i,ve been charged with gross misconduct under the health and

[barneyrotts]

no if it misses dispatch thats it till next day and i,ve been told off before for missing dispatch.

[Cliff Clavin]

i have said i noticed the tyre was hissing and drove back slowly to the office ,but the tyre was shredded by the time i got back.

that doesnt sound good mate, you either park up and phone or change the wheel.

[Cliff Clavin]

no if it misses dispatch thats it till next day and i,ve been told off before for missing dispatch.

However, if your willing, you can surely drive it to your nearest MC and its not there in the morning,

You then inform management of your vehicle breakdown, you took it to the MC and claim the OT.

Everyones happy and your not in the s**t,

[DGP1]

no if it misses dispatch thats it till next day and i,ve been told off before for missing dispatch.

I miss the dispatch every week and I don't care, I'm more concerned with my delivery and my licence, if they want me to meet the lorry then they need to give me more time.

[jockstrapp]

Tell them to go F#CK themselves (but no witness)

[ElvisGaddafi]

There seems to be quite a few wind ups on here so I'm never always sure if posts are genuine, especially when you see someone with 21 yrs service saying they drove any distance with a puncture. Can someone with that much service really be that scared of getting a telling off for being late with the collection when it's obvious he's not in the wrong. I've had several punctures over the years. You fix it. If it's going to make you late you let them know. If you can't fix it you phone the number in your logbook and get a mechanic out and possibly somebody with another van to tranship your collections. RM supply you with equipment, if it becomes defective (because obviously it was ok when you did your van checks) when you are out on the road, it's not your problem, you only do what you can do. What you can do now depends on who you told that you drove back with a puncture and who witnessed you telling them. If you told your manager and there was nobody else around then change your story. It's your word against his and he must have misunderstood. If your tyre's shredded all you can say is that you didn't realize you had a puncture until you got back. It's not like years ago when a puncture felt like an earthquake. This is admittedly pretty weak. The real problem is that things that wouldn't have been a big deal a few years ago are now used to get people out the door cheap, especially if you have long service.

[Judgee]

Wouldn't worry if I were you. RM likes stupidity... you'll probably be made up to manager!

[Indy]

i was told by my dom that it could be a sackable offence and to expect the worst

What a COMPLETE wan*er!

[jonsboys]

i have said i noticed the tyre was hissing and drove back slowly to the office ,but the tyre was shredded by the time i got back.

Whenever you corner with a semi flat tyre the sidewall gets damaged and it could have come off its beading very easily and cause you to have an accident, im not bashing you, thats just the facts! Sometimes people make bad decisions!

[blackadder]

royal mail are looking for any excuse to get rid of staff. driving on a flat tyre for a couple miles aint going to help you keep yours

[TrueBlueTerrier]

To be honest reading through the thread it sounds as though the Manager is trying to scare you.

I think it might be a good sign that they have not suspended you on full pay as they seem to do that when they try to get rid of people.

My advice would be

1. Get an Area Rep aware of the situation pronto, he can back up you and your rep if needed.
2. Do not go into any further interview without Union back up - its your right so use it.
3. Get advice from the rep and follow it (unless they recommend resigning) , but if they suggest you owning up to it in full etc - do it - it might just save your job.
4. If you do admit it make sure that the reasons behind your decision to continue driving are explained, not to absolve you from blame but to explain your thought process.
5. After its all died down get your rep to get WRITTEN instructions as to what anyone faced with the same situation should do.

I think, and its only my opinion, sacking is a possibility so don't ignore it, but I reckon its more likely you'll be removed from driving permanently and give a 2 Year Suspended dismissal or something similar.

[Pat Ostman]

Sacking IS a possibility and anyone who thinks different has not spent long at Royal Mail, especially under this current climate.

I am not saying you would get sacked or even not win in a tribunal because I am not aware of all the facts, but of COURSE sacking is an option from what you say. Half deflated tyres/knacked wheels and illegally driven, come on peeps!

Who on earth checked and signed this van out before it was driven out of the yard in the first place (with as you say, a damaged wheel).... ohh....

[Cliff Clavin]

Who on earth checked and signed this van out before it was driven out of the yard in the first place (with as you say, a damaged wheel).... ohh....

Whilst I agree the OP has made a cock-up, its quite conceivable the puncture to the tyre occurred whilst out on duty/collection after initial checks and sign-out.

[Pat Ostman]

Yes but I read the OP as having knowledge of the fault to the wheel itself.

[Lounge Lizard]

i have said i noticed the tyre was hissing and drove back slowly to the office ,but the tyre was shredded by the time i got back.

that doesnt sound good mate, you either park up and phone or change the wheel.

Phone, but when it can take three or four hours for a mechanic to get to you it can be tempting just get back as best you can.