to to pay me off to leave, obviously signing away any rights to a claim for PI or anything else. How likely is this?

I'm writing out of frustration and legitimate concern with the standards and practices within the British Insurance Industry. I have just endured the long drawn out process of 2 car insurance renewals. Run of the mill stuff for any UK motorist. What do most people do? Either take on a non-competitive renewal or seek a more competitive deal from the market. My concern is with the use of comparison sites and the potential for insurance policies to actually be deemed as invalid through no fault of person seeking to be insured. My partner was unfortunate enough to have an accident last October, where she was a named driver on my policy. Now come time to use a comparison site and this opens up a nightmare. Do I declare the claim against my policy? Do we declare the accident my partner suffered? I decided best to declare both and suffer the potential for two incidents to be recorded even though there was actually one. I approached the comparison provider and two new insurers to ask this question only to find that nobody truly agrees. Comparison sites even ask different questions and map the questions differently to insurers. RAC - Only I need to declare as the policy holder Hastings Direct 1) Web advisor - only my partner needs to declare 2) Telephone advisor - both need to declare. I challenged this based on 1. The Tele advisor escalates this and informed me 3 managers debated and 2 came to the conclusion that only my partner needs to declare. Moneysupermarket.com - Only my partner There is clearly an absence of any guidelines in this area with arbitrary decisions being made. Whats more concerning is that a comparison site offers differing advice versus the insurers. Whats even more concerning still is that a consumer may answer incorrectly for a their chosen provider, without even knowing and hence their insurance could be deemed as invalid should they claim against their policy. Neither RAC nor Hastings seemed concerned about this. When I visited the ABI it was clear from their website that they have no interest in such issues.

Hi, i am i am hoping someone can help me. My husband has a full time job, which he absolutely hates...he's been there since june 2014 Without going into why he hates it, i was wondering how long before he should be able to claim benefits? Btw i am not working and i dont claim any benefits...

If so, Why ?

Hello I am new to this forum I really need some advice. I am currently on long term sick leave from my job as a GP's receptionist. There is no likelihood of me being able to return in the near future and my latest certificate from my GP covers my absence until 10th August 2015. My GP is being very supportive and I am on medication and have been referred to specialist services where I have had my initial assessment and I am on a awaiting list for additional treatment. I know that my long term absence has an impact on my employer, I feel guilty about this, but it does not change my ability to work, I have not control over my condition at the moment. I am in receipt of SSP, my employer does not offer any occupational scheme, and I have asked them to provide me with an SSP1 form as my SSP is due to end soon. I have now received a letter informing me that a meeting has been booked for this Thursday 2nd July and that I need to attend to discuss my sickness in detail. The meeting will be with the partners (husband and wife team) and the practice manager, and I can bring a colleague or union representative. The reason for my absence is anxiety and depression and there is no way that I can attend this meeting at my place of employment. It would not be fair to ask one of my colleagues and I am not a member of a union. I am concerned that although the letter I have received states they want to assess my ability to return to work, I think that the senior partner in particular wants to assess my illness. I am very vulnerable at the moment and I am seriously considering resigning as there is no way I am well enough to work in any job let alone the stressful one I have. The senior partner is extremely dismissive of his staff, he is basically a bully and has made things difficult for staff members who have handed in their notice to leave to go to other jobs, and he has made things difficult for other colleagues who have been off ill. I don't know what do. I am going to ask that they given me more time to get advice and I want to try and see if my local mental health team can offer me some support. I cannot attend this meeting alone, my husband has said he will attend with me, but I know my employer will not allow this. The senior partner has made it clear to one of my colleagues & immediate line manager (who is the only person from work who has been in touch with me before this letter), that he doesn't believe my illness is genuine and he has even threatened not to pay my SSP, which he hasn't done. What should I do? I am so stressed which has made my anxiety and depression so much worse over the last few days, I am not due to see my GP for another few weeks, not sure whether I should go to him to discuss my fears. My employer has not asked to see a medical report, although he has on several occasions told my colleague to inform me he will be doing this if I do not return to work. I have no problem with agreeing to access to my medical records as both my GP and the local mental health services information on medical record would back up my version of how I am feeling at the moment. I feel that I am being forced into to making a decision I do not have the mental capacity to do so at the moment, I feel bullied, and paranoid. Any advice or opinions would be appreciated. Sorry if this post is long and rambling, it has taken me ages to write. R

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/driver-hit-with-%C2%A370-fine-after--queueing-for-three-hours--to-leave-car-park-123754192.html#LT9BpaU The comments show that the public are still very much ill informed regarding the private parking industry...

