Hi Friends
I know this is my first post on the forum but im putting the word out about the believable way both the staff & the members of Leeds Deaf & Blind centre are been treated. Please take a few moments to read the long letter below and take the time to contact them with YOUR views on the link below also I would appreciate it if you would take yet some more time to tell your friends or post this letter were ever you can so we can achieve maximum publicity we need to get the word out
To have this bigoted director removed
info@leedsdeafandblind.org.uk.
22 January 2009
Dear UNISON Member
UNISON members at Leeds Society for Deaf and Blind will not need reminding that the Society has been through a period of disruption over the last few years. Many of you will remember that in 2007 UNISON was called in to seek to prevent the Director at that time, making wholesale changes to staff's terms and conditions. You may recall that after a frosty introduction (in which the Director at the time refused to entertain union intervention), some 20 members of staff joined with their colleagues already in UNISON to force the Director to take the staff seriously.
Following this, the former Director agreed to negotiate any changes with UNISON and members were involved in a number of meetings designed to protect your conditions. The Director at the time sat down with me and we discussed the changes proposed.
This period was also the time when it was alleged that there was a culture of bullying wllhir. the Society which even'ualiy culminated in the Trustee Soard (Management Committee) taking on a more involved role, the drawing up of an HR Report into the workings of the Society and in 2008, the departure of some senior figures.
In early to mid 2008, many of you will have believed that your concerns had been taken seriously and were no doubt hopeful that things were going to get better.
Out of the Frying Pan?
A new Director, Rob Young, was appointed in June 2008. After a short while, I attempted to make contact with him by phone and letter, to pick up on the points that had stalled when the previous Director left. My approaches were not answered.
The first time that direct contact was made was some months later when a member of the Society was facing disciplinary action. The member of staff was being disciplined but the Disciplinary Procedure was not being followed in a number of serious respects that meant she was unlikely to receive a fair hearing. I wrote to Rob Young laying out my concerns in a four page letter, pointing out all of the procedural shortcomings and seeking clarification and further information. In return I received a curt response providing no further clarification on the issues or the procedural discrepancies.
At the Disciplinary Hearing, the Director refused to entertain the fact that he was working outside of the procedure and gave every indication that he did not care whether he followed a procedure or whether the evidence supported the charges. The member was dismissed from the Society.
It subsequently became apparent that not only were there procedural faults that prevented a fair hearing but that evidence that supported the staff member had been deliberately suppressed. That is, the existence of evidence that was available before the hearing which indicated that the staff member was telling the truth was explicitly denied. UNISON is taking the case to an Employment Tribunal and is confident of success. However, this doesn't immediately help the dismissed member of staff and it doesn't help you.
Why you should be worried
This is only a brief overview of the facts of the matter. But it demonstrates an attitude toward staff that is worse than anything seen before. If left unchecked, any terms and conditions that you have could be ripped up. Any one of you could be subject to a trumped up charge and disciplined. Further, you could find that pay awards are given only to the chosen or that your pay is reduced; you may find that your sickness entitlement is whittled away; or that your holiday entitlement is restricted. Unless you object, you may be regarded as accepting these changes.
If this wasn't bad enough, I have also received reports about comments made by the Director to individuals and groups that are most alarming and have 1=0 piace in any workplace.
Inappropriate Remarks
A number of you have spoken to me in confidence to report on things that have been said that are sickening you. In most cases, members have said that they are too scared to 'go public' because they believe that there lives will be made difficult. Reports that have been made include remarks that would be considered to amount to racism, "jokes" and inappropriate comments made about the deaf and blind community and disparaging remarks made about people with disabilities. A number of you have also called me about the recent staff meeting which began with the Director, arriving late for dramatic effect, and telling a shocked group of staff that many of their colleagues had died in a mini bus crash. Shocked staff were then told that they would not get the 2008 pay award and that those who don't like it, "know where
I do understand from talking to a number of individuals that some of you are worried about formally raising your concerns. However, unless you do, it is likely that attacks on your conditions and further inappropriate remarks and discrimination will continue. At the time of writing, there is no indication that the Director will attempt to
involve the union in negotiating any proposed changes and it can only be predicted that things will get worse for individuals and groups unless UNISON members band together to say that you will not accept unilateral changes to your terms and conditions and make it clear that you do not accept bullying and discriminatory behaviour.
If you share these concerns, please feel free to ring me to discuss them in confidence. We can then decide how you wish to take these concerns forward. The actions we take could include a meeting of all members, the taking out of grievances or a letter to the Management Committee. Whatever is decided, I assure you that nothing will be done in your name unless you give me express permission.
Finally, I would ask you to urge your colleagues to join with you in UNISON. It is only when you join together that attacks, such as these, are stopped. Please pass on the enclosed application form to any non-member.
Yours sincerely...
