Dear all,
My line manager is sending me to a Capability sickness hearing, due to a long period of sickness absence I had four months ago. I am in deep trouble. My Union is not taken me seriously and, I feel I need a lawyer and legal advice. Could you recommende me any law firm that deals with similar issues.
Thanks
good luck xxx (bump)
ACAS should be able to advise you - good luck
Dear Happynipple,
Your union should be able to provide legal advice. If you have a union diary the details will be in there or you could phone their Head Office. It is also likely someone on the forums is a lawyer and will come along to offer advice.
My son is a lawyer but he is in Edinburgh and could only offer advice in Scots law.
Hope it works out well for you and let us know how you get on.
Take care. Liz.
PS If you are in Scotland, please PM me
Hiya, there are a few things you can do. If it’s your union rep at work who isn’t taking you seriously, go past them and straight to union HQ. Also many law firms which act for unions provide a free phone service to their unions members, and your union might have one of these. That would be really helpful for you as you could speak direct to the lawyers whoare the best people to judge if you have a case they could assist you with.
In any event, I would recommend going to your union’s nominated lawyers in the first instance anyway,rather than a co pletely different firm, as union solicitors tend to be really good firms, they will already know all there is to know about your employer and their employment practices (which helps them deal with your claim quickly and effectively) and also if they think you have a claim then you will get it funded through your union and not have to start changing solicitors etc.
Good luck
You should have some protection under the Disability Discrimination Act. Try the Commission of Equality and Human Rights website
cehr.org.uk/ . Their helpline number is 08457 622633.
I sympathise Happynipple - my employer wanted rid of me and made life really awkward fro me - refusing to allow me to work at home as I had done before DX due to severe clinical depression - they can have people doing my job in India but not Aberdeen …
Without the union I’d have got nowhere. With the union - and it took eth general secretary dealing with finance and Lloyds Banking group specifically to get involved at high levels and quite aggressively for me to get anywhere. I finally got redundnacy - I decided my life there was never going to be as it was previously and they’d always be watching me for a slip and I couldn’t work like that. My local rep was very supportive - helped by fact he was a friend, as is his wife, so he knew me and what it was doing to me, which was a huge advantage, but he couldn’t deal with it on his own - it needed the national support.
You’ve paid subs over the years and teh union count you among their numbers, your legal advice will be expert and free, so definitely pursue this route and good luck - don’t let the buggars drive you down!!
Nina
Dear all,
First of all, I wanted to thank you all for your support. Since I was dx, I have been using these forums regularly, and the support and advice I have found in here has been always really important for me.
I had a meeting with my Union rep and the regional rep. It was a mess. I believe that they don’t have a real grasp of disability discrimination and, they seem too busy to give to my case the attention that needs. I also think that they have a hidden agenda, I work for the public sector, it is not a secret that the restructuration faced by most of this sector means that a high percentage of people is going to be made redundant, so, I believe that, by not taking my case seriously, even when there are grounds for it, they are collaborating with my employer to help to reduce the number of employees.
Some of you have advised me on this forum to go to the HD How I can do that? When I called Unison, that is my union, they always said I have to go to my union rep, I don’t believe my union rep can represent me because of her lack of experience, also I don’t believe the regional or area representative I had a meeting with can represent me, because she overlooked my case, she was unprofessional by swearing at me and undermined my opinions and feelings.
I have a case of indirect discrimination at work place, as well as failure to comply with the duty of care and made reasonable adjustments, plus harassment of the bases of disability, plus failure by their part to raise to me their concerns following the company procedures and so on. All of these is difficult to prove, and all want I need is help from the Union or a lawyer to help me to prepare the case with relevant information that can sustain my claims.
I think that breast cancer and work place is a serious issue. I think there should be a specific trade union for this sector of population.
Dear all,
First of all, I wanted to thank you all for your support. Since I was dx, I have been using these forums regularly, and the support and advice I have found in here has been always really important for me.
I had a meeting with my Union rep and the regional rep. It was a mess. I believe that they don’t have a real grasp of disability discrimination and, they seem too busy to give to my case the attention that needs. I also think that they have a hidden agenda, I work for the public sector, it is not a secret that the restructuration faced by most of this sector means that a high percentage of people is going to be made redundant, so, I believe that, by not taking my case seriously, even when there are grounds for it, they are collaborating with my employer to help to reduce the number of employees.
