Stage 1 Warning.

issymknight
issymknight Member Posts: 99
Hi all Just thought I'd let you know what has happened to me since June. I have RA and it is being well behaved pity cant say that for the rest of me. I got diagnosed with Shingles beginning of June but as it was on my torso I could keep it covered and my trusty pain killers helped me to continue to work. A week into the Shingles I started feeling tired, hot and cold just lethargic. Doctor said I had a Viral Infection and I had to let it pass through my body. weeks later my symptoms get worse and I now have Swine Flu, by this stage I cant even go to the toilet without help as I have no energy and the weight has just dropped off me went from (9st 5 to 7st 2 ) in the space of 3 weeks. Was given Tamiflu and after 10 days all the symptons dissappeared and I was able to return to work. It took 5 weeks from the viral infection to the swine flu to fully recover. When I got back to work my manager made a big thing of saying that he was not counting my RA illness as part of the warning only the recent 5weeks. I asked him to consider the fact that due to having RA I had a low imunne system and being on Methotrexate also doesnt help. He said he has taken that into consideration but has still given me the warning. I think what annoys me most is that I had swine flu and the advice from the goverment and your doctor is not to go out not to got anywhere. It seems this only applies to people with no underlying disability.
Sorry for the moan but I just wondered if I was right to feel a bit agrieved.

Comments

  • skezier
    skezier Member Posts: 11,333
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Issy,

    I can't help with if that should have happened as I have been self employed for many years but I do think if I were you I would feel aggrieved, maybe very actually. I hope he will be more reasonable in future. take care, Cris
  • eckstardeluxe
    eckstardeluxe Member Posts: 1,192
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Issy

    Get immediate advice from your Union CAB, ACAS etc.

    I work for the Government. Swine Flu is not calculated in sick abcense of any Government employee, if you have it in our work they cannot count in your sick absence, regardless of how long you are off for.

    Do not sign anything. Advise your Manager or whoever is dealing with you, that you are taking external advice as aware the Government does not want this absence calculated in their own employees sick records and surely this may be the same for your Employer, ask them to give you a copy of the guidelines they will have been sent re this for their employees. You may get this warning recanted. If anything happened in the future and say you went to Tribunal, your Employer would be in big trouble for taking action against a victim of Swine Flu. Don't take it. I'd be absolutely raging if my Manager did this to me. Please get help.

    Good luck

    Eck
  • issymknight
    issymknight Member Posts: 99
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Eck
    Thanks for that I have just rung up my union rep and asked him to look into it for me. I asked my manager yesterday if personnel knew I had swine flu and he said they have put the viral infection down to swine flu as chances are I had it then. Just read dep work and pensions sick leave policy and it is what yousaid. (An absence due to swine flu, or suspected swine flu, will be disregarded under attendance management and not cause a warning, dismissal or failure of probation. This will apply even if the employee is subsequently confirmed not to have swine flu.)

    So I would imagine that the Post Office would come under this.

    Fingers crossed my rep can get it sorted. Its bad enough having RA but getting swine flu on top just done my poor body in.
    Once again Thanks eck.
  • eckstardeluxe
    eckstardeluxe Member Posts: 1,192
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Eck
    Thanks for that I have just rung up my union rep and asked him to look into it for me. I asked my manager yesterday if personnel knew I had swine flu and he said they have put the viral infection down to swine flu as chances are I had it then. Just read dep work and pensions sick leave policy and it is what yousaid. (An absence due to swine flu, or suspected swine flu, will be disregarded under attendance management and not cause a warning, dismissal or failure of probation. This will apply even if the employee is subsequently confirmed not to have swine flu.)

    So I would imagine that the Post Office would come under this.

    Fingers crossed my rep can get it sorted. Its bad enough having RA but getting swine flu on top just done my poor body in.
    Once again Thanks eck.

    That's great news Issy. I'm pretty sure the PO will be the same. Hopefully this will be a good turn up. good luck

    Eck
  • issymknight
    issymknight Member Posts: 99
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Eck Union rep phoned me Friday to tell me that Post Office is treating Swine flu as a normal Illness, so have to accept stage 1 warning. Just wondering what will happen in winter as it was hard enough to fight in the summer. Not to worry at least I have fully recoved from it now.

    Issy
  • eckstardeluxe
    eckstardeluxe Member Posts: 1,192
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Eck Union rep phoned me Friday to tell me that Post Office is treating Swine flu as a normal Illness, so have to accept stage 1 warning. Just wondering what will happen in winter as it was hard enough to fight in the summer. Not to worry at least I have fully recoved from it now.

    Issy

    That's bad news Issy. That's terrible, one rule for some and another for others. Did you get to see the guidance the PO will have been sent by the Government? I'd still ask to see that if you haven't already, it tells them how to treat swine flu etc. I wouldn't just take their word for it, I'd want that in writing why they are treating it as normal.
  • issymknight
    issymknight Member Posts: 99
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Will do. Will ask for what guidance the goverment gave them re swine flu.

    Thanks

    Issy
  • c4thyg
    c4thyg Member Posts: 542
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Issy,

    I'm appalled by this and can't believe what has happened. If I was you I would sneeze in your manager's face and then say that you can't go home because swine flu isn't an acceptable reason!

    Is it any wonder that swine flu is spreading when this is how work places treat it? F@£&@% idiots!! Sorry blood boils when faced with this sort of thing. There is something seriously wrong with this country.