Can you help with bullying and harrasment.

[ldsposti]

i find it strange you are asking for this, what about the people who have been accused of b& h by being set up and after a year still no decsion, i think you should first read the b&h procedure, i was accused of b&h i was not allowed to put forward any wittness statements but the accuser was, but in the end i had the backing of the office and because i would not let it be swept under the carpet a decsion of sorts was made it reccomended that the accuser be moved to another office did that happen no. my advice to all is you are on your own if you are accused but if you do your homework you can win.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

i find it strange you are asking for this, what about the people who have been accused of b& h by being set up and after a year still no decsion, i think you should first read the b&h procedure, i was accused of b&h i was not allowed to put forward any wittness statements but the accuser was, but in the end i had the backing of the office and because i would not let it be swept under the carpet a decsion of sorts was made it reccomended that the accuser be moved to another office did that happen no. my advice to all is you are on your own if you are accused but if you do your homework you can win.

Then your a victim of b&h - why not help him. I don't think its strange he is gathering information and its up to others if they want to contribute and I am sure if was not meant to upset people but to try and help in the long run.

[brothermagrew]

Respect to you brother linkinpark and would ask you to view a recent posting of mine at http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 15&t=12192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I have reposted the Jermaine Lee story again as it is so shocking - how could something like this happen only 10 years ago. Very sad indictment of Consignia/Royal Mail at the time and I really hope that this can't happen again, I will certainly do my best to stop a re-ocurrence.

Family given £100,000 after Royal Mail staff bullied a man to death

"They have won," Jermaine Lee wrote to his mother before wrapping a belt round his neck and hanging himself.

"They have won," Jermaine Lee wrote to his mother before wrapping a belt round his neck and hanging himself.

"They" were the bullies who had made the postal worker's life a misery for years. "They" were the colleagues who harassed the young black man to death. Yesterday – in an unprecedented move – the Royal Mail conceded with "shock and regret" that a macho culture pervaded its Aston, Birmingham, sorting office and that its employees had "shamefully" contributed to Mr Lee's death.

After the largest internal investigation in the company's history, it agreed a confidential settlement with his family. The payment, believed to be just short of £100,000, is a landmark posthumous award.

Mr Lee, who was only 26 when his mother found him hanging from the rafters of his home, was not alone in being subjected to the daily torture of bullying and racism. It is, experts say, particularly prevalent in the postal service.

Since it was set up 12 months ago, 6,000 workers, – predominantly postal – have called a Communication Workers Union harassment hotline at a rate of almost one for every half-hour of the working day.

Mr Lee, a happy, popular young man, joined Royal Mail at 17 in the hope of making a career of the postal service.

His father, Steve, 48, said last night: "He was one of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet. He would always be the first person to give up his seat on the bus. All in all, he was a very well-rounded individual. He was very athletic, keen on martial arts and very disciplined. It says something about his character and popularity that, after his death, more than 100 people came forward to say Jermaine would not have committed suicide unless more things were behind it," he added.

Mr Lee had been studying a computer course at college and contemplating buying a house with his girlfriend, Rebecca Hart. But the bullying he had endured for years reached an excruciating crescendo in the later months of 1999. On one occasion, his mother Urnell explained yesterday, he was trapped in an office as one senior manager threatened him and another stood guard.

At other times, he was followed to the toilets by a female manager, who intimidated him by waiting outside. Others spoke of senior staff going out and drinking before returning to the office to abuse Mr Lee and other colleagues. Name-calling was rife.

Described as a "model worker", his conscientious adherence to health and safety rules led him to clash with senior staff. Little is known about the night of 15 November 1999. Pleas for information came to nothing, though his family remain convinced something happened on his last shift that proved to be the "last straw".

When Mrs Lee arrived at their home in Hall Green, Birmingham, the next day, she found him hanging.

"Dear Mom, I love you," he had written in a suicide note. "I always have and always will. It's time for me to go now. I never wanted to go like this but it's the only way out. These guys at work hate me. Tell them it was nice playing with them and that they have won."

Treated initially with "indifference and insensitivity" by their son's former bosses, Mr Lee's parents had to contend with an attempted cover-up by local staff before the national office offered a full inquiry.

Their first taste of what their son had endured came when Steve Lee wrote an open letter to 1,500 postmen asking for evidence surrounding his son's death. The swift response came in the form of two threatening telephone calls, in which he was called a "black bastard" and told to back off unless he wanted to end up like his son.

Mrs Lee said: "We spoke to many former colleagues and were horrified by what we heard. His colleagues told us of how Jermaine had, for many years, been targeted for harassment, threats and abuse – including racist abuse – by a group of managers. We were told of a climate of fear, bullying and racism that had existed at the Birmingham sorting office. We also heard how Jermaine's complaints had fallen on deaf ears."

