Managerial Bullying

[Codebreaker]

POSTMAN

Thank you for that - I agree with you on all points of your post.

For the people unsure about the rule...



Rule 13 Industrial Action

1. The NEC, Annual Conference, Special Conference or a properly convened Branch Meeting may in furtherance of the Union’s objectives decide to authorise, endorse, call or take industrial action, including strike action. All such action must be within the law and in accordance with, and in compliance of, all statutory obligations, inclusive of ballots etc. Where a Branch decides to take action to protect immediate local interests, the General Secretary and NEC must be informed.

2. For the avoidance of doubt it is confirmed that nothing contained in these Rules empowers a Branch or any other person, committee, group or body of persons to authorise, endorse, call or take industrial action without there being a statutory ballot and compliance in all other respects with the requirements of Part V of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 as amended or replaced from time to time.




GOOD LUCK TO US ALL AND HAVE FAITH

[betrayed]

Blimey this sounds like serious stuff. I had heard rumours that something was going on and that the screws had tried to fit someone up.

I think this is another power-hungry-go-to-their-heads crappy manager on a mission.

:lfo :cfo

[Codebreaker]

2. I find myself in a difficult position right now. I want to say so much BUT I do have to proceed with caution, solely as I am NOT annonymous on here. I will give some thought to what I can say with regard to updating on the person charged with damaging RM property and will post again as soon as I can.

As per my previous post, I am now posting an update.

I have spoken to the CWU Member who is the subject of Dr Richard Kimbles original post and have received their express permission to disclose the following:

1. Our fellow CWU Member is currently off sick with WORK RELATED STRESS.

2. Our fellow CWU Member has been awarded a penalty of SERIOUS WARNING - 2 YEARS.

3. Our fellow CWU Member received the decision through myself as they were off sick. At the point of receiving the penalty I handed the appeal request letter to the manager.

I am sure you will draw your own conclusions from the above.




GOOD LUCK TO US ALL AND HAVE FAITH

[Shiggaddi]

I just want to wish all fellow keyers involved in this matter the best of luck.

Although I'm lucky and haven't been the victim of management bullying at the MDEC, before I joined the MDEC, I was bullied out of my old job when working for another company, so I do know what this person is going through, and I can say it's definitely not nice.

[The Oracle]

Codebreaker and Dr K:

I have every sympathy for you both.

To: Dr Kimble - this must difficult for you, you seem to be intelligent, articulate, caring and 'aware' and have a lot of sympathy for your fellow worker. You have obviously posted your judgement of their character. It would seem that, as an observer, pretty much everyone would take your side as you KNOW the person better than any MANAGER would ever be able to. It cannot be very nice to witness this but I think my main concern is for the person that goes to bed each and every night with this on their mind. To be advised that they are off sick with 'work related stress' I do not think would come as a huge shock to any of us on here. I cannot imagine what the individual is going through. On a more positive note, Dr Richard Kimble, I agree with you - the CWU will be there and I quote you, The union have done, do, and will do so much for us and I know they will fight tooth and nail for our friend!

To: Codebreaker - I have read all your posts on this thread but also have taken time to read most all of your previous posts on various different issues. You intrigue me. I have never spoken at length to a CWU Rep but having looked at what you have said on this site as a whole I can make a judgement of you as a person. You may take your job as a Keyer quite seriously. I am very sure that you take your job as a CWU Rep VERY seriously. You are open with your identity on here - no doubt a concious decision was made which would show committment and belief in your cause(s). I admire that. I don't think you have a problem around making your feelings known. I think you probably exercise caution as a default but on here you have shown yourself to be a person with strong will, character, resolve and dedication to you role as a CWU Rep. I will admit that on my shift I had heard of you and I think many of us had. Not in a bad way - quite the opposite in fact. Reading between the lines, I am about 100% sure that quietly or within yourself you are seething at the treatment of the person that the Dr mentions but also perhaps with all you have witnessed as a CWU Rep. It wouldn't shock me to learn that you have trouble sleeping.

To: The person given the Serious Warning for 2 years - I feel cautious in addressing you, however, I need to offer my support. You will have read the above and now this. I just do not know what to say to you. This has been difficult for Dr Kimble and (though he appears to care about you) he is just WITNESSING this. You, however, have LIVED this and I really cannot imagine how YOU feel. I hope Codebreaker at least tells you of the support you have on here, from the little I know of him I am sure he has done his best for you as your Rep. I have noticed that Codebreaker ends all his posts with "GOOD LUCK TO US ALL AND HAVE FAITH". I cannot think of a better message to give you and all the people that read this post. Although I have no way of supporting you personally, I will tell you this - I am quite upset, actually NO I am LIVID that one of my fellow workmates can be treated as they have treated you.

