Trade Union
New rules but same old problem with an unfair disciplinary process.
Last year saw dramatic changes to the way in which we now work and the introduction of strict new workplace rules, which left Sheena fighting to save her job.
Restaurant worker Sheena was suspen...
Correcting a disciplinary process that sends out the wrong message.
Despite the many advances in technology, the text message has not yet become a suitable replacement for a disciplinary hearing.
Maintenance Technician Des was fired by text after an expletive-la...
A disciplinary process that was a crying shame.
Failing to care for a distressed and injured child is one of the most devastating allegations a nursery worker can face.
It was an allegation levelled against Sophie when she faced what she b...
An unusual disciplinary case where there really was smoke without fire.
Surveillance cameras are everywhere, so we know if we do something wrong there is a good chance it may be caught on film.Employees have been fired for wrongdoing captured on video, which means the ...
Fighting back and refusing to accept unfair disciplinary process.
You generally know when you are being treated unfairly, but preventing it can be more difficult than it really should be.You don’t necessarily need to be an employment law expert to recognise when ...
Furlough scheme extended
The timing of the announcement to extend the furlough scheme will have brought some relief too many, but what does it now mean?The scheme was due to end on 31 October and set to be replaced by the ...
Managing concerns about an employee’s performance during a pandemic
A tricky dilemma facing many employers in the current climate is how do you judge and manage an underperforming employee?The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has forced us all to assess and change h...
Adapting a dismissal process during the pandemic
Life goes on as normal as it can do in the current employment climate and it will unfortunately mean that employees will lose their jobs for any number of reasons.Hundreds of thousands of jobs have...
Unfair disciplinary process after an accident waiting to happen
Having been injured in an accident at work, branded a liar and then sacked, things really could not get much worse for Miriam.Food factory worker Miriam slipped on a milk spillage an...
Landmark case highlights need to combat all forms of discrimination.
The huge cost of failing to tackle discrimination in the workplace has once again been highlighted in a landmark tribunal ruling.A gender-fluid worker was awarded £180,000 after being subjected to ...
The injustice of being considered guilty of a disciplinary offence before being cleared
Guilt by association can sometimes be grossly unfair and in Kim’s case it led to her facing the threat of dismissal from her job.The delivery driver/warehouse operative was suspended from work foll...
A helping hand to make a good recovery after the sickly feeling of being unfairly dismissed
An employee can be dismissed for any number of reasons but there are some decisions, such as the one in Dane’s case that can leave you dumbfounded.The medical sales worker was sacked for failing to...
Call for workplace drug testing to help combat the scourge of drug crime
Employers can play a role in the fight against widespread drug use by randomly testing employees for Class A drugs.
London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey, recently said if he is elected...
Understanding the damaging effect of workplace bullying
Bullying in the workplace is abhorrent and should be stopped but how much do we really know about the impact on the victim.It can make working life miserable and unbearable. It can ruin lives.Bully...
A good deed that resulted in bad disciplinary action
Ernie would often help out colleagues in trouble at work and it was a selfless act of goodwill that left him in an unfair battle to save his job.The long-serving maintenance worker, and former trad...
Is there really anything to fear with performance management?
The mere mention of a performance management meeting can fill any employee with dread.Rightly or wrongly it has long been associated with failure, underperformance and a certain pathway to dismissa...
Challenging if a redundancy proposal is being used as an excuse to dismiss
Most of us will have been in a position where financial concerns have caused our employer to review how it operates – and the impact of that can be extremely serious.In Davina’s case she was told s...
Employer at fault for poor performance during a disciplinary process
When you lose trust and confidence in any type of relationship regaining it is usually extremely difficult if not impossible.It is certainly not uncommon for an employer to attempt to use a loss of...
Understanding the role of a Rep at disciplinary and grievance hearings
If you pay for anything designed to help you when you are in desperate need of help, you are justified in questioning what do I get for my money?
And if you need the help of a trade union re...
When a decision to take disciplinary action is the real villain of the piece.
When cleaner Imran confronted a knife-wielding schoolboy and prevented him from attacking another pupil in the office block where he worked near a secondary school, he was righty hailed a hero.He w...
