Slander or defamation

[daniele1272]

Sorry guys/girls my first day and first post on the forum but forums are full of helpful folk so thought id give it a go.

So my issue is with a statement made by a line manager regarding me to a recruitment consultant from an agency I have been with for more than 6 yrs.

So I am in full-time work as a youth worker has been the last 5 years plus. Its a new job learning each day, but I pick up extra hrs with an agency to boost the monthly wage as a lot of people do and have done forever. So I accepted a new assignment from the agency and I had done maybe 10 shifts night shifts. The last one 4 weeks back was 4 back to back so 48 hrs. No issues sent my timesheet in as usual and done the shift as usual. Two days delay on timesheet maybe an issue with furloughing people or just a computer mishap or a genuine mistake no issues. I called the agency and said my timesheet was yet to be authorised on the call with the agent it was declined by the manager of the centre I was working at.

I asked why I was told they said I had slept on the shifts and said they believe I had only worked 24 hrs of the 48 so 2 days I had slept for, bare in mind on shift there is a 2 hr check-in call 8 pm to 6 am the following day every 2 hrs.
Answered them all so that was weird to begin. I was then told to just put 24 hrs in and it will be authorised. I refused 2 days later I got a call saying put 30 something hrs in it will be approved I refused as that would be accepting responsibility for the accusation.

This went on for a week or 2 I then contacted senior management at the service, not the agency they could only apologise as there was a separate issue I raised regarding GDPR infornation being sent to my personal email.. Having raised this as a different issue completely, the agency manager called and said we will sort the 48 hrs out I had an email apologising from senior management of the agency and the service I was covering. Low and behold last week I got my wages due, does this solidify my issues regarding defamation of character regarding the agency I believe so as I was contacted by them every week on the build-up email or call regarding shifts. As I was hoping to leave my actual full time permanent role in the near future.

So can someone here verify my concerns, and also how do I go about approaching this in a legal framework due to me now being defamed specifically to the agency I have worked with for so long and have helped out in the past and even throughout the COVID times with hrs which I am happy for.

I would prefer not to get help from a solicitor as financially I cannot pay that at all. So guidance here on next steps please.

Sorry it was a long first post My name is Daniel I am from the midlands

[Manxman]

You need very deep pockets to start a defamation claim. Unless you've got £10k going spare there's not much you can do, I don't think.

I found your post a little difficult to follow. I think at first your claim for 48 hours pay was rejected because a service manager told your agency that you'd been asleep for 24 of those hours. But then, was it eventually resolved and you got paid for the full 48 hours? (It's difficult to understand from your post).

You could try to get some sort of acknowledgement from the service itself and/or the service manager that they were wrong in claiming you'd been asleep and that they apologised for saying this. They'd probably need to tell your agency this as well. But would this just be rocking the boat and make things more difficult for you in the long run?

[pt2537]

The above post is very difficult to follow. If we cant follow it here then imagine how the High Court will feel when you issue your defamation claim, assuming that is what your claim is for as its unclear at the moment