Train Driving with type 1 diabetes

Status
Not open for further replies.
chestershepherd said:
Update

Well today I have been told that my employer will not accept me back to drive trains(do understand why) and that I will be given 12 weeks notice ie they will give me 12 weeks to find another post within the company or be dismissed. Bit bad seeing as I have worked for them for 20 years now.

Also im claiming help under the dda but they not being very helpful and quite stubborn.
Think they just want me to leave quitely which I wont after 20 years
But if it does come to that what benefits am I likely to be able to claim for as doubt I will get another job in my area as none about.

And only have railway experience so have to brace myself and be realistic should it come to that stage .
Which I hope it does not only 42 and still wnt to work
Click to expand...

That is awful about your employers and about the DDA. I would get on to the DDA again and put everything in writing, its not on.
 
Hi , I'm sorry to hear this news :( its a bl**dy disgrace !! , what ever happened to loyalty !! Grrr 😡 Keep fighting !!! best of luck !! :D
 
hi there chestershepard sorry about the news like been said id keep going with it and fight all the way , all the best xx
 
I do hope that you can find another role in the company, but understand how it must have soured your feelings about them. Sadly, I think that employers nowadays think that people are so expendable and replaceable - they don't take time to consider the loyalty and years of good service given. I think the excuse 'there's no sentiment in business' is abhorrent.

Good luck to you, and fight them all the way!🙂
 
Chester - sorry to hear your news, but thanks for letting us know. Hope they can offer you another post, although you probably realise that it will be at a lower salary. Hope your union can help with the transition. In this economic climate, any job may be better than nothing, although I'm sure ticket office duties, for example, won't match the satisfaction of the "open track".

There's the added complication of privatised railway companies - for various reasons, I know a lot of retired railway workers from old British Railways days, and met many in the recently privatised companies when surveying tickets in 1996 - a task that was only needed due to splitting up the system into many companies. I didn't know before that job that is was possible to travel Plymouth to Newcastle upon Tyne and back in a day! Anyway, they're some of the nicest people I've ever met - the dining car staff treated us as honorary train staff, so suggested we brought teabags / coffee, so they could supply us with hot water, plastic cups and tiny pots of milk, all cheaper than buying whole cups.
 
Hi Chester,

Sorry to hear about your predicament.

One of the drivers at work became insulin dependent and lost his bus driving entitlement and went on to work in the driving school.

There is absolutely no pun intended in the next sentence.

Have you considered asking about doing a classroom based training job? Where you won't have to take direct responsibility of your trainees?
 
Hi Chester,

I'm so sorry to hear that you won't be able to drive any more. - But, like you, I do see why it would be unsafe to allow insulin-users to drive trains.

However, I heartily disagree with type-1's being given a total track restriction. We should be allowed to go on track walks, as we can pepare by testing blood sugar, and of course carrying hypo treatments. Its awful that you wouldn't be eligible for a trainer/teaching position simply beacuse they won't let you on the track. Even if they resfuse to allow you on track, there's no reason why you shoudn't have a position in the classroom. Its disgraceful that your employer intends to let you go. I wish you the best of luck in challenging them - please do keep us updated!

If my company tried to sack someone as result of them developing a health condition, I'm pretty sure there would be a strike!

Stay strong and good luck!
 
Hello,

It is rediculous that diabetics are still restricted from doing some jobs. Many of these blanket restrictions are carried over based on older evidence when blood sugar control was nowhere near as good as they are today. There have been so many major scientific advances in diabetes it's about time some of these were re-addressed.

My brother was on a 4 year apprenticeship with a major oil company and found out at his very last medical a week before he was due to qualify and head offshore that he was Type 1 insulin dependent diabetic. Luckily for him the company were very good and offered him the same job, but onshore (although the pay was a fair bit less, but still better than wasting 4 years)

Unfortunately not all employers are as keen to help as others even given years of loyal service 😱(

Good luck!

NiVZ
 
Hi chestershepherd,

Sounds like a nightmare must have been a shock to be diagnosed with type 1 at your age (i'm not saying your old in any way!) It's a shame that in this day and age that something like diabetes affects what jobs you can have especially if you love your job. Surely though if they can't keep you on as a train driver they have an obligation to find you another position within the company? have you thought about legal advice because I think it's discusting that you'll just be got rid of because of your medical condition. Good lucky anyway I hope you get it sorted out.

Emma
 
Lula said:
Hi Chester,

I'm so sorry to hear that you won't be able to drive any more. - But, like you, I do see why it would be unsafe to allow insulin-users to drive trains.

However, I heartily disagree with type-1's being given a total track restriction. We should be allowed to go on track walks, as we can pepare by testing blood sugar, and of course carrying hypo treatments. Its awful that you wouldn't be eligible for a trainer/teaching position simply beacuse they won't let you on the track. Even if they resfuse to allow you on track, there's no reason why you shoudn't have a position in the classroom. Its disgraceful that your employer intends to let you go. I wish you the best of luck in challenging them - please do keep us updated!

