smokerjim wrote:Personally, I rarely indulge in any intoxicating substances ( alcohol included ), however, while in theroy, random drugs tests could be brought in for drivers / shunters or those expected to work with heavy machinery, it should not be applied to walking postmen, indoor workers, hand sorters, etc - and fair, firm rules for their use such as unit rep and / or H&S rep to choose the testees with the manager on the day, and for the testee to be given the right to appeal against being chosen before the test takes plPOSTMAN wrote:Hmmmmm can of worms on the site?
Should he of been sacked for using drugs for 'personal' use.Overzealous manager too big for his boots?
I know of people in the job who smoke and sniff some s**t,should they be sacked?
If that's the case there's a lot of sackings to be done,drug tests anyone?
In practice, knowing RM's track record for royally screwing things up, and the CWU's inabillity ( or worse, intransigence ) to stand up to RM bullying at anything beyond a local level, if drug testing WAS brought in, it would be a licence for DOMs to sack people left & right.
With another union I was used to a p***y culture which was then stamped out from a great height BUT Senior Mgt had an act of Parliament on their side and it was absolute zero tolerance , only a third of a pint in your blood stream and NO Class A , B or C drugs . Previously if a lad got promoted and went to the MO & it was found he'd been smoking blow , the promotion was withdrawn ....apparently it stayed in your system for six weeks .
They had to do announced tests random not " We'll get rid of you as we don't like you " to quote one " manager " ....it was purely coincidence that the first was a youth rep and the Branch Chairman was a alkie
.That same " manager " was moaning about staff that had to go on sick leave due to prescribed drugs or put on alternative duties
It's absolutely correct that a zero tolerance policy would be abused .....I've seen someone sacked for the alcoholic content of a breath freshener spray , nothing to do with management
being based in one city and the guy from another city with a strong well organised union of course
....testing apparently cost £800 even then as it was done by a private call out firm . The union got him back . You'll also get spying , I've seen people followed home to see if they drank too much , another got sacked as a manager snooped in someone's bag and found cider in his flask , the guy wasn't a yes man ....quell surprise
There used to be managers going round known pubs and clubs it was all in the diary ...orders from on high ....managers threatening to spy if say some lads had planned to go out . The bit about disrepute is interesting ....some lads were reported for being in the pub in uniform when they'd been signed off duty , the phones were red hot . They were told to put civvy jackets / coats over uniform when they were dragged into the office the next day .
You'll get malicious gossip too . I've seen someone sacked on the strength of a anonymous letter re dope , he refused to submit to a test so they could sack him anyway . There was another case where the Union had to get a member out of prison re an accident . Management threw him to the wolves .
The other problem is who they'd turn a blind eye to ? - they were quite happy to turn a blind eye to a alkie rep who made Jimmy Hoffa look straight whilst they'd purges on p*** heads ....cosy relationships etc .
Oh yeah, I remember now 
