AIBU to not understand why I am facing disciplinary at work for such a non-issue?

Luckily the OP didn’t insult and shout at her colleagues! She was the one being shouted at. Did you actually read her posts? If so, you must be hard of comprehension.

You're facing disciplinary action because slagging off management to your colleagues, naming other colleagues as benefitting from management bias is bad for morale, and contributes to a toxic working environment, pitting staff against each other when you're expected to be a team.
If you've a problem with management decisions, surely you know that the way to deal with that is to raise with the manager, not get into a barney with a colleague because you've been gossiping about his wife?

I think you should look for a new job. It's a bit pathetic Annie's husband had a go at you and reported you. Take out a grievance against him. And it is unfair if you're always given harder jobs.

Hardly misogyny if he is defending a woman the op abused. And when she said I can say whatever I like (about your wife), he was probably furious but just walked away and reported her quite rightly.

Agree..

We're you told what Tommy said in his complaint to management?

Did you get to tell them that yes you did have a moan but that wasn't reason for Tommy to come at you angrily shouting?

If not they should at least have got your version of events before a decision was made to take any action.

If he approached you during your shift, I assume he also works there? If he approached you aggressively you should raise a counter grievance against him.

That said your colleague has obviously been telling others what you said so I would be careful about what you disclose to them in future.

Im presuming you possibly work in the care industry. As a manager in a similar sector, some of my team have undergone occupational health assessments and either have certain conditions or factors that dictate tasks that they cannot do or must try to avoid. The correct way for you to have tackled this would have been to either raise your concern with your line manager, or if it really is physically affecting you- then request for an occupational health review yourself!
You ‘venting’ to a colleague could possibly be viewed as a conduct issue- I’d be checking any policies your work have for conduct or behaviour to ensure you are ready for a discussion!

A male employee shouldn’t be shouting angrily at other employees, particularly women. That’s intimidating and unprofessional. I’d suggest to ‘management’ that your bit of workplace disgruntlement sinks into insignificance compared to misogyny and aggression.

He does work there

The best thing you can do is make it clear when interviewed that you did not mean to single out anyone and your comments were not directed at Anna, that you are apologetic that the conversation with Tommy got heated but that he was aggressive toward you and in the heat of the moment you responded in a way that you regret. Employers in the UK are required by law to make adjustments for people with a disability. You don’t know her business, it might be the reason she is on light duties. Bosses don’t like bullies or gossips and this situation could paint you as either. If you are not happy with the work you have been allocated, talk to your manager. Explain that you are struggling and burnt out and this led to your speculating about others work which you now know was inappropriate and you apologise for that. If your tasks can’t be changed, then your choice may be to leave. Work culture in other countries is not at all relevant. The bosses reasoning for allocating work in a particular way will not be explained to you.

Did management tell you that Annie gets lighter tasks because she performed exceptionally well when she did harder tasks before or after your rant? Is exceptionally well measured by a number (eg bringing in X amount of business), speed (eg closing cases in X time), positive client feedback etc?

If you knew that paying your dues with harder tasks would lead to easier ones then you need to focus on how you can end up with lighter tasks rather than the management decision to have people have a period of harder tasks before being rewarded with the lighter ones. It is shitty for the people stuck with the harder tasks but we can’t really comment as we don’t know the job and industry.

Tommy shouldn’t have got aggressive. The company should be telling him to back off formally.

I would also think about how the company found out about what you said. Lots of people like a moan about work but if someone that you moaned yo reported you then you might have to rethink your relationship with your colleagues and keep that kind of moan to your partner or therapist.

Of course you are right, but they grow up in a different culture and therefore think and behave differently.

I wouldn't apologise. Another colleague has abused the OP. He needs to apologise as what was said was nothing to do with him.

This. Fight fire with fire.

I asked a colleague in another department why a job hadn't been done in my department last year and they raised a grievance and went off sick. I would now document any similar discussion and lodge it with HR immediately.

Agreed, except that I would drop the "fair share" rhetoric and simply request reasonable adjustments if needed. And if they're not needed, accept that tasks are allocated by seniority and track record.

Report Tommy to the management, he shouldn’t have been aggressively shouting at you.

In Poland, Tommy would be told to bugger off with such rubbish-I know because I grew up in a neighbouring country!

That probably explains why you seem to think 'freedom of speech' exists in England. It doesn't. There is no legal right to freedom of speech and there are actually stringent laws about what you can and can't say about others.

You are facing a disciplinary for making comments about co workers that are not your place to make.

That's reasonable, but Poles have been victims of anti-Slavic racist theory all the same. Legislation against racism at work also covers nationality and ethnicity. (But I agree there's no indication OP has offended this way at work).

But she didn't complain, she just started a rumour about favouritism naming Annie (and others). Annie's DH objected to this as he should and called her out.

The problem isn't that you said it was unfair but that you specifically named people. If you'd asked for work to be allocated more fairly instead of venting you might be in a better position.

Certain tasks that are more physical, I can't do at work but if you were to look at me, I can absolutely guarantee you'd think 'She's able-bodied, so she must be lazy/a favourite of management'. Yet, there is a very good reason why I can't do those things, which technically is a disability.

My point is, you have made assumptions regarding your colleague. You have no idea why she's on 'lighter duties', there could be a very good reason behind it. You aren't going to know your colleagues personal medical information, unless they choose to share that with you themselves.

Of course, you may be correct, perhaps your colleague is a favourite of management, and she's given preferential treatment but you don't know that.

You should have raised the issue with the person allocating jobs, in a professional manner, not moaned to a colleagues and bitched about another. Freedom of speech means you can speak without retaliation or censorship from the government. It isn't a blank card, that means you can speak to people how you want. Annie's husband is correct, it isn't any of your business and you were gossiping.

Unfortunately, you will have to see what happens. Your best bet would be to apologise to management if you are pulled up. Say that you are burnt out by having more than your fair share of harder tasks, and were frustrated. You realise you didn't handle the situation correctly, and for that you apologise, as you didn't mean to upset Annie.

Management have no control over Tommy unless he does work there, and he was obviously annoyed that someone was talking nastily about his wife. I assume she found out and had been crying on his shoulder so to speak.

The op did NOT single Annie out!! Read the post, she stated several people Including Annie

if there is general favouritism op is within her right to complain and expect something to be done clearly setting out the criteria for allocation of tasks. But I agree gossiping is not ok. I expect op did it in a moment of frustration

Polish people aren’t a “race,” anyway. My dad’s side of the family came to the US from Poland in the 1910s, and while Poles are certainly an ethnic group, they’re not some kind of separate race from white British people or any other type of white people.

I disagree, the op isn't being racist. She's just describing her. The tall one, the blonde one, the fat one, the French one.