Hi everyone, hope someone may be able to help. On Thursday 20th July around 11pm we parked in a bay, alongside a few other cars. (We have parked before so were aware of the bay regulations 9-5 Mon-Fri 4 hr no return 4 hr). Part of the bay was cordoned off with red barriers, but no barriers where we parked. On Friday morning at 8.30am returned to car to find a PCN with code 21 (observed 8:06am-8:08am). Looked for a sign only to find one partially obscured by branches from a tree and attached to a lamp post not the existing parking regulation sign, was attached with cable ties and had twisted round slightly and therefore was clearly visible in the dark. On inspection of the sign it states that 'bays o/s 47-49 Addington St' are affected, I'm going to assume that o/s means outside. The erected red barriers are outside of those flat numbers numbers and we were parked further along the bay in front of a wall to a car park. Can anyone help as to whether we have a good case for appeal against this PCN. Can't seem to attach any photos. Many thanks.

Hi I've been suspended from work while they are investigating allegations of gross misconduct. It's follows a grievance I raised against the way I was being treated by another department (there are a number of individuals who use threats to ensure I prioritise their work over other departments). My grievance was ignored and I was told by my line manager that an informal complaint had been raised against me by that department. A week later I'm called into HR and handed a letter stating I've been suspended due to allegations of harassment outside the work place. There are very little details of regarding the harrasment and I honestly can't think of any occasion where I've approached a colleague outside of work with malicious intents. I've spoken to ACAS and CAB, the advice is to take my original grievance higher up, which I plan to do. With regards to the suspension and the eventually these allegations are proven false, I understand there is very little I can do as I have only been in the organisation for a year. Both ACAS and CAB have listen to my full case and have advised that if I had been there for over 2 years I would have a good case for a tribunal hearing or unfair dismissal if I'm to be dismissed. What I do want to know is can I demand full details of these harassment allegations prior to the investigation meeting? Will I be damaging my right to a fair 'trial'? Next week will be the month anniversary of my suspension and it's driving me crazy trying to work out what I could have done or said that could have been deemed harassment. The details I have is allegations of harassing colleagues on social media, traffic lights, a bar, and a station. No dates, what was said, no mention of what social media platform, nor what bar or where the traffic lights are located. My desire to know is also driven by a colleague who contacted me a couple of days ago as they were very concerned about my well-being - my colleagues are starting to question where I am as I've disappeared from the planet and a few have now contacted me - I've told them I'm on long term sick leave. This colleague witnessed the only incident which I would deem harassment on my part, which I have already admitted to HR. Why would they contact me when surely if the harassment claims were being fully investigated they would have been interviewed as part of this process? The one incident which I am very aware of: I was very drunk after a night out with friends and bumped into a colleague who happened to be in the same bar, we get the same train home so we went to the station together. While at the station we randomly bumped into another colleague (who is from the offending department) and they approached me to ask how I was. I ignored them but they persisted so I said something about the informal complaint they raised against me. I can't remember what was said in response but I burst into tears and they tried to comfort me. I apologised the next day because I realised I shouldn't have said what I did but also realised how embarrassing it was for them to have to deal with an emotional drunk. Apology was accepted and no more was mentioned about the incident, until I was suspended. And that is the only incident I can think of. To add to the situation, the colleague who would have been the one to complain about the incident at the station has resigned and knew they were leaving at the time of the complaint. Why complain about an incident which they accepted an apology for (in writing - I put my apology in writing as I was off work the following day and wanted to immediately apologise)? Therefore I don't understand why they felt the need to raise false allegations about the non-existing incidents. They have nothing to gain and if proven false surely they are damaging their own reputation. None of this makes any sense. With regards to the social media allegations, I just wanted to add that the apology was via work e-mail. Also the colleague in question, we were friends on Facebook but I unfriended them when I realised that the work relationship was turning toxic. That is all I have done. The only other social media I use is instagram and all that shows is photos of my holidays. I don't use social media to contact work colleagues and I hate it when colleagues use it to contact me - which they have done when they couldn't get hold of me and I always move the conversation to work e-mail or phone. And I only have one FB friend that is also a work colleague. They, like the one I unfriended, have been friends prior to my joining the organisation.

