Hi, my name is wiggly888! Should I settle on my compensation case?

wiggly888

hi, looking for advice and support please. I have Parkinson’s disease and for over four years I have faced problems at work due to other staff blocking the entrance to my office with equipment. I work on a ward in a hospital and I’m office based on the ward. These items are large and heavy and it’s an ongoing issue. Four years ago I began to complain and ask my manager for help. My manager is useless and didn’t support me. Long story short, I’ve been off sick now since April 2024 because the stress caused by this and fear of falling over all the time at work was too much. Other staff saw me trip up and lose balance and do nothing to help. I’ve heard them laugh at me. My union took up my case last year and I have a solicitor who they appointed who seems to think that my case is in the low to mid band vento bracket for compensation. I’ve been through the grievance process, I have a date for January for judiciary mediation and tribunal date for July 25’ which has been timetabled for 3 days in court should this fail. Solicitor isn’t very easy to work with and I have a good strong case I believe with four years of photos of the situation and all the emails asking for help, mental health letters and a letter from my neurologist. We are claiming for discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments. I was asked to come up with what I wanted this week, I don’t want money I want my day in court, I want this made public record but as she insisted it’s worth 15k at the very most I said no way, this has been four years of hell for me. So I said okay you want a figure? 30k I said. It’s almost as if she wants a quick settlement and on to the next one. I’ve been bullied, humiliated, degraded and my illness got worse with the stress. I’ve been blocked in my office and couldn’t even get to the toilet, I wet myself twice and had to go home to change. It’s been awful. Should I try to settle or go to ET? I have so much evidence and they don’t appear to have any. I am due to have a psychiatric evaluation which is paid for too by the union soon and wonder if this will give my case more weight. Any advice?

Rosie_Scope

Hi @wiggly888, I'm so sorry to read about what you've been through at work, that sounds awful.

I'm afraid I don't have much experience with legal cases so I can't offer much advice about whether to settle, that kind of information might be better coming from someone with a legal background. But it does sound like you are very passionate about being heard in court and with all you've been through it sounds like it would be important for you to push for the justice you're hoping for.

Hopefully there's a member out there who might have a similar experience and can share what happened with them. But I just wanted to wish you well, I really hope you get the end result you need to feel heard.