Someone at work tampered with my food and Baby's EBM!!! ---- Long post.

[Ice]

Before I go on, I just want to let you all know I am a regular but have changed my name as I may be recognized if anyone who works with me is a mnetter

I am very upset, this happend yesturday(tues) We have a fridge in chamging room at work. I leave shopping in there and lunch etc. And most of all my expressed breast milk. For some time I have noticed that when I leave shopping it looks like it has been moved/touched. So yestueday I wanted to save some of my meal for today, I tied up the bag and put a bow in with a mark in the middle of bow so that I'd know if it had been touched. Later on, I expressed and tied the bag up and put it in fridge behind my shopping.
At the end of my shift I went to the fridge and there was my bag, ripped open!!! I was shocked and looked at it, I then looked at the milk bag and saw the milk was a funny colour, I opened it and it looked funny. I informed the shift manager and showed her the bag, I told her to come and look at the milk, she saw it and was very upset. I threw the food away as there is no way I was going to eat it. I said there's no way i'm givin my baby the milk. She then looked at her shopping and saw that some was missing, so the stupid b who messed with my stuff must have pinched her stuff too.
I was so angry I was shaking. to cut a long story short, they are taking this very seriously (as they should) There was only 4of us females working that night, so that leaves 2 suspects, 1 of them i doubt would have done it and she finished 1/2hr before me. But the other one finished an hour before, she is very horrible and does not like it if I give her a job to do. Everyone at work says she weird.

I am soooooo upset about all of this and ended up crying today at work. One of the managers and another colegue consoled me, hugging me etc. I just feel like what if the milk has been tampered with before, and I have given it to baby!! Infact I am almost crying now as I think of it. Manager in charge that night is trying to see if I can put milk i the canteen fridge which is locked, in the mean time, I have brought some ice gel packs and put the milk in a cool bag with them today.
Big manager talked to me today and there have been team briefings, manager breifings and the like.

I really need some kind words and even some advice as to where I go from here. I am worried what I will do when I see her next, I know I have no concrete evidence it was her, and that a male could have gone in there, but I just have a feeling it was her, should I say something? the next time I see her will be on Sat. I feel like just not going in cos I dont know what I will do. But why should I stay at home when I haven't done any wrong!!

Sorry it was such a long post!!

ty nailpolish,
cyril--- I will do that. I just dont know how management can do nothing. this is such a serious matter!!

Ice, this has been a horrible experience and its only natural that you are annoyed and angry at it, it was a terrible thing but if you concentrate too much on it the damage is going to be even greater as you will start reflecting your stress out and your child will be sensitive to it. For that only reason, I would advise you to try not to focus too much in the issue for any longer. Keep the EM in a safe place and a eye on this woman.

no disrespect Chandra, but i disagree. Obviosuly it's up to Ice, ultimately, but it sounds like she's going to be more stressed if nothing is done rather than if she pursure it. I hate injustic like this and i think management should be held accountable for its response - or lack of it. People in power/management rely on apathyindifference(or in this case) hoping someone will be too upset to carry it through; that way they can brush it under the carpet. I think it's too serious for that.

god sorry about the mad typos. I also didn't realise that slashes made writing italic as well! hope it makes sense anyway...

hi ice

i think you need to try not to let this person see how angry you are, they sound like the sort of person who would enjoy seeing you upset. its hard to see things properly when you are so angry, like the red mist everyone talks about. you need to stay calm. (difficult i know). try and contact someone in seniority at work about this, someone who can take action. what about a trade union rep? are you in a union? they can act as an advocate for you. wish i could help you myself. have you found somewhere to store your b-milk? you are more than entitled to have somewhere suitable for storage.

big hugs xxx

i agree with cyrilthesquirrel, do not under any circumstances let management brush it under the carpet. they may well be hoping you will let it just pass, hope it goes away. well dont let that happen, there must be someone who is sympathetic to your situation who is senior enough to take action (god i hope there is)

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Yes Cyril, is up to Ice to decide what to do. But the most important thing is that she is OK, and I'm afraid that by being so stressed out she may be missing some lovely times with her child.

As you can appreciate her job is not taking the problem seriously, and I doubt that she can do much to change the situation unless the milk is tampered again. It has been a horrible incident, andI was really mad when I first read about it, but I guess the extent of the damage can be restricted to the time when it happeed rather to extend it further causing her more problems than what she already have, fortunately she realised about the tampering and the child is OK, that's something worth to think about it.

Only my humble opinion... I believe that when pursuing an objective (justice in this case), it is important to compare the benefits that you will get if you succeed against the losses you are going to incur while fighting for that battle.