I went off sick from work mid Feb 2017 following several meetings with my managers regarding increased workload (we had a mass increase in patients - in the hundreds!), not enough manpower or hours to cover the workload etc. I was also prohibited from working overtime and so were my staff (I am a Practice Manager working in a GP Practice for the last ten years with an unblemished record) and eventually I started slipping behind in my work as I was unable to keep up with increase and very little was being put in place to support myself or my staff. Hence I could not cope with the stress and went sick. However, prior to going sick I had taken the petty cash home with me (I often take work home and my managers are aware of this, although they aren't always aware of what exactly I take home but I'm trusted to do so on my own judgement). I still had it with me when I went sick but then returned it to the Practice and advised that I had taken it home. I heard no more about it and as far as I was concerned, that was that. However, I went for my return to work interview almost five weeks after going sick and was given most of my personal belongings by the covering manager prior to the meeting and when I questioned why I was given my belongings in the meeting, I was asked to leave the room. When I returned I was suspended (on full pay) for an allegation of suspicion of theft. By all accounts the petty cash was down. However, during investigation it was all accounted for, and it was found that no money was missing at all. So... they changed the allegation to potential theft as I'd taken the petty cash home without prior authorisation and it was escalated to disciplinary (there is no policy in place to seek authority to take it home; it was, however, common practice for me to take work/work things home frequently and my managers were aware of this). I attended for disciplinary and recorded the meeting with the consent of everyone present. During the meeting, it was clear that my manager hadn't paid a great deal of notice to the investigation as they were questioning me on things that had been addressed at investigation, but weren't aware of the answers I was giving. I practically had a rerun of the investigation, to the point where my union rep had to intervene and stipulate that the investigation meeting had already taken place. My manager also threw lots of irrelevant things at me and tried to make me feel like I'd been emotionally manipulative in the past as I'd become tearful on occasions when I'd felt out of my depth with the increased workload that they were more than aware of. The outcome took two and a half weeks to be reached and I was given a final written warning on the basis that no such work should be taken home in future without explicit authority (by no means will I be taking any work home from now on after what I've been put through!). However, when I questioned when I would be expected to return to work, I was told that it hasn't been decided yet and that they need to discuss my return to work with my union rep, which I thought was rather odd. I assumed that since an outcome had been reached and I was in receipt of this in writing, I was no longer suspended and should return to work at the next available opportunity. My other issue is that I feel this was orchestrated from the start because not only was I pushing for extra wages for the staff (they are on minimum wage and have huge stresses and responsibilities for patients), but also extra staff hours to meet the demands of the increased workload. On top of this, there was conflict between myself and one of the partners (has been for some time now) and her conduct towards me. She often goes over my head, undermines me, speaks rudely to me, speaks down to me, shouts at other staff members which I've had to address, has interfered with recent job interviews that I've had in order to ensure I didn't leave the practice (leave them without a manager; not because they didn't want to lose me particularly). They even offered me more money and a position to manage another practice as well in order for me to stay, although neither came to fruition. This resulted in me trying to address the conflict formally with my other managers and we had to have a mediation meeting just a few weeks prior to me going sick. I'd also formally requested that they review my wage to reflect my role and duties as I've verbally requested this many times in the past and it hasn't been done properly. While being off sick, they managed to find cover for me in the form of a retired practice manager who gave up a full time job elsewhere to cover me initially for four weeks. This has obviously rolled on but has made me think that now they realise they can find someone to replace me and they won't be without a manager in post, they are now keen to get rid as opposed to keeping me (and the likelyhood of the covering manager pushing for extra wages is very slim, not to mention being 'fresh blood' in the practice so no animosity between her and the partner I've been having issues with; therefore being less of a nuisance to the Partners). Prior to the disciplinary meeting, I also requested access to my work emails because I felt that there were things that would be pertinent to the disciplinary meeting, which was granted under supervision (naturally). However, when I got there, I was already logged on (the interim manager had my login details NOT provided by me and without my knowledge) and some of the emails that I was looking for had been deleted, and the deleted folder completely emptied. She had also been using my email account despite having her own NHS email account and instead of my "out of office reply" being amended to contact her email address in my absence, it was taken off completely so there is now nothing to say I am not in work. I work under the NHS but in a private practice and I've attached part of their email misuse policy: I also thought that this may be contravening the Computer Misuse Act 1990, attached info: On top of this, I am also a patient at the same practice and while I do not generally see one of the partners, I am in the process of joining a different practice as this is a huge conflict of interest. However, I have been alerted through an appointment with another clinician there that my records have been accessed many times by the Partners (my managers) after me attending the surgery to see either a locum doctor or a nurse. I don't think this is acceptable as I feel they were checking what I was saying to the clinicians and trying to preempt what, if anything, I was planning to do about the conflict with one of the partners. So my questions are: 1. Am I to assume that I am no longer suspended? 2. Should it just be as simple as returning to work or will there have to be further meetings to move forward? 3. I feel that this has been blatantly blown out of proportion in order to try and get rid of me now that they have someone else in post on a lesser wage than me who will be less of a nuisance to them. Am I in a position to do anything about this? 4. What should I do about the email situation? Do I report it to the NHS or the data commissioner or someone? 5. Should I report the GP's (my managers) for accessing my medical records for employment reasons (or rather, no clinical reason)? They had no reason to look at my consultations and had they not been my employers, they wouldn't have had access to do so. I have been offered a conditional offer of a post elsewhere, pending references,which I have accepted and I am planning on telling my new employers what has gone on (this all happened after I was offered the post so I didn't NOT declare it at the time of interview). However, I cannot hand my notice in until I've received an unconditional offer and I know the new job is safe. Once this is in place, I will be handing in my notice. One thing I've learnt is that loyalty and dedication to the job counts for nothing these days; we are but a number on the payroll, a bum on a seat. HELP!!!!! Save Save

