hi i,m wondering if i have a good case for unfair dismissal. I have worked for the same company for4yrs and held the positon of assistant manager. we opened a small area in a part of the store to serve tradesmen on about 2 years ago.
if the normal side of the store was understaffed we would always close the trade side to compensate. I closed it 1hr before the normal close time and was given a final written warning, even though branch managers and all the rest of the management team have done so. I found out after the investigation that i was supposed to get authority from an area manager, as i was privy to all the branch managers not gaining authority and never being told i had to until after i was investigated i feel as if i am taking the blame for my managers not doing their job properly and making sure the rest of the management team are up to date on company procedures. I was left devastated by this, and even though i gave the appeal hearing paperwork to show that Branch managers had closed it early and 2 signed statements from 2 supervisors who had also closed it early none of this was investigated and i got the final written warning for it. i had never been issued with any kind of warning or been pulled for anything before this. This left me so distraught that i took a few days of work, on returning to work even though my manager and area manager knew it was through stress i was off, they didnt do a return to work meeting with me to see how i was doing. duty managers were appointed for the weekend i returned to work. and although i told the duty manager that i was in no fit state to take on full responsibilities and he accepted it, the branch manager had me investigated and dismissed because the duty manager didnt sign health and safety paperwork. The branch manager is now trying to say that as i was the higher qualified manager in on the day i have to take responsibility. but the duty manager had taken responsibility before i returned to work by accepting to run the shift because neither him or the branch manager knew i was returning . the branch manager is now retracting this by saying he didnt put the duty manager in to run the shift only as a supervisor to aid me. but the rota was done on the thursday, i didnt tell anyone i was returning till late friday afternoon. i have now lost my job and dont know what to do. i have appealed on 2 different occasions but still no-one has questioned anyone about the paperwork clearly showing Branch managers in my own store closing the trade side early and the 2 CSS's have not been questioned regarding the signed statements that prove i was only doing the same as my piers before me. i have 10 days til the 3 months are up from the first incident to aply for a tribunal hearing. anyone have any feelings on what i should do.
i was one week of an interveiw for a branch manager position, and 1 month off my annual bonus, i would never have jeopardised any of this if i knew what i was told by my previous branch managers was not company policy.