Defend those who defend you Defend Lee Rock

Many of you will be aware that the government employs several methods to attack workers’ rights including attacking the very organizations that defend workers’ rights.  This can come in many forms but one of the nastier ones is victimization of trade union reps.

Our sister Branch in Sheffield has just had a well-known and active rep dismissed Lee Rock Management have used the attendance management policy as an excuse to dismiss Lee however under any other circumstance its believed and we in our branch shared this believe if this where anyone else this would not have happened a clear case of Trade Union victimization.

Around the trade union movement there is increased instance of reps being targeted a well-known NUT rep over Rawmarsh who organized a successful campaign to save jobs is also being victimized.  Around PCS There are other examples of this kind of nasty behavior in all cases it’s just a bunch of trumped up charges being used?  

It’s quite simple attacks on reps are an attack on the union and that means an attack on you the member.  Our branch Sheffield DWP HQ Branch stands in Solidarity with Lee and Sheffield DWP Branch.  Please see below Emergency motions pass through our AGM

For messages of support contact Tom Bishall Sheffield DWP Branch Secretary on  

tombishell@yahoo.co.uk

Reinstate Lee Rock 

AGM 2013 – Emergency Motions

 

Branch Motions

Victimisation

1. This AGM notes the attacks from Contact Center management upon the the Assistant Branch Secretary – Lee Rock:

On Saturday 23 February 2013 Lee received at his home a letter stating he had been dismissed as of Friday 22 February on attendance management grounds.
 
Lee has two long-term underlying health conditions - Crohns Disease (for 35 years) and Depression (for at least 15 years). Both health conditions are accepted by the DWP and OHS as being covered under the Equality Act 2010 as disabilities;
 
Lee had successfully completed a six-month Written Warning and was in the 12-month backsliding period when he reached his consideration point of 11 days exactly;
 
Lee was then referred to a Decision Maker for consideration of dismissal. In this referral to the DM mention was made of his trade union activities;
 
Lee was denied his rights to present his grievance in person concerning the referral;
 
On 1st January 2013 Lee took Partial Retirement on health grounds to help manage his absence levels. Contact Center management had agreed to this subsequent to the referral to the Decision Maker;
 
A meeting with the Decision Maker took place on 8 February. Ian Bartholomew (national TU Side) represented Lee;

At the time of receiving his dismissal letter Lee had in the previous six months been absent due to sickness for a mere 2 days. Lee had not been absent due to sickness at all since starting partial retirement. His previous day of sickness absence was 23 November 2012, i.e. 3 months prior to being notified of his dismissal.

2.  In the experience of the DWP Sheffield Reps they have never come across a dismissal - even in the Contact Centres - where someone with only 2 days’ sickness absence in 6 months has been dismissed on sickness grounds.

This AGM firmly believes Lee is being victimized due to his activity as a Trade Union Branch Officer for the DWP Sheffield Branch and as a well-known union activist within the DWP.  This view is further confirmed by the fact that the referral to the Decision Maker made reference to Lee and his Trade Union activities.  This is also not the first time that management have tried to victimize Lee.

The Sheffield operations branch is seeking support for industrial action in defence of Lee, initially from the Sheffield contact center and, if necessary, the contact centre network as a whole.

This AGM agrees to support that action by whatever means practical, and agrees to offer all the assistance we are able to in the campaign to get Lee reinstated"

DWP Group Motions

Victimization

1.  This DWP Conference notes the continuing attacks from DWP management upon our trade union reps.

2.  This conference further notes the recent attack upon the DWP Sheffield Assistant Branch Secretary – Lee Rock:

On Saturday 23 February 2013 Lee received at his home a letter stating he had been dismissed as of Friday 22 February on attendance management grounds.  This action was after over 27 years employment in the department;

Lee has two long-term underlying health conditions, both of which are accepted by the DWP and OHS as being covered under the Equality Act 2010 as disabilities;

Lee had successfully completed a six-month Written Warning and was in the 12-month backsliding period when he reached his consideration point of 11 days exactly;

Lee was then referred to a Decision Maker for consideration of dismissal. In this referral to the DM mention was made of his trade union activities;

Lee was denied his rights to present his grievance in person concerning the referral;

On 1st January 2013 Lee took Partial Retirement on health grounds to help manage his absence levels and remain in employment. Contact Centre management had agreed to this subsequent to the referral to the Decision Maker and several months prior to meeting the Decision Maker;

A meeting with the Decision Maker took place on 8 February. Ian Bartholomew (national TU Side) represented Lee;  and

At the time of receiving his dismissal letter Lee had in the previous six months been absent due to sickness for a mere 2 days. Lee had not been absent due to sickness at all since starting partial retirement. His previous day of sickness absence was 23 November 2012, i.e. 3 months prior to being notified of his dismissal.

3.  This Conference firmly believes Lee is being victimised due to his activity as a Trade Union Branch Officer for the DWP Sheffield Branch and as a well-known union activist within the DWP.

4.  This Conference instructs the incoming GEC to campaign for Lee’s full reinstatement, up to and including strike action across the Contact Centre network.