Hello I hope you can help - I have someone who is a decent human being but has been put is a difficult situation. Someone else was helping him before but I’ve been called on-board as the other person hasn't got the time. He has been on ESA for a long time, He suffers from severe social anxiety, depression, body image issues and also post-traumatic stress due to many issues; most of which are childhood-related, whereas the traumatic stress (I believe) was relatively recent (5 years ago) due a severe facial injury that required intense facial- reconstruction; (were talking hours of surgery and many surgeons) He has been on a continual downward spiral since as he has no support network and his heavy drinking with which he has used to cope with his social anxiety! This has now culminated with him having a psychotic episode a few weeks ago that resulted him being imprisoned for 6 weeks on remand. He received a suspended sentence plus counseling for drink. No one was hurt, though I’m assuming the experience hasn’t been pleasant for anyone that was involved. I cannot stress enough that the person Is decent human being that hasn’t had the help he’s needed for years. His ESA was such that even wrote him off (never needed a tribunal etc) but since coming out of prison he has found that his ESA has been stopped. Im assuming it was because he went to prison the last amount paid into his account was june 6th! and nothing after this. He doesn’t have the skills to get it reactivated on his own! I have done some homework, and found that he is classed (still) as a remand prisoner as just being locked up from June 6 to approx 5-6 later! I believe from my own research (limited) that..... 1 There is a 12 week period within which the EAS can be re-activated / or linked) is this correct? 2 and that this means that there is not major/ substantial extra information needed to be sent to the dwp? And that it is merely a case filling in a new form and re-activating the claim? 3 However he hasn’t been in proper contact with a DR due to him slipping off the radar in terms of doctors notes (he hasn’t needed them for over three years, so you can imagine that someone who suffers from such conditions has simply let things continue!) will he need one now? 4 Or is it simply a case of filling in the correct forms etc? He has no money since coming out of prison- his rent was paid by housing benefit but the short-fall which was made up by himself with the ESA which obviously means the current situation is-not sustainable 5 he will not need to see Atos, surely if it is simply the case of linking the claim? In conclusion I’m unsure which type of ESA he was on but I’m sure it falls within the category of not needed to attend any support group. He hasn’t needed to supply an updated Dr’s note to Atos or the dwp. I have not phoned the ESA yet on his behalf as I’m not sure if I’m up to the task. But the idea is I would like to get the ESA up and running the way it was before, but obviously to try and get him some type of support group as well. Can anyone help? As the 12 week cut off period is looming? Thanks

