Employer moved me into a dept where I can not do a role

mtag

Hi all 

hope everyone is ok .

Im seeking advice as I was doing a job at work that I could do and perform well in an area that met my needs .

i have permanent restrictions in work put in place by occupational health and my supervisors in the area and trade union reps in the area know the score with me.

the department I was in has been downsized so I was moved into a different department where I’m unable to perform any role and also don’t meet my restrictions , for example I’m having to use turnstiles to access work which are tight when using double elbow crutches with a coat and a back pack on , regularly get caught / hit by them , report it and nothing happens . What’s annoying is technically they have moved me off a job and replaced me .

I had a meeting with a line manager and HR accompanied with a trade union rep and they are now asking me to look at roles in a different department , I asked can we not see where the downstairs toilets are for me to access and was just told I need to find a role first before going into details (surely an accessible toilet is a major detail ). To top it off ive been advised that if I’m unable to find a role that my employment could be terminated under capability .

I’ve been asked to help out and have been doing so for the past 3 months but it’s aggravating my condition to the point the doctor has had to increase my medication .

theres more going on but I assume you get the jist of it, to say the least it’s stressful and exhausting and painful.

any advice or opinion on the matter would be appreciated, only thing I can think of is Acas ?

thanks 

Rosie_Scope

Hi @mtag, sorry to hear about your troubles at work, it sounds really frustrating.

I think ACAS would probably be a good shout, they might be able to advise you on your rights and if there's anything more you could try.

Was your trade union rep able to offer any support or advice on the situation?

mtag

Hi Rosie 

thanks for the reply . The union is partly responsible why I’m in this situation , due to downsizing the question was asked what about restricted workers and the response was just move them and sort them out afterwards , and in my opinion is ignorant .

i just don’t understand moving a restricted person with restrictions from occupational health from a job they could perform well to an area where there is no suitable role and poses a health risk (turnstiles) , I ended up with my forearm caught in the turnstiles and bruised from elbow to wrist and made it near to impossible to use my crutches.

i had better access in the department I was in and now it’s abit of a nightmare.

i thought the whole point of the equality act was to protect workers from being at a disadvantage and protect them from risk of injury .