OK, I get what you're saying.

So you're saying he should refuse to do the warning, then possibly end up with a warning (or worse) himself?

That said, for both parties, there will be a right to appeal, which is all well and good, if not a pain in the arsse to go through.

What none of us know, is the boss's attitude to it all. Did he ring and say "look, I'm sorry, but I HAVE to give you a warning as it's policy, but you can appeal, I'll back you up, you should be ok and I believe the policy is rubbish" or did he say "you're off sick, I'm warning you, tough titty"

There's a world of difference between those two attitudes - the former is not that of an imbecile, but the latter certainly would be.

I think we could deduce that her boss was a clown by the fact the words works for local authority were used

Just looked up my companys for an example



The RRTWI is fairly common these days and a good way to cover both parties in a semi-informal way, a good chance to discuss any problmes, but is not disciplinary.

The File Note is similar, but more formal, but still not disciplinary.

Trigger point 3 is and thats for 4 absences, but thats only if theres no great reason. If there is good reason then its referred to our Occ Health advisors etc

As opposed to, say, the bloke who runs Iceland?

... is very much. You're assuming, for instance, that the boss did not decide to make the call off his own bat.

You don't know that. Neither do I. He might have been told to do it. He might not have. But you're making an assumption.

Any of that SHOULD be done when someone returns to work or be dealt with by HR, the manager here has over stepped his authority.

Lets have a think about this

I know where you work, you know what I do, we both know what ROBINSON does.......

waste of time anyone?

I'd say lettings are a bit quiet and the girls in the office are having none of his "shenanigans" after the whole Rennard thing...

Hope you get things sorted.

Whats Malcolm Walker go to do with this ?

I've done more than my fair share of disciplinaries over the years and effectively handed out a few P45s as well within private industry (they all deserved it btw...).
However I'm struggling to think of how the proceeding events ended up with the line manager of an employee (who has a broken leg from a work place incident that also might well be her employer's fault) rings up to tell said employee that she is getting a formal warning for what is clearly an unreturnable injury.

Even with the flag for number of days absent there is no plausible scenario (that I can think of) that would even remotely allow this to happen given the facts (on the face of what Rover49 has stated)
Firstly don't worry, she has done nothing wrong and is not in any trouble whatsoever, it clearly looks like mismangement and the line manager is a plank for not questioning such if he has had an instruction to ring with a formal warning.
If you can remember take a note of the time of the call and write down who said what to the recipient at your end.
Wait to see what if anything comes through the post, in the meantime contact your union representive and have an informal chat about the events as they happened and let them do the work to find out why someone is ringing you up threatening your wife with a formal written warning.
Hopefully will hit the fan and profuse apologies to follow (choccies and flowers wouldn't go amiss)
If you get no joy from the union (unlikely) contact ACAS and/or Unison direct at head office, I think that is the union involved for the local authorities..
good luck and get well for t'other half..

any news rover49?

Union now taking it up, the local full time official was astounded at the call and is to investigate. Apparently, they can give formal warnings after 35 days (even if its an accident at work), but he said procedures have not been followed and the call, initially about her wellbeing should not have introduced any hint of disciplinary measures.

He also said that even though they can formally warn, in the case of an accident at work it is highly unlikely to end in losing her job and is a formality they have to follow, which he didn't explain, leaving my beloved in a state of worry.

I concur with your description.

Good stuff.

I don't understand how a union rep can say that at all, what exactly has your wife done aside from have the misfortune to have an accident at work? There is no way on this planet that I can see how she could lose her job, what a bell end

I know he's the rep but that is as unforgiveable as the manager telling her over the phone she's getting a written warnijng, what's the matter with people FFS don't they have the brains they were born with..grrrrrr!
Whilst I know people want to cover their s and union reps are well known for this but why say something like that when they should know full well how she would be feeling given the circumstances.
Tell her not to worry it's complete and utter b@ll@cks, I feel disgusted on your behalf.

it's just the tip of the iceberg I expect and there's little wonder local government all over the country is in the hole it is and staff so undermined and de-motivated..

