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paying to be sacked..!

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sounds like a joke tbh.

    i wouldn't pay it at all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Tell them to goto hell.

    An employer can't charge you for being investigated. Most idotic thing I've ever heard.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I would write back telling them to go swivle for it.

    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.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    thanks guys iv told her and she said thats what shes going to do anyway, she isnt paying it, even though it says it has to be paid in 5 days. the actual wording in the letter says she owes them 'detection and apprehension' costs! we've been looking up the union for this supermarket and reading all sorts of horror stories of how badly they can treat their staff and apparently they're really anti-union. shes going to try and get advice from them or get involved with the CAB.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Definitely get advice from the union, and get them to help if they can. My union is really, really good and usually manages to sort out everything. Nothing to do with supermarkets, but there should be someone there that can advise if nothing else.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    She could write them a letter charging them for her own investigation costs, and give them five minutes to pay?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Tell her to go to the police and report them for extortion.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    something is wrong there. i would take it up and refuse to pay. isnt that illegal for company to do that?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Unfortunately, if your friend isn't a member of a relevant union or, if she was, the union isn't recognised by the supermarket, their advice isn't likely to help much. Even so, I'd be interested to see how the supermarket intend to pursue payment of their bill. I'd have a careful look at the original contract of employment and staff handbook, if I were you.

    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.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The supermarket has little to no chance of retrieving those costs and I'd be more than happy for them to try and take me to court for that. Your friend could perhaps ring a solicitor and ask for advice, but as for the warning letters and '5 days to pay' statements they should be ignored. This is a ridiculous situation and and employee is not responsible for the cost of disciplinary action.

    I'd love to know which supermarket it is, I would make sure I never shop there!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah, tell us - which supermarket is it?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know I know! :d
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i dont want to get into trouble as i still work there but they wear a lot of green.

    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.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i dont want to get into trouble as i still work there but they wear a lot of green.

    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.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the thing is she hasnt appealed the decision though. she accepted that she'd been dismissed and thats it. x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    super147 wrote: »
    I'd love to know which supermarket it is, I would make sure I never shop there!

    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 :-)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey there,

    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. :)
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