Dismissed for calling someone a "fat arse"

[heather.davison]

My husband (a postie) was suspended from work last May following allegations from a female colleague of sexual harassment. He has worked for Royal Mail for 27 year with a completely clear conduct record apart from 1 complaint by the same woman 6 months ealier over a work related issue. Following investigation he was cleared of all the allegations apart from 2 which he owned up to when interviewed, these were calling her a “fat arseâ€

[TrueBlueTerrier]

heather.davison.

That does seem unfair and yes Burslem had a similar case which is also going to ET (Good Luck Big Dave) although if I remember right that involved the Manager allegedly calling Big Dave some names yet Big Dave got suspended . I hope your husband gets the justice he deserves, which always seems sadly lacking within Royal Mail. They seem to be using the conduct code as a cheap way to get rid of numbers.

Once again I hope hubby wins, sounds like he should.

[Eric]

We've got a guy suspended for alledgedly calling a postwoman Rose West. Unfortunately this woman's husband and 2 sons are all line managers at the same office so his chances of getting justice are somewhere between slim and none.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

It looks as though our colleague will have to go all the way to an Employment Tribunal to get any kind of justice if this similar incident is anything to go by. All the best to him.



Troubled train operator, First Great Western, already short of drivers, has taken the bizarre step of sacking a driver for swearing at a colleague during an argument, claiming that the swearing was "threatening."

Sacked Bristol driver Patrick Spackman said: "I regret swearing at him. And I regret referring to his weight. But for management to call this 'gross misconduct' is just ludicrous. I'm afraid that this kind of language is used all day and every day on the railways and if the company is going to start sacking people for it they won't have many drivers left."

First Great Western boss Alison Forster is already under pressure over the company's poor services. Last year Early Day Motions were tabled in Parliament condemning reductions in services and now David Drew, MP for Stroud, has tabled an EDM calling for First Great Western services to be run in the public sector.

Mr Spackman is being represented by the Industrial Workers of the World, the trade union universally known as "the Wobblies."

A union spokesperson said: "First Great Western have mishandled this case from the beginning. It could easily have been resolved months ago but now it will have to be dealt with by an Employment Tribunal. Yet more unnecessary stress for our member and a total waste of time and money for everyone."

[Lounge Lizard]

A very sad state of affairs but we should perhaps all take a vow of silence when at work, then management won't be able to make such allegations against us.

[norbert]

[quote="heather.davison"]My husband (a postie) was suspended from work last May following allegations from a female colleague of sexual harassment. He has worked for Royal Mail for 27 year with a completely clear conduct record apart from 1 complaint by the same woman 6 months ealier over a work related issue. Following investigation he was cleared of all the allegations apart from 2 which he owned up to when interviewed, these were calling her a “fat arseâ€

[mailman71]

years ago you could say more or less what you wanted to except threaten anybody now if you as much as sneeze in someone's direction you are in the sh-t,the p.c. brigade have gone mad

[norbert]

It looks as though our colleague will have to go all the way to an Employment Tribunal to get any kind of justice if this similar incident is anything to go by. All the best to him.



Troubled train operator, First Great Western, already short of drivers, has taken the bizarre step of sacking a driver for swearing at a colleague during an argument, claiming that the swearing was "threatening."

Sacked Bristol driver Patrick Spackman said: "I regret swearing at him. And I regret referring to his weight. But for management to call this 'gross misconduct' is just ludicrous. I'm afraid that this kind of language is used all day and every day on the railways and if the company is going to start sacking people for it they won't have many drivers left."

First Great Western boss Alison Forster is already under pressure over the company's poor services. Last year Early Day Motions were tabled in Parliament condemning reductions in services and now David Drew, MP for Stroud, has tabled an EDM calling for First Great Western services to be run in the public sector.

Mr Spackman is being represented by the Industrial Workers of the World, the trade union universally known as "the Wobblies."

A union spokesperson said: "First Great Western have mishandled this case from the beginning. It could easily have been resolved months ago but now it will have to be dealt with by an Employment Tribunal. Yet more unnecessary stress for our member and a total waste of time and money for everyone."

Quite common place for years on the railway . One sacked a ex squaddie guard for throwing this abusive chav low life off the train for smoking in first class without a ticket as the Chav went to the Transport Police . Uncle Bob brought them all out . Apparently One Management were "looking for " RMT guards .

A mate of mine ended up in Crown Court as he jokingly patted this girl on the stomach for sexual harassment . She'd been carrying on with a chargeman who coincidently was a Personnel Manger's son in law . His Missus chucked him out of the house , couldn't happen to a nicer person .