*r^~ g i~'
Tim Vincent
Branch Development Officer
I know this is my first post on the forum but im putting the word out about the believable way both the staff & the members of Leeds Deaf & Blind centre are been treated. Please take a few moments to read the long letter below and take the time to contact them with YOUR views on the link below also I would appreciate it if you would take yet some more time to tell your friends or post this letter were ever you can so we can achieve maximum publicity we need to get the word out
To have this bigoted director removed
info@leedsdeafandblind.org.uk.
22 January 2009
Dear UNISON Member
UNISON members at Leeds Society for Deaf and Blind will not need reminding that the Society has been through a period of disruption over the last few years. Many of you will remember that in 2007 UNISON was called in to seek to prevent the Director at that time, making wholesale changes to staff's terms and conditions. You may recall that after a frosty introduction (in which the Director at the time refused to entertain union intervention), some 20 members of staff joined with their colleagues already in UNISON to force the Director to take the staff seriously.
Following this, the former Director agreed to negotiate any changes with UNISON and members were involved in a number of meetings designed to protect your conditions. The Director at the time sat down with me and we discussed the changes proposed.
This period was also the time when it was alleged that there was a culture of bullying wllhir. the Society which even'ualiy culminated in the Trustee Soard (Management Committee) taking on a more involved role, the drawing up of an HR Report into the workings of the Society and in 2008, the departure of some senior figures.
In early to mid 2008, many of you will have believed that your concerns had been taken seriously and were no doubt hopeful that things were going to get better.
Out of the Frying Pan?
A new Director, Rob Young, was appointed in June 2008. After a short while, I attempted to make contact with him by phone and letter, to pick up on the points that had stalled when the previous Director left. My approaches were not answered.
The first time that direct contact was made was some months later when a member of the Society was facing disciplinary action. The member of staff was being disciplined but the Disciplinary Procedure was not being followed in a number of serious respects that meant she was unlikely to receive a fair hearing. I wrote to Rob Young laying out my concerns in a four page letter, pointing out all of the procedural shortcomings and seeking clarification and further information. In return I received a curt response providing no further clarification on the issues or the procedural discrepancies.
At the Disciplinary Hearing, the Director refused to entertain the fact that he was working outside of the procedure and gave every indication that he did not care whether he followed a procedure or whether the evidence supported the charges. The member was dismissed from the Society.
It subsequently became apparent that not only were there procedural faults that prevented a fair hearing but that evidence that supported the staff member had been deliberately suppressed. That is, the existence of evidence that was available before the hearing which indicated that the staff member was telling the truth was explicitly denied. UNISON is taking the case to an Employment Tribunal and is confident of success. However, this doesn't immediately help the dismissed member of staff and it doesn't help you.
Why you should be worried
This is only a brief overview of the facts of the matter. But it demonstrates an attitude toward staff that is worse than anything seen before. If left unchecked, any terms and conditions that you have could be ripped up. Any one of you could be subject to a trumped up charge and disciplined. Further, you could find that pay awards are given only to the chosen or that your pay is reduced; you may find that your sickness entitlement is whittled away; or that your holiday entitlement is restricted. Unless you object, you may be regarded as accepting these changes.
If this wasn't bad enough, I have also received reports about comments made by the Director to individuals and groups that are most alarming and have 1=0 piace in any workplace.
Inappropriate Remarks
A number of you have spoken to me in confidence to report on things that have been said that are sickening you. In most cases, members have said that they are too scared to 'go public' because they believe that there lives will be made difficult. Reports that have been made include remarks that would be considered to amount to racism, "jokes" and inappropriate comments made about the deaf and blind community and disparaging remarks made about people with disabilities. A number of you have also called me about the recent staff meeting which began with the Director, arriving late for dramatic effect, and telling a shocked group of staff that many of their colleagues had died in a mini bus crash. Shocked staff were then told that they would not get the 2008 pay award and that those who don't like it, "know where
I do understand from talking to a number of individuals that some of you are worried about formally raising your concerns. However, unless you do, it is likely that attacks on your conditions and further inappropriate remarks and discrimination will continue. At the time of writing, there is no indication that the Director will attempt to
involve the union in negotiating any proposed changes and it can only be predicted that things will get worse for individuals and groups unless UNISON members band together to say that you will not accept unilateral changes to your terms and conditions and make it clear that you do not accept bullying and discriminatory behaviour.
If you share these concerns, please feel free to ring me to discuss them in confidence. We can then decide how you wish to take these concerns forward. The actions we take could include a meeting of all members, the taking out of grievances or a letter to the Management Committee. Whatever is decided, I assure you that nothing will be done in your name unless you give me express permission.
Finally, I would ask you to urge your colleagues to join with you in UNISON. It is only when you join together that attacks, such as these, are stopped. Please pass on the enclosed application form to any non-member.
Yours sincerely...
*r^~ g i~'
Tim Vincent
Branch Development Officer