Sick Absence Meeting

[Fedor Emelianenko Fan]

Good evening everyone.
I have been off sick from work for the last 8 weeks with a broken leg and am still currently in plaster. I have another appointment at the hospital in 2 weeks which if everything is ok i will be having the plaster removed. After talking to other people who have had the same type of injury i will probably be off for another couple of weeks before returning to work albeit on light duties (sorting, prepping, helping in callers etc). So all in all i will probably have been off for 12 weeks. I realise i will get a stage 1 when i go back and i dont have a problem with that. I have only had 2 days off sick in 5 years before my broken leg! Anyhow enough of the small talk lets get to the point of this post. I received a letter today from my local DSM asking me to attend a meeting. After reading this letter the impression i get is that the DSM is trying to get me back to work asap. At the moment i am covered by a doctors sick note so can i be asked to go back to work? I must admit i am getting a bit bored at home but there is no way i am going to be able to work as i am on crutches and still am not very mobile!! I have kept in constant touch with my DOM and have told him that as soon as i am fit to return to work i will do so. The DOM was happy with this and told me not to rush anything. What i will probably do is ring my office and get my DOM to ring the DSM to tell them that i wont be attending this scheduled meeting. Am i within my rights to do this?

The best thing to do is make the union aware of all communication you have with royal mail. when I was off I had a similar situation and I was told by my union rep that if I did'nt attend the meetings I would have my pay stopped. Your right RM will want to get you back to work as soon as possible, my advise to you is don't rush things if you don't feel ready to return to work then don't no matter how much pressure RM try to put on you, if you have to go back off once you have returned to work this may count as 2 absences so make sure you have fully recovered before you go back. As long as your Doctor is happy that you are not well enough to work and you have a doctors note RM can not force you back to work.

For the meeting I would ring the DOM and union rep up and explain your situation, they may cancel the meeting, they may arrange transport for you. These meetings are generally a waste of time and they could eaisly be done over the phone and if I was your union rep I would be asking questions as to why you have had to travel in discomfort with a broken leg when this could have being done over the phone.

[madelin4]

""QUOTE""if you have to go back off once you have returned to work this will count as 2 absences so make sure you have fully recovered before you go back.


it may not count as 2 absenses??????

[Saturn]

Thanks for replies. Surely they cant go against a doctors note?

you want to make a bet they did in my office to a postie in our office,they plagued and plagued this person right up till they sacked the person

[Saturn]

Thanks for replies. Surely they cant go against a doctors note?

A Doctors note is not worth the paper its written on i am afraid. They can sack you whilst under one and or force you back to work against your Doctors advice the only Two times it is of real use is if you suffer an injury because the employer has forced you back to work whilst signed off by your Doctor or you have a good employer that uses a Doctors note for what it is and allows you to recover as laid down by your GP and wont punish you for it and i am afraid RM only look at the former point in fiscal terms and could not give a sh*t about the latter and will punish. Good luck and hope you mend fast and well.

exactly

[andy2007]

In America, staff often get Private Healthcare as a perk of the job. Hasn't it occured to Leighton and Crozier yet, that if they did the same for us, they would save a fortune!

Let's face facts here:
1) Sick pay costs RM a great deal of money every year.
2) ATOS is only there to try to override our Sick Notes.
3) As far as I know (and I've had a lot of health problems over the years), they only provide Counselling Services. The Councellor in Liverpool is great, but what about the people with Physical, rather than Psychological problems?!?!?
4) ATOS costs RM a lot of money.
5) Injuries are common in RM.

So taking all of this into account: I personally think that they would be able to save a lot of money by getting us treated quickly, via Bupa, or an equivilent. Obviously it wouldn't help people with short term illnesses, but neither does ATOS. The people who are on Sick Leave while awaiting treatment on the NHS however, could return to work a Hell of a lot quicker, if they're seen strait away!

Far more importantly, it would help our self esteem considerably. Because we would be able to return to Work, feeling well again. So we would be able to EARN our living, rather than having to sit at Home living off handouts!