In 2010 I had a hysterectomy due to cancerous cells in my ovaries. Following the operation I was very ill and didn't cope well with the immediate Menopause. It was also discovered at the time that a heart murmur I had, had for years was more serious than I was aware of. So serious I needed to have the Aortic Valve replacing. I was also diagnosed with early stages of COPD in the right lung. I worked full time and had held my position for 6 years. Just before I was diagnosed with Early stages of Ovarian Cancer my employers wife had come back from her maternity leave. On her return she made it very clear she wanted me out of the office. I was demoted but my pay stayed the same. When my boss was around she was the perfect office buddy. When he wasn't she would make back handed comments and accused me of being an emotional wreck. I felt bullied and humiliated at a time when things were just not good for me. I developed complications during 2011-2013 and my heart operation was delayed. Then in January 2013 I had a series of small heart attacks and I was rushed into hospital for heart surgery. My employer was on my back all the time asking me when I was returning. Which I understand as a small employer he needed to know. But I was just to ill for working. I was also a little scared to go back because of the way my bosses wife had treated me. Last week a lady who I used to work with contacted me as she needed to talk to me about how my boss and his wife had treated her. She has breast cancer and has just gone through chemo and breast reconstruction. She told me that they didn't beleive she was so ill she couldn't work. In distress she had sought advice from ACAS. They had informed her that whilst she was of from work that she should have been paid holiday pay as well as her SSP. We wondered if anyone can clarify this for us? We are both still employed by the company despite the time we have been of. They do keep asking me when I shall be returning I was recently told by the consultant I wasn't fir enough medically to return to work. I have been of work since October 2011 and my colleague has been of since October 2013.Have we got a claim ? TIA

hi I have had a lengthy phone call with Occupational Health who said i have high stress and high anxiety levels, at the moment so i have been signed off stress - 'not fit to work' for 2 weeks minimum as the doctor will re-assess me in 2 weeks time. My employer has now asked me to attend a stage 2 absence meeting ( as i have previous absence for stress at work and at home), during this period that i am off on sick leave. So my question is simply.. is this a reasonable request from my employer and do i therefore have to attend the meeting? please help me, your knowledge and experience will be greatly appreciated on this matter. thanks you..

Hi, after some advice please! In July 2014 I returned to work after 9 months maternity leave. Before I left, I trained up another employee to cover my job during maternity leave. I had therefore expected to return to the same role after the 9 months, as the job is still active. However on my return I was shown to a different desk in an adjoining office and told I would learn that role. Nothing at all was mentioned about my previous role. Well 8 months on, still nothing has been mentioned about my return, my previous role, current role etc etc and the other employee is still doing my previous job. Surely this is wrong??? If my job still exists and there is no business reason why I could not have it back, I should be doing that job!!! BTW I have been at the company 15 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi There, I recently accepted a role for a large travel company working abroad (in Turkey). Staff are put on temporary short-term contracts with wages to a UK bank account. My main concern is the contract and the right to annual leave. As far as I am aware, UK employment law still applies as it is a temporary contract based overseas. In the contract, it says employees work 6 days a week and all employees must take half a days annual leave each week. As a result, all employees essentially work 5 and a half days a week. My question was whether or not this was legal, and if so, why don't all companies do this if they don't fancy paying staff annual leave? It all seems a bit underhand and I am wondering if it is worth challenging either before or after I finish work with the company. I am also concerned about the contract including an opt-out for the 48 hour a week, considering the wage is a few hundred short of £1000 a month. However, accommodation is included. With this in mind, I assume minimum wage obligations are being met by the company? I work it out as £3.50 an hour (exc. free accommodation). Here is a selection of text that I am concerned about. Any advice is much appreciated. No Overtime "Your salary will be paid by equal monthly instalments in arrears less any deductions required by law or agreed between you and the Company. No overtime payments will be made for additional hours worked." Training Costs "You are obliged to pay a fixed amount of £300 or consent to allowing the Company to offset this amount against your final salary, as a contribution towards trainings costs incurred if: "The Company dismisses you for poor performance or unacceptable behaviour within your first assignment period. Should your final salary not cover the full amount of the training costs incurred by the Company, the Company will endeavour to recover the outstanding amount from you." Taking Annual Leave You will generally be required to take 1⁄2 day annual leave per week during your period of employment. Prior to booking any additional annual leave, you should discuss and agree the dates with your Manager. If you do not use your holiday entitlement in the relevant holiday year, the entitlement will be forfeited except in exceptional circumstances where the Company agrees in advance to the carrying over of holiday. Payment in lieu of any annual leave will only be made when you leave the Company. (For the avoidance of doubt, you will not be entitled to any payment in lieu of the entitlement in any other circumstances). Any thoughts or legal opinions shall be much appreciated. AnonLurker

