False

SarEl

ffacoffipawb wrote: »

The internet is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to gain revenge on someone (nudge nudge).

Or conceivably to be sued or reported for harassment? Anonymous and "unfindable" not being the same thing.

Littlegreelady

I feel for you OP as I had a similar-ish situation when I was 16. I worked for a small shop near where I live. Someone I knew had worked there and left as they said the boss wasn't very nice. I was young and wanted money so went for it. I was there for about 6 months or so, working along side a lady a bit older than me at the time (I'll call her A). We got on well, had some laughs.

One Saturday I got in early - the boss was there (he wasn't always) and seemed to be in a bad mood as he was ignoring me. The other lady A I worked with wasn't there, instead the boss's cousin was working. She was odd with me at all - I only found out that A was off through ill health by one of the regular customers asking about her.

In the afternoon, the boss called me to one side and told me that A had been dismissed for stealing. Apparently she'd been stealing goods for some time and had been caught. I'm still not 100% how true this was - there were a couple of incidents which made me think that she could have done, but at the same time I was a naive 16 year old who thought it couldn't be possible. The boss then showed me some pages of a "confession" she had written. In it she had implicated me, saying she had seen me take a £1 coin that had been found on the counter and put it in my pocket. The boss said that based on this "confession" (which didn't have a time, date or reference point so it was a random event she apparently witnessed) he'd gone through the CCTV footage and apparently found this incident.
Fine I said, show me. I knew full well I hadn't done anything and I knew that the "confession" was clearly A's attempt at either causing further trouble, or the boss had asked her specifically about me.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, he refused to show me the footage and claimed that he would show it at the end of the working day. Only, my dad picked me up from work and when he found out about the accusation, he demanded to see the footage as well. At which point the boss refused. Hmmmm

I was owed a days wages as I was paid a week in hand, and so we went to a friend of the family who was a solicitor. He wrote a letter and I got my money, along with a letter back claiming I had refused to see the CCTV footage and that they hadn't dismissed me and were surprised when I didn't turn up at work the next week.

Sadly, small business can and do do things like this - I just moved on from it and got my desserts when the police got involved with him for fraud. I personally think he wanted rid of me as I had questioned something which later was obviously related to the fraud charges. I do know A moved out of the area, she was most likely guilty.

I can understand how horrible it must have been for you to have been accused, and for the police to have been called. I hope it doesn't affect you moving forward OP. I was lucky in that I just never put it on my CV and a few years later got a different part time job that was much more positive.

GiveMeCake

As you've been there less than a year they could legally sack you for no reason whatsoever and you won't have grounds for any tribunal action, therefore trying to get police involved or putting in a grievance about someone will do you no favours no matter how sh**ty the employers are. You could do either of those at your own risk but I wouldn't bother. I know it's not fair, but that's life

Regarding holiday pay, seeing as you were in retail and started working in October, were you initially a Temp or a Xmas Temp by any chance? When I started work in retail as a Xmas Temp we weren't entitled to any holiday or holiday pay until if/when they decided to keep us on a permanent basis some time in January.

If you don't want to go back, then just send them a letter or e-mail stating this and asking them to send you a cheque for any money owed up until the last day you were there.

If you want do want to go back to work I'd suggest calling the Store Manager and just politely say you're back to work on such a such a date (after your sick note runs out) and do you need to come in any earlier for a return to work interview etc? The worse that can happen is they say they don't want you back.

Good Luck.

bap98189

kazzah60 wrote: »

when I worked in retail it was customary for management to search our bags and lockers at any time of their choosing -it was in our terms of employment ( and this was with several different employers) I believe it is still common practice

It is standard practice in some stores to search employees bags when they are going home. However, there are differences. Bags etc. are only searched whilst you are present and with your permission. That is very different to going through someone's belongings while they are not present.

imatt

Coats, handbags, cases can be searched. However, the employee has to be present when it is being carried out. As LadyMissA said, something could be planted!

LittleVoice

GiveMeCake wrote: »

Regarding holiday pay, seeing as you were in retail and started working in October, were you initially a Temp or a Xmas Temp by any chance? When I started work in retail as a Xmas Temp we weren't entitled to any holiday or holiday pay until if/when they decided to keep us on a permanent basis some time in January.

Your experience was, I hope, a long time ago.

Now someone taken on as a Temporary worker or as a Christmas Temp is entitled to holiday - though the employer can say when this is to be taken (and therefore not the week before Christmas for instance!).

If, by the end of the temporary contract (of less than a year), the temp has not taken paid holiday for the full (or any) amount accrued, then their last pay should include holiday pay.