Facing an unfair dismissal from a workplace she loved was never a scenario Alice* thought she would face.
As a senior manager of a large team, Alice had always taken pride in her work and had never had a complaint made against her.
So when Alice’s manager presented her with a list of allegations, she turned to the FSU for support. Ultimately, she secured an outcome that left her financially better off.
“I’ve never had any issues with people I’ve managed, and this was the first time this kind of behaviour happened to me,” said Alice.
“I loved my work, I was passionate about the company and always worked towards their values and vision. I enjoyed helping members of my team grow and work towards their career development.”
The threat of an unfair dismissal came after Alice raised concerns with her employer about a colleague’s behaviour.
“My manager just kept pushing back, but meanwhile the person’s behaviour was escalating and bringing the workplace culture down.
“It really affected my mental wellbeing, and I’m still seeing a counsellor who’s helping me deal with that.”
The next thing Alice knew, she was being sent a suspension letter. It contained allegations that she was able to disprove with supporting documents and timelines.
“I told them no – I haven’t done anything wrong here.”
Despite refuting the allegations, the investigation led to Alice being dismissed due to misconduct.
After this unexpected dismissal, Alice contacted the union for help. The relationship with her employer was damaged and had caused her a great deal of stress. Alice no longer wanted her job back, but wanted to know her rights and what she could do about being treated so unfairly.
Fortunately, the FSU was able to negotiate a far better deal for Alice, which included an ex-gratia payment, a reclassification of her ‘termination’ to ‘resignation’, and a statement of service.
“I always knew at the back of my mind that the union would be there if ever I needed it, and that was certainly the case: they stood up for me.
“It wasn’t like the union pushed me with what to do, they simply listened and understood my concerns and addressed them, and they helped me feel calm and supported.”
While nobody wants to think about facing an unfair dismissal, the reality is many finance sector workers do find themselves in these unfortunate situations. The FSU will always be here to protect our members.
“If you need support and you know you’ve done the right thing, the union will be there to support you.”
*Not member’s actual name.
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