Some of you have advised me on this forum to go to the HD How I can do that? When I called Unison, that is my union, they always said I have to go to my union rep, I don’t believe my union rep can represent me because of her lack of experience, also I don’t believe the regional or area representative I had a meeting with can represent me, because she overlooked my case, she was unprofessional by swearing at me and undermined my opinions and feelings.
I have a case of indirect discrimination at work place, as well as failure to comply with the duty of care and made reasonable adjustments, plus harassment of the bases of disability, plus failure by their part to raise to me their concerns following the company procedures and so on. All of these is difficult to prove, and all want I need is help from the Union or a lawyer to help me to prepare the case with relevant information that can sustain my claims.
I think that breast cancer and work place is a serious issue. I think there should be a specific trade union for this sector of population.
Hiya…don’t know anything about any of this but have you tried the Citizen Advice Beaureau…they might be able to point you in the right direction for someone to help you…
My union was Unite, so a similiar ‘high profile’ to Unison, but having seen how my sister in law was treated by her union - another finance one but a bank branch rather than head office type function, I sympathise with your plight and understand where you’re coming from re the ‘collaboration’. My advice would be carry on going up the line - explain you’re not getting the support you need from your local /regional reps and just go up and up. Preferably in writing with follow up phone calls - phone calls alone can be ignored overlooked - letters can’t. Mention in passing you’re thinking about ‘going public’ with th epapers or whatever - may attract their attention.
Nina
Hi Broomstickladay,
I was thinking on doing something of that sort, but I am absolutely paralyzed with fear. The regional representative told me in the meeting that, if I refused to follow her advice she could refuse to represent me. Also, when I signed the form for the grievance, (which they decided I did not have enough grounds), there is a box where you compromise not to take legal advice from anywhere else. What worries me is that if I go higher up now, and they don’t take me seriously either, she probably will be informed about my complain and won’t represent me. I was thinking about writing to the MP.
Happynipple, I think if your union rep is colluding with your employers and blocking contact higher up, you need some legal advice about what to do about this. If you go to the Law Society website, there is a facility to search for lawyers by speciality and postcode
lawsociety.org.uk/find-a-solicitor/
Word of warning, please don’t tell them what the grounds for your complaint are - it’s their job to look at your case and decide if there are grounds for legal action. Just stick to telling them what has happened, how this has effected you, and what your fears are.
Hi Happynipple,
Sorry to hear your having problems with your manager. I work for Perth and Kinross local authorite.
I’ve been to two meetings with occupational health .
I have also had two formal meetings - third one coming up, with my manager.
My union rep comes with me for support. I’m in the GMB and they have been very good.
Talk about the devil- manager has been on the phone. another meeting next week.
To discuss my return to work- if I’m well enough , her big problem is my day to day health - and how the service can manage if i wake up ill.
Guess I’m on the way out - and getting retired on ill health grounds. however procedures will have been followed.
With local authorites - procedures come first. I had a manager who told us - you wont get fire for killing some one as long as you have followed procedures.
Hi all,
I am becoming more stressed about the whole situation by the moment. I have made a complaint to my Union HQ today in written. Now I don’t have an union rep. I have tried to get hold of mine during the hold week and, she is sick with a minor surgery, we had a exchange of sms and basically, I don’t have anyone to represente me. I hope that the complaint takes me somewhere but, I don’t really know what to think.
If your uniion rep is sick then the union should be able to put you in conatct with someone else in the union who can help you. As for your regional rep saying she is not willing to represent you unless you take her advice that is wrong as it is your decision what you do they are there to help support and advise. If she willl not repesent you then you are entitled to ask for someone else this is what you pay union dues for. My union refused to represent me at a haaring in work and I spoke to a colleague who was a rep in another union and he said he would come with me and represent me as a colleague this may be something you can do. I was a union rep for the union I was in but only have a limited knowledge.
Hi people,
Thaks for the advice. The problem is, that I believe that my Union maybe colluding with my manager. She also has refused to represent me because I made a complaint about her to Union Central. I don’t think that to swear at me and giving me the wrong information is acceptable. To make thinks worst, she is the only Union rep for the whole department. I am quite concerned that Unison is not going to help me at all. The time is running out and this whole situation is just a big piece of c***