Hi all its been a long time since I've posted. I worked at this agency since 2014 and was suspended without pay over a safeguarding issue. Due to stress and anxiety I went on to statutory sick pay and the employer went quiet. I wrote to them recently and they responded that the case is on hold and I have to come off the sick for the case to proceed. At the moment I'm thinking along the lines of an Employment tribunal as I think that they are behaving very unfairly. I don't really want to stay with them over the way that they have treated me but I just don't know what to do next and am worried sick about having no money at all. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi again, More problems. As stated in a previous thread somewhere on here, I work as a cashier at a local filling station, and have done so since July last year. In mid Feb this year the previous franchisee was replaced, and all staff were TUPE'd over to the new guy. In the (not quite) couple of months that the new franchisee has had the franchise, I've had unlawful deduction problems, holiday pay problems, and weird tax code problems, none of which have yet been sorted out, but that's another matter. The latest problem is this: At the beginning of last week (Monday) I was called into the office as soon as I went in to work whereupon I was advised that I was suspended on full pay while an investigation was carried out into alleged "misappropriation of stock". This was the only explanation I was given, no details, nothing else. I was advised in a letter handed to me that the duration of the suspension was only to be for as long as it took to complete the investigation, and that during this period I should remain available for work during my normal working hours etc, the usual stuff I would imagine. It also advised that I was instructed not to contact or attempt to contact or influence anyone connected with the investigation in any way, or to discuss this matter with any other employee or client of the company. However, should I wish to contact any employee who could assist me in preparing an explanation for the allegations made against me then I should contact the manager who would make arrangements for them to be made available for interview. I have a few issues - (1) I have no idea what the allegation actually pertains to - "stock misappropriation" is the only explanation I have been given, no indication of what stock is involved, when, where or what form the misappropriation takes - nothing, just those two words "stock misappropriation". How, therefore, am I to know who to ask to assist me in this matter. (2) The suspension has so far lasted a week and a half - I was initially employed as full time staff, and since starting my employment have always worked a minimum of five days a week, 8 hours a day - sometimes six days a week - I presume therefore that my suspension period will be paid at the same hours. My rota last week had me working five days - Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri and Sat - Monday was supposed to be at double time for the bank holiday. Are they under any obligation to pay me double time for Monday still, since I was suspended on that day? Since I have not seen a rota for this week as I have not been in, is it possible that they will not pay me for the full five days that I normally work? (3) I have kept by the word of the letter and not contacted anyone or spoken to anyone about this matter, (not that I would be able to say anything in any event, since I have no clue what the matter relates to). However, gossip is apparently rife. I saw a colleague today quite by chance in my local shop. He advised me that at least two members of staff - one who is being trained as a supervisor - is telling people that I have been "sacked for stealing a packet of cigarettes" - the colleague wondered if this was the case. I told him that I was unable to speak about the matter, but that so far as I was concerned, I had not been sacked, merely suspended pending investigation. My question regarding this point is that, considering I have been told not to talk to anyone about the matter, should I not be afforded the courtesy of the same in return. The persons gossiping are not connected with the case, one is not yet a supervisor, and yet appears to know more than I do about what is going on. He is a friend of the manager, and they visit each others houses. The trainee supervisor's wife, who also works at the same filling station, also knows all about this matter - and I have no idea who else these people have told that I have apparently been sacked for stealing. Is it not prejudicing any defence that I may wish to raise - since I now cannot guarantee that someone I may wish to rely on in my defence has not already been prejudiced by his gossip. Why has the manager discussed this matter with this person in the first place, given that he is not connected with the case. How long is a reasonable amount of time to wait on suspension pending result of the investigation? I did write a note on the day I was suspended, asking that full disclosure be given before a further meeting was arranged. I have yet to receive anything. My employment history is exemplary, and since I started working with this firm last June I have in fact been employee of the month on several occasions - the problems have only started since this new guy took over in February. I cant help feel that there's an attempt here to railroad me out so that he can bring in his own employees - several of my colleagues (also already established employees) have also had problems of various kinds since the new guy took over, and at least one of us has left of her own accord.

Hi, my son was suspended from college on 22nd October, a tutor called to say we would receive a letter to explain why, but would not elaborate on the phone. We know he argued with his girlfriend on campus and someone reported it, so guess this is the reason. As of today 4th Nov we still have no letter. Are the college legally obliged to send a letter within a timeframe. I think it is out of order that we still know nothing, I have called the college today and am awaiting a call back. Thanks

I have worked for 30years in the same position. I became sick 10yrs ago for few months and returned back to work. 7years ago my company was bought over by a contracting firm. I still remain in the same site I have been 30yrs ago. Five months ago I was issued a suspension letter due to health reasons for one month. I was recalled back after one month to defend why I should not be terminated and my GP responded with sick note that I am receiving treatment. The threat of suspension and losing my job had followed me through. I have now suffered stroke and may not be able to work again. My employer is now aware of my health problem and on my case to be interviewed.- I need all help----- what my entitlement are and what to do.

