abandonment of my job!?!

[PostiewithaPorsche]

I was told my my dom that I wasn't going to have a job at the end of my 5th 3 month trial period at the end of the month, I'm having my first child and the due date is within a week of the end of my trial date so I'm under slight stress and worry from the whole thingm so when he told me I was going to be out of a job I was upset and under a lot duress and said I might hand in my notice. Then off I went on delivery.

I phoned him during my delivery saying I couldn't finish my duty as I need to sort stuff out and my girlfriend is having pains, he said that would be abandonment and to come back with the mail and go home.
I was planning on returning tomorrow as I never said I quit or handed in my notice but he phoned me and said to hand in my uniform and ID badge as I was no longer employed through abandonment .

What is royal mails definition of abandonment and where do I stand, I did not quit or hand in my notice verbally or physically

Thanks in advance

[PhilthyPhil]

Abandonment of service is normally when you do not turn up to work at all for several days with no contact. If as you say your gf has a medical emergency and you have phoned your manager and informed him you have to leave work I do not see how he can class this as abandonment of service. In any case he can not just sack you on the spot for it, there need to be a proper interview and conduct code process needs to be followed. You need to see your rep.

[fmrPOSTIE]

Your DOM is acting like a complete kn0b!!! He cant do you for this...

[doorstepped]

go in tomorrow as usual and make sure you see your union rep and if (s)he is not around ask for the area rep to be sent over.

[international]

Go in as normal and keep cool just get on with your job as normal

[POSTMAN]

Also how can you have 5 3 month trial periods.

Your manager is a serious c*** btw.

[PhilthyPhil]

Also how can you have 5 3 month trial periods.

Your manager is a serious c*** btw.

I completely missed the 5th bit there thought he had only done 3 months when it is actually 15. This makes a difference because you can not have a trial period of longer than 12 months and after 12 months is when a lot of employment rights kick in making it harder to get rid of you.

[dvbuk55]

Has there been any reason given for the number of three month trials, because it would seem to be excessive. Forget the abandonment - that is only used in extreme cases and in my time I have only ever known it be used once and that was for a very lengthy period of no contact.

[DGP1]

I just thought it was Temp contracts and not trials

[fishtank]

I just thought it was Temp contracts and not trials

I think you're probably right.

[dvbuk55]

Anyone else experienced that amount of time for a trial period?

[DGP1]

I would have thought that any sort of trial would have ended after the first or second one which is why I suspect he's mistaken trial for temp.

[PostiewithaPorsche]

when I started it was meant to be 6 months trial, 6 months trial, then substantive contract/dismissal.
but during my second 6 month trial i was informed i wasnt on 6 month trial but instead it was an extensions of 3 months from my initial trial period. this was also the case at the end of december when i was kept on through another 3 month trial extension, everything was in 3 month trial reports.
the reason for the 3 month extensions were because mis-deliveries were made by myself due to mis-prepping from someone else, and throughout the 3 month trials it was indicated to me by my dom that it was a favour to me from him for keeping me in employment.
so when my dom told me it was unlikely I was going to be kept on because of conduct code i was going to receive for bumping up on a kerb to avoid a car last month i kinda broke down and this was how the stress and unable to finish my duty developed.
i had a meeting with dom and my union rep this morning where there was alot of "your word against mine" between us and although he recorded it on his personal mobile phone, it has now been deleted. i pointed out to him i felt victimised and how it felt like he was trying to bully me into the abandonment situation, which was kind of side stepped and brushed off with apologies.

i have been referred to atos and am currently off sick due to work related stress.

[REDLETTER]

when I started it was meant to be 6 months trial, 6 months trial, then substantive contract/dismissal.
but during my second 6 month trial i was informed i wasnt on 6 month trial but instead it was an extensions of 3 months from my initial trial period. this was also the case at the end of december when i was kept on through another 3 month trial extension, everything was in 3 month trial reports.
the reason for the 3 month extensions were because mis-deliveries were made by myself due to mis-prepping from someone else, and throughout the 3 month trials it was indicated to me by my dom that it was a favour to me from him for keeping me in employment.
so when my dom told me it was unlikely I was going to be kept on because of conduct code i was going to receive for bumping up on a kerb to avoid a car last month i kinda broke down and this was how the stress and unable to finish my duty developed.
i had a meeting with dom and my union rep this morning where there was alot of "your word against mine" between us and although he recorded it on his personal mobile phone, it has now been deleted. i pointed out to him i felt victimised and how it felt like he was trying to bully me into the abandonment situation, which was kind of side stepped and brushed off with apologies.

i have been referred to atos and am currently off sick due to work related stress.

Did you agree to have it recorded on his phone, if not stick a grievance in, as this is a not acceptable - according to Royal Mail - thank is!

[PostiewithaPorsche]

He did ask we had any objection to the interview being recorded to which my union rep said no so I followed suit and agreed that it was ok. However I have recently been told that even though we agreed it was illegal for him to take any kind of recording, and also that now he said it was deleted seems to suggest it was basically intimidation to add pressure on me and to play mind games.
Also the reason for the deletion was because it was taking up uneccessary room on his phone, which ironically I have a recording of him saying