Could I lose my job? - SOA included - pls read

notmyrealusername

MCBIRNIE25

Thanks for that, I will give acas a ring.

beanielou

THought it would just be in you went bancrupt
Hope you can work something out

xela_17

A couple of things: why do you spend £40 a month on entertainment when you also spend £36 a month on sky? One of these should be cut back.

How many cats do you have? £40 a month on food and litter seems loads to me. We just have the one cat but we only spend approx £10 month on food and hardly anything on litter now he is out all the time in the good weather. You could cut back here.

You also can't afford to be spending £25 a month on clothes at mo.

If you post the APRs, limits and available credit on your credit cards we could help you with some snowballing.

milliejon

MCBIRNIE25 wrote:

Hiya,
i work in the Civil Service to. As far as I am aware, and under employment law, you cannot be dismissed for having an IVA or Bankruptcy.
The only reasons you can be fairly dismissed for are on:-
Capability grounds, you're deemed as no longer able to do the job contracted to do.
Misconduct.
Redundancy
Failure to comply with legislation, such as Health and Safety laws.
All other dismissals are unfair.
Whilst you have to make it known to your employer, you cannot be dismissed for this reason. It is basic law, you have not breached 1 of the fundamental rights above.
If you want to take further advice, then check out https://www.acas.org.uk they have a telephone advice line, manned by employee law specialists which is free for anyone to use.It's an 0845 number.
I am a Civil Servant and have been on an IVA, even had attachments of earnings etc from my salary. Unless you have a very specific piece of guidance on this in your employee handbook, it should be ok.
Ring the ACAS line for piece of mind, if possible, join your union to, nobody would begrudge you that few quid.It's a necessary insurance.

Thanks McBirnie. I was told this by my employer not the union, so that might account for why they'd say that. Also, I was very depressed when I saw them so it may be my recollection of the meeting (at which I didn't have a rep with me as I'm not in PCS).

I'm sorry if I've caused anybody any worry.

I hope you are able to get some answers soon, notmyrealusername.

MCBIRNIE25

Hi Millie,
no worries, all advice is offered in good faith, we all know that.
I am trying to clarify the situation further over bankruptcy, while IVAs are fine, and you can't be dismissed ove rbankruptcy, I have sent this to our solicitors for legal advice over what penalty could be incurred, will let you know.

milliejon

Thanks McBirnie. I think the way it was explained to me was that bankruptcy was dismissable because you are unable to be trusted with money (!) and as nearly every job (especially at my grade) deals with money, then I would be hard pushed to find a job (unless I started at the bottom again and would stay there).

So not really dismissable, but unemployable at that grade I suppose.

headcovers

Hi, another civil servant here (we're like a virus aren't we;)

I had it explained to me in terms of corruptibility i.e. if you are in a position where you can decide where public funds are spent (and a lot of civil servants are) then you can't be allowed to put yourself in a position where you can be "persuaded" to allocate or spend funds a certain way in order to get a "back-hander".


As if....:rolleyes:

MCBIRNIE25

I have heard that said also, the point is, they cannot dismiss on those grounds, will update people in due course.

Brassic

notmyrealusername wrote:

spud30

421 Rent
58 Car (0% HP 2 1/2 years left)
68 Council tax (inc single occupant discount)
45 Gas & Elec
25 Water
36 Sky (a luxury I know but I hardly ever go out so it is my entertainment) - you can't really afford it - try this -> http://www.freesatfromsky.com
10 House insurance
14 TV licence
20 Broadband (considered going on to Talk Talk which is 20 inc line rental
12 Line rental (but I dont have the right type of phone line)
25 Mobile (18 mth contract 12 months remaining inc 200 mins & 150 texts) - can you do what I've just done and lower it to the cheapest tarrif?

---

734.00

---

These are the expenditures that I have worked out

120 Food (including packed lunches for work) - I spend (As of this month) 300-350 a month for 5 people including cleaning products etc. You spend half of that for just one person. Check out the OS Board for some tips to reduce that.
30 Cleaning products and toiletries
35 Car Ins (paid in full this year but would need to save for next year)
12 Car tax
15 Car maintenance (MOT, tyres etc)
10 Hair cut (once every 2 months - £20)
40 Entertainment/going out - We've just agreed we don't get to go out anymore - unless it's free. Picnics in the park are a fave atm.
25 Clothes - Quite a lot for one person. Debt charity recommended 50 for family of five - they say 10 per person.
40 Cat food and litter - HOW MUCH??? WHAT DOES IT EAT?!?! I could eat and poo for that much a month :eek:
20 Birthdays and Christmas
10 Dentist
10 Glasses/Opticians
8 Prepay prescription cert for 1 year
20 Emergency fund

---

455.00

---

734 + 455 = 1189

Income

1300 1st job
150 2nd job

---

1450

---

1450 - 1189 = 261 remaining

Now for the scary part - debts!

6000 Credit card - 130 min payment
21000 Loan - 385 payment
5000 Credit card - 160 min payment
1750 Credit card - 30 min payment
5000 Credit card - 125 min payment
2400 Credit card - 40 min payment
900 Store card - 35 min payment
800 Overdraft

These debts have built up over the years as I have used credit cards and loans to supplement my income. I don't think I have led an extravagent lifestyle, I havn't been on holiday since 2002, I don't smoke or drink.

I just added it up and it's over 40k - am quite scared to think what it would have been had you been "extravagent"

I will be ringing payplan later today but from the research that I have done I think that an IVA may be the way to go, I'm just terrified that I may lose my job if I enter into an IVA over a DMP.

Try giving CCCS (http://www.cccs.co.uk/) a call - they were really lovely with me. I haven't got enough experience to know whether you'd need an IVA or DMP, but they'd definitely be able to advise you one way or the other.

Will be interesting to see what you can achieve via snowballing - has anyone given you this link http://www.whatsthecost.com/mySnowballs.aspx to have a play with figures?

HTH, and good luck! I've had some cracking advice on here, hopefully you'll be able to get something sorted soon.

notmyrealusername

Thanks to everyone for their advice and tips...

I think you are right, it is time to ditch the sky. The lowest tariff for my mobile is £19 but you only get 100 mins, for the extra £6 I get a further 100 minutes (any network anytime) and an extra 100 texts and I do use these.

Will look into cutting the food budget but I'm trying to lose weight, healthy food is actually loads more expensive than 'junk' food! With regards going out I don't smoke or drink so if I do go out it is for lunch with friends, swimming or the odd day trip, I can't remember the last time I had a night out. I don't actually spend £25 on clothes but someone else who took out an IVA recommended that I include expenditures like so that everything is covered and every spare penny goes towards the IVA.

My cat is very elderly and quite poorly, she actually costs another £100 a month in vets bills and treatments but I have a fund which will cover 8 more months. She eats normal pouch cat food which is £25 then £15 a month on litter, she can't go outside due to the fact that I have moved to a flat with no garden as a result of my relationship break up. She is very important to me and I would never consider giving her up or having her PTS so whilst I know it is a LOT of money to spend on her I know that she will not be around for much longer so it is a short term expenditure.


The final figure I owe is shocking, the sad thing is that I really have nothing to show for it. One thing is certain, I will NEVER take out any form of credit ever again. I completely regret the last 10 years of my life, the saving grace is that I am relatively young and I hope that in 5 years time (if I go down the IVA route) I can look forward to living my life again.

Thanks again for all your input, it really does help to share with other people. I rang payplan earlier this evening, my call was answered but he said all the advisors were busy but that somebody would call back. No call as yet so hopefully will be tomorrow.