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[bertiecbx550]

I got my appeal letter through from work yesterday for the incident on that road in staffs..it will be heard by the general manager at the depot... i also got a verbal warning this week for my attendace during the last 26 weeks i have gone over the allowed 4% an gone to 7% for 2 days off with food poisoning(i know now i dont like proper cantonese food) 6 days off for injuring my left hand at work when i tried to stop a u/s style f/f from hitting a customers brand new door frame and denting the f/f or scratching the door frame the doc said i had got a dead hand at the time cause i had damaged the nerve or sumat(this was logged in the accident book and a statement taken from me and the d/mate i was with at the time) and  1 day off for picking my brother and his wife an youngest son up after his car was in accident with a drunk driver an wrote off(he was actually knocked out an told not to attempt driving home) and now to top it all i got suspeneded last night by the hdp manager because an alegation was made that i drove the wrong way down a 1 way street yesterday in stafford!! so to cover comets arse they suspend me whilst they do an investigation into it now i would have noticed if i had driven the wrong way down a 1 way street...have i become the most unluckiest person in the country?? or am i frank spencer in disguise???

[Golfbuddy]

Use the time on suspension to look for a new job. Sounds like they are trying to tell you something.   It's always easier to find something new when you are still employed and it would be lovely to tell Comet where they can insert their job.  

[hotel21]

I agree with the above.  Look around for something new and get a fresh start.  Seems like you are in someones firing line at the moment.....

[sir moanalot]

enough to make you blow up eh! i have my fair share of sods law stuff go wrong but you are out there!
i hope you get it all sorted out and blow comet out of your harris and go elsewhere.
best wishes tone.

[CaptainZok]

2 days food poisoning, everyone is ill sometimes.
6 days with an industrial injury I would argue that this shouldn't be taken into account.
1 day collecting your brother. Did you ring and tell them what you were doing or just phone in sick?
If they knew you were on a mission of mercy as there was no other way of collecting your brother and his family you could argue it was emergency family leave and therefore irrelevant to the issue.

Who made this allegation, and what proof do the company have? What proof do you have that you didn't do it? Were you in the area yesterday, were you with a d/mate who will say that you didn't drive down the one way street?

I'd be speaking to your union office again asap, it sounds to me like theyre trying to dismiss you.
I seem to remember you having issues with being told to stay out contrary to the company's insurance terms, make sure you mention this when speaking to your FTO, if push comes to shove maybe it would give an opening to a tribunal under the whistleblowers regulations.

On another angle are all employees treated in the same manner, or is it just you? I'm thinking detriment for trade union activity if that is the case, but as I'm not an expert I would discuss the case with your FTO, get him in at any hearing. DO NOT GO IN ALONE.

[bertiecbx550]

we argued that the injury should not be taken into account but they did not want to any way.. on the day of the accident i rang in at 6am 1 hr before shift starts as stated in the life at comet handbook and explained the problem to my supervisor who said family comes first.. on return back to work i had my back to work interview and was told by my otm (offic transport manager) that it would be put down as emergency leave this was overuled at the disciplinary by my hdp manager an told that it was not an emergency as he could of got a taxi or caught the train.... as for yesterday it was a phone call made by a member of the public i have no evidence of not  doing it i mean i had 25 drops yesterday an i dont remember all the routes i took yesterday..as for this person they will have to back up there story cause i aint letting it lie as for my d/mate he would not of let me do anything like that an has made a statement saying we did not go down a 1 way street the wrong way...as for anyone else being treated like this the answer is no i`m the only person who has been up before the hdp manager this week ... i aint spoke to the union yet as they aint working in the wolvo office today i`ll speeak to em on monday when i`ve calmed down an got my head together...

[Dazzler]

Good luck and stay cool in the interviews and just fire the facts and figures at them........

[Crazydad]

Chin up mate dont let them crap on you as already said dont go in  on your own sort them

[Martin_1962]

Good luck Bertie and good advice Captain

[Danny]

as far as the one way allegation goes, tell them you did only go one way!!

but seriously you need to build up a case file because you could have a case of constructive dismissal if you can prove they're bullying you out!

[Martin_1962]

as far as the one way allegation goes, tell them you did only go one way!!

but seriously you need to build up a case file because you could have a case of constructive dismissal if you can prove they're bullying you out!

Constructive Dismissal been there done that!

Couldn't get dole until this was sorted

Anyway I hope the Captain can help sort these middle management tossers out

[CaptainZok]

as far as the one way allegation goes, tell them you did only go one way!!

but seriously you need to build up a case file because you could have a case of constructive dismissal if you can prove they're bullying you out!

Constructive Dismissal been there done that!