Hi guys, Early last week, I was suspended until further notice for an incident involving negligence on my behalf. The HR Manager informed me that I was to be suspended on full salary while an investigation to takes place. All this was confirmed in writing, and they said that they would be in contact at a later stage. It's been nearly a week and there hasn't been any form of communication whatsoever. In 17 years of working this has been a first time being suspended and also facing disciplinary action of some sort too. Is there a rough time period that it takes for something like this to be resolved, or is it more incident specific? Many thanks for your time.

Hey all, two quick questions A restaurant I work in will be closing for a refurbishment, we've been told we may get hours at other stores but it's not a definate. Apparently they are allowed to simply not schedule any hours...since they will do whatever they can to weasel out of it, my question is how much notice do we need to be given? Second question, In the papers recently people are talking about claims for holidaypay earned on overtime, will this only apply to salried employers or 0 hour contracts as well and is it right that if you dont claim before july you can then only go back two years, how do you go about putting in a claim? Thanks in advance guys!! x

I have tried to claim compensation from my local authority for damage to my car caused by badly worn speed cushions but they are saying that they can't consider my claim for general wear over a period of time, they will only consider a claim for a specific date and time of incident. My N/S Track Control Arm had failed after about 10 months of a previous one being fitted and approx 4000 miles causing the tyre to wear on the insde edge, I believe this has been caused by daily commuting along a certain stretch of road which has badly damaged speed cushions along its length, which in turn have caused premature wear of the joint therfore causing adverse wear on my tyre. Is there any way I can make the council pay up or am I fighting a loosing battle? Cheers

We recently had the red route loading/parking bays suspended outside our business,on both sides of the road.After several days,I began to wonder why this was happening.On closer inspection,I found a white notice attached to a post on one side of the road stating that the suspension was to be for 2 days whilst road maintenance was being carried out.As we were now 8 days in,and the signage was still in place,I decided to call TFL to check what was going on.After being given the usual telephone run a round,I was told to email my enquiry and someone would investigate.Now,10 days after the suspension,It seems that the signage should have been taken down and that is going to be done this evening. Of course,this doesn't help us and the fact that we have now had our business trade affected over what will turn out to be 11 days. Does anyone know if it is possible to be compensated for the loss of trade.In theory,had I not chased this up the bays may have remained suspended indefinitely.

Hi I urgently need some advice/help. I have a friend on incapacity benefit which i believe is now esa. She have been NFA - no fixed abode, as far as income support. But she moved into a few months ago but forgot change her NFA status. She has correspondence mail to me (including benefits P.O payment letters to me) as a safe postal address. Her money was stopped recently, she didn't know anything about it until it didn't go in around 22 December I received no letters from anyone, she did not either. After much to-ING and fro-ING it seems it it the compliance department around 10th December, that have tried to contact her (first by standard letter) and then (i think)by telephone and because she always loses her mobile, changes number, could not do so. At present we do not know where letter was sent. The letter stated for her to attend an appointment. no information on what the appointment is has been given by income support, as complience team i different. It should have come here as a c/o address, but didnt. approx 10th december 2013. We were told by income support that they then tried to contact by telephone but to no avail and her money was then suspended. we were tolds this is standard practice. IS THIS TRUE? She suffers from severe social anxiety, BDD and post traumatic stress, She had to have major operations upon her face a few years ago, maxifacial reconstuction, due to a terrible mugging. The |Surgical term a zygomatic osteomony. The BDD was long before the operations. She has been written off to such an extent that even ATOS appointments have rescinded appointments once relevant doctors notes have been sent. I'm assuming that the problem is therfore, because she has not been to an atos apointment (though many have been made and then rescinded) and is on esa long term, and constant moving address, and the NFA, hostel address with housing benefit , and the c/o address all being different, it may be the suspicion of fraud? i.e they want to check this person exists? also before she went NFA no fixed abode she was living in the same areas as the c/o address, now she has moved to a different area so the hostal address is outside her previous income support area, though close by. One final point, she always loses her P/O benefits cards, and constantly has new ones. would this have flagged the system as well? she is scared terribly that its something to do with atos, or something. can someone shed some light on this situation as she does not understand, considering they would have medical info (correct?) on her disabilities, that she should be asked to come in for an interview, when even ATOS have said she does not need to come in. she is fearful. and extremely worried. can any relevant problems be done over the phone? income support could offer no more info, and the compliance team are not around till Thursday, she is not sleeping well can someone full answer these points? thank you

I was suspended from work last Wednesday, but I had given my holiday form in which was accepted to start Monday to Friday, does my suspension over ride the holiday or not, my holiday was accepted before the suspension but HR won't comment on it, my disciplinary is on Wednesday

