keitha
Member of DD Central
2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
Posts: 3,875
Likes: 2,313
|
Post by keitha on Sept 11, 2023 19:19:23 GMT
Or for that matter them learning
Had a phone call earlier from a firm of solicitors, I asked how they had got my number and they got it from my last employers.
I asked what they wanted and they said they need to talk to me about some redundancies. At this time I was acting as a staff rep to ensure fair treatment
Being cheeky I asked what was in it for me, and got "well I can pay you £50 for this phone call, If we need a written statement a further £250, and appearing in front of the tribunal will be £250 plus expenses."
As best I remember the conversation goes something like
He said the were representing Abdul X, and could I remember the redundancy round when he was let go
I said I remembered it well because of the treatment afforded to Abdul compared to others
"oh good so you are prepared to testify he was treated differently"
so I said "yes, so much so I raised it as an issue with management at the time"
"Can you give me examples of how he was treated differently"
"well he was given time out of the office to prepare for meetings, no-one else was, he was given the chance to apply for a different role in another team with a guaranteed interview no-one else was" "he was allowed to postpone his meeting twice on the day it was due to happen"
"What about normal work things"
"He was allowed to take a 3 hour lunch break on Fridays when everyone else was only allowed 90 minutes"
"is there anything else you'd like to tell me"
"Well I do think it's only fair to tell you, that I went through this about 3 years ago with another firm of solicitors"
"Are you saying my client has tried to take this case for unfair dismissal to tribunal before"
"I believe so yes"
"In that case can I thankyou for your time, and can I ask if necessary would you make a statement concerning that latter part of our conversation"
|
|
|
|
Post by bernythedolt on Sept 11, 2023 21:33:42 GMT
Or for that matter them learning Had a phone call earlier from a firm of solicitors, I asked how they had got my number and they got it from my last employers. I asked what they wanted and they said they need to talk to me about some redundancies. At this time I was acting as a staff rep to ensure fair treatment Being cheeky I asked what was in it for me, and got "well I can pay you £50 for this phone call, If we need a written statement a further £250, and appearing in front of the tribunal will be £250 plus expenses." As best I remember the conversation goes something like He said the were representing Abdul X, and could I remember the redundancy round when he was let go I said I remembered it well because of the treatment afforded to Abdul compared to others "oh good so you are prepared to testify he was treated differently" so I said "yes, so much so I raised it as an issue with management at the time" "Can you give me examples of how he was treated differently" "well he was given time out of the office to prepare for meetings, no-one else was, he was given the chance to apply for a different role in another team with a guaranteed interview no-one else was" "he was allowed to postpone his meeting twice on the day it was due to happen" "What about normal work things" "He was allowed to take a 3 hour lunch break on Fridays when everyone else was only allowed 90 minutes" "is there anything else you'd like to tell me" "Well I do think it's only fair to tell you, that I went through this about 3 years ago with another firm of solicitors" "Are you saying my client has tried to take this case for unfair dismissal to tribunal before" "I believe so yes" "In that case can I thankyou for your time, and can I ask if necessary would you make a statement concerning that latter part of our conversation" 3hr lunch break... and "only" 90 minutes! You worked for the local authority didn't you? No wonder council tax is so high if this is their work ethic.
|
|
keitha
Member of DD Central
2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
Posts: 3,875
Likes: 2,313
|
Post by keitha on Sept 11, 2023 22:50:03 GMT
we were on flexi time but had limits on clock in and out times
|
|
|
|
Post by gramsky on Sept 12, 2023 8:01:31 GMT
Back in the 1980's I worked for a large organisation who opened a new engineering design office based in Holborn.
A member of staff based in another office in Marble Arch was transferred to work in the new office in Holborn.
After complaining he was offered a refund on the extra travelling costs of his daily commute from Hounslow even though there was none because it just meant travelling a few more stops on the Central Line on the same season ticket which he was given an interest free loan for, and it was not necessary under his T&C's of employment.
He would go to the Marble Arch office each day first and claim a separate return fare from Marble Arch to Holborn anyway which he didn't buy because his season ticket covered the journey.
So he was late each morning at the Holborn office when he did arrive.
This should by now give you a idea of his race.
This person was in their early 30s, I guess, was the picture of health and arrived at the office (when he did attend) smartly dressed in a suit with waistcoat and carrying a brown leather attache case.
He would sit at his desk and count wads of money before leaving the office in work time to go to the bank over the road to make a deposit.
We knew he had a few sidelines going, one was video rentals, another was stone cladding to the fronts of houses which was all the rage in those days, plus drawings for house extensions.
He was forever absent, through sickness he claimed, and most weeks a sickness certificate would arrive from his Doctor, Dr Ready, who we nicknamed Dr Eveready because he was always willing to sign him a sick certificate.
He managed to attend the office 48 days in a year.
It took the company doctor several attempts to visit him to verify his claim of being too sick to work, saying he was too sick to see anyone, and when they did see him he was the picture of health trying to look sick laying in bed.
During this time he still tried to claim the extra travelling expenses for days he did not attend the office.
On one occasion while off work through sickness he phoned the office and said that he had some private work to do and could he come in to the office and use a drawing board.
