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Original poster

Constructively dismissed by Girlguiding

118 replies

iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:17

Hi all,

I have been constructively dismissed by Girlguiding for raising concerns. And no, not their trans policy ones. My daughters have also been excluded as result. They never investigated or dealt with my concerns.

I'm putting this here because:

  1. I want people to know that volunteering with them is dangerous and you could find yourself in the very difficult situation I find myself in with my girls
  2. If anyone else experiences this in the future, please get in touch. I spoke to a few journalists at length about this. A handful were interested in the story, but ultimately their editor said it couldn't fly without multiple people saying the same things.

I appreciate this is a very brief post and I'm happy to give more details, but I'm aware that short posts are easier to process. If I was reading this a few years ago I'd think "there's more to this than meets the eye", and there definitely is, but I'm keen to keep this short and sweet.

OP posts:
Macaroni1924 · 28/10/2022 01:02

Why can’t your daughters go now?

Quveas · 28/10/2022 01:00

iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:31

@TheNosehasit constructively dismissed for raising concerns as far as I can see, and they never denied it after well over a year of me saying it.

You can be constructively dismissed as a volunteer, as I understand it, but taking the matter through an employment tribunal is much harder than if you're paid staff - but why would you want to? It's expensive, stressful and what would you get at the end of it? Frankly, I don't have the balls that Katie Alcock does.

You absolutelyu cannot be dismissed - constructively or otherwise - if you are a volunteer. There is no employment relationship. Tribunals are not expensive - they are free. It isn't harder to make a claim than if you are paid staff - it is IMPOSSIBLE if you are a volunteer.

Original poster
iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:59

@AppleKatie no they haven't given a reason. They claim that they were investigating, but I made a subject access request and found no evidence to support that. They've had 1-2 years to investigate (the exact length of time depends on which issue you're referring to).

OP posts:
MajorCarolDanvers · 28/10/2022 00:58

Constructive dismissal is an employment term that does not apply to volunteers. You do not have employment rights and you cannot go to an industrial tribunal.

An organisation can end your volunteering role for any reason - unless discriminating on a protected characteristic

It sounds like you've exhausted their complaints process and they've kicked you out.

It also sounds like journalists are making a polite excuse not to get involved. If they thought there was a story they would go for it.

Time to let it go.

ThatGirlInACountrySong · 28/10/2022 00:56

Well I'd love to hear their version of events....2 sides and all that

AppleKatie · 28/10/2022 00:51

have they given a reason for doing nothing? Incompetence? Malice? Disbelief? Have they said why your complaint wasn’t investigated?

Original poster
iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:40

@AppleKatie complained to HQ about all of the above - they didn't investigate. Told me I wasn't allowed to talk to parents while they "investigated", and proceded to do nothing. No, I'm not saying simply because they wouldn't investigate or do anything I was constructively dismissed. They put me in a position where I felt I had to resign. I never thought they'd behave like this (I started volunteering for them decades ago) so tried to hold out as long as I could. Happy to go in to details of why I felt I needed to resign if that's the question you're asking?

@StellaGibson2022 nope, an ET didn't rule that - I wouldn't bother taking it to an ET. What's my loss? My children can't go to Girlguiding and I've got hurt feelings? Don't think that's worth the £ I might get from fighting that for years.

OP posts:
StellaGibson2022 · 28/10/2022 00:34

iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:21

@AppleKatie Do you mean what concerns I raised that I was constructively dismissed for?

Did an Employment Tribunal rule that you had been constructively dismissed?

AppleKatie · 28/10/2022 00:34

Specifically what did you complain to HQ about? Are you saying that you were constructively dismissed because of their refusal to deal with your complaint?

sorry, it’s hard to make sense of what your are actually getting at.

Original poster
iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:32

@AppleKatie it was HQ who constructively dismissed me after raising it with them after getting nowhere locally. HQ had well over a year to investigate and did naff all, according to a subject access request.

OP posts:
Original poster
iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:31

@TheNosehasit constructively dismissed for raising concerns as far as I can see, and they never denied it after well over a year of me saying it.

You can be constructively dismissed as a volunteer, as I understand it, but taking the matter through an employment tribunal is much harder than if you're paid staff - but why would you want to? It's expensive, stressful and what would you get at the end of it? Frankly, I don't have the balls that Katie Alcock does.

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 28/10/2022 00:30

This stuff sounds bad OP, but it also sounds like the issues are to do with rogue volunteers/improper application of policy at local level.

whilst unpleasantly it is not the same as ‘the organisation’ constructively dismissing you. How far have your complaints gone? Have they been dealt with by HQ?

Catflapping · 28/10/2022 00:30

Go on…

Original poster
iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:27

@AriettyHomily why will it get pulled?

Lots of stuff - didn't bother with recuitment checks for multiple volunteers and lied about it - so could have had offenders volunteering with us for months. Horrid, horrid discrimination against girls with disabilities and additional support needs with one disabled girl in particular who has now been forced to leave. Risk assessments which were so bad, I don't think they'd have been insured because they were so negligent - I think they weren't read. When allegations of bullying made, instead of referring to safe practice as is required, saying that the person making the allegation is the problem. Shall I go on...?

OP posts:
TheNosehasit · 28/10/2022 00:27

If you were volunteering, I'm not sure that you can be constructively dismissed?

What were you constructively dismissed for though? 😆

AriettyHomily · 28/10/2022 00:23

What were your concerns? This will get pullled soon.

Original poster
iloveholidays1 · 28/10/2022 00:21

@AppleKatie Do you mean what concerns I raised that I was constructively dismissed for?

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 28/10/2022 00:19

Can you explain what the issue was?