Srage 3 Triggered - Grey areas?

[ZIPPY1971]

I have been told today that due to my recent absence from Wednesday 14th Nov - Saturday 17th (4 days lost) i have triggered a Stage 3. At a management interview on Saturday 17th Nov i was informed that i had triggered a Stage 3 in June due to an absence of 2 days but due to the area manager changing over at the time it was time barred? THIS WAS THE FIRST I KNEW OF A STAGE 3 TRIGGERED IN JUNE? the line manager, office manager and union rep new - how long i dont know? but never told me.

In January 2010 i fell while on duty on ice and cracked a rib, came in the next two days thinking i was ok but i had to go off with the pain ( 22 days lost ) 10/02/10 - Stage 1

A further 2 absences - 21/06/2010 Diarrhoea ( 2 days lost ) and 25/11/2010 Vomiting ( 7 days lost ) put me on a Stage 2 13/12/10

On Tuesday 21/06/11 i had agreed to work my day off on Wed 22/06/11 but i got bit by a dog in my own time while out running and had to get medical treatment from gp surgery for injury to arm. I called the delivery office that afternoon to say i would not be in to work my day off as overtime and i was back at work on the Thursday. HOWEVER ! the line manager put me down sick for this day? no days were lost and my duty was covered by someone else on overtime. Everyone i have spoke to have told me you cant be put as sick for not being able to do overtime? I know for a fact two other people in my office who called in to say they could not work their day off and no sickness was recorded? ( 1 day lost ? )

Other absences:

25/10/2011 Diarrhoea ( 3 days lost ) Was under stress at work and home at the time, put a grievance in about my line manager (had problems with him all year) and my wife went through a miscarage at the time.

19/01/12 Diarrhoea/sickness ( 3 days lost )

06/06/12 skin allergy ( 2 days lost ) This absence triggered a Stage 3 ? but was time barred due to area manager change over? cant work this out? FIRST I HEARD ABOUT THIS WAS SAT 17 NOV

14/11/12 Diarrhoea/sick ( 4 days lost ) Was under a lot of stress at work due to office revision and new duty (back shift 10-6) , every day not getting break or part break, going 8hrs without break and no food/drink.

Could any CWU Rep shed any light/help please. As you can understand i am worried and dont want to loose the job ive done for 13 1/2 years.

Thanks

[southernjessy]

what reason did they give for putting you on a stage 1 for an accident on duty which is normally discounted

[POSTMAN]

Get your area rep involed asap,the area rep would have to be a complete doughnut if you were to get sacked for this.
Your screws are seriously f****d in the head.

[ZIPPY1971]

Thanks for the replies. My office manager gave me the Stage 1 for the accident on duty ( 22 days lost ), there was nothing i could do to appeal this, he had gave someone else in the office a Stage 1 for a similar accident a few months earlier.

I told my line manager at the time and god knows how many other times that the day off - overtime ( Wed 22/06/11 ) should not be on my sick record? he said hed sort it then June/July 2011 but he has not? I have spoke to him again in the last week about this ( contact Sheffield to delete day from record ) but just keeps fobbing me off?

EVERYONE I HAVE SPOKE TO IN MY OFFICE CANT BELIEVE THAT HE PUT ME DOWN AS A SICK DAY FOR MY DAY OFF? NO DAYS WERE LOST, AND DUTY WAS COVERED BY SOMEONE ELSE ON OT.

If my line manager had done his job right in the first case i would not be on any stages of the procedure at the moment, but as it is with this day on my record? I should have came off the procedure in December 2011 with the 1 absence of 3 days on 25-27 October 2011. I have read the Royal Mail Attendance Standards and none of this makes any sense.

I can also prove it was my day off because it is the same day as my Line Manager, and i have 5 other people who had the same day off too.

Thanks

[wingmanchillian]

So, basically they tried to force you to do OT, which is illegal. Don't come in for your day off, receive a stage 3. If what you say is correct it's pretty ridiculous.

Worst you get for blowing out on OT at our place is 100 hours added to the high to low and that's only if you haven't given notice first.

I'd be very surprised if your area rep doesn't have this squashed immediately.

[whisperstar24]

.

[ZIPPY1971]

My DOM says that the area manager will look at my entire sick record - which includes 3 stage 2's being issued: May 2005, October 2008 and December 2010, this is the first time i have triggered a Stage 3.

What really puzzels me is why my line manager put my day off down as a sick day, i got bitten by a dog (outside of working hours) on the Tuesday 21/06/11 and called in to say i would not make it in on Wed 22/06/11 to work my day off as OT and was back working as normal on Thursday. NO DAYS WERE LOST AND THE DUTY WAS COVERED ON OT?

I am going to speak to my office rep today for him to get in contact with area rep, i really dont need all this and want to get it sorted.

[Judgee]

a series of cockups by your dom in the whole of your 3 stages of the procedure would mean that any decent area rep would make sure you did not lose your job.
Initially all accidents relating to work should be discounted.You should not have been put on a stage 1 in the first place.There is paperwork from hr services stating this.Secondly you have a case for the overtime day which you worked but your dom says you were down as sick.Thirdly if you triggered a stage 3 in june but you have only been told now,then management are out of time with regard to issueing this.They have a 3 month window in which to issue a stage otherwise it has to be disregarded.Again this is part of hr services guidance.You need a good area rep,contact your branch if you are not getting support.



5.2
in the event of a trigger being missed for an abscence or series of abscences HRSC are only required to go back 3 months.Any outstanding triggers older that this will be ignored.

With regard to the 1st warning. It should be dismissed unless you were deemed to have contributed to the accident I think? Were you wearing RM issued footwear? If not they could argue that you were partly responsible?

[southernjessy]

Royal mail footware is not PPE unless your duty is working on dock leveler as an example (steel toecaps)

though they could do you for not following the uniform code as royal mail issue footware

[POSTMAN]

Obviousy Zippy wore her RM issued footware at the time of the accident.

[ZIPPY1971]

I never knew that the Stage 1 i received for an accident on duty ( Fell in slow on footpath after slipping on ice - cracking a rib. i was wearing royal mail issued footwearwill ) be discounted? I really hope so? Will this make a difference to my case?

Thanks

[southernjessy]

did you not have a rep at your stage 1 interview

[ZIPPY1971]

I did have my office rep in with me, but it seems to be common practice in our office to issue Stage's for accidents on delivery. Just a couple of months before my accident i know of 1 guy who tripped over a raised slab in a garden, twisting his ankle and tearing ligaments.

[blackadder]

you should be on a stage 2 in my humble opinion. get the rep and tell them at the interview. accident on duty dont apply.

[ZIPPY1971]

I hope that's right about the accident on duty, i felt hard done by at the time when my DOM issued the Stage 1 for cracking a rib when i fell in the snow after slipping on ice.

It's not just that, after getting bit by a dog while out running ( in my own time ) on Tue 21/06/11 i phoned the office that afternoon ( after getting medical treatment at GP surgery ) to say id not be in to cover my duty on OT on Wed 22/06/11 and was back in working on Thurs 23/06/11 ......... and my line manager put me down as a sick day for Wed 22/06/11 ? I have been at him to get this taken off my record and he has said he will, last week was at him again and he says ye, ye, will contact Sheffield, he keeps fobbing me off. Everyone ive spoke to in office about this says its ridiculous? I know of two guy's in the office who have called in on days off that were ment to work as OT and they were not put down as sick? He knows fine well that was my day off because his is the same day. This cant be right? can it?