Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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Basically we are being made to take the time we left early on friday as annual leave or flexi, I think that this is out of order, as we were given no order, or no valuable order in time to make it home safely. Most of it I explain in the email
quote:
Last Friday I was allowed to leave work early at 14:30 due to the rapidly escalating flooding position and it was just as well I did as subsequent events show:
*My car got stranded in floods and I had to abandon it, is subsequently a write off.
*My girlfriend picked me up on her way back from work but we could find no passable alternative route home and had to spend the night in a pub which cost us £70.
*We only just made it back home the following morning, having to find and navigate a long and tortuous route home
I am fully aware that the Council’s policy on leaving work early under certain agreed circumstances states that any lost time should be made up by taking annual leave or flexi-leave. However, due to the exceptional weather and flooding conditions and taking into account the Council’s duty of care to its employees I do not believe that this policy should be applied in such unusual and dangerous circumstances.
I also believe the councils approach to warning staff was appalling and also breached its duty of care to staff. The council has departments specifically for monitoring weather and road conditions and would have been in the best possible position to realise what was unfolding well before the email sent out.
As such I believe the email that was sent around at 3pm, was not clear enough and left the decision of whether to leave in the hands of the employees, it should have been the employers decision to order affected staff home, not the employee who may have felt pressured into staying and ‘risking’ the journey to save annual leave or flex.
As mentioned above, I no longer have a car available for work until my insurance company has assessed my car and is either repaired or replaced. At the moment I cannot say how long this process will take but will be seeking a quick resolution. In the meantime I will do my utmost to get into work but will only be available to work from the office unless the Council can provide me with an alternative vehicle to undertake site visits.
I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a response as to whether the above is acceptable or not, I however also realise this isn’t a direct IBS Schools issue.
thanks
Steve
What do you think before I send it?
[Edited on 24-07-2007 by Steve]
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Liam
Member
Registered: 19th Jan 06
Location: Stafford
User status: Offline
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Capital "T" on thanks, maybe.
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Hammer
Member
Registered: 11th Feb 04
User status: Offline
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There's a couple of spelling mistakes, plus i would just inform them you're car is a write off rather than suggest what they do to resolve the fact you can't fulfil all your tasks, let them decide being the employer.
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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its not that formal, although I will change that for you liam 
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Ally
Member
Registered: 2nd Jul 03
Location: Pontypool Drives: a Skoda
User status: Offline
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I had this problem steve, in feb we had a dangerous amount of snow and all had to leave at 11.30
the company asked us to take it as holiday, well i say asked but they pretty much told us, in the end all of us complained about it and we didnt have to take it as flexi/holiday
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Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
User status: Offline
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You work for a council Steve? I thought you were working for a company - or have you changed jobs recently or something?
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AK
Member
Registered: 5th Jul 00
Location: Aberdeen City
User status: Offline
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i used to work for a council visiting schools, tax offices, librarys etc..... i had to use my car a fair bit. The will prob supply you with a wee van with an orange light on.
Petrol money is good though.
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Sam
You work for a council Steve? I thought you were working for a company - or have you changed jobs recently or something?
its a seperate self trading company called information business systems, but it falls under the councils policies
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Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
User status: Offline
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Oh right. 
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dna23
Member
Registered: 1st Nov 04
Location: Northamptonshire
User status: Offline
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Seems fair enough, just make sure you're clued up on the council policies .etc because he'll probably come back trying to baffle you with them.
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jaffa
Member
Registered: 27th Mar 00
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
User status: Offline
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maybe me misreading it but you left at 2:30 but the email you got was at 3: 00?
[Edited on 24-07-2007 by jaffa]
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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the policy stipulates that in extreme weather then any time used needs to be used as flexi or AL, the reason for this being it is too hard for the council to manage who genuinely needs to leave and who could get home safely, so they apply the blank policy.
Now i can fully understand this, but in this situation, the councils response should have been.
The affected areas are x, y, z anyone living in these areas must leave.
anyone in these affected areas should not be made to take it as annual leave.
