Referral to atos for ill health retirement??

[tcannabellarose]

My Dom has just been to me to ask if he can refer me to atos for ill health retirement consideration. I am on a contact of 32 hours and have worked for Royal Mail for over 16 years. Our office has just started the revision and there are a few people (me included), who they are not going to have jobs in the office for various reasons. I currently deliver overweight packets which is being absorbed by the posties under the revision.
I am diabetic and have been diagnosed as having Rheumatoid arthritis and am covered by the old DDA. I am 46 years old. Our Dom says he has looked to move me elsewhere but nothing is available. He wants to refer me for ill health retirement? I am not on any attendance stage and have not had time off for over 2 years.
Question 1. Do I need to alert the union rep regarding the doms intention?
Question 2. What happens if atos agree/disagree for ill health retirement?
Question 3. If ill health is the way forward, what does it say to other employers when I try to look for a job?
Has any one else been affected in this way?
I am so confused and upset...

[daveallum]

My Dom has just been to me to ask if he can refer me to atos for ill health retirement consideration. I am on a contact of 32 hours and have worked for Royal Mail for over 16 years. Our office has just started the revision and there are a few people (me included), who they are not going to have jobs in the office for various reasons. I currently deliver overweight packets which is being absorbed by the posties under the revision.
I am diabetic and have been diagnosed as having Rheumatoid arthritis and am covered by the old DDA. I am 46 years old. Our Dom says he has looked to move me elsewhere but nothing is available. He wants to refer me for ill health retirement? I am not on any attendance stage and have not had time off for over 2 years.
Question 1. Do I need to alert the union rep regarding the doms intention?
Question 2. What happens if atos agree/disagree for ill health retirement?
Question 3. If ill health is the way forward, what does it say to other employers when I try to look for a job?
Has any one else been affected in this way?
I am so confused and upset...

I left under IHR after consultations with ATOS (I have degenerative arthritis in my left knee and will have to have a full knee replacement at some time in the future)and here are my observations:

Question 1:Yes,do keep your union rep involved at all times (I did so out of courtesy as we all knew what the outcome was going to be)
Question 2:ATOS will agree to IHR if it can be proved that there is nothing else for you at your current location (my DOM wanted to send me to a Mail Centre over 40 miles away,ATOS told him no way).If ATOS disagree with your DOM then I believe that RM will have to find you something but then again not something that it too ridiculous to consider.
Question 3:In my case it wasn't a problem as I have managed to find a small part time job which doesn't involve me standing too much.

I hope this helps and good luck for the future.

[Sergeant Blast]

I empathise with your situation. I too suffer with an arthritic condition and currently waiting an ATOS assessment. I'm undecided on whether I wish to go for ihr or not. I've become disillusioned with the job and in particular how we are treated. I don't really want to keep going until my body is wrecked. I've done a few training courses recently and am hopeful I will get another job if I have too. The opportunity of a fresh start, doing a less physical role, may be the best outcome and hopefully with an employer that doesn't treat its staff like rubbish.

[rehabron]

My Dom has just been to me to ask if he can refer me to atos for ill health retirement consideration. I am on a contact of 32 hours and have worked for Royal Mail for over 16 years. Our office has just started the revision and there are a few people (me included), who they are not going to have jobs in the office for various reasons. I currently deliver overweight packets which is being absorbed by the posties under the revision.
I am diabetic and have been diagnosed as having Rheumatoid arthritis and am covered by the old DDA. I am 46 years old. Our Dom says he has looked to move me elsewhere but nothing is available. He wants to refer me for ill health retirement? I am not on any attendance stage and have not had time off for over 2 years.
Question 1. Do I need to alert the union rep regarding the doms intention?
Question 2. What happens if atos agree/disagree for ill health retirement?
Question 3. If ill health is the way forward, what does it say to other employers when I try to look for a job?
Has any one else been affected in this way?
I am so confused and upset...

Answer 1: Yes keep union rep fully informed of how your situation is progressing may have to get involved at some stage of the process.
Answer 2: If ATOS agree to IHR normally RM will accept their decision/recommendation as their appointed Occupational Health provider. Can't see how they could disagree if you are covered by the old DDA which now incorporates the Equality Aco 2010.
Answer3: What IHR means that your condition is unsuitable for the work that is required of you by RM that does not mean that you would be unable to work for other employers where you would be selective in the work that does not aggravate your medical condition.

[clashcityrocker]

If jobs are going in your unit as a result of revision activity, are there any voluntary redundancies on offer?
This would probably be a better pay off for you than IHR.
It sounds like they want to get rid of you on the cheap.

[Ahebban]

It sounds like they want to get rid of you on the cheap.

