About to be fired for vaping, any advice appreciated

[Get Off My Cloud]

Best advice has already been given take a union rep with you, firstly they should know the rules inside out and secondly employers are far less likely to try and bend the rules if one is present.
If you don't have a union at work then tell them you want a witness present anyway, this will signal to them that you're prepared to go to a tribunal should they opt to dismiss you without tacitly making a threat to them and will make them think do they really need a headache over what is a minor infraction if an infraction at all.

[flavourtank]

Oct 29, 2015 17:10:58 GMT matt84ukvape said:

So I took a drag on my e CIG as I was putting my stuff in my locker, my manager saw me suspended me

any news pal?

[pipeman01]

Of course, if you "happen" to have a atty with 0 nic in you could always hand it over and call their bluff to test it...

No tob, no nic, no worries... unless kettles are banned too?

[tonyefc]

Did anyone hear how he got on?

[Bargain Coils]

Just had a read of this thread! Wow, I cannot believe the ignorance of some people! If it is a healthcare setting, they have an awful lot more to be concerned about than trying to catch employees out for vaping.

The best advice has already been stated. Get your union rep on to them. They will run a mile. No harm in mentioning, you had an initial meeting without one also.

Hope all works out for you.

[phatfil]

have you seen the post by lal allaboute-cigarettes.proboards.com/threads/recent/59354

it contains a link to a well balanced document regarding the decisions faced by workplaces to allow or disallow vaping. But crucial to your situation is the statements enforcing that there are NO CURRENT LAWS PROHIBITING VAPING IN THE WORKPLACE.. So unless your employers have published a policy against vaping it could be very usefull to you.

printing off a copy for or sending the link to your HR dept might clarify the situation for them without the need for any form of confrontation and perhaps calm the troubled waters your currently adrift in.

keeping my fingers crossed for a positive outcome..

[lal]

Surely in order to be dismissed they would need to show you breached a policy, which you can show you haven't? Hopefully your union rep will be helpful. Good luck.

[sydsut]

Contact your local Councillor or MP and visit their surgery. A letter from them can't do any harm.

[donov6]

Oct 29, 2015 17:10:58 GMT matt84ukvape said:

So I took a drag on my e CIG as I was putting my stuff in my locker, my manager saw me suspended me

This is a complete joke. My place has a policy in place where vaping is treated as smoking, my manager hated me and even I only got a slap on the wrist..

I went down the "I wasn't aware there was a policy in place route" funny though. I had been warned before but they had nothing in writing so couldn't do sod all, my manager hated me too. She tried her hardest to take it to disciplinary but HR wouldn't have it because it hadn't been noted I was warned before.

I can't say where I work but they are hot on policies, so you should be OK.

Just try ignorance to that policy (aslong as it's not been noted before)

Hope this helps.

[stej]

I need to look at our policies. Just spent a week in another office with a few people whilst we held workshops. One of the guys vaped and spent most of the week sitting there vaping his head off in the meetings
Ironically he was the person who had arranged the workshops although less senior than the rest of us

Nobody said a word but I didn't feel like it went down very well with others sat in the room.
Some things are just not worth pushing unless you have your own office and then all bets are off :-)

[donov6]

Nov 6, 2015 20:43:18 GMT stej said:

I need to look at our policies. Just spent a week in another office with a few people whilst we held workshops. One of the guys vaped and spent most of the week sitting there vaping his head off in the meetings
Ironically he was the person who had arranged the workshops although less senior than the rest of us

Nobody said a word but I didn't feel like it went down very well with others sat in the room.
Some things are just not worth pushing unless you have your own office and then all bets are off :-)

Honestly mate, policy there or not, if you didn't know that the policy existed, they can't argue. Nowhere can argue anything until you are warned of a policy.

Crazy that he was vaping in a workshop, that is unreal.

Take it from somebody who has been there though. Don't look at the policy, or at least look and say that you have now seen the policy and that you are so sorry but were not aware.

Take care and good luck x

[macmagoo]

Oct 29, 2015 17:39:35 GMT matt84ukvape said:

I'm with a union I am going to contact them tomorrow was hoping my work would be more understanding but dose seem like there going to fire me as they obviously are treating it like I was smoking for @skwoody when u say play on anxiety stress what do you mean? Thought I'd go in today n I would get let offbut my sespention was extended n I hav dissaplinary Monday to respond to thealigation of smoking n breaching the smoking policy. As far as I can see nothing is in the smoking policy referring to ecigs or vaping, but they did find something about it not being allowed but not the actually policy looked like an internal memo n was directed at customers not allowed to vape in store.

I think they need to understand that there is no combustion taking place therefore they can not say it is smoking. It is not breaching their smoking policy because you are not smoking. I think if you have a decent union rep this should be sorted out in about 5 minutes.

[kittyvape]

Oct 29, 2015 17:33:26 GMT Skwoddy said:

Deluded buffoons. Acting out authority, tell them you havent signed anything that says you cant vape, Tell them you will be seeking legal advice and they better have signed papers, if you and your colleagues are none the wiser its the company that needs to step up their game and not you. If you are to lose your job make them look stupid. Write to your local MP if the union wont intervene

Agree totally. Reading through, they sound really awkward and arrogant, types who like to think they're 'big' and lord it over anyone about anything. It's definitely suspicious it took them half an hour to find the 'policy document'. Get all the back up you can and win. I would, as they haven't a leg to stand on. You signed nothing, didn't know, weren't sat vaping all over them in work hours or anything at all they could criticise. They're clearly ignorant, as people and about vaping, so sod them!