Her union rep's comment may have more to do with the announcement of 600 job losses than her personal case

Nothing to do with cuts to pay and conditions; cuts to services and jobs; outsourcing to profiteering companies; a media that, by and large, demonises the public services as a whole.

Oh, no – nothing whatsoever to do with such unimportant little matters.

A precis of the situation in local government:

Pay has declined by 15% since 2010 and many councils have cut unsocial hours and overtime payments, hours of work, car allowances and redundancy pay.

Others have introduced unpaid annual leave, term-time only working, car parking charges for staff, and have cut pay and frozen annual increments.

At the same time, 260,000 posts have been deleted through redundancies and scrapping of vacant posts since the coalition took office, leaving existing staff to cover the extra work as they battle to keep essential services running.

I don't get your point directed at me? You think I am having a pop at LGO's and their treatment, then you are poles apart to what I think. I understand how big organisations work from top to bottom, there's so much shat it's unbelieveable and the ones to pay the price are usually those at the coal face. I can see the effect people's working environment and pay/holidays affects them directly not just at work but at home too.
So please direct your point to those who are lambasting the public sector worker..

You stated that what you had interpreted of her union rep's comments was an illustration of why "local government all over the country is in a hole".

I think you're "having a pop" at trade unions and blaming them (in part) for what is going on in local government – and I think this because that is exactly what you posted.

And thus I responded by posting some things that might actually be behind the problems in local government.

Yes I pointed out that the rep was rubbish and unprofessional, that doesn't go hand in hand with how I described public Sector hierachy effecting those at the coal face does it?
I've seen many reps who clearly didn't understand their jobs, nor how to deal with people properly, no better than the middle and senior management I was more directly having a poke at.
However if you have an agenda spit it out, I was clearly pointing out how poor management in PS is through the manager phoning her at work which was the main issue but crack on with your rant regarding how pee poor it is for the workforce because I already know. I've seen/heard and employed people who used to work for PS and they hated it because of the working conditions/environment.
If you think me pointing out that the rep here is part of the problem (which is clearly a hugely less effect than the hierachy as I explained originally) is a problem, tell me how it isn't?
Or do you agree with a union rep telling the person off sick due to an injury at work they [imight[/i not lose their job because of it but they don't know and can't explain why??? Do you not think that because that is a small thing it is a tip of an ceberg in relation to the management senir staff problems that feed down to the workforce?

Actually, don't bother, you clearly can't, or don't want to grasp what I'm saying....
Good luck to the OP and t'other half, I hope it works out ok for you..

depends how you want to play it once you have received the formal warning in writing.

a ) Ask your manager to come round for a meeting, also get a union rep there too and sort it out straight away, citing employment laws etc.

b ) Put a counter claim in for the accident hoping 1 ) they drop the warnings 2 ) you at least get a pay out and they have to also drop the warnings.

c ) Don't do anything until they sack her and then put in a claim for unfair dismissal, sounds like an easy win for a payout but no job at the end of it.

I don't have an "agenda" on this, although as a trade unionist (a strike-winning MoC, for the record) and someone who supports the public sector, there are plenty here who would say that I have a very left-wing "agenda".



Let's examine what you actually posted and that I responded to, shall we?



So a massive rant about the rep; just about a mention of the rep being as bad as the manager – but all the ranting language is reserved for the rep and you being disgusted etc – and then: "there's little wonder local government all over the country is in the hole it is and staff so undermined and de-motivated".

The bulk of your rant is about the rep – and your conclusion is then read in that light.

In other words, you did not post, 'clearly' what you're now claiming you did.



Your suggestion that cock-ups = local authorities. It is an illustration of someone in the private sector having 'a Ratner moment' (cocking up), although his attempt to blame local authorities and the NHS for the will probably be lapped up by some.

In such a litigious society any employer worth it's salt would be enquiring about her health and asking is there anything they could do for her to avoid an accident chasing lawyer being on their back due to her injury occurring during work time. Not allowing her back to work on light duties may have something to do with insurance e.g. if she has a further accident due to her current temporary medical condition.

Wonder who'll be doing Lizzies back to work interview and if she'll need a rep present.