Time ticking on sacking, so the unscrupulous company can avoid paying sick pay

[Tattybyeee]

I was not sure if I posted this in the correct place, so reposting here.

I have a degree in a core subject, but took a basic retail role after having time out to have children due and finding it difficult to find part time roles that aren’t everyday.

I am writing this while I can due to symptoms and I wonder if I could have any advice.

My workplace is hostile, the way my team are treated in general is beyond disgusting and the managers and team leaders are underhanded to say the least.

There is a big issue with calling the duty manager sick line. It is another one of their underhanded tactics to make it look like people are not following policy.
They more often than not do not answer the phone and there is no voicemail. My phone bill does not log the call when it hasn’t connected (although they said yes it would) The only thing you may have if you kept it, is the call register on your phone but they could say you did one ring so it’s not concrete proof. I’m a paper trail kind of person but they hate anything in writing unsurprisingly. Some people just text, Facebook or call their team leader directly which is accepted much of the time, but not official policy.

I like to do the official policy not that it got me far, I rang up a couple of months ago feeling very ill and was laughed at and ridiculed about symptoms and name by the duty manager. He also said “there doesn’t sound like there’s anything wrong with you.” I was told this happened to another colleague of mine. It turns out that this manager did not even bother to tell the necessary people that I was going to be absent. Another female manager asked my friend/colleague where I was because I hadn’t bothered to show up for work. He told her that I had phoned and the name of the person I spoke to and because she doesn’t like me, she didn’t tell anyone I had called in either so that my name would be mud presumably.
I complained about the manger who took the call about his behaviour etc but nothing was done they’re all friends who can treat us mere mortals appallingly.

Now to present day. I took holiday and started to become unwell again nearing the time I came back to work. I tried to call as usual no answer so I text as to me that is written evidence. They just ignored my text.

My unknown illness has become more and more painful to the point I have been housebound and writhing in pain, to the point of ambulance trips up, all night no sleep from excruciating pain etc
I have an emergency test booked for within the next 2 weeks for something dreaded and obviously I am very disorientated and worried.

I received 2 missed calls within the first week of my sickness and it was the woman who does wages mainly but HR too. She asked me if I was coming back as no one had heard from me. I explained I had tried to call/text. She immediately started saying it’s not policy to text blah blah. I explained past issues to no avail. I explained that the doctor had said that I needed to self cert that week but I would be sending in a fit note the following week once I had seen the doctor for a procedure.

I then received a voicemail from another manager saying nobody had heard from me and the usual lies. This women is a known absolute bully who loudly shouts at you and belittles and as I felt so ill and had spoken to someone and this was just one of their lying games: I decided to send the written proof in the form of a fit note.

The day before I was due to go to the doctor for my procedure and to get the fit note: I received I signed for letter giving me less than 24 hours notice to attend a disciplinary. I was in such a state and ill and feeling very beaten down that I didn’t go or inform them. I feel too ill to be bullied at the moment. I went to the doctor instead and during the procedure the doctor made a mistake and I as I was pouring blood and the doctor was all flustered the fit note was all forgotten about.

Now today they have done the same thing sent me a meeting for tomorrow with less than 24 hours notice and I am housebound due to pain and symptoms and can’t possibly go to a meeting with this known bully. It says they will basically sack me if I don’t turn up.

This is all to do with not wanting to pay sick pay. Citizens Advice have a piece about it on their site about unscrupulous employers using these types of tactics.

Is there anything I can do to halt the process? I do not feel well enough to deal with this at the moment I would like to stop them kicking me when I’m down and putting me in a financial hole as they do not want to pay me sick pay. I’ve been treated like rubbish the whole time I’ve been employed by them.

The meeting is 10am tomorrow, is it too late?



I forgot to make the point that the wage/he woman who left 2 missed calls and voicemail on my phone I pressed the number on my voicemail and I cannot find any proof that I called her back and spoke to her. They know I spoke to her anyway they work in the same office as the shouty bully who’s sending me disciplinary letters, this is just a ploy to sack me.

I even told the wage lady on the phone that I had called before and been ridiculed and that manager hadn’t bothered informing the relevant people. She even said well she would be telling the store manager about that, so I highly doubt she would not tell someone she had spoken to me. It’s just lies.



The latest disciplinary meeting letter says please contact me on number upon receipt of this letter; but there is no number on it.

[flowery]

How long have you been working there? Is there any reason to believe your symptoms could be disability-related?