Couldn't get dole until this was sorted

Anyway I hope the Captain can help sort these middle management tossers out

As if I don't have enough middle managers of my own to play with.  

[Martin_1962]

as far as the one way allegation goes, tell them you did only go one way!!

but seriously you need to build up a case file because you could have a case of constructive dismissal if you can prove they're bullying you out!

Constructive Dismissal been there done that!

Couldn't get dole until this was sorted

Anyway I hope the Captain can help sort these middle management tossers out

As if I don't have enough middle managers of my own to play with.  

Hmm Unions - one of those things I thought the need for should have passed - but if you have total tosspots in charge the staff need the help and support, I suppose working in a small company a Union would be no use at all.

I suppose they way I think is not shared by most companies or staff.

The rules are

1) The primary aim is to return investment
2) Income to company = pay to staff, no income no pay
3) Companies owe no one a living. If you don't work why should you be paid?
4) Staff must remember they are in it with the owners, not against and vise versa
5) Employers must remember staff are an important asset and perform better if they feel important.
6) End results for shareholders, employers and employees are the same - make money.
7) Abusing staff creates bad feelings, lowers productivity and in the long run less success.

I suppose the nearest you get now are companies ran by entrepreneurs, where the owners are well known for caring for their staff. But I read about the basics a few years ago and realised they apply to very few large companies but a lot of small ones.

Now if Bertie is correct (I don't doubt him) some of the middle management should be warned not him - he is being used as a scapegoat for poor management.

Anyway CZ, what does happen in large companies now which creates the need for union intervention, I am genuinely interested, as it seems silly that there is still a need (I know there is a need but there should not be). OK I will admit I am not a fan of closed shops, militant unions, nor the donations to political parties. But then I dislike crap managers and rubbish bosses, and any companies who forget my rules as well.

You can tell from this - never involved in local government but from what I can gather they are ran terribly.

[Dave-C]

My feelings go out to you on this one.... Golfbuddy's right... look elsewhere and tell 'em ballcocks.....
Just over 8 years ago, I worked as an Alarm Engineer/ key player for training new engineers for a local largish company... conditions were sh1te.. money was fantasic... got pi55ed off with being called out in the middle of the night, then lost money the next day to have a lie in after being out all night... anyway, Mrs Dave C, looked me straight in the eyes and said that, whilst on holiday for 2 weeks, I spent the first week moaning about what had happened, the second week stressing about what to go back to, she said that there was considerable strain on our relationship because of this job..  Now, I love my family more than life, so, with notice written out I gave the company an ultimatum, which, they declined.. What a great feeling it is to tell 'em ballcocks  They didn't think that I had quite the amount of backbone, to throw it all in with 3 young kiddies and a mortgage..  But I did!!

Sorry to bore you with this, BUT, the moral is...

GO FOR IT, get another job, however menial... That puts you in a VERY STRONG position..  and, they don't get to tar your CV....

"You know where to come!"
D "Ballcocks" C

[CaptainZok]

I think some of the issues highlighted in this case answer the question for you Martin.
Poorly managed demoralised staff, the feeling that if you breath in the wrong place you will incur disciplinary sanction. Managers ignoring the law. All symptoms of an organisation struggling against unachievable targets with inadequate resources.
Nowadays business is run by KPI (key performance indicator) if the manager gets all their kpis in a month they have succeeded. Customer satisfaction rarely being one of them, employee morale never.
This has the effect of focussing management on achieving those targets not actually getting the job done to the best of everyones ability.
As low absence is usually a target employees are often disciplined for being ill, doesn't matter on the circumstances the computer says you've been off above a certain percentage and that is it.
It takes the common sense out of management and turns many managers into automatons with little or no free thought or the ability to act in the best interests of the company.

You will always get the individual who can't act in their own best interest and no matter how often they are disciplined still make the same stupid errors (I can think of a couple on my own site) and I regularly find myself representing them in a damage limitation exercise.
You also get the good solid worker who makes a mistake which can lead to discipline, these are usually of a more serious nature and then keeping their job becomes the top priority.

The one that I won't represent is the thief, it could have been my stuff they decided to steal and stealing from the company, in my eyes it is my pay rise they are helping themselves to.

We also are heavily involved in site health and safety we are the ones who carry out the monthly site inspections and report our findings in the safety meetings that follow the inspections.

General terms and conditions and pay awards are dealt with nationally but at a local level we need to ensure depot managers stick to what has been agreed and not deviate to improve their results at the detriment of their staff.
So overall its a case of ensuring management do their job properly and kicking up a fuss if they don't rather than the old blow the whistle and cry everybody out of the 1970s. Not that you can do that nowadays even if you wanted to.