If my company tried to sack someone as result of them developing a health condition, I'm pretty sure there would be a strike!

Stay strong and good luck!
Click to expand...
I know that i would be totally safe driving trains as test regular for blood levels and know the signc of hypos and not had one in a year(touch wood) unfornutanely as you know with the credit crunch things have changed a lot especially in the railway industry they are making cutbacks wherever they can and looks like i will part of there cutbacks
 
NiVZ said:
Hello,

It is rediculous that diabetics are still restricted from doing some jobs. Many of these blanket restrictions are carried over based on older evidence when blood sugar control was nowhere near as good as they are today. There have been so many major scientific advances in diabetes it's about time some of these were re-addressed.

My brother was on a 4 year apprenticeship with a major oil company and found out at his very last medical a week before he was due to qualify and head offshore that he was Type 1 insulin dependent diabetic. Luckily for him the company were very good and offered him the same job, but onshore (although the pay was a fair bit less, but still better than wasting 4 years)

Unfortunately not all employers are as keen to help as others even given years of loyal service 😱(

Good luck!

NiVZ
Click to expand...
cheers for the reply yes after 26 years with my employer i am a bit dismayed though today they have said they will interview me for a Production Managers job but will have to pass a assement which I failed last year lol but keeping my fingers crossed. glad yout brother got a job after 4 years training and that he works for a decent company
 
chestershepherd said:
cheers for the reply yes after 26 years with my employer i am a bit dismayed though today they have said they will interview me for a Production Managers job but will have to pass a assement which I failed last year lol but keeping my fingers crossed. glad yout brother got a job after 4 years training and that he works for a decent company
Click to expand...

Good luck with the assessment and interview Chester!🙂
 
Emmal31 said:
Hi chestershepherd,

Sounds like a nightmare must have been a shock to be diagnosed with type 1 at your age (i'm not saying your old in any way!) It's a shame that in this day and age that something like diabetes affects what jobs you can have especially if you love your job. Surely though if they can't keep you on as a train driver they have an obligation to find you another position within the company? have you thought about legal advice because I think it's discusting that you'll just be got rid of because of your medical condition. Good lucky anyway I hope you get it sorted out.

Emma
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply and comments it nice that sites like this exist to chat to others with diabetes and share comments and stories.Yes they do have another obligation to find me another job but at the moment there are no vacancies in my area and one driver they gave him train cleaning job . The job itself is fine its the salary reduction of 24k whish has hit . My mortgage is 900 a month brought my flat 2 years ago so in negative equity now rented for 7 years and then thought must get a place whilst i can still afford one and then bang lol.
And still confused if I am really type or type 2 as was orginally diagnosed type 1 aug 2008 then in dec 2009 they said I was type 2 and in hindsight they had misdiagnosed me and put on metformin and my levels where fine hbac1 was 5.7.Then I was having various helath problems and my levels raised to 14.3 so consultant said i was type 1 not type 2 and put back onto insulin again.
 
chestershepherd said:
And still confused if I am really type or type 2 as was orginally diagnosed type 1 aug 2008 then in dec 2009 they said I was type 2 and in hindsight they had misdiagnosed me and put on metformin and my levels where fine hbac1 was 5.7.Then I was having various helath problems and my levels raised to 14.3 so consultant said i was type 1 not type 2 and put back onto insulin again.
Click to expand...

If they is question over your diagnosis have you had antibody testing and c-peptide? If not then I think it's worth doing as the impact is very significant on your life.
 
It's more likely being on insulin or not than the diagnosis that's the deciding factor, but still worth asking for differential diagnosis if it could mean keeping your job.
 
No not heard of that test before but defo worth having done if there is a chance I could save my job and career thanks for that info
 
If it comes back that you have antibodies then that means you have type 1 and need insulin. if the c-peptide comes back low then that indicates you produce low levels of insulin and are more likely type 1. It's worth testing for because if there is a chance you are type 2 and could manage on something like byetta then they might accept you to continue driving. Might even be that you are a type 2 but still require insulin treatment. So don't want to get your hopes up, but I think you need all the information so that decisions can be made. best of luck to you.
 
Hello,

Found this article from 2002. It speaks more about American cases, but highlights the 'blanket discrimination' and how some people have challenged this and asked to be considered as an individual case.

[link]http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2002/10/01/3736/are-people-with-diabetes-treated-like-criminals/[/link]

NiVZ
 
NiVZ said:
Hello,

Found this article from 2002. It speaks more about American cases, but highlights the 'blanket discrimination' and how some people have challenged this and asked to be considered as an individual case.

[link]http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2002/10/01/3736/are-people-with-diabetes-treated-like-criminals/[/link]

NiVZ
Click to expand...
ok thats great thanks for taking the time to search for that will check it out
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top