Pilton Sucks dotCom

Friends and readers. We in greater pilton have a number of social problems, none worse than the scourge of unemployment. Our rulers do like to utter the word because it does not fit their narrow minded thinking, and everything in the garden is rosey mentality.

We watch as the new waterfront development takes shape, yes and thats all we can do, because our noble councillors make sure, none more so than foreign holiday queen Elizabeth mcginnis, who while feathering her own nest has sold the community she is supposed to represent down the river.

Never has one person crowed so much but done so little to help the unemployed in her ward, while she panders to the other more affluent side of her ward.In time to come this will be seen as a scandle, which was allowed to happen under our very noses.

While a generation of young people waste away on the sidelines living on state benifits, the real benifits are rifled away in another direction-the direction of the developers and their friends. This community had and to some extent still has an opportunity to take advantage of the job opportunities which should be made available to the local community.

Why was there no local labour contract enforced at the start of this project, why did our noble rulers not insist that all possible options be explored in an attempt to secure employment for this community. Of course their argument is that it would have frightened the developers off. That is just complete nonsence, look around the other European cities, all have local labour contracts built into the contracts, why then are we so different.

Could it be our noble rulers the peoples party just forgot about the people and were flattered by the wining and dining of the developers. It beggars belief that we are pushed into obscurity and lie there and take it. Of course what can we do after all we voted these people to look after our interests, unfortunatly it is not our interests they look after.

So friends and readers in the great benifits race there is  only one winner but plenty of losers. The opportunity to train our young people in the skills we are told are desperatly needed has almost passed them by, oh  there will be jobs-serving in shops, working in the various private clubs that will be there, cleaning jobs and general low paid work, that is what this community will be offered, and we will be told to be thankful for that.

Our local councillors should hang their heads in shame, but they wont their egos will not let them, instead they will carry on their merry way ignoring the real needs of this community, and then come election time they will tell us we have never had it so good.

Well here is a little something to think about. The government is falling apart, the Labour executive is crumbling, the party itself is starting to disintegrate, instead of controling events they are now controling you, locally the infighting is reaching outside the hallowed halls of the city chambers, while dodgy Davies tries to capture the leadership by being all things to everybody, the same Davies who thinks the waterfront is a potential disaster. Well Mr.Davies it is your fellow councillor who chairs the board tell her, she might listen to you if she thought it would get her a position on the front bench, as her greed knows no bounds.

We are being sold short treated like fools and given scrapes from the masters table, do you really think a few long overdue improvements to the pavements will buy us off, no chance people will see through it, we have been taken for mugs for to long, we the citizens of Greater Pilton demand the benifits of progress, share the wealth around , we can all drink from the well.

The benifits of the wealth being shared will regenerate this community in a real sense, bring about renewed self esteem, dignity, and self respect, and of course let us not forget the link between unemployment and crime, even though our noble rulers would have us forget that little gem.

If you truely are the representatives of the people and that is really in question, then get on their sides and fight for this community and create a better community, do not let events rule you, or you may end up in a down ward spiral from which there will be no escape.

Friends and readers. Changes in society are due chiefly to the development of the internal contradictions in society that is,the contradiction between the productive forces and the relations of production, the contradiction between classes and the contradiction between the old and the new; it is the development of these contridictions that pushes society forward and gives the impetus for the supersession of the old society by the new.

The only way to settle questions of an ideological nature or cotroversial issues among the people is by the democratic method, the method of discussion,of criticism, of per suasion and education and not by the method of coercion or repression.

It is with these and other thoughts that people form ideas about how communitys and societys evolve and thrive, how do you get the best you can for your community, how best to use resources so that it benifits those who really need it. Can we as a community empower ourselves to take action to improve our esteem and standing, is it possible-yes it is, you would not think so if you listened to some of these -professionals who come into communitys and try to tell us what we need, instead of listening and reacting to a communitys needs i dare say like politicians should.

It is in the interests of all to take control of your community and push it in the direction of people progress, local hospital, not one at the other side of the city, decent housing real interest in our childrens education, social interaction, an air of decency towards our neighbours, a willingness to support those who need our help, these and other factors help make up a community and thereby society. What we get right now is patronise and placate, lots of words and promises we have even got the new jeruselem of the waterfront and the latest line in democracy the answer to all our prayers the heaven sent community councils. 

All of this pales into insignificance if we empower communitys to take action on their behalf to be proactive to matters which affect their community, to make sure that no politician takes a party line to your community, for that way lies oblivion and resentment, causing splits in communitys therby allowing political partys to dominate communitys and use them as footballs to be kicked around to suit the partys interests.

It is with these heart felt thoughts and feelings you have to ask yourselves what really stops you from being proactive, what prevents you from standing up, and demanding politicans do as you want. Simple we have never really done it consistently enough to make a real difference.   

So as a community we must challenge ourselves to make a difference, to oversee positive change not the secrecy of closed door changes, not the Waterfront type changes which this community has absolutly no involvement in what so ever, but the change which encourages openess, honesty, transparency of action, people focused change, to be treated as human beings not as a pawn in some game of political chess. 

