Message from members of CONEL College UCU about bullying and victimisation of a staff member.
PROTEST AGAINST UNFAIR DISMISSAL! Re-instate Dee Topping! No more bullying!
Tuesdays 12.45pm - 1.30pm CONEL College, High Road, Tottenham N15
More than 100 staff, students and members of the community held a noisy and angry protest on Tuesday outside CONEL college in Tottenham against the sacking of UCU member Dee Topping. We need your continued support!
Dee is a teaching assistant working with 14-16 year olds at CONEL. She has been sacked because students on a trip to Thorpe Park were accused of smoking dope, although no drugs were found on them, and the college did not ask Thorpe Park staff for evidence or challenge Thorpe Park for searching youngsters without parental consent. 7 staff were on the trip, but only Dee has been sacked: the college claim Dee could have predicted and prevented this incident, even though she was not in charge, and was not with the students who snuck off for a cigarette. Dee is being targeted, and taking the rap for management failings.
College management talk about ‘cleansing’ the staff body and are operating to create a cheaper, more expendable and compliant workforce: where ever possible replacing permanent staff with hourly-paid and agency staff, and cranking up the use of capability and disciplinary procedures to get rid of staff without having to pay redundancy. This strategy can only damage the college, as well as us as individuals: Dee is a highly-respected support teacher, and makes a massive difference to the life-chances of her students. Treating her so unfairly damages all staff. We are not the enemy – we are the college community.
UCU at CONEL are organising protests in support of Dee every Tuesday until she is re-instated, 12.45pm - 1.30pm, outside the college in Tottenham High Road. Please come and give your support - we need as many people there as possible to prevent reprisals against union members taking action for Dee.
UCU Branch Secretary, Jenny Sutton, contact 07707 011 374, jsutton@conel.ac.uk - please circulate this widely.
acknowledgements to Steve Cushion, Secretary UCU Retired members branch (London)
Just stepped into this wonderful and positive post and glad to see the strong protest against unlawful dismissal. It's true many employees today have been sacked by the employers without any reason or prior notice or negotiation. Perhaps all countries of the world have developed their Unfair Dismissal Claim for the unjust dismissal of any worker or employee. I solely want to get me beside Dee Topping for getting his job back. Thanks lot for sharing.
ReplyDelete