While the Royal Mail did not go as far as conceding racism was the main factor, Mr Lee's family remain convinced it was the case. It certainly would not be unique in the industry.

One former colleague said: "It's done indirectly. Let's say you wanted to leave the work area. As a black person, you would get watched more than a white person. It was the same for timekeeping. You are noticed more than if you are a white person. If we tried to put our point of view across it was not taken seriously."

In an "extremely rare" decision, Mr Lee's mother was given permission by an employment tribunal to launch a posthumous claim of racial discrimination on behalf of her son. It ended yesterday with the out-of-court settlement,

Consignia set up an internal inquiry. A team of senior managers spent more than six months interviewing more than 100 staff. Its findings made "harrowing reading" and led to two managers – Simon Pitt and Stephen Hughes – being sacked for gross misconduct. Four others were disciplined. One area manager who was suspended, Mick Dewhurst, resigned and is pursuing a case of constructive dismissal.

Royal Mail said yesterday: "It was with extreme shock, regret and sorrow that we found the actions of some employees contributed to Jermaine's decision to take his own life. He did suffer harassment and bullying at work and there are strong indications that this weighed heavily on his mind, although it cannot be certain to what extent this contributed to his decision to take his life. Although it is believed Jermaine Lee suffered ill treatment over a lengthy period, the worst incidents were experienced in the period shortly before he died. The actions of some managers at this time are regarded as utterly shameful by Royal Mail and condemned absolutely."

It said its investigation found evidence to suggest that "bullying and harassment was used by some to support a macho culture, which targeted certain individuals" and following the death, details of it were deliberately concealed from more senior managers within the company.

The investigation has led the company to introduce 50 recommendations for change, which include a new complaints procedure and training schemes designed to tackle potential harassment and bullying in the workplace.

Tim Field, founder of the UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line said the postal service has a particular problem and it is increasing across all professions. "I deal with five to 10 new cases every day. The Government has really shown no interest in recognising this problem though there is a private members bill – Dignity at Work – due in the Autumn which will hopefully help," he said.

Despite the trauma, Mr Lee said anger was not his predominant emotion when contemplating his son's ordeal.

"It is disbelief. Disbelief that this happened in this day and age," he said.

[shadow]

I've had about 12 jobs over the years and never received or witnessed any bullying until I joined RM. It's rife.

[DGP1]

I've had about 12 jobs over the years and never received or witnessed any bullying until I joined RM. It's rife.

too true

[andy2007]

I think that a bit of banter, is a good thing. So long as it's not taken personally. But the moment that it "crosses the line", and becomes Bullying, it needs to be stopped. Usually, people notice, and stop (in my experience). But if they don't. Then someone needs to tell them, before they do any real harm. There's plenty of banter goes on where I am. But it rarely "crosses the line". When it does: It's usually (but not always) dealt with well.

It hasn't always been this way though. It's not all that long ago, that there was a lot of Bullying going on. Particularly back when it was possible to earn rediculous "flirts" in the Segs. If anyone wasn't able to keep up with the rest, they suffered constant criticism, and in some cases it really got out of hand. It didn't even matter if it was because they were older than the ones they were expected to keep up with. IMHO that's one of the few good things to come out of the otherwise awful Pay and Modernisation agreement.

If you think that the banter is going too far, don't be afraid to say something. Particularly if it's happening to someone else. For example: Last year, I was suspended (later got a 1 year serious), and one of my Collegues made a sticker for his Scud. It said "we love [my name]", and had a Characature of me on it. Someone saw this, and complained to a Manager. Because she thought that he was taking the p*** out of my predicament. So my colegue was taken into the Office, and despite explaining what he was really doing: He was told to remove the sticker, and was given "Councelling".

When I returned to work, and found out what had hapened. I went to the Manager, and explained that he was showing support for me, NOT making fun of me. So everything was sorted out in the end. My point?
If he had been making fun of me: He could have removed the sticker before I saw it, and would have got away with it. But as it was reported in good faith: No-one had any hard feelings about it. So if in doubt: Say something. If you're wrong, then it will come out in the investigation. Or if the possible victim isn't there to talk to. Any consequences can be retracted afterwards, if a mistake has been made.

It's always better to be safe than sorry. Especially where there's a risk of Bullying.

[andy2007]

That's what I meant by it coming out in the investigation. If it's done properly, as (in my experience) it is at my Office. Then it should come out in the investigation.

Obviously no system is infalible. But if everyone takes responsibility for protecting their Collegues. We will hopefully put a stop to this dangerous and childish behaviour, before anyone else suffers.