What are his rights?

[Tigertigers]

My boyfriend had an injury at work and has torn his knee ligaments and has been off work for 3 months recovering because he cannot do his job as it involves heavy lifting and working for 8 hours a day.

He posted something online about he took his daughters to an event for a hour as he has shared access to his daughters. He forgot a manager at work was on his Facebook and the manager said I don't agree and am not happy you are going out which is a no from me being a manager and named the company. He said that he should not be leaving the house. He is not even a direct line manager to him.

He was not out enjoying himself and seeing his children is a priority as he could not see them for some periods throughout the lockdown due to restrictions.

Today another manager went to a pub wearing the employers uniform and spoke to a guy who knows my boyfriend. He told my boyfriend's friend that my boyfriend had a HR meeting and is in huge trouble at work. He said that he will make sure my boyfriend loses his job.

My boyfriend is really worried as his sick pay will drop soon, he said he needs to pay maintenance for his children and is being pressured to return to work when still not healed.

He has autism and struggles with noise and lights at work and was told in the past by a wellbeing rep at the company that he doesn't have autism and has anxiety and is confused and sent him on an anxiety course. It's like he is being gaslighted.

Managers are publicly discussing his private work life to people who do not work for the company. What would his rights be? These managers are breaking the company Code of Conduct. My boyfriend is in the union.

Plain and simple go to the union
you’ll get a mixture of advice some right some wrong from well meaning posters

Union.

Definitely the union is the first port of call.

go to the union it might be possible to request his union representatives are present for the meeting with HR

100% the union @Tigertigers

And speak to acas too - if this ends up gong to tribunal you need to be very clear on the timeline you have to start proceedings and the process you follow. Unions have been known to fuck this up in the past (unintentionally) You can give the ACAS helpline a call and talk through the situation. Explain you want to get a union and very specifically ask if this starts your timeline of complaint proceedings and if not WHEN does it start.

the autism issues will DEFINITELY fall under disability discrimination. the knee wouldn’t but the fact he’s done it a work may lead to questions if they did a proper health and safety risk assessment for him in a proper manner considering his autism or did he understand etc etc so that could well form part of the basis of the complaint.

Even if it doesn’t form part of it I think there is absolutely enough going on to start proceedings which acas and union will talk though. i hope you have documented all the issues alongside date? Write everything down.

He must have a union rep (not a work colleague or HR rep) at all meeting from now on and meetings can be a time convenient to the rep (to stop work holding them without the rep) I would also expect the rep under the circumstances to be able to interject and check your boyfriends understanding of questions etc if they seem like they are leading him down the garden path

if work have held meetings with him in the past without proper representation knowing he has autism and they are always negative to the boyfriend I would be pushing to get these discounted because you could argue he didn’t understand enough to be able to representative himself effectively and respond ti the situation fairly.

Absolutely union and Acas. And no, he doesn't have to lock himself in his house when he's on sick leave. Doing other things will help his recovery. There's a world of difference between being able to take your kids out to something and being able to do eight hours of heavy lifting.

Being unfit for work does not mean you are confined to your house. His employer cannot dismiss him just because he took his daughters to an event. The manager talking to your boyfriend's friend is also a huge issue. As others have said, your boyfriend needs to talk to his union.