I wish the person at the center of this, though they are off sick with "work related stress", the VERY best of luck - please KNOW that there are people you have never met that will support you in any way they can. Please know there are people at MDEC that are talking about your case. Please know that you are not alone and, more importantly, get ready for this...


THOSE WHO KNOW, KNOW YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG. THOSE WHO KNOW, KNOW YOU ARE THE VICTIM OF INJUSTICE.

LET US ALL HOPE THAT YOUR APPEAL IS HEARD IN A FAIR AND JUST MANNER.

[Codebreaker]

The Oracle

Thank you for that very supportive post.

1. It is clear that you have empathy with the people involved in this situation but more importantly with the person charged and 'convicted'.

2. You appear to be very insightful and I would say wise.

3. As to your comments about me... hmmm. I must say initially I was quite shocked to read what you posted, only because it was so accurate. I will tell you why, some 2 years ago, I became a CWU activist, there are but three reasons:

(i) I care about people, (ii) I don't like seeing people upset and (iii) I don't like people being treated unfairly.

You are quite right that I am absolutely furious with RM for treating our colleague in the way they have. It is interesting you perceive that based on the information posted on here. However, most of the important information which indicates exactly how badly the individual has been treated by RM has been kept off of here for reasons of confidentiality. My personal belief is that if ALL the information was to be shared on here there would be UPROAR.

4. I wholeheartedy agree with all your points in your last post and thank you for your support. Most of all I want to thank you on behalf of the individual concerned in this case. They are off sick at present with work related stress but I am in frequent contact with them and shall remain so. All the support you have given, along with everyone else on here, I can assure you all is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED BY OUR FELLOW CWU MEMBER.

Please continue to spread the word, support each other and be proud. Though times may be hard we fully deserve to be proud of ourselves and eachother.

I am humbled, honoured and I bow to you all.






GOOD LUCK TO US ALL AND HAVE FAITH

[La]

Hello all. Hello 'Codebreaker'
I'm a Plymouth earlies MDECer and I don't honestly think that there's some large conspiracy amongst the managers to make the keyer's lives hell. I can see why there would be some personality clashes and also I'm sure that sometimes it seems like a manager is being particularly nasty or making a bad decision, sometimes perhaps there is truth to that impression but other times it's probably a case of the manager simply doing what they are being told from higher up the line. I think it's important to remember that everyone, keyers and managers and chief execs alike all make mistakes and they aren't instantly recognised by the person either.
Obviously I can't comment about the specific case you're discussing involving the damaged door as I have no knowledge about it. I know Codebreaker you have seemed particularly stressed out recently which makes me sad, I think you're a very good union rep and know you'd fight my corner for me if I needed you to. Also you are a great member of the team and one of the people I will miss.
There are a lot of problems at MDEC but it's not all the managers' fault. Sometimes they do make bad decisions - I don't like the 'new' half days rule, I think it's unfair and not specific enough, we don't know where we stand with it, but every place of work does have problems.
I think I'm very blessed as I love my job and I like practically all of the people there. I don't honestly know how a bad situation is handled by management as I have never been in that position thankfully. I hope that things do start to improve though for all of you because it's no good working in a bad environment. I once worked in a rubbish place that I hated. One night I went out drinking and woke up the next day feeling pretty rough, so I called up the workplace and told them I had a hangover so couldn't come into work. That was the last they ever heard of me! It wasn't the right way to handle the situation I should have quit properly but hated it so much I couldn't even bring myself to do that, so I guess what I'm saying (apart from revealing how immature I once was!) is I know what it's like to work in a place you hate.
Whatever the situations are at the moment I hope that both sides can approach them looking at the facts and be calm and sensible, and that the truth will out. Good luck.
Anyway chin up Codebreaker, I'm bringing sweets in tomorrow

And to finish my post here's a picture of some meerkats sunbathing for you to all enjoy:

[Shiggaddi]

I would agree with both La, and Codebreaker. La, you certainly have my sympathy about your previous job, and I was in a very similar situation with my old job, and although that ended with me being pushed out, it happened at the right time as I went straight down to Reed and started at the MDEC almost straight away for Christmas 2004, then applied and started permanently on nights in February 2005.

