Had Absence Management Meeting!

petmad

Well I had my absence management meeting, I have been off since Nov 07 and still waiting for op. So much for me believing all is well, I am starting to see the vultures swarming overhead.
At best they can hold my job and then discuss reduced hours, or refer me to their doc to give and opinion as to whether I will recover enough to work in the future if he/she says yes I can be let go with 12 weeks pay. If the opinion is I won't then I can get access to the pension plan I have paid into for the last 36 year.
So looks like between the age of 53 to 65 I can be a very poor individual scraping by as well as I can, or can get a decent pension and not need to go cap in hand to social security for everything. Linda

skezier

Hi Linda,
I don't know if this will help you, it was along time ago and things have changed. I worked for the NHS, I paid in to a pension and when I got injured it became apparent I wasn't going to be able to return. They put me under huge, huge, huge presure to resign and if I did they'd give me a good reference or I could go for s.s.p and get thrown out on medical grounds if I didn't return by 12 months. I got thrown out as I knew I was washed up as it was before the decompression and I couldn't really walk. They ended up being much better than they said they'd be and rounded my pension up to 10 years, index linked and payable imedietly. I was 27 when I got discharged.
I honestly do scratch a living now and without the pension (by no ways big) I'd really strugle. That's the plus side of a pension. the downside is it precludes you from any state bennifit (or in my case it does). I am self employed as I forwent the reference that didn't mention my back and medical discharge and I became unemployable. When I was able to work better I went flat out and I have no morgage or rent, sometimes thats a disadvantage as well. What ever you decide the scratching a living is a hard way to go if your not so well. I wish you luck and decide what you want and make them do it! I know things have changed and it's meant to have got better but I don't know as it has so don't rush anything. You take care and give your cat a stroke and tell 'him' mine said meow. Cris

petmad

I am hoping they will hold my job, I feel I will be able to return post op and intend to go down to part time, however as I have been off so long it looks like the managers will take the decision not to keep my job open. I so hope they will not take this decision but know it is happening to other people.

eckstardeluxe

Go to their Dr if that's an option, they are really good, they are really interested in your illness and how it affects you. I know it's very worrying, your comment about vultures certainly struck a chord with me. The facts are they can't pay you off if you have a genuine illness unless they have done absolutely everything possible to enable you to get back to work or have given you the proper time to recover. That's what a tribunal would look at and very few companies actually follow the DDA guidelines to the letter. Don't be frightened to mention that if they get heavy handed. If you have a Union speak to them also. Good luck.