No change there!

[Glenno]

My Dom has just been to me to ask if he can refer me to atos for ill health retirement consideration. I am on a contact of 32 hours and have worked for Royal Mail for over 16 years. Our office has just started the revision and there are a few people (me included), who they are not going to have jobs in the office for various reasons. I currently deliver overweight packets which is being absorbed by the posties under the revision.
I am diabetic and have been diagnosed as having Rheumatoid arthritis and am covered by the old DDA. I am 46 years old. Our Dom says he has looked to move me elsewhere but nothing is available. He wants to refer me for ill health retirement? I am not on any attendance stage and have not had time off for over 2 years.
Question 1. Do I need to alert the union rep regarding the doms intention?
Question 2. What happens if atos agree/disagree for ill health retirement?
Question 3. If ill health is the way forward, what does it say to other employers when I try to look for a job?
Has any one else been affected in this way?
I am so confused and upset...

This situation concerns me and I am giving consideration to the attitude of RM Mngt

[tcannabellarose]

Just been overwhelmed with your positive responses. Thank you all for your time in posting your comments. Sergeant blast's comments particularly resounded with me. I feel like they want to take me to the bottom of the field and shoot me in the head..maybe it is time to move on with something else.
Just got in to work yesterday, after a few days off annual leave, within 2 mins, the Dom asked to see me in the office, wanting to know why I had "refused" to make an appointment with an atos doctor, when they called me last Friday, at 7.30pm at home. I told him I had not had time to see a union rep to get advise and until I had seen a rep, I wanted to wait to get a referral to atos. He said he would give me until he end of this week to get advice. Apparently, the union rep that deals with IHR, is based at the mail centre, about 5 miles away. (Not my delivery office).
Not sure if I can get an appointment this week though! What can he do, sack me for not getting an appointment this week???
Probably...

[flaminmoses]

Don't rush if you have not been off sick.
If they pressure you sounds like you have a decent amount of sick entitlement

[mrhappy22]

It's worth noting that if you are going to go for IHR, then you will get to keep your RM Shares.

Just a consideration you may want to look at before making your decision.

Hope it goes well for you, whatever option you take.

Best of luck.

[tcannabellarose]

Just to add salt to the wounds, just been refused family friendly working, even though I look after my 89 year old father and have been for 10 years. Apparently "the business" cannot support my caring role, even though the application was just "for formalisation purposes" and I have a been working flexibly for 5 years... I guess if it was a child, it might be different?? I don' t even know why I am NOT considering leaving this company for another that may value me as a human being and not a machine...

[dvbuk55]

Just to add salt to the wounds, just been refused family friendly working, even though I look after my 89 year old father and have been for 10 years. Apparently "the business" cannot support my caring role, even though the application was just "for formalisation purposes" and I have a been working flexibly for 5 years... I guess if it was a child, it might be different?? I don' t even know why I am NOT considering leaving this company for another that may value me as a human being and not a machine...

I think it's quite telling that you suggest that under the revision your present role disappears and you haven't been approached with a new role under the resign apparently. The denial of family friendly for supposed business reasons is blatantly tied to the fact that your duty is being absorbed elsewhere and consequently you do not currently have a role in the business at all.

There are two points to raise with your manager either personally or through your rep, being what role are you being considered for and why can't that role be adapted to family friendly working. Because you do not want to leave under IHR make it quite clear to the manager in writing or via email cc the rep and CWU HQ that that is your position.

[bogstandard]

Just to add salt to the wounds, just been refused family friendly working, even though I look after my 89 year old father and have been for 10 years. Apparently "the business" cannot support my caring role, even though the application was just "for formalisation purposes" and I have a been working flexibly for 5 years... I guess if it was a child, it might be different?? I don' t even know why I am NOT considering leaving this company for another that may value me as a human being and not a machine...

as long as you have come up with a way around this that has zero impact on your working day its nigh on impossible to refuse

[UnhappyGremlin]

Just to add salt to the wounds, just been refused family friendly working, even though I look after my 89 year old father and have been for 10 years. Apparently "the business" cannot support my caring role, even though the application was just "for formalisation purposes" and I have a been working flexibly for 5 years... I guess if it was a child, it might be different?? I don' t even know why I am NOT considering leaving this company for another that may value me as a human being and not a machine...

as long as you have come up with a way around this that has zero impact on your working day its nigh on impossible to refuse

I know of a manager that disagrees with this claim.
The only thing they consider when deciding a flexible working request, is if you're their mate or not.

[tasape]

Before doing ihr see what redundancy you would get. Ihr (I appealing against mine at the mo) is a quick solution for rm