Hi Ice

I started a thread to ask how you were a couple of days ago - should just've posted to this one

I'm really sorry to hear that your management are being so blase about this - it's not right. I'm expressing and storing ebm at work at the moment and feel sick at the thought of what this woman did. If I can do anything to help, CAT me. Would agree that management shouldn't be allowed to sweep this under the carpet and also second getting the police/local newspaper involved if need be. If this woman's prepared to tamper with a baby's milk, who knows what else she's capable of? I think it needs to be taken very seriously indeed.

Hugs - and do let me know if there's anything I can do.
HM xxx

this person is obviously evil and needs taught a lesson. if ice is strong enough she coult teach that person that they cannot get away with this.

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thanks all, chandra i respect your opinion and i will take part of it and ensure i dont loose out time with kids. but i will also be taking this further. If it was just a case of messing with food. or just stealing then thats bad enough but a baby's milk!!!! there is no way!! if it was a normal pint of milk that could have been anyones but it was in a avent cup and with a breast pump obv for a baby, how someone could do that!! I remember a few years bag some nutter tampered with some heinz food and there was a recall, i thought who would do such a thing but to actually work with someone capable[anger][anger]
cyril-- made perfect sense. i do think they want to sweep under carpet.
nailpolish-- they dont have a union, but have welfare line. I have had to get ice gel to store milk in my locker. i am trying not to let her see my anger, i just completely ignore her. even if i am asked to be in charge i just tell someone elso to tell her. I really am trying but i just feel i am a time bomb ticking at the moment thinking of all ways to get revenge i hate being like that as it is so out of character.
socci-- hadn't though of that, will see what joy i get first, i'm sure local paper would be interested and even nationals cos the company is very high profile. there is no motive other than she is horrible, horrible person. only thing i can think of is that she didn't like me being in charge and telling her what to do. but as you say she took something from someone else.

just noticed time, must go to work now. will post later. thanks.
Ice xxx
hunker--- ty for asking about me in thread, didn't see it till you mentioned it here. I will take you up on the CAT offer. thanks.

so worked up didn't work

ice, I am really surprised that management hasn't done more to reasure you and show they are taking this matter serioiusly. Going to the press could be a good idea I think, as IME if there's a threat of bad publicity for a company, action tends to get taken.

If you threaten to tell the press, I don't know how that will affect your work relationships, though. You could always say someone from the press phoned you after hearing about the story. You have said you've told people in your company, so without naming names, it's possible someone (not you) could have tipped off a journalist. Just a thought.

tigermoth-- I was wondering about that too, if i go to the press then it could all get very uncomfortable, I think I will go down the welfare line and head office route first. but if i get nowhere i will prob go down press route.

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agree socci, it has been a month now

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socci, my husband was and is very angry about it, he cant believe management is acting so blase, he is in management himself and would not act this way. my family are very angry and cannot believe someone would act in this way. I couldn't believe it myself and just stood there staring with the fridge door open and milk in hand, I think it took me a min or two to move. I was shaking. I was at work today and the anger is just as strong

Hi ice, this is awful. I did read your original post a while ago, but really didn't know what to say. Have you contacted the police? Tampering with food intended for human consumption is such a serious offence I can't believe they wouldn't take this very seriously. Naturally, you've been hoping your place of work would do something, and I really feel you've very fairly given them plenty of time to do so. Might it be worth contacting your local station for an informal chat to see what they make of it?

I'd definitely do as Levanna suggests, but I'd say to your work that you're going to do it on Monday if they've not shown that they're interested in helping you resolve this situation.

It is a serious thing to tamper with food, and far more serious if that food is intended for a baby. If your work aren't interested, the police will be, I'm sure. And then your work may very well have to be interested, if you get my drift

I'd be feeling very out of control of the situation as it stands now. If you give your work a deadline before getting in touch with the police, you're in charge again.

Hugs as always xxx

try contacting the ACAS helpline 08457 47 47 47,
or look in their A-Z section on their website,
ACAS , they offer
advice to employers and employees alike and may be able to help structure what you do next. hth

Maybe even try contacting the Health and Safety Executive? sorry, don't have contact details but should be in phone book and possible as a link on the ACAS website too.

tyvm, you four, I HATE being at work. When i have to go i dont want to, while I am there I make do and some of the people there are very nice and I have a laugh but today I really wanted to just walk out. I have to say This isn't the first thing to have happened to make me feel like that place is the pitts. I will get in contact with acas, and i may even have an informal chat with police and tell work I have had advice from police.