Hello, I'll keep this as brief as possible... I am currently on 2 weeks suspension from work following an incident that happened on the 19th. I walked out on after a customer was being verbally abusive and falsely accused me of "giving the finger" to her sister. The reason I walked out is that my duty manager seemed to find the incident funny and did not back me up, telling me to grow up. The letter I have received from works says I am suspended for: Allegations of abusive and objectionable behaviour towards customers Leaving the workplace during the duty period without permission I understand I'll receive a second letter telling me when to come in for the actual investigation. TO CUT TO THE CHASE... I wanted to know if I am entitled access to any evidence my duty manager has before the investigation? The reason being that I believe he is manipulating the events to have me unduly disciplined. I know I can appeal any decisions made after the investigation but I want to arm myself as well as possible and nip this in the bud asap. I am also considering writing a letter of events and complaining about my Duty Manager's handling of them to my General Manager or possibly HR but don't know if this is a good idea or if I should wait till after the investigation. Thank you so much for reading this far. I am at times confused and stressed by events and any advice would be very helpful.

I was approached nine days ago by a colleague who had recently completed a supervision session with a staff member,after the supervision was finished the staff member said that she wished to talk at her next supervision about several staff members, one being myself and she hinted she had a problem with me! upon being given this information by my colleague I immediately brought my Manager into the conversation. The next day I informed my Manager that I intended to speak to the staff member in an attempt to find what the problem was and if it could be resolved, at no time did my Manager deter me from doing this - upshot is when I spoke to the staff member she claimed that the details my colleague had passed on to me were part of her supervision and was naturally upset - I refereed her to speak to our Manager from what I understand she has complained about my colleague but not about me - since then I have been suspended pending investigations - I was not aware that her conversation with my colleague had been confidential - Advice please as worried.

Hi All, Really hope i can get some good solid advice here. I work for a Electrical company & redundancy only applies to site operatives. Not Supervisors or office staff. 18 Months ago the company i work for put out a risk of redundancy to staff and cut the hours to the basic (38hr), Thankfully things picked up and everything returned to normal with only 1 lay off. After that scare i thought i try and start my own business while still working, was working nights so it made it possible to do so. Spoke to the MD of the company about my plan and he seemed fine. Requested to be kept on night work and have been on nights ever since which is a year now. Last week redundancy happened again but overtime is still being worked. Is this right? Contracted hours are 38 people are working 43 hours. I was called in the office explained the process again asked if i wanted a rep present etc.. and received a letter in the post confirming you will know by the following week. I had the call so returned to the office but this time no offer for a represntive when i turned up and then heavliy grilled and spoken to quite rudely about having my own company by the Managing directors wife and the consultant (Human Resourse). She asked me to resign or be suspended to further investigation (to see if im trading) due to having a company which now im told is against company policy/rules!! I explained that i had told the MD and not once did it seem a problem so cant see why all of a sudden it is? if it was why would he of kept me on night work for so long? The Company is Registered with J.I.B (Joint industry Board) which aparrently does state you are not allowed to do electrical work other than the company you work for. I never knew this until now but have spent money and a heap of time setting it up with a website paid advertising etc.. so really feel robbed by this. I feel they are doing it so they can fire me without have to pay redundancy. Can they do this to me? How can they prove im trading? nothing tax related has been filed to HMRC Should my suspension be full pay as nothing was said regareding it ? Sorry its long but tried to cover everything. Hope someone can help Thank you. EDIT: JUST TO ADD 6 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MADE REDUNDANT THIS TIME

hi all' new to this site, I am waiting for a letter outlining the full extent of the allegation that has led to my suspension. I believe another manager has been encouraged to make the allegation by the divisional manager who I approached for support in the absence of my manager. I have put up with nearly 5 years of bullying tactics and this is the final insult. I have no union rep and I am not allowed to speak to staff, I have not been given my managers details as a contact but another manager and my divisional manager, I find this odd because she is instrumental in ensuring we carry out the job and i was working to her example, i truly believe i may be scapegoated for this alleged offence. altering information to achieve performance targets. Has anyone been through something similar, maybe have some advice:-x