New universal credit rules which could leave 200,000 claimants waiting six months for benefit http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/7878/ So much for making work pay, eh.....

Hi there, I'm a company director (no shares), and discovered late last year that the MD and majority shareholder were committing fraud (fraudulent invoices from ghost employees, tax evasion) for financial gain. Over teh Christmas break I grabbed all the books and now have concrete evidence. I have notified the police who advised me to call the HMRC hotline - this was done back on 29/12/14 and I'm still waiting to hear back from them. Returning to work on Jan 5th, I confronted the MD and shareholder, and they put me on garden leave. A letter from their solicitor the following day confirmed this pending an investigation into believed gross misconduct (this is totally fabricated). The company is very small - a total of 4 employees including myself - and I'm still on garden leave, with the last solicitor's letter saying they should be ready for the disciplinary hearing in about 3 weeks. Is this acceptable or should I be getting my solicitor to gee them up a bit, maybe starting an employment tribunal process? This company has been running for 3 years, the previous company (same customers and service) for 20 years - I have been an employee for that long. As I'm now 46, I feel the chances of me getting back into this trade are getting less and less as time goes on. Any advice is appreciated.

issue resolved

I've just received a PCN from Manchester City Council. How long do I have until I need to move the car? I obviously don't want to receive a further ticket, or, far worse, have the car towed. Any advice much appreciated. Thanks

I work for the NHS and on Sunday my 1 year old daughter ended up in hospital after a visit to the out of hours GP. This was 11pm Sunday night and was awake right through the night while they did tests on her as she was admitted with masdotitis which the doctors their told us it was serious that they needed to start her on IV antibiotics right away which could possibly turn into surgery and they warned us that she could lose her hearing in 1 ear maybe both and worst case she could die from it if they can't get onto of the infection. They said she would need to be in at least 48 hours min on IV antibiotics before they can consider anything else a CT was also req as well as bloods taken. We were awake all night 4am they canulated her shortly after the antibiotics given followed by 6am moved to a ward. I called work at 10am as my shift started 11.30am to inform my ward manager of the problem I asked for 2 days care leave and her response was where is your wife. I said she's gone home to get a couple of hours sleep then coming back to let me go home and get some sleep. She moaned at me for a bit then said you can have it today but you'll have to take a paid holiday for Tuesday refusing to honour a 2nd day for care leave. I called my union and they said i am entitled to 1 week over the year care leave subject to management discretion and that it might be that she's thinking of other times you might need care leave later in the year. So it was left at that. I was thinking of taking the matter further and don't want to be barking down the wrong tree before i do. Do i have the right to argue that I should be allowed 2 days care leave and not forced to use holidays? Any advice appreciated thanks

My job is in the public service for nearly 20 Years. The last two years has worsened, cutbacks, blame, toxic atmosphere, confusion. The last Year has been hell, since my new Manager arrived. I see think she is an autocratic perfectionist who focuses on the negative aspects in people performance, including me, who make a few errors under the pressure of our jobs ( though she has her favourite‘pupils’ ), whilst she side lines the positive bigger picture. Praise, when it comes feels shallow / awkward. We are all facing the Performance Improvement Plan if our standards don’t improve. I see this as a threat and not a tool to really improve my performance. I look at some of my feedback / performance and realise that I often perform at 100% accuracy and quality. Occasionally, my performance dips and it is this that she targets as a complete failure and sees it as a personal failing rather than the lack of training and poor procedures in place. Recently, exit packages were announced for June next Year and I have volunteered, awaiting decision soon. I’m 53 Years old. Fortunately I have paid my mortgage. No debts and have saved 5 Years’ worth of salary and no dependants. It’s not enough to retire on because I still hope to have Years ahead of me in some kind of work. I have not had sick leave in 4 years but I’m stressed to the hilt and need to leave and live my life without this mindless blame culture / poison. I want to leave now but obviously there will be no payoff and future employers may be curious. If I endure this for the next 7 Months, I might get the payoff or they could sack me for incapability within three Months which wouldn’t look good. Either way, my health will suffer further. My union wants to fight this but not sure that I want to drag it out. I just wish they would pay be off now to avoid the time wasting and expense of an improvement plan which is flawed. I’m interested to here from anyone with a similar experience or for your thoughts. Many thanks:!:

