Every employee has the right to appeal against a discipline penalty. If the employee wishes to appeal, he/she should tell the manager who imposed the penalty within 3 working days of written notification of the penalty. individuals will be encouraged to state their grounds for appeal. A hearing will then be arranged within 2 weeks (up to a serious warning) or within 4 weeks (for major penalties) and the employee will be notified in writing of the time, place and manager dealing with the appeal at least 5 working days before hand

If the employee appeals against a discipline penalty he/she can be accompanied by their relevant union representative or a colleague from the same work location who may assist him/her to present his/her case. At the hearing the employee will be expected to present his/her case.

The appeal is a hearing at which the appropriate appeal manager will hear the case in its entirety. It is the employee's opportunity to state his/her case why the penalty should be set aside or reduced. The result could be revoking or confirming the decision, or reducing the penalty.

For appeals against reprimands or serious warnings the appeal will be held out of line (or for geographical reasons at an adjacent unit) at the next level of authority to where the decision is made.

Appeals against major offences ( action short of dismissal or dismissal) will be held by an appeals manager normally at an appropriate main unit within the area.

In some cases further investigation will be required in which case the hearing may be adjourned by the appeals manager. The employee will be made fully aware of any relevant new evidence and given sufficient time to consider it with his/her representative.

The employee will normally be told the outcome of the appeal face to face within 5 working days. If this is not possible the individual will be informed of the reason and the  expected delay.

In all cases the employee will receive written notification of the decision, with the reasons for it.

If management is unable to arrange an appeal in a reasonable time , an offer extending the notice period may be made, at the managements discretion. In the event of a successful appeal and consequential reinstatement then continuity of employment will be preserved