She tripped herself up left , right and centre in Court , apparently she started going out with a lad from a Posh Religious family and was trying to "reinvent herself " . She kept her job though her complaint was malicious and in bad faith . The Sector and the Transport Police /Crown Prosecution Service were only interested in getting Brownie Points and impressing more Senior Management .

When the Railway brought in zero alcohol and drugs policy , A training manager was bragging about a Liverpool Inspector being sacked for failing a breath test , he had not taken drink but had used one of those mint breath sprays , but the RMT got him back . More to do with the Scousers sticking up for themselves and HQ being in Manchester ???

The Prison Service had the worst bullying record , the PO came second . Somebody was overheard saying it's probably that Osama Bin Laden key ring when there was a crunching sound when the Prison Officer deposited his keys into one of those machines . The Governer sacked him as somebody had visited the Prison in Arabic Robes and could have heard him ??!! FFS

The POA took the Home Office to Tribunal and the case was thrown out at Tribunal , the Chairman said this case should never have got this far .

[redman]

I don't post here much but this issue interests me!

Why is everyone blaming management over this, the CWU are the ones pushing bullying & harassment. Yes I accept genuine cases exist but now normal day to day banter is treat as harassment, I don't mean hurtful personal comments, I mean general banter about football teams or even reacting to other sexes personal comments.

It is sadly becoming inappropriate to saying good morning, if you say it in the wrong tone. Political correctness is a joke!

[plodsie]

The question must be asked: What if the female had called the male a "fat arse"? Would the management have taken the same action?
I doubt very much they would have. The trouble with diversity is that instead of making us all the same, and subject to the same rules and codes of conduct. It makes certain people have more rights than the rest. From what I can gather when we were being "taught" about harassment we were given the following advice. That if we were being bullied or harassed we should first confront the agitator and ask them to desist. If the harassment continues it is then we take our concerns to management and even the union. The upshot has been that RM have been more than anxious to hear about and discipline certain cases than others. I don't think anyone can deny that we have a two tier disciplinary code, it is now not about what is construed as banter or what is conceived to be harassment, it is about the 'victimized person' involved - and their race, creed, colour, sexual preference, size, or even football team!

Perhaps this man should sue the dummy for continually harassing him by calling him a silly arse.....




Another point... This woman should be very careful of how she addresses her colleagues from now on, one word out-of-turn may well find her in trouble for much the same thing.... or will it???

[mailsort6]

We've got a guy suspended for alledgedly calling a postwoman Rose West. Unfortunately this woman's husband and 2 sons are all line managers at the same office so his chances of getting justice are somewhere between slim and none.

That's the trouble with RM any little thing you say they suspend you, that if you are a postie. In the above case the individual should have been given a oral or a written warning. I am for diversity and dignity and repect at work but I think RM are taking it too far. I feel that posties are getting suspend or sack on minor diversity issues. On the other hand if it was a manager that called a postwoman Rose West, this would not have been taken seriously.

[mailsort6]

[quote="norbert"][quote="heather.davison"]My husband (a postie) was suspended from work last May following allegations from a female colleague of sexual harassment. He has worked for Royal Mail for 27 year with a completely clear conduct record apart from 1 complaint by the same woman 6 months ealier over a work related issue. Following investigation he was cleared of all the allegations apart from 2 which he owned up to when interviewed, these were calling her a “fat arseâ€

[norbert]

1. RM are very good at sweeping s*** under the carpet
2. If anyone tries to drag up s**t , the RM system comes into play , you take the system on , the system just becomes more brutal towards anyone who does try and drag something up .
3. As they are being monitored by the CRE & EOC , Woe Betide anyone who tries to give RM any problems with these organisations .There's ways of keeping things down , problem is it didn't work at Burslem :-Total Respect to these brave guys .
4 . RM have ex spin doctors and Salesmen in charge , for all their obvious faults ; they are very good at hype , spin and woffle to impress naive and gullible people on a very superficial level . RM have won Diversity awards for their policies , laughable as it may sound .

[IWW Fellow Worker]

years ago you could say more or less what you wanted to except threaten anybody now if you as much as sneeze in someone's direction you are in the sh-t,the p.c. brigade have gone mad

I wouldn't want to return to the early 80s when a PEC in our office stuck his head out of the door and shouted "Where's that n*****!" or when a PEB told a meeting "I don't like blacks" and allowed a poem to be printed in an area magazine which included racial abuse of Asians. The so-called PC 'Brigade' (whoever they are) are an over-reaction to a problem which should have died out once mass education became law.

[Stormproof]

I won a B & H case against a manager but he was never reprimanded and I've never even received an apology. They seem to change the goalposts when it suits them.