Dear Consumer Action Group, Last March I cancelled my £47 per month direct debit with LA fitness. I signed up last May (2013), when I recall that I was told I'd have to pay until October 2013. Before I cancelled my direct debit, I called their phone number and the man told me that my contract lasts until October 2014, something I never knowingly agreed to. In 5 days they'll apply the "late repayment charge" of £40, and I assume in 19 days the debt collectors will be engaged. Tomorrow morning I'll go in to the branch to request a copy of the terms and conditions that I signed with them 10 months ago and a guarantee on paper that my contract with them ends in October. However I have read on the internet that LA Fitness does not respect such agreements, and extend contracts without customer permission, something I feel has already happened to me. My father says it's okay for me to keep paying until October when the contract allegedly ends, he'll help me out in paying it, but I don't want to lose £300 or more if I'm not using the gym. What can I do? Is standing my ground an option? Should I let them send in the debt collection agency? Many thanks, Adam

Just to clarify - I'm the tenant here! Here's the situation - we have a fixed term contract with a private landlord and we served a notice to leave, which was accepted by the landlord and their letting agents, who in turn served us with notice 21(1)(b) expiring on 30 December. We are due to move out on 10 November (the expiration date of our own notice) into a new flat . However, we were just told by the new landlord that there's been a leak in the new flat, which might prevent us from moving in on 10 November - he's not sure when we could move in since some of the electrics might have been affected (the leak came from the flat above and the water went into the wall behind the storage heater/electrics cupboard/one of the bedrooms as well as on some of the carpets). As far as I could find out from some online research, we now have a couple of options: 1) Move out on the 10th as agreed and into a hotel/temporary housing while storing most of our belongings - I assume the new landlord's insurance should pay some/all of this extra expense? We then would move into the new flat whenever it's deemed habitable (that is, the electrics have been checked and the walls/carpets dried out). 2) Not move out of the current flat until the new flat is ready. I understand that our own notice has merely terminated the fixed term of the existing contract but then if we don't move out then a statutory tenancy automatically begins, which would terminate on 30 December as per the notice 21(1)(b), which we have already been served. Is that right? If so, then: - do we have to give further notice to move out after 10 November (when the fixed term expires)? This would be difficult since we don't know when the new flat would be ready for us to move into. - would we be liable for rent until 30 December? We would definitely want to avoid this. - is it right that the landlord would not be able to evict us/make us leave until at least 30 December? If the above is not correct, then do we have any statutory rights to remain for any period beyond 10 November? Again, there is the question of who would be liable for the extra expense but at least we wouldn't have to move twice! 3) Not move out of our current flat and try to find a new flat. The new landlord offered us to get out of the contract but we are not keen since it was really difficult to find this one (also see below). A further difficulty is caused by my wife currently being over 8 months pregnant with our second child and our first is only 1.5 years old. We have no help/relatives around, so the original move date itself was already a big compromise (we really needed the extra space and the new flat is great). Therefore options 1 and 3 would be quite difficult and option 2 might also be messy - we really don't want to have to move +/- 2 weeks around the due date. However, option 2 seems to be the only realistic one at this point (assuming we can flex the move in date with the new landlord). We already checked with our current landlord and received an immediate "no" to our request to stay a couple of weeks longer as he has plans to sell the flat, has booked flights to move in the day after we leave (he lives abroad), etc. Although we understand this, I don't see what else we could do?

I am currently 34 weeks pregnant with a surrogate baby. My maternity leave and pay has already started. I am married therefore my husband has to by law go down on the birth certificate with me until the parents of the baby can apply for a parental order which doesn't happen until between 6 weeks and 6 months. I have asked for a c section as I have had spinal surgery previously, this means I have to have the least 12 weeks recovery after the birth before returning to work. My husband has worked as a bus driver for 12 years for the same company. He has asked them for his paternity leave which he is entitled to plus 2 weeks unpaid as he wants to be able to look after after surgery and our son. He has been told that yes he can have 4 weeks off but NONE of it will be paid. Not even the 2 weeks statutory pay he is entitled to as it is not his baby. Is this legal?? He is the legal father until the parents have the parental order even though the child will not live with us.

