Kemps. Take care here mate. Having an empty bottle in your pocket is not a sackable offence. It doesn’t constitute dismissal as a punishment. Drinking at work, failing an alcohol or drug test could well be. If you haven’t received any written warnings, final warnings etc., then go straight to a solicitor preferably a union one. This sounds all wrong mate.
There should be a full investigation and appeal process , and this during suspension . Hope that long term all is okay for you and your family
You’ve paid Union dues, now it’s time to get your money’s worth. Don’t rely on them, do your own work to see what they have done wrong (assuming they have) but do demand they give you the support you need A good union rep should be all over this
Definitely do your own work, firms very rarely follow their own policies. Know them better than they know them Highlight everything you can think of in your meeting A manager having a beer at a Xmas do,doesn’t matter if it was years ago Drag up every bit of **** you can think of mate about anyone you’re fighting for your job. I went through something similar a few years ago, someone on here was brilliant and gave me loads of support that I needed and I’ll always be in his debt. I fought like fuxk to keep my job and highlighted loads of stuff they had done wrong and kept my job after they’d deffo wrote me off. **** em never give in.
For them to dismiss you any meeting you had would have to be part of an official disciplinary procedure (which must be a written procedure and must be fairly administered), under the ACAS code there is a statutory right to be accompanied to any disciplinary hearings. There are many more rules in the ACAS code that don't seem to have been followed (advance notice to prepare, a copy of any evidence or witness statements, etc). Once you contact the union they should tell you more
First and foremost.. sorry to hear. Its shocking im sure but just hang on in there. There are people here who will know how best to direct you and have Kemps. BUT for me the 25 years is the critical thing. Same employer? Have they called into question your standard of work? As has been said there is a procedure that has to be followed and you are entitled to have a witness that you have appointed at any disciplinary, if they haven't made that offer to you then thats another thing to add.
Soz Kempton, I was in Unite at BAE, I was made redundant after 38 years when Manufacturing ended, never needed Unite personally but always appreciated their efforts in keeping our pay and conditions high and I had mates who had great backing in various situations, it's deffo a strong union to have in your corner.
sounds like some twat had it in for you, summarily dismissed after 25 years. good luck fighting it. this thought came to me. don't know what you do, but wondering if it's transferable. about 12 years back i was signing on and the fascists at the jobcentre had roped in another set of fascists to scare me into applying for endless unsuitable jobs. one day i was in for my weekly hour of applyiing for more unsuitable jobs using the computers of the mecinary company. this bloke was in there applying. he'd lost his job after decades of work. he was a highly skilled cabinet maker. that was what he knew. he didn't know how to use a computer. i'm guessing he'd never done any marketing. in his position i'd've found myself someone to create a website with examples of cabinetry that i could make. honestly, i reckon he could have got more money on his own than he got working for the man. alas, i didn't get the oportunity to suggest it. but if you're in a similar boat, it might work for you. good luck.
I should have already mentioned that my manager gave me a test for alcohol consumption about four weeks ago which showed up negative. It was a large swab type thing that I had to hold in my mouth for about ten minutes. My manager read the results and confirmed they were negative, a bit like a covid test, but the swab was much larger. I thought that would be the end of it, but no, certain people seemed hell bent on bringing me down, especially the assistant manager, she didn't even talk to me for a week after that, which was unusual. Maybe I should should bring this up with Unite and Acas?
I do hope I don't have to transfer my particular skills to any new one. I'm a mandrel filer. Yep,exactly no one ever knows what that even is. I might as well be a roof thatcher.
Yes,of course you should bring that up,it's extremely important that you do!! What was the reason for your dismissal today? It's obviously Gross Misconduct but for what?...Having an empty bottle in your coat pocket? Were you offered the right to accompaniment? It's not entirely necessary for you to want it, and if you did attend alone have they provided minutes of the meeting or are they going to? If they do provide minutes,they'll ask you to sign them,if they're not accurate make amendments before signing!!
Did they make you aware of the company alcohol policy at that time, and make sure that you had a copy as they are required to? If they did, have they followed that policy?
It's strange that they tested you for alcohol consumption which showed up negative but then simply because of you having an empty alcohol bottle they sack you without testing you
Good luck Kempton, it sounds like you've been stitched up. In a past life I represented a number of people at work, mostly successfully. If you want any help then message me and I'll see what I can do. I'm pretty rusty though.
Did they take bloods or a breath test or something to prove your guilt. If they have no evidence and not just 2 and 2 make 5 then you have grounds for appeal. I'm not a lawyer but was a previous Manufacturing MD. They have to tread very carefully during any discussion. You may not get your job back but you will get compensation if they have no evidence.
Not necessarily. Yes you might be in a diminishing trade but with that you can bet your life no-ones training new ones, so you become more specialist as time goes on. There can be a premium for that if you can get your feet through the right door. Sorry to hear that today though. **** always happens to the good guys.
