disabled are work being unfair!!!!

[wendy111]

hello can anyone please help any advice or help would be very gratefull. i have worked for a very large supermarket for the last 11 years . over the last 5 years i have become disabled i i do get dla and had my hour ajusted and dropped a few years ago . i have been more than fair with them giving them all the information on my problems . over the last 18 months my job has been increasingley more difficult for me as its quite physical and because i have arthritis of the spine and curviture i have found the job has been causeing my back to flaire up more causeing more time of work , i have been of work since sept 2010 and ready to go back i have explained to them if i was not doing this job and if i could have a desk job i wouldnt have as many absences !!! i had a meeting today with the occupatinal therapist at work who asked what sort of work could i do in the company i explained cash office, admin ,reception , customer service desk was told could not do customer service desk as no chair allowed felt this to be unfair . then she said there was no available hours that i had to go on 6 months health care leave unpaid no hol pay no sick pay if i do that and no guarentee of the hours at the end of it can they do this ? i feel very upset that they are just trying to get rid of me and not helping me at all do i have any rights ? and can they do this ? sorry my post is very long winded but any advice would apreciated thank you wendy sorry for spelling spell check couldnt get it to work !!!

[andypandy]

Hello Wendy

I think you need to get some advice from CAB or are you in any Union with work ?

How about ACAS too http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461

[wendy111]

hi no not in a union , can anyone ring acas for advice ? cab are so hard to get hold of in this area but will give it a go thanks

[andypandy]

as far as I know anyone can ring for advice. I have a problem with my PA and will be ringing them myself on Tuesday. I have spoken to them in the past and they were very good. Good luck, let us know how you get on

[wendy111]

will be ringing them tomorrow will let you no how i get on thanks

[treborc]

ACAS will not do much except send you a lot of leaflets....

Now then what you can do is have a word with the Job center, disability employment adviser, they can speak to the retail manager about getting you sorted out. And if it ends up going to a tribunal they will speak at the tribunal for you.

Also you must keep a diary of whom you speak to, when and what was the out come, because if things do not work out you will need all this information.

If in the end you cannot get help then you will need to see a solicitor, it will cost in some cases sometimes you can get 30 minutes free, they can then tell you how to take the next step.

I would join a Union it's not to late, all this would be free from solicitors to tribunals to seeking legal advice.

[andypandy]

I can only speak from personal experience and found ACAS to be helpful, but your advice is good treborc

[frogster]

I agree with treborc and andypandy. ACAS has useful advice. But you must write everything down. Notes of every meeting, dates and names.

Good luck and let us know what is happening. Most of the time you can work these things out. Big companies do not want problems. Once they see that you are going to stand up for yourself they will take you seriously. What is happening is certainly unfair and probably when you talk to somebody more senior about the issue a suitable job will appear for you.

[wendy111]

hi thanks for all your replys this is an up date of whats happened next after haveing interview with ot at work i rang my people manager today . i explained how my meeting went with the ot and that i was not very happy in the way that i was spoken to or happy at the out come . she was very nice but said she was haveing difficultys because there was no hours on any departments i find this hard to belive really!!!!! i said what about cash office was told this would not be suitable for me !!! how would she no this i said u are only persuming my capabilitys can i try it !! in the next breath she said well i am in a sticky position and i have infact contacted a company called remploy who are coming out next wednesday to see me to give me advice also she had contacted disability advisor at job centre plus but she had not got back to her yet . if i had not rang her i said i would not of known of this meeting she then said i could come along !!!! so i now have a meeting next week i am hopeing it will help and i hope i will not feel bullied or intimmidated in this meeting but i will be putting ideas forward , i dont really no what remploy can do for me or the company any advice there will be welcome i will keep u informed thanks wendy

[treborc]

Remploy use to be a good solid disability charity, it's not anymore it's a hard headed business now, in no way shape or form can this lot be called a charity. I can tell you what will happen at your meeting this group will point out the laws to you, what you can do or cannot do, they are now basically working for the employers.

You really do need to get into the Union, and ask them to attend with you, you need somebody like a shop steward with you, I've had a few outings with Remploy, calling them a charity is a down right sham.