Disciplinary over Tweets - I need a hand hold

[BelgianFudge]

Does anyone have any experience of facing disciplinary over getting into a twitter spat? Nothing to do with the employer, but someone has sent screenshots to them and disciplinary action has been initiated.

Sorry for scant detail but I'm understandably worried about revealing much.

I don’t know I think calling someone a dickhead is fairly abusive, but maybe that’s the issue, both of you think it’s not? And his views weren’t extreme

Op. I know you’re trying to defend him, I’m really not sure why. No one is attacking him

Look he wasn’t fired because he was writing benign stuff on line a S having a gentle conversation about politics

But if you really both feel he’s done nothing wrong, his views aren’t extreme, he’s not extreme, then appeal it. Ignore the rep.

Good luck

@Lookingforwardto2021

“His company alleged that he had expressed extremist views (not true), and that his colleagues could be offended if they held opposing views eg pro-Brexit”

If you have this in writing, he would have a good case to take to an employment tribunal. He has a right to express his political views privately (as in his own social media account) and an ET would likely take a dim view of an employer dismissing him for his strongly held and expressed political beliefs, because it might offend colleagues.

People get offended all the time, by all sorts of things. It seems the people involved were not the open-minded live and let live sort and felt personally offended (wager they were Brexiteers!) and did an EU on him.

You ought to read the thread properly.

He was expressing political views, but called this person a dickhead and told him to shut up

But a previous tweet of his (a pleasant one I should add) tagged a load of people, including his employer

That alone is ample evidence to justify from the employer that colleagues could be offended - especially since he used direct abusive language.

Any employment tribunal would look at this whole thing and think 🤦‍♂️.

Oh gosh social media is awful. I do feel for you but equally he has to learn to bite his tongue.

I see a lot of things online I could get into an argument with but I refrain from it.

It certain jobs you still have to be seen as impartial and professional. A friend of mine posted pictures in her bikini drinking a cocktail. A parent complained and the teacher got called in for bringing the school into disrepute! Even tho it’s her social media and she’s not really doing anything.

Equally I would love to comment on certain things related to my job but I just don’t risk it.

Hope he finds another job!

I think the rep thinking they’ve done everything correctly speaks volumes, they’re usually very hot on anything that is ambiguous or not done correctly.

I haven’t read back through the thread but wasn’t your husband given a warning about things he’s written on Facebook previously? If I’ve remembered that correctly then it would show he had been spoken to about social media activity and chosen to ignore the warning.

I’m sorry for you OP, I would be furious if my husband had lost his job because she couldn’t control himself online. I hope he finds alternative work soon.

I’ve had interaction with union reps and some are good while others are not. I would say don’t rely on anyone else’s opinion, you don't know their expertise level or indeed their vector of interests.

I did have a situation where I needed legal support. The lawyers were ok, but didn’t act in my best interests. I disengaged and used my own judgement (and read lots of case law). And I won a significant settlement.

The hardest battle I faced was the inner one, should I fight or let it go. And I decided to fight. It took an emotional toll. But it would have done that no matter what route I chose.

In case your DH hasn’t done its already, he should do a FOI request for everyone involved. And appeal. And then he can decide if he wants to take it further legally or let it go.