Sacked postal worker back in the job

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/ne ... ticle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A POSTAL worker who was sacked after a bitter dispute has returned to work after 16 months today.

Jason Cornwall, from Sneyd Green, is one of the Burslem 12 who faced allegations of bullying and harassment and were suspended from the Burslem delivery office in September 2007.

That move prompted a walkout by more than 100 of their colleagues who held a wildcat strike as a show of support.

Three months later a ballot of union members showed 83 per cent were in favour of action and they walked out on strike for more than a month over Christmas to protest at the continuing suspension of the 12.

Six were allowed to return to work but on March 11 last year, Jason and the five others were sacked. They have been surviving on donations from the union.

After an appeal against his sacking, he has had his name cleared and at 6am this morning he returned to the Scotia Road office.

To mark the occasion, 50 of his fellow workers set off fireworks and marched by his side with their union banner held high.

Jason, aged 37, said: "I got a letter a couple of days after the new year saying I could go back to work. I have been going through the national appeals panel for nearly a year and it has been proved I was wrongfully sacked.

"I am a bit apprehensive about the treatment I will get from the management when I go back to work but I have no regrets. It has been a very stressful time for me and my family.

"I will receive the money from the time I was sacked in a lump sum so I haven't really lost out financially but it has been stressful."

The five other members of the original 12 are still going through the internal appeals process.

Union members are holding a meeting on Wednesday to review the ongoing campaign.

Communication Workers Union spokesman Dave Condliffe said: "Jason is the seventh member of the original 12 to win his job back. We wanted to mark the occasion to recognise the important milestone in the fight to clear all our members' names.

"We will go wherever we have to, to get justice no matter how long it takes. There has been great solidarity with all of those affected but their friends and family have also suffered as a result of this."

One postman, who did not want to be named, said: "The internal process has shown those allegations were false but there has been no apology from Royal Mail. Once they had been proven wrong about the first person all 12 should have been allowed back."

Jacquie Stenson, Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “All cases are handled in accordance with our conduct procedures which are agreed with CWU.

“Royal Mail does not discuss the details of individual employees.”

[brothermagrew]

Respect to the Burslem lads and lasses and very much pleased that another off the 12 has finally been reinstated. Best wishes to Jason keep your head down low but your powder dry.

[johnnyp]

Great news

[Thorby Bislam]

Sometimes, we win one. Welcome back Jason.

[Radio]

Good luck to him if he was really innocent. I have seen many scivers, bullies and lazy bastards coming out victorious after appeals procedure. Main reason: the ignorant line-managers make stupid mistakes in their initial reports which are, later, ripped apart by shrewd union reps. Even a thief managed to get back her job until she tried again and was taken away by the IB last week (not surprisingly she was upstairs yesterday to 'defend' herself with her union rep, oh the cheek of it!) Someone was missing from his point of duty all night, was found asleep in his car at the end of the shift by the shift manager himself, still he managed to escape sacking. I have hundreds of such stories. Obviously every case is different but getting your job back does not always mean that you were innocent. In most cases it means you had an incompetent manager who made stupid mistakes while doing the paperwork which enabled the union rep to get you off the hook. I have only seen people being sacked for sick absence, fighting, sexual harassment and stealing (only when police or the IB are involved right from the beginning). I am yet to see or hear of a single successful sacking for bullying and harassment. Sexual harassment, yes I know of two cases where men were sacked for troubling women but bullies have always been untouchable in spite of all the hoo ha about it and the 'harassment helpline' or whatever. I know of someone who survived five RTUs and went away with a generous EVR! The common conception at my workplace is that union protects and saves the baddies. This is no judgement on the case under discussion as I am not aware of the details but in most cases people who are saved should have been sacked in reality. This just shows how incompetent and ignorant our managers are who can never get the paperwork right.

[norbert]

Bloody hell Radio you must work in HMP service not Royal Mail by the sound of it! You have my sympathy.

Burslem DO is a different kettle of fish all together - the orders came from :lfo's glass tower high up in the London Sky , definitely systematic disgraceful illegal union bashing there , a dodgy fit up , willful misrepresentation , malicious prosecution and detriment for legitimate trade union activity are serious offenses .

If RM had got away with that one , there would be a green line for plenty of the same all over the country from this vicious , corrupt & underhand employer

that place mentioned sounds like a real s***hole MC/DC that thrives on it's own corruption which has been badly run for years , If RM can't see what's under their noses with it's regimented & too top down Dumb Culture - that's RM's problem ? - sounds like a PC problem ?

[norbert]

Bloody hell Radio you must work in HMP service not Royal Mail by the sound of it! You have my sympathy.

Burslem DO is a different kettle of fish all together - the orders came from :lfo's glass tower high up in the London Sky , definitely systematic disgraceful illegal union bashing there , a dodgy fit up , willful misrepresentation , malicious prosecution and detriment for legitimate trade union activity are serious offenses .

If RM had got away with that one , there would be a green line for plenty of the same all over the country from this vicious , corrupt & underhand employer

that place mentioned sounds like a real s***hole MC/DC that thrives on it's own corruption which has been badly run for years , If RM can't see what's under their noses with it's regimented & too top down Dumb Culture - that's RM's problem ? - sounds like a PC problem ?

Sorry but their was a bit of irony in my comment albeit disguised. LOL.

I knew there was ! - I could tell similar stories but I can spot something dodgy re RM at 10 paces so I don't tar everything / everybody with the same brush . The problem with Burslem was that RM thought they actually were running a prison .