Skip Navigation | HOME | UK Indymedia | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

manchester Indymedia

Trumped Up Dismissal Rejected By Tribunal

Dave Greenstein | 10.03.2006 01:04 | Analysis | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements | Liverpool

A trumped up charge of insubordination and abusive and threatening behaviour was used to dismiss a longstanding employee. The union refused to defend its member.
WorkRep took the case to the Manchester Employment Tribunal.

Jeff (a pseudonym), was sacked after 17 years hard graft, by his employer, Mr Ian Brayzier.
Jeff is known for his being a calm and polite person, someone who avoids trouble and gets on with the job.
Jeff had however recently asked for voluntary redundancy when this had been offered in the company.
Elsie Parkinson, Works Manager, and the subject of complaints, and at least one disciplinary in the past for verbally abusing workers, took umbrage at Jeff for having dared to glance through the office window at the higher mortals lounging around inside. Although Jeff was only one of a number of people in the area, Elsie started shouting and swearing at him, and then followed Jeff back to his machine. Elsie carried on swearing and shouting at Jeff while he worked.
When Jeff couldn’t take any more, he retreated to the men’s toilets.
Jeff was then accused of having left his machine without permission! For good measure, he was also accused of throwing company equipment on the floor, and having “used abusive and threatening language” to his manager.
At an impromptu ‘disciplinary meeting’, the next day Mr Brayzier spent a few minutes in going through the motions, and then dismissed Jeff.
After hearing the evidence, the Manchester Employment Tribunal declared that ‘there was no Gross Misconduct, or any other misconduct’ on the part of Jeff , and went on to say that he was unfairly dismissed in order that Brayzier could save paying him his redundancy money.
Jeff approached his union for help, but it would not represent him. His union left him to be thrown out without so much as getting his P45 for him. Jeff was refused benefits for months because of the lack of the P45 and pay slips.
Dave Greenstein of Workrep says that he has seen too many cases of unions not supporting their members. It is true, that much of the Thatcherite anti-union legislation is still on the books, but there is also a growing body of legislation protecting workers rights that can be used in defence of workers (mostly adopted into UK law in compliance with European Directives). Where workers have a potential case, some unions need to be more assertive in negotiation and in using the law to defend their members at tribunal. Unions need to finally get Thatcher out of their system.

Ian Brayzier, ex-owner of Brayziers Technical Tubes will not be able to read this report just yet. He’s currently earning a well deserved rest on a skiing trip in the Austrian Alps. Whilst sliding down the slopes, slippery Brayzier, breaker of agreements, and unjust employer, will maybe spare a thought for the many workers thrown on to the dole recently when one of his companies went bust.

www.workrep.co.uk only represents workers.

Dave Greenstein
- e-mail: info@workrep.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.workrep.co.uk

Download this article in pdf format >>

Email this article to someone >>

Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article >>

Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Manchester Topics

Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Manchester Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Manchester Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Manchester Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Manchester Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Manchester Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Manchester Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Manchester Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Manchester Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

Languages

english

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech