Help! I lost my job after 8 years without any Written or Verbal Warnings
Question: I lost my job recently without any verbal or written warnings. I had been working for this company for 8 years and had been loyal to them and worked hard. So this was totally out of the blue and unexpected, to the point even colleagues, friends and family couldn’t believe what had happened as I loved my job.
I have been told to take this to an employment tribunal, how much would this cost me and what would the likely outcome of this be? When I was dismissed, I was earning £18’000 a year.
Answer: Dismissal without warning has not been shown to be unfair yet, but it should be done under specific conditions of gross misconduct which could include the following; theft or other illegal activity, breach of contract.
Ideally, you will have kept notes on everything that has happened. If you haven’t, then start doing this right away and try and remember as much as you can about what has happened and what has been said. You should ensure your notes are in time/date order (if it has been a while, make notes as they come to you, you can sort them in to some sort of order later!)
Your other options for getting some assistance with this would be the Citizens Advice Bureaux who may be able to give you some advice and assistance about your employment and legal help options. You could also consider talking to ACAS or your Union (if you’re a member of one).
Government advice on Dismissal
https://www.gov.uk/dismissal
Government advice on Unfair and Constructive Dismissal
https://www.gov.uk/dismissal/unfair-and-constructive-dismissal
Citizens Advice Bureaux
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/
CAB (in England) advice on what to do when Work comes to an End
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/work_e/work_work_comes_to_an_end_e.htm
ACAS advice on Redundancy, Notice, Retirement and Transfers
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1365
You have 3 months on dismissal to bring a claim, we can draft the application to the employment tribunal for a fixed fee of £395 including VAT. The tribunal fee is £250 when filing and £1250 just before the hearing.
Consult Hylton-Potts, the experts who offer fixed fees, and give excellent value.
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