It took them over a year to get rid of him for fear of him using the race card.
|
|
|
|
Post by bernythedolt on Sept 12, 2023 10:47:21 GMT
we were on flexi time but had limits on clock in and out times Ah, so you only gave part of the story. If this guy took the full 3 hours for lunch, he would have had to make up the 2 excess hours elsewhere in the week. That bit wasn't clear. All they were allowing, then, was additional flexibility in his working pattern, although I do agree others should have been allowed the same consideration too, had they wanted it.
|
|
|
|
Post by bernythedolt on Sept 12, 2023 11:13:00 GMT
He was forever absent, through sickness he claimed, and most weeks a sickness certificate would arrive from his Doctor, Dr Ready, who we nicknamed Dr Eveready because he was always willing to sign him a sick certificate. He managed to attend the office 48 days in a year.  We had a guy in the 1980s who went sick and was never seen again. A series of sicknotes kept arriving from his doctor, so they carried on paying him. This went on for over two years before one of the broadsheets got wind of the scandal and published it. It turned out this guy had returned to India and my organisation had been paying him to live in the lap of luxury there for the past two years!
|
|
michaelc
Member of DD Central
Posts: 4,891 
Likes: 2,767
|
Post by michaelc on Sept 12, 2023 12:01:13 GMT
Wasn't there the case of I think a guy in Spain who worked for a large company. He was seconded from one unit to the other and managed to not show up for work and get paid for more then ten years. Each of the company unit organisations thought he was working for the other..... Edit: Are here we are and sorry it was "only" 6 years: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35557725 |
|
jo
Member of DD Central
Posts: 727
Likes: 492
|
Post by jo on Sept 12, 2023 12:10:20 GMT
|
|
benaj
Member of DD Central
Posts: 4,877
Likes: 1,597
|
Post by benaj on Sept 12, 2023 12:50:08 GMT
Can someone explain why those doctors and fraudsters did not get prosecuted?
|
|
adrianc
Member of DD Central
Posts: 9,009
Likes: 4,821
|
Post by adrianc on Sept 12, 2023 13:04:42 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by bracknellboy on Sept 12, 2023 14:31:19 GMT
Wasn't there the case of I think a guy in Spain who worked for a large company. He was seconded from one unit to the other and managed to not show up for work and get paid for more then ten years. Each of the company unit organisations thought he was working for the other..... Edit: Are here we are and sorry it was "only" 6 years: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35557725says he was a civil servant. Experience of such stories over the years is that this type of thing is much more likely to be public employees than private. Still, its a BBC story so probably shouldn't be believed - its just anti public body propaganda
|
|
adrianc
Member of DD Central
Posts: 9,009
Likes: 4,821
|
Post by adrianc on Sept 12, 2023 14:44:24 GMT
Wasn't there the case of I think a guy in Spain who worked for a large company. He was seconded from one unit to the other and managed to not show up for work and get paid for more then ten years. Each of the company unit organisations thought he was working for the other..... Edit: Are here we are and sorry it was "only" 6 years: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35557725says he was a civil servant. Experience of such stories over the years is that this type of thing is much more likely to be public employees than private. Six years? He was an amateur... www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/21/italian-king-of-absentees-allegedly-skipped-work-for-15-yearsI seem to remember a similar story in Greece, but can't quickly find it.
|
|
michaelc
Member of DD Central
Posts: 4,891
Likes: 2,767
|
Post by michaelc on Sept 12, 2023 15:57:48 GMT
Wasn't there the case of I think a guy in Spain who worked for a large company. He was seconded from one unit to the other and managed to not show up for work and get paid for more then ten years. Each of the company unit organisations thought he was working for the other..... Edit: Are here we are and sorry it was "only" 6 years: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35557725says he was a civil servant. Experience of such stories over the years is that this type of thing is much more likely to be public employees than private. Still, its a BBC story so probably shouldn't be believed - its just anti public body propaganda Well done for keeping it brief
|
|
|
|
Post by captainconfident on Sept 12, 2023 16:44:42 GMT
"well he was given time out of the office to prepare for meetings, no-one else was, he was given the chance to apply for a different role in another team with a guaranteed interview no-one else was" "he was allowed to postpone his meeting twice on the day it was due to happen" "He was allowed to take a 3 hour lunch break on Fridays when everyone else was only allowed 90 minutes" So you raised this issue with the management at the time. What did they say to justify giving one of the group different treatment to all the rest?
|
|
keitha
Member of DD Central
2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
Posts: 3,875
Likes: 2,313
|
Post by keitha on Sept 12, 2023 17:06:04 GMT
"well he was given time out of the office to prepare for meetings, no-one else was, he was given the chance to apply for a different role in another team with a guaranteed interview no-one else was" "he was allowed to postpone his meeting twice on the day it was due to happen" "He was allowed to take a 3 hour lunch break on Fridays when everyone else was only allowed 90 minutes" So you raised this issue with the management at the time. What did they say to justify giving one of the group different treatment to all the rest? Abdul had a record for griping about perceived racism, management felt by giving him extra time and the questions in advance he would not be able to claim discrimination, I did point out that it was in effect reverse discrimination but I was told that it was being done to prevent him claiming discrimination
|
|