Hi All A bit of background to start with: My husband was suspended from work 4 weeks ago for an alleged faliure to service a customer (he works in the waste management industry) He was told that this was on full pay. Although the customer was not serviced, this was due to decisions made by the company CEO & outwith my husband's control, so he feels that this suspension is entirely unjustified. He immediately raised a grievance, sent by recorded delivery & it has been signed for. At no point over the last 4 weeks has he received any correspondence from his employer - he hasn't even recieved anything in writing to say that he is suspended & there has been no acknowledgement of the grievance. He is due to be paid on Friday, but I suspect that they will not pay him (the company is in trouble) In the event of his pay not being received, would this count as constructive dismissal? & what should his next steps be? Any advice would be much appreciated

Hello all, Recently i was suspended from work pending an investigation regarding theft. The day i was suspended i was working at the shop i work(ed?) at and was taken away from the shop floor by my store manager and area manager, they both spoke to me regarding issues in the work place saying that another superviser who recently left had resigned after he was accused of theft of company property. In this impromptu meeting my area manager accused me of breaches of procedure (i am guilty of these breaches i admit that much, it amounts to not doing some things by set guidelines) this would normaly carry with it a final written warning, however they then went on to say they have had accusations that i have been stealing money from tills although they have no evidence regarding this. He then offered me the option of resigning on the spot or being investigating for theft telling me that he would proseecute me if anything was found, i told them to investigate me as much as they want as i am categorically not guilty of theft. They then gave me a letter which details that there has been allegations regarding my contact at work (not detailing what the accusations involved) that i would be suspended without pay and that they would contact me for a disciplinary meeting, and not to contact current members of staff regarding the issue. Fast forward to today several weeks down the line, i haven't heard a peep from them regarding this, i have been looking for a new job whilst i have been suspended but so far no luck, i can't afford for this to continue and to be suspended for an extended period without pay. I'm worried that if i contact the head office hr department and ask if there is any update on the situation they might construe this as a breach of the"no contact with current employees clause" What should i do regarding this. Furthermore i feel this has only come to light after my manager was convinced that i submitteed a complaint to head office regarding her conduct, i know whilst i was on holiday she told employees of the store that i submitted this complaint regarding her even though i didnt. A couple of days before i was suspsended i was working on shift and she said something to me about the previous employee resigning, and the fact a couple of other employees had resigned recently, all these people had given evidence again her when she was being investigated regarding this complaint. what she had said to me was "You all tried to s*** on me, this is what you get for trying to play with the big boys" i have no witnesses to this so cannot prove what was said. The complaint was regarding the fact that as a manager she hired her partner, promoted them and treats them preferentially compared to other employees, i and other employeed were interviewed regarding this with the interview being recorded by a hr representative at the meeting. I am wondering if my area manager has let her know the content of said meetings which were supposed to be confidential, also i feel that i am only being investigated because i gave evidence at said interview and that my manager thinks i submitted said complaint. Any advice is appreciated, thanks

I was suspended several months ago for allegedly making discrimination complaint in bad faith. Complaints made to employment tribunal for victimisation. Employer denied knowledge of previous employment tribunal claim .The tribunal however discovered this was not the case on 2nd day of hearing and warned employer of possible perjury and solicitor representing employer required to make a written submission if they had fulfilled their professional conduct. Employer ask for 2weeks adjournement which was honoured.Hearing did not commence on scheduled day and now employer is threatning conduct action for bad faith allegation unless I settle. I have been threated very badly and require the tribunal to conclude . Am I required by law to settle against my wish?I have not made my complaint in bad faith as alleged and still waiting on another date from tribunal to conclude.I have already being cross examined and only the the witness warned of perjury is left to complete witnessing.Please any idea on danger in not settling against my wish?

Just when you're beginning to feel as if you're getting somewhere! Received a letter today from my council advising that my HB/CT Reduction claim has been suspended because my period of JSA (Contribution Based) ended today and JSA (Income Based) kicks in as from tomorrow. I have not yet been given any indication from DWP how much that will be ..... but it will be reduced due to small private pension payment. This means that I will be unable to pay my rent/CT at the end of the month, causing severe financial hardship and even more stress ............. No, I'm not going to tear my hair out or go ballistic ............ but just makes you think if there is any joined up writing going on. JSA (Income Based) will be a lot less than I currently receive, therefore my HB/CT reduction claim will increase NOT decrease and I will need more help until I secure future employment (in whatever form). My initial claim for HB/CT took 3 whole months!!! I wonder how long this new claim will take?? Do we (the unemployed) really need this additional stress on top of everything else? That is rhetorical obviously! So much for peace of mind! Impecunious!

