Do I need my Union rep present for meeting with HT and HR over long-term sickness?

[Empross76]

Hi,

I'm off on long-term sick leave at the moment, have been since mid-April. Issues with anxiety/depression/stress triggered by changing my AD medication.

I have had a regulation home visit from HT and meeting with OH (who have referred me for CBT).

I had a letter from HT saying she needs to do another home visit, this time with a representative from the Council's HR, and that I may have a Union rep present if I like.

This has scared me!!! Do I need a rep present? If so, why? What do they want to talk about that I might need a rep there for? Or is it just standard?

Has anyone got any experience of being off long-term sick and knows if this sort of meeting is standard?

I will phone the Union anyway to see what they say but I wanted to see if MN have any useful info for me to be pre-armed with.

Thanks.

I have managed a long term sick case. It would be standard practice in my industry (not teaching) to say to the colleague that they are entitled to representation, should they require it. In my experience, it is nothing sinister, just making sure you have the union there if you feel you need them.

Yes, what Themob said. If you are a union member, their support at things like this is part of why you pay your subs, IMO

Absolutley yes. It is very important to have your union rep with you. Please contact them. They have a lot of experience with this usually and can be really helpful.
Hope it goes well.

Agree with those saying it is nothing sinister. But I would have my union rep there all the same, in case I felt the need for some support. Better, in my view, to have someone there and not need them than NOT have a union rep with you and feel that you are being railroaded into returning to work/agreeing to things you are unhappy with.

My union rep was a god send when I had my return to work meeting with ht and hr. She was able to say the things I wanted to say (because we'd discussed it beforehand) and to be honest I don't think I would've been able to cross the threshold of the door without her support. I am nasuwt, don't know if other unions are as good. I was with nut ad they weren't really interested in case work but that might just be Swindon. Good luck x

NUT are very good IME, calm, rational, non-confrontational and they remember to ask all the questions that you either forget or didn't know in the first place.

Thanks all. I'll give them a call and see if they'll come out for the meeting. As someone said, better have them there and not need them than not have them there and need them!