Unite wins paid time off for Peabody worker
Threatened with weapon
Peabody Unite were recently successful in obtaining paid time off for an operative working in an area of the business treated as a subsidiary and therefore where no sick pay is paid.
The operative was threatened with assault by a tenant armed with a weapon and was subsequently unable to work due to the fear and distress this had caused, obviously this would be compounded if he had to take unpaid time off.
Importance of unions
Despite this horrific incident the worker in question was back at work within a few days fearing loss of pay so it is very fortunate that Unite was able to intervene, the worker was a member of Unite and contacted us shortly after the event. Had Unite not successfully intervened this worker would not have had the support he needed to continue in his role.
With the support of Unite this incident was escalated through the health and safety team meaning appropriate action was taken to help prevent similar incidents occurring should future operatives need to enter this property. This event underlines the vital importance that unions can play in ensuring health and safety at work because the bosses just can't be trusted!
Posted 26 July 2019
