I've ust drafted my return to work letter - I could cry!

[LowFatMilkshake]

I am so anxious about returning to work. I really hate my boss - I have never hated anyone really not even the girl who bullied me at school when I think how I feel about this guy!

I still have 8 whole weeks before I go back - but I know they will fly by and I am already getting so wound up I will be in the looney bin and having a panic attack again.

This guy doesnt realise it was him putting my BP up that had me bringing my Mat leave forward by 2 weeks.

He has no family or female influence in his life, and no one waiting for him at home of an evening so he completely does not get the family dynamic and the need for me to be out the door dead on 5 to get a bus to get home for 5.45 - just to be get 15 mnutes playtime with DC's do the bath thing and say goodnight. He thinks it is funny to keep me in his office just 5 minutes late so I miss my bus and have to wait 30 minutes for the next one.

He is serial a*ehole, tight fisted, mean hearted, bad mannered, "get your staff to do it and take the credit" wnker!!

I had intended to look for another job while on Mat Leave, as I have had all the chldren I will be having now and no longer need to maintain maternity rights etc. But looking at it realistically I am paid really well even though I am on my part-time hours and DH and my hours go so well together that we dont need to pay for childcare. So there is a one-in-a-million chance of managing to get a job that still ticks all these boxes.

LFMS - this doesn't sound right. I'm sure that even when you go back, he can't make a unilateral decision to change the terms of your contract so dramatically without your consent/consultation etc. I'm afraid I don't know much about employment law but there are others on here who do, I'm sure they'll be along in a minute!

What do your Union say about this? Have you been to the CAB - they were excellent for us when DH had problems at work resulting in him using the grievance procedure. I can't recommend them enough.

Union has told me to play by the rules, which I have done - and am saving up my comments about his non-ability to do simple PC tasks until it gets dirty.

I have noticed him being sly though by having verbal conversations with me rather than writing anyting down, so am going to ask him to put all in writing from now on!

Obviously you have the right to return to the same job on the same terms and conditions. They can only offer you a similar role if they have a very robust business reason to offer you an alternative - for example that the original role no longer exists. The alternative role has to be no less favourable and that covers pay and conditions as well as duties and responsibilities. It can't be a demotion (even if they maintain pay etc).

Failure to prevent you from returning would be unlawful but once you are back they could make your part time job redundant and advertise a full time role instead.

They would have to follow correct procedures under redundancy legislation. Writing to you, holding a meeting, looking at other roles you could do, formal dismissal then right of appeal etc.

Make a note of the conversations you have had recently with him, date and time them and write as much of the dialogue down as you can, these 'file notes' will be useful as evidence if it all goes to pot and you have to make a claim in the future.