Posts by Bob Munro
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Done. Easy. You just ring the membership number and a nice person cancels the magazine to your address.
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Thanks for the reminder on this daleaway. I was fuming away at my unasked for copy of 'Directions' a couple of days ago and resolved to ring them and ask that it not be delivered, as you do, and then didn't do anything about it, as you do, so will do something definitely now and report back.
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Does that make us his loyal servants?
Serfs?
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"Mama's got a brand new bag - yeah..."
Thank you - a thousand thank yous for this one Gabor. Peter Cook was always peerless but here Dudley matches him to the point that it seems just for a flicker Cook nearly cracks up.
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That's 'Sharon's' second post. I aplogise for my dyslexic mistakes. A poor typist gets caught up in the mechanics of posting these things.
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re the Employment Relations Act, I'm not sure, but I think some of this has been avoided by the disestablishment of entire programmes -- people are not made redundant as such: their jobs simply no longer exist. I think.
Yes - it's perhaps like the business decision to close a branch office, the workers there don't get a say in the decision making but they are offered support if they will go quietly as per Susan's second post.
A wider problem for the university management if they are seen by staff to not be bargaining in 'good faith' is the souring of relationships at a professional and personal level throughout the system. It breaks down the collegial atmosphere. It incurs a sort of unease or 'sickness' if that's not too strong a word in the mood or morale of the institution. I would imagine this unease is easy enough to create but would require special leadership to retrieve once these bonds of trust are broken.
A special problem for university authorities would be the relative stability of staff. People can’t move between jobs nearly as much as in the business world. If an accountant is sick of the way things are run she just moves across town to a similar position in another firm. So people who experience an injustice are stuck where they are and the corporate memory of the injustice continues rather than fades away with the turnover of staff.
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sorry - that's Employment 'Relations' Act 2000
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In terms of the second point, of course there are some support systems put in place for staff during times of "change", but frankly the general attitude from management has been, I'm sure, completely at odds with recommended business practice -- essentially bullying and a complete lack of transparency, ie, a total failure to reassure staff of their value in the process.
Under the Emplyment Contracts Act 2000 it’s my understanding that ‘Good Faith’ is at the basis of the provisions and consultation is required with potentially affected employees when an employer is considering restructuring. I’m assuming this applies to universities.
This from the Wikipedia article on the law.
Based on case law, fair procedure includes:
- notification of the restructuring process before decisions are made.
- notification of the criteria used to decide who will be made redundant.
- a discussion with employees of how the restructuring process could affect their positions.
- an opportunity for employees to comment on the restructuring process.
- offering alternative positions within the company.
- a reasonable period before the redundancy takes effect.
- If a redundancy was not fair an employee may bring a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal.This seems pretty unequivical of the process required. Kyle's example from 1997 should not be possible now?
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I can't match the erudition of the post. But somebody better start this off. My son's best mate is in his second year at Canterbury which he is attending purely so he can study his obsessions, film and American studies.
Every business has to cut it's cloth according to changing circumstances and retrenchment and reorganisation is common in the commercial world. What is also common are support systems to mitigate for those affected.
When the first announcement was made of the possible closure there was nothing in place for the students. It was the beginning of the study year and suddenly their chosen courses might be scrapped, if not immediately then some indeterminate time in the future.
There wasn't even a dedicated phone number they could ring for advice. If this was the business world it would have been straight off to the employment court seeking a hefty sum.
I hope things were handled better for the staff.
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At 10.15pm it's working fine if you click on the 'From YouTube' links on Russell's post and all three of George's links.