Still, they probably aren't intelligent enough to think of something like that, are they!

[andy2007]

In America, staff often get Private Healthcare as a perk of the job. Hasn't it occured to Leighton and Crozier yet, that if they did the same for us, they would save a fortune!

Let's face facts here:
1) Sick pay costs RM a great deal of money every year.
2) ATOS is only there to try to override our Sick Notes.
3) As far as I know (and I've had a lot of health problems over the years), they only provide Counselling Services. The Councellor in Liverpool is great, but what about the people with Physical, rather than Psychological problems?!?!?
4) ATOS costs RM a lot of money.
5) Injuries are common in RM.

So taking all of this into account: I personally think that they would be able to save a lot of money by getting us treated quickly, via Bupa, or an equivilent. Obviously it wouldn't help people with short term illnesses, but neither does ATOS. The people who are on Sick Leave while awaiting treatment on the NHS however, could return to work a Hell of a lot quicker, if they're seen strait away!

Far more importantly, it would help our self esteem considerably. Because we would be able to return to Work, feeling well again. So we would be able to EARN our living, rather than having to sit at Home living off handouts!

Still, they probably aren't intelligent enough to think of something like that, are they!

I well never use private health (care) given a choice because i need a doctor that cares for me and my own not someones balance sheet! UK PRIVATE doctors, Dentists and nurses are sellouts that have taken the education WE paid for to line their own pockets and NO i dont mind people getting more cash than me! I do mind them getting even more than that so they can SELL their soul to our employers at the cost of OUR health and the NHS is for us and our health not the employer and away of making us comback before we are ready.

The problem with the NHS though, is that it is underfunded, understaffed and has too little capacity. That means that you end up with very long waiting lists for treatment. Admittedly, it doesn't generally mean that you are on the Sick till you can be seen. But it does mean, that you often have to go on Sick several times before you get treated.

I want to see the NHS properly funded. But it isn't going to happen. The Doctors and Nurses work incredibly hard, and are often given a hard time by the Patients, and the Press. But they can only do so much.

Have you ever had to put up with managers giving you a hard time, when you are getting Stages for something which is totally out of your control?
Lots of us have, and combined with having to live of handouts (Sick Pay), it is incredibly depressing. That doesn't exactly help your recovery!

If the only way that we could get treated quickly, and regain our Self Respect, and Job Security (make no mistake, they want to get rid of you if you have poor health!), is to go Private. Then that is the way it should be. Unfortunately, I can't afford to go Private on RM wages, and I doubt that many of my Collegues with a young Family could either.

[Digger1975]

Thanks everyone. What i am going to do is ring my DOM in the morning to find out what this is all about. I can tell you one thing for sure is that while i am still in plaster and using the crutches i will not be going to work regardless if it is light duties or not!! I am not going to put my future health and wellbeing at risk for this company i can tell you!! Will update tomorrow.

[don]

get a letter of the doctor who is treating you at the hospitol to say that it would be bad for your leg to resume work till its healed propley the doctor who is a specialist is the man who can say if your fit to work or not royal mail wont be able to go against this dont go back till your ready why should you its only a crap job any way.

[brothermagrew]

Never ever thought that I would see the day when a CWU comrade would advocate private health care for CWU members what's the next step full advocation of PRIVATISATION of Royal Mail - I don't think so.

[andy2007]

Never ever thought that I would see the day when a CWU comrade would advocate private health care for CWU members what's the next step full advocation of PRIVATISATION of Royal Mail - I don't think so.

I don't understand. What has Healthcare got to do with Privatisation?

As I have already said: I know that the NHS does a wonderful job with what they have, but successive Governments have cut their resources to the point where they can no longer cope with demand.

The point that I was trying to make (however badly): is that if RM are so concerned with the amount of sick absences, that they are willing to employ a company to override sick notes, and pressurise people into returning to Work before they are properly recovered. Then they should reduce the amount of time that we have to wait for treatment.

What I still can't comprehend, is what relevance Private Healthcare has to Privatisation. There obviously is a link, judging by your comment. But what is it?