A-Infos (en) Victimised Wobbly - Resistance#19 AF (Ireland)

[Al S <klasbatalemo@yahoo.ie>]

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The interview below took place recently between Alex
and a member of the Anarchist Federation (Ireland).
***
AF: Hi Alex. Thanks for agreeing to meet with us
today. Can you tell us a bit about your problem? Who
do you work for?

Alex: I work for Lee Hestia Housing Association which
is owned by Novas-Ouvertures, a company which has
bought up numerous charitable type organisations. They
work closely with the Blairite policy of privatising
social services. They also have a high turnover of
workers due to their shoddy treatment of staff.

AF: So what happened?

Alex: I had always been critical of the way workers
were treated and thus became unpopular with Novas
management. I?d point out that Novas thinks nothing of
evicting tenants from their properties for small
arrears of service charges. In September I was off
work due to stress. After a fort-night I received no
sick pay. I complained about this and was then told to
attend a meeting with management who began victimising
me for being off sick. During this meeting I pointed
out the rotten practices of the firm -nepotism,
cronyism etc?

AF: Can you give us an example?

Alex: Well, a manager has three family members working
in my workplace. Management were very annoyed at me
for speaking out on this subject. 
Following the meeting, they failed to pay me sick pay.
I signed off sick, yet they wouldn?t let me return to
work. I have had no pay since September. It?s a clear
case of victimisation.

AF: What organisation do you belong to, Alex?

Alex: I?ve been an IWW (Industrial Workers of the
World) member for about a year. Previously I?d been
the T&G shop-steward for our work place. I have had
great support from IWW members and have received
messages of support from individuals and organisations
all over the world. Our union?s motto is -an injury to
one is an injury to all. Unlike most unions which
encourage sectional interests and work closely with
the exploiters of working people ,the IWW is a
revolutionary union. 

We believe workers must be organised in the struggle
against capitalism.

AF: So, what?s happening now?

The most recent developments in my case that Novas
have offered me 
£2000 to take redundancy. I have initiated proceedings
to take Novas to an 
industrial tribunal. Some friends who I work with, in
an act of solidarity, 
chained the management?s carpark?s hut, preventing
them from getting into 
work! It?s ironic that Novas?s mission stresses
empowering people when 
in reality they treat their workers like shit. 

Please contact Novas to urge them to reinstate Alex?s
sick pay. 
Write to: Mary Connolly, Novas, Chancery House,
Paradise Street, Liverpool, UK. 
Email: policy@novas.org
Tel: 0870 9019701 

I.W.W. website is: 
http://www.iww.org.uk

*********************
The article above is from the pages of Resistance#19,
regular monthly bulletin of the Anarchist Federation
(Ireland), now available in text and PDF format at:

http://www.afireland.cjb.net

Help distribute Resistance. Contact the AF at:

contact@afireland.cjb.net

To subscribe to Resistance electronically, send a
blank email to:

ResistanceIreland-subscribe@yahoogroups.com


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