We live in a world of political correctness a way of hiding the truth from people, by wraping it up in tightly bright packaged parcels, which you dare mot open because you might offend someone, when in reality it is a smoke screen, a pretence to care, a maze of legislation to baffle a community into saying and doing the right thing, while meantime the decisions are taken from your hands and we do not even see it coming.

So rip open these parcels and see what has become of communitys like ours , sanitised to the point of numbness lack of clarity to be ourselves and a focal point to far from our grasp to be anything other than a mirage.

These are communitys in the 21st century not because of something we have done more something we have not done. We have elected politicians to promote and take forward our communitys we have trusted our judgement in doing so, and we have become eunuchs powerless to do much about anything, because it has over a period of time secretly been taken away from us, and if the truth be told, we are to some degree frightened that if we take away this imaginary safety net then we will be lost forever in the wilderness.

Well friends and readers that is simply not true, it is a myth spread about to protect our rulers from losing there precious seats-the threat being if you do not vote for us and thereby the party machine you will lose everything you have got and we wont be there to help you. The question is what have you really got.

Friends and Readers. Can you remember when you were last asked about your opinion on your community. Now think hard and and be honest with yourself, the answer without doubt in the vast majority would be never.

How does that make you feel, not good we think and even less so when you see what is happening in our community of Greater Pilton. Of course we have the opportunity to vote on this and other matters every so often, but does that really represent what you feel,probably not.

What communitys should really be getting is their elected members to reflect their views, what they get is entirely different, they get a party machines views and opinions which rarely if ever reflects the views of the communitys.This has been going on for so long that people have understandably lost interest and faith in their elected members and politics in general.

It never ceases to amaze, the arrogance of politicians, that they think they have all the answers and the medicine that is delivered will be taken by all wether they like it or not. Pilton Sucks.com advocates a change, a real change not only of personel but of ideas and action. It seems inaction and lack of harmony with the voters is the order of the day and as long as you keep voting the same people to office that is what you will get.

The choice facing the citizens of Greater Piton is clear elect the same people you will get the same deal you got before, hardly ideal, but there you go. Once the backstabing has stopped and we find out which of our establishment councillors remain to go before the voters to try and get re-elected, ask yourself this, why should i vote for this private members club who have self interest at heart, why should i take a chance with my community and put it in the hands of the same people who still preside over high unemployment low self esteem bad housing anti social behaviour.

Out and about on our travels we asked various members of the communty what they thought about when they went to the polls, out of the 100 or so people we asked many were fed up with what they have experienced and may well not vote at all, others felt there was no real choice other than the party candidates, The majority of the people we spoke to were convinced all the councillors were just out to line their own pockets and could not give a dam about them.

Now why should people think like that, what makes them feel that way, is it because the perception of politics is that it is bent anyway and nothing we can do can change that. Or is it because politics even local politics is to distant from the punters and does not represent what they think and feel. Who knows what is really in peoples hearts, Pilton Sucks.com is struck by the underlying need for people to be involved in decisions which affect their lives, struck by the fact that it is fundemental when someone is asking you to vote for them, that they truely represent a communitys opinions and not a party machines views.

Ask yourself honestly if any of our current councillors and MP and MSP stood on a ticket seperate from the party machine would the punters vote for them-who knows but one thing is sure, none of them would have the courage to do so-so how can they be honest with you,interesting thought dont you think. A party machine can by its nature never truely reflect the views of a community it is to intrenched in dogma for that to happen-if the party says it is alright then you can do it otherwise you cant, what kind of democracy is that.

So friends and readers when you come down to it unless you are supporting an independant candidate then you will get the party line and little else. Some times in life you have to stand up and be counted, it will be interesting to see the ballot papers at the next election-will it not. 

A new guide has been published by Britains Chartered Management Institute to help organisations manage and address the impact of bullying at work.

Launched in association with the concillation service, Acas and trade union Unison -Bullying in the workplace guidence for managers- calls on organisations to monitor and deal with the problem of bullying because of the negative impact it has on health, self- esteem and organisational performance.

It also highlights the need for employers to be aware of the potential legal implications if they fail to identify, and act on, bullying.

The guide outlines the factors that contribute towards an organisational bullying culture and urges managers to be clear on the proceedures for dealing with complaints. It also calls on managers to put preventative -anti bullying- measures in place.

Recognising that bullying takes many forms, the guide tells managers to look out for signs such as intimidation, the misuse of power or overbearing supervision, undermining by overloading colleagues with to much work, constant criticism, blocking promotion or denying training and development opportunities.

Bullying is not MORALLY INDEFENSIBILE,it is an undermining influence on staff morale which,in turn adversely affevts an organisations performance, said Mary Chapman, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute.

It is imperitive that managers recognise their duty of care to their employees,both in their own behaviour and by developing the knowledge and policies which reduce the liklehood of bullying in the first place.

To communicate the message that bullying is unacceptable, the guide recomends developing clear and concise policies. Areas to consider including are:

A statement of commitