Reps: the volunteer emergency service

Coming back from a medical absence and facing a couple of other issues, Kevin wasn’t relishing the HR meeting lined up for him at Social Security Scotland. There were even fears about potential dismissal. Just a few days before the meeting, he made up his mind to reach out to his union.

After checking PCS Digital, to find the details of his branch reps, he emailed several reps from his Grampian and Tayside branch. Within 24 hours, Yolanda Martin Conesa got in touch with him.

Yolanda saw the urgency of Kevin’s case. She helped Kevin prepare for the meeting, from covering his legal duties to watching out for difficult questions from HR.

Kevin says, “The advice she gave helped me to confidently prepare key points for the meeting and make sure I understood which questions I did and did not need to answer – what information HR did and did not need to know. Not only did Yolanda provide me significant support in preparing for the meeting, she made time to attend herself. This definitely bolstered my position.”

After the meeting, Kevin felt it had gone well and Yolanda carefully went through a debrief with him. They looked at what had happened and what would happen next. One outcome was an occupational health appointment which required answers to a detailed questionnaire. To ensure the best outcome for Kevin, Yolanda advised on how best to respond. This would support the points he raised in his meeting and get the adjustments he wanted.

“Yolanda reminded me that she was available for support in future,” Kevin adds. “Throughout the entire process she was professional, courteous and friendly. And she even managed to make time for additional meetings or emails alongside her own work.

“I'm still in talks with HR about the situation but the outcome so far has been much more positive thanks to the union. The whole experience reminded me of the value of union representation and especially of PCS!”