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paying to be sacked..!
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Work & Study
one of my best friends recently got sacked from her job, we both work in a well known supermarket. she got sacked for really stupid reasons really, but it wasnt for stealing or anything. anyway i went into the disciplinary with her as her witness etc. in the end she got sacked.
yesterday she received a letter from the supermarkets solicitors saying she owes them £245 for 'investigative costs' or something along those lines. i havent read the letter but from what shes told me it sounds like they are charging her for the investigation and the disciplinary and the time it took to do it?! has anybody ever ever heard of anything like that before? i totally dont understand it, the company made the choice to watch her on camera etc and to suspend her so why should she have to pay for it? and even if they did how does it come to so much?
obviously its hard cos i dont have the full details yet but i just wondered if anyone had ever heard of anything like it before. thanks.
yesterday she received a letter from the supermarkets solicitors saying she owes them £245 for 'investigative costs' or something along those lines. i havent read the letter but from what shes told me it sounds like they are charging her for the investigation and the disciplinary and the time it took to do it?! has anybody ever ever heard of anything like that before? i totally dont understand it, the company made the choice to watch her on camera etc and to suspend her so why should she have to pay for it? and even if they did how does it come to so much?
obviously its hard cos i dont have the full details yet but i just wondered if anyone had ever heard of anything like it before. thanks.
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Comments
i wouldn't pay it at all.
An employer can't charge you for being investigated. Most idotic thing I've ever heard.
Let them chase you, and see how badly they want it. For such a small amount its a waste of the supermarkets time and not great PR.
In future, check union affiliations at the interview stage. Join up and pay your dues in order to be assured of union support in the event of workplace disputes. But beware, union membership is a two-way street. They will expect your support in the event of action in support of other staff or associated issues.
I'd love to know which supermarket it is, I would make sure I never shop there!
i think her appointment with the CAB is today. im really glad everybody else thinks its awful too, i thought maybe it was a common thing that i'd just never heard of.
I'm thinking that they are trying to recoup the cost of the appeal process, and probably state somewhere in their policy that you have the right to appeal a disciplinary decision but if the decision is upheld you will be liable for the costs of that appeal. I don't know if they have any legal footing on which to pursue that but I certainly wouldn't be paying it and I would be happy to stand up in court if necessary. I find it appalling that there should be a penalty for using your right to appeal a decision.
The only good thing about the shop that wears a lot of green is their own-brand pesto and salad cream. The Co-Op's salad cream is the best though :-)
This seems like a difficult situation to be in and understandably you are worried.
Although I do not know the answer to your question directly, I have some suggestions for where you can obtain free help.
1. You can call the The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service helpline on 08457 474747. They are a Government funded agency and they can give free information on employment issues. Their website also has plenty of useful information.
2. You can contact a local Law Centre for free professional legal advice. To find out where your local centre is you can call the Law Centres Federation on 020 7387 8570.
3. Further, a local Citizen's Advice Bureau can also provide free legal advice. You can visit their website to find where your local office is.
You may wish to tell your the employers that you will not give them any answers before seeking legal advice.
As the other posters have also said I would also read through the terms and conditions of your employment and your contract, to see if they included any clauses for this type of situation.
Hope this helps.