I'm happy in the job, and I have to admit most of the ill feeling comes from hearing about how others have been treated, rather than anything happening to me personally. I do think it's important that things like the door incident are bought to our attention, but I also think it's equally important for people like La to show everyone else that it's not all bad at the MDEC, and there are people who are happy in the job.

[The Oracle]

It is interesting that in almost every workplace you will work find people working side by side with different attitudes to everything including their Managers. Some people will love the workplace others will loathe it.

Personally I believe the MDEC to be intrinsically a very negative place. This being a consequence of the way it was set up.

The simple explanation is that Royal Mail set up MDEC's in a specific way - to essentially create a stand-alone business unit within Royal Mail. It should have been predicted that this approach was bound to fail at some stage and in some way - simply for the fact that it still operates under the Royal Mail umbrella.

The idea of treating Keyers as employees of the business unit is ok but the idea then of Royal Mail sending out a positive message that MDEC's are indeed part of Royal Mail is unwise. A group of employees cannot be included and excluded at the same time.

This is the very foundation that MDEC's were built on. It comes as no shock to hear (via MDEC's and RMC) that those very foundations are beginning to crack.

[betrayed]

One word sums up how I feel about this:

UNFUCKINBELIEVABLE

:cfo :lfo

[Codebreaker]

BETRAYED, what can I say?

I respect the fact that you say what you feel and don't pull any punches.

One thing I will urge is caution to all those on here NOT to post any personal details such that you identify yourself if you wish to remain anonymous.




GOOD LUCK TO US ALL AND HAVE FAITH

[betrayed]

Codebreaker

Different 4 you and me as the screws know who you are and u have to be careful what u say. I dont.


All on here can tell from my username that i am not the happiest peson and yeah i do have lots in my personal life that i am trying to sort out and makes me angry. But when i come on here and read the little (and I know there is more) we hear about the person Dr Kimble talks about, well it makes me even more angry. BIGFUCKINSTYLE. I wish there was something I could do.

I just think RoyalMailCrappyManagement should... :lfo :cfo

[andypafc]

hello all
today was easily my worst day wiv the mdec in 2 years, having been treated like a peice of s**t on certain peoples shoe. four of us were taken away for an hour and told to sit in silence and do a training set. how insulting. it seems we are being punished for a dip in performance when, for the previous 6 or so weeks we have been by far the best performing team and no real recognition for it. i have kept myself to myself for some time now but i feel that it is time to stand up and speak up because the way we are being treated is just wrong and unfair. i get the impression that certain managers are only interested in one thing - their bonus - and it seems they will stop at nothing to get it. the real personalities of people are starting to show and it isn't pretty!
i personally have had enough of being treated like a nobody.

[betrayed]

Oh, I love the fact I have found the crock at the end of the rainbow, I have found my oasis of joy as far as my workplace is concerned. I have not worked in many places but the overwhelming happiness I feel is magical. I love Plymouth MDEC - just dont understant what other keyers MOAN about SO much! It is a GREAT place - I have found my CROCK OF GOLD AT THE END OF MY PERSONAL RAINBOW!


OOOOOOOOPPPPS, sorry guys, must have been dreamimg! Nah, FANTASIZING actually! It is not a crock of GOLD it is in fact a BIG CROCK OF SHITE. And the smell makes me want to chuck 24/7.

I have heard things on the MDEC grapevine and I am NOT happy.

And believe me my friends, the GRAPEVINE exists, word of mouth is a powerful tool. It is from forums like this that we can talk to each other n spread the word. The MDEC is a place where Royal Mail MANAGEMENT do what the feck they want with the confidence that they WILL get away with it cos THAT IS ALL THEY ARE USED TO. That is their experince till now. On the GRAPEVINE we at MDEC Plymouth hear GOOD things about the Manager in charge. Well, I would suggest it is NOW that the person in charge should take a little reponsibility around the fact that THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON IN CHARGE AND THAT PERSON NEEDS TO TAKE CHARGE AND DO IT YESTERDAY!


I have heard things on the MDEC grapevine and I am NOT happy.

[The Oracle]

I think betrayed you are upset. Please (forgive me) try to think clearly.

I agree that the 'grapevine' is a powerflul and potentially unstoppable vehicle of communication. This can only be good and indeed do good.