My tale of woe that still grates, 2 years on.
I was due back off ML in the January.
Around early November I had asked my manager (and, I thought, friend) to let me know the details of the Christmas party and the factory Christmas buffet/raffle/secret Santa. The factory was 95% female, so mat leave dealt with regularly and people on ML always included in events.
End of November, hadn't heard anything. Had called a few times for a chat, seeing when my KIT days were and to discuss return to work, each time my manager was unavailable.
Early December managed to catch her unexpectedly, she was take aback and sounded flustered. She explained that the company were paying for the party, as I'd been off they didn't think i'd want to come. Even though her other friend arranged it all and she could have said "Brian wants to come" the same way that I had done the year before, when manager was on her ML.
I let that go and asked who I'd got in the Secret Santa and what day was the buffet (again, I'd sorted all this out for her the previous year) "Oh we're not doing it this year". Fair enough.
A week later a letter arrives. Potential redundancies and could I come for a meeting.
Yep you guessed it, I was made redundant and the official date was actually my oroginal return to work date. Convenient.
She'd known all along. Senior management didn't want me back as my role had been absorbed by my manager's second in command during my absence. They didn't say that though. They had sought legal advice on how to make me redundant without legal redress, should I have pursued it
To add insult to injury, I bumped into one of the factory girls a few weeks later and was told."Oh we missed you at the buffet, every one was hoping you'd be there"
Cunts.