Waterman stars in the current series alongside Tamzin Outhwaite, Denis Lawson and Nicholas Lyndhurst Dennis Waterman is leaving BBC One crime series New Tricks. Waterman is the last remaining original cast member, having joined the series at its inception in 2003. "Dennis will be filming until the new year, but that will be it," his agent, Derek Webster, told the Mirror, adding that "he misses the old crew". Wall to Wall, producers of the series, thanked Waterman "for all his years of loyal service", adding that he would remain on screen until Autumn 2015. "Viewers won't be saying goodbye to Dennis until Autumn 2015, so there will be plenty of time to enjoy the slightly unorthodox antics of his character Gerry Standing," said a statement from Wall to Wall's Leanne Klein. BBC That's a shame, he is the best one in the show, and it isn't so good as when the original cast were in it.

My son has been dianosed with Autism and gets DLA. My husband gets carers allowance and stays at home. I work full time, but I hate it. I get stressed about the thought of going to work and get anxious and panic when Im travelling to work and it gets worse as I arrive. Im looking for something else, but its hard to look while working as I need time off for interviews. There's only so many doctors appointments and sick days I can fake. I have been reduced to tears just with the thought of work. Anyway when I was off work before my husband claimed Income support with no problem at all, but now Im not sure if its still the same with benefits being changed by the government. If I was to hand my notice in voluntarily will we be able to claim Income support again? I realise that I wouldn't if I was trying to claim JSA, but Im not. I cant find anything on the government website saying we would apart from saying that we are entitled to IS due to my husband being a carer to our son. I do want to work and will be hoping to be back in work ASAP (who knows we may not even need IS) I just dont know how much longer I can cope with the job I am in.

Hi all just want a bit of advice for the minute ok i started working for an agency last may sub contracted to tesco i told them my wife was pregnant from day 1 after 6 months working with agency tesco took me on on the /02/12/13 so i work direct to them now i told them my wife was pregnant and was due to give birth in june and arranged Paternity leave it was all booked up when the time come i was then told i do not qualify as ive not worked there long enough even though ive worked in the same place for 12months + . anyways i took 14 days off unpaid leave not Paternity leave. so i lost 2 weeks wages. the question is now u can take normaly Paternity leave up to 1 year after the baby is born .so once i have worked there for the allicated time can i then say i want to take my paid Paternity leave now think ive now been employed directly for 34 weeks any one know where i stand ? many thanks

Hi A friend of mine (tenant) received an email today from their Letting Agent which was meant for the Landlord. In the email it stated: I think she is looking to buy your house for buttons!!! With his winnings from Cage Fighting no doubt!!! Lol... There is no lease so we can give her a months notice, but i'll double check this info Think they brought slugs back from their seaside trip!!! Did I mention, my opinion is they are from travelling stock! They have 2 small children and have been asking the agent to fix issues they have been having with slugs for 3 weeks now and were blatantly mocked and slandered for no reason as she was caught out with the email going to the wrong person! They are on a rolling contract atm What rights do they have in light of these comments? Any help appreciated. Thanks

Hi guys, im currently on probation at work, ive been off sick (stress)from work about 4-5 months, theirs going to be a review held sometime next week and my manager has advised the outcome could be end of contract(its a fixed term contract til end of next year) my query is i understand ive been off 4 months out of a 6 month probation, so it doesnt look good. i want some advice has anyone been through something similar because i was thinking of resigning i dont really want to be sacked. thanks

I am currently on Maternity leave, my twin boys were born on 8th May and I'm in the middle of a very complex Discrimination case! Acas concilliation is involved and has just authorised a 14 day extention for both parties to negotiate a settlement agreement. I'm in the middle of doing a schedule of loss and I have most of it sorted. My problem is knowing when I should resign. I have been on Maternity leave for 13 weeks to date. I don't want to loose out on any holiday entitlement. Is there anyone who can advise please. I have seen a solicitor and I do have grounds for several claims but I am doing this myself as I cannot afford to pay a professional. Many thanks H xx