Suspended and pregnant

[sangie5952]

I do agree that you must consider the health of yourself and the baby first. Doing the right thing health-wise is more important than anything.

 

However, I do not think that anyone would view expecting the employer to halt proceedings for a year whilst you are on maternity leave as reasonable. It is therefore entirely possible that the employer may decide top go ahead without you, if not in four weeks, certainly before you are due to return from maternity leave. 

 

In terms of options, it's almost impossible to suggest what those are without knowing what it is alleged you have done, and what your explanation is. The seriousness of the matter, and the kind of work you do, are both important as to what the employer might, or must, do in terms of the outcomes. 

[sangie5952]

Oh dear. You can ask, but this is a very serious matter, and I can envisage many employers being reluctant to postpone because they cannot ask you to do anything for six weeks after the birth, and realistically they may be anticipating you (a) not answering until the end of your maternity leave and/ or (b) you never returning.

 

I'm going to ask some questions here, but I'm asking the site team to agree a slight latitude to site rules. Nobody should give advice by PM and I won't. But I need to ask some questions that I would prefer are not answered on the site. Can the OP send the answers to me privately, but I will not advise off the site? I just need to check the "odds" of certain strategies. 

 

The questions are: and don't answer them here!

• What kind of employer are we talking about here? I don't need to know who they are, just the type - e.g local government, private company, charity, civil service
• How long is maternity leave - is it statutory pay or contractual, and what are the terms? 
• Are you planning to return to work?
• I'm assuming your aren't in a union?
• What is your job? Is it a regulated or trusted role?

I think that's all I need to know for now. You need to wait to let someone from the site team agree they'll allow you to send this information off the site.

[sangie5952]

1 hour ago, honeybee13 said:

Sangie, princess can send answers to me or another member of the site team and we'll forward them to you in confidence.

 

HB

Thanks HB. I'll be back on lIne in a couple of hours or so...

[sangie5952]

Ok my dear. I've read what you've said, and I had sort of narrowed down some of the answers already - I was just guessing! But I'm good at guessing! 

 

Two things first.

I've asked Honeybee to edit some stuff in the thread that I'd prefer not to appear here.

Nobody needs to know it.

But it very obviously identifies you.

 

Second, there is a union.

You just haven't joined any of them!

Too late now but join a union, and I'm biased so I'd advise Unite. We have a lovely section devoted to your type of employers!!! They are very busy!!!

 

I'm going to assume you are innocent of the allegations, but at this stage it probably doesn't matter. You are not going back to that employer. If you want some "future career" advice, you can PM me at some future date - I don't think that contravenes the policy.

 

You need to urgently speak to your doctor. You will require a sick note that specifically says that you are unfit to attend any hearings, answer any questions or do anything relating to work or anything connected with it.

 

Preferably, under the box for additional information, the doctor should comment on the fact that the longstanding harassment and bullying by a former member of staff, combined with pressures placed on you by the employer are resulting in a danger to you and the baby. The tougher it is, the better. 

 

Then, and sorry, because I know your aren't well, you need to submit a grievance. You don't to go mad with details or evidence - it is never going to be heard!

 

Your grievance will outline failure to protect you from bullying and harassment, undue pressure to take part in legal proceedings, false allegations, failure to risk assess their actions against your extremely dangerous pregnancy, and absolutely anything else you can think of.  The more outrageous the better! Most of which are probably true.

 

You mention the words discrimination a lot. Preferably in every sentence. And in particular you need to mention several times that this is untrue and unsubstantiated unfair allegations made solely because you are pregnant, and they trying to get rid of you. Your are "allowed" to be as hysterical as you like, so the more the better.

 

Because you are pregnant and women always are (and I say that because I definitely don't believe it!); Because you really are very sick and so you can later blame it on hormones if you  need to; and because you need to scare the hell out of them. The latter won't be hard. 

 

By the way, you very certainly won't be appearing as a witness in anything for them anytime soon - or ever. Whatever hole they have got themselves into previously, they are digging another one now.

 

Your aim then to to forget it, sit back. It's called "light the blue touchpaper". You have a year to play with them. 

 

Every time they attempt to contact you you produce a fit note saying you are too sick, too stressed or whatever to take part in anything right now.

 

You make it absolutely clear this is discrimination, false allegations, harassment and bullying.

 

If they even think of asking your anything about the other employees tribunal, tell them to take a hike. Not your problem any more. They lost  the right to loyalty on that one. They aren't worth you, and you won't have a place to go back to after all this.

 

So you are aiming to scare the hell out of them, to get them to back off and give you space, and then you hit them with a demand for a settlement agreement which includes a confidentiality clause and a very very good reference.

 

By that time you'll probably need a solicitor. But that's a long time into the future. You need to try to put this away and concentrate on yourself. There isn't time to sort this in the next couple of weeks, so you need to park it and let them sweat. 

 

Do you understand? I don't know why you've been accused of these things. It makes no logical sense. If they were true, why on earth would you have highlighted wrong doing with the other member of staff.

 

I suspect that you, and probably others, are being  scapegoated by the employer because they have acted incompetantly in so many area of management as to question their right to manage. I see it often in this sector. But they are demanding you prove a negative.

 

You submitted receipts for expenses, but they claim you didn't. How do you prove you did when they have them!? And they've "disappeared"? How convenient.

 

The actual question is why they would have authorised payment without receipts and how on earth it supposedly took them so long to notice!?

 

I believe you are being set up. Your job is to have a healthy baby, then take them to the cleaners so they think they got off easy with the other employee!