What about the people still stranded in homes in evesham and upton, are the council going to turn round and say sorry, you must take it all off as annual leave, its ridiculous
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by jaffa
maybe me misreading it but you left at 2:30 but the email you got was at 3: 00?
[Edited on 24-07-2007 by jaffa]
yes i left at 2:30 because of my own decision, based on what other members of staff had said to me, nothing from the employer, and clearly by 2:30 it was too late, let alone 3 o clock
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RyanSxi
Member
Registered: 26th Jul 06
User status: Offline
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i work for the council steve, and we got to leave early once or twice during the floods. Just all had it as a 7:24 day (standard full day) instead of recoring our in/out times
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jaffa
Member
Registered: 27th Mar 00
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
quote:
Originally posted by jaffa
maybe me misreading it but you left at 2:30 but the email you got was at 3: 00?
[Edited on 24-07-2007 by jaffa]
yes i left at 2:30 because of my own decision, based on what other members of staff had said to me, nothing from the employer, and clearly by 2:30 it was too late, let alone 3 o clock
ah right that explains it, had guessed it might be that just wondered
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Teddy
Member
Registered: 19th Jul 04
Location: Northampton Drives: VW Bora 1.9TDi pd130
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Can you copy me in for reference please.
Thanks.
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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Colin
Member
Registered: 4th Apr 02
User status: Offline
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you have to use your own car to go on site visits 
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Colin
you have to use your own car to go on site visits
yes which is why i need something diesel, we get a fairly decent car allownace + lump sum in our pay packet, which i actually make money on, adds a grand or two to my annual wage
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andy1868
Member
Registered: 22nd Jun 06
Location: Burscough, Lancashire
User status: Offline
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i remember the days of getting mile allowance, used to give my pay packet a nice boost 
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Colin
Member
Registered: 4th Apr 02
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
quote:
Originally posted by Colin
you have to use your own car to go on site visits
yes which is why i need something diesel, we get a fairly decent car allownace + lump sum in our pay packet, which i actually make money on, adds a grand or two to my annual wage
Ah not bad then im about to start working for the local council, not sure what the deal is with going to sites.
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Daimo B
Member
Registered: 20th Mar 00
User status: Offline
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I had this during the london bombings.
Had a long argument with HR, minuted documented meeting etc.
They still turned me down.
So rather than giving me my 1/2 day back, they argued, argued, still said no.
So i took 3 days sick leave instead. Stuff them.
It isn't the councils duty to supply you with transport though. Its your responsibilty to get to and from work, even if that means taxis. However, depending on the attitude, they may or may not help.
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Teddy
Member
Registered: 19th Jul 04
Location: Northampton Drives: VW Bora 1.9TDi pd130
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
quote:
Originally posted by Colin
you have to use your own car to go on site visits
yes which is why i need something diesel, we get a fairly decent car allownace + lump sum in our pay packet, which i actually make money on, adds a grand or two to my annual wage
My other half does this - hence why she now drives a Golf GT TDi
60mpg is a godsend to be honest
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by VXR
I had this during the london bombings.
Had a long argument with HR, minuted documented meeting etc.
They still turned me down.
So rather than giving me my 1/2 day back, they argued, argued, still said no.
So i took 3 days sick leave instead. Stuff them.
It isn't the councils duty to supply you with transport though. Its your responsibilty to get to and from work, even if that means taxis. However, depending on the attitude, they may or may not help.
yeah if you really wanted to take it further, if they step out of line, who would you goto? ombudsman?
i think they breached there duty of care, and health and safety by putting employees at risk with lack of information and advice
if they truly didnt know, which i highly doubt as the environment agency keeps close watch on things like this, then i wouldve thought they'd air on the side of caution and send staff home anyway
[Edited on 24-07-2007 by Steve]
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barry_kellett99
Member
Registered: 19th May 03
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by VXR
So i took 3 days sick leave instead. Stuff them.
Thats exactly what I would have done too
quote:
Originally posted by VXR
It isn't the councils duty to supply you with transport though. Its your responsibilty to get to and from work, even if that means taxis. However, depending on the attitude, they may or may not help.
He is right you know...
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