<img src="/sites/default/files/justice.jpg" align="right" width="100" hspace="5" alt="scales of justice">Different companies may have different policies, but the law gives you a minimum of rights in various aspects of your employment. In our view, your legal rights are not good enough, but some of them are useful, and it is good to know what they are!
If you think that your employer is breahcing your legal rights, contact RMT immediately.
What happens if your company's Occupational Health department says that you are fit to return to work after sickness but your own GP says you should stay off work for a while longer? Is your employer allowed to stop your sick pay if you stay off?
No. Case law outlined below explains the legal situation.
Scottish Courage Ltd vs Guthrie EAT/0788/03
The Employment Rights Act 1996 gives employees the right to time off if something “unexpected” happens to their arrangements for caring for a dependant. But your employer may suggest that the word "unexpected" means that if you had more than a couple of days' notice, then you do not have the right to the time off. But a recent legal case has established that “unexpected” can include a situation in which the employee had two weeks’ notice of a change to their childcare arrangements.
RMT has won a landmark legal victory that upholds your right to be represented by a union rep of your choice even if he or she works for a different company.