Hello everyone thanks in advance for any advice you can give, I have been suspended from work pending an investigation the reasons behind the suspension was intent to defraud the company. Back story: I have worked for this company for 11 years only had one unrelated issue on my record otherwise it's spotless, it's a large supermarket chain and the situation arose due to me speaking to an off duty colleague while I was working. The colleague in question was at our workplace to solve a wage issue and the HR department were on break so asked me his query, we then spoke about what he purchased from the store (DVDs) the conversation lasted about 50 minutes total. My manager seen us speaking and decided to check the security cameras to determine how long we were speaking for, I was then called into the office for a meeting to discuss this issue. After which I was suspended pending an investigation. The accusation is intention to defraud the company through time theft, I was wondering if anyone has ever been dismissed for an issue such as this because the impression I am getting is their intention is to fire me. I dunno if it's relevant but the manager who watched me was the one who conducted the initial investigation, and also has been openly discussing the situation with colleagues who have no reason to be involved Thanks in advance

Hello all, Need some help for my brother who has found himself in a really strange and quite worrying position at his work. He works for a well known supermarket and was under suspension after being accused of putting lottery transactions through incorrectly. A bit of background, this is the third time he has been suspended and each time previously ( on different accounts ) was dropped immediately due to it being proven it was unfounded. There have also been a great number of staff members suspended in a short period ( 24 months ) and complaints made against the manager at the store As I say this is complex. He was initially asked to come in for a meeting in which they accused him of putting through a scratchcard for more than it is worth and then pocketing the difference. However when he was at the meeting they then said to him that they believe over the last 12 months he has been responsible for over £7000 of lottery payments, they have no CCTV of this and the matter that the figures were not correlating properly was actually raised by my brother At the time he was told to await for a letter with his date of his meeting. The next he knew of it was when the store called my mum and told her that he had not turned up and proceeded to talk to my mum about the investigation – when it has nothing to do with her ( she was emergency contact ) and they said they had hand delivered a letter the night before The meeting was rescheduled. He was told that he could not have a Union Rep present and that he had to attend. Two days before the meeting he received an email from his manager ( on company email ) in which it states he has the option of resigning or being sacked. This is before a meeting has even take place. My brother attended this meeting ( Feb ) and a disciplinary meeting was scheduled for mid March. In this time he was signed off with stress and anxiety for two weeks which meant he could not attend the meeting. He had a doctors note which he passed to the store and informed everyone in writing. He was told the meeting would be held in his absences This is where it gets weirder. He has never had anything in writing following this despite requests and has called up today to be informed that as far as they are concerned he resigned at the prior meeting. There is no record of this in the notes and he is adamant he never did or would have. They are saying that he would have been sacked anyway and that they are now consulting legally to claim the money back off him. To me it sounds like they are putting pressure on him to try and force him to resign. I am wondering whether the manager at the store is trying to cover himself for something. I was just wondering what his next step should be, I am wondering whether he should email the HR person and CC the CEO of the supermarket in as well for impact? He is consulting his union but they have not been great so far. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Hi all Will try to keep this as brief as I can received a phone call from work (nhs staff nurse) last may stating I was suspended for not following a procedure correctly . I had been shown this method of doing things by a senior staff nurse on the ward and all the nurses were doing it in the way I was suspended for. I made the manager aware of this on the phone call and waited and waited... Never received a letter detailing reasons for suspension, month or so later got letter for investigation meeting and went with my union rep. Was told I would find out in the next week if I was going to disciplinary. Waited and waited, called them up and kept getting told we will contact you soon. Letter arrives in AUgust to go to o.h to see if I am fit to go to disciplinary and beg them to move this forward. Still hear nothing from work, go into early labour 5 wks early end september and onto m My six months maternity full pay is ending so I tell h.r I want to return to work and discover they never knew that I was suspended. Send them a strong email detailing how company did not even follow its own basic policies of sending letter to confirm suspension Finally hear back from manager who suspended me to arrange a meeting with her. I asked what it was about and she stated she had been told that I did not receive a letter regarding suspension and she was therefore not in a position to invoke it now! She wanted to meet around my shifts to "close the disciplinary matter". Now I am due back next week and she is now saying she is still in discussion with h.r regarding my return to work and I can use my leave from last year( could not take because of suspension) until it is resolved. Should I have to use my leave in this way and what could these "discussions" be about do you think? Is there a double jeapordy rule or can I be suspended again (lawfully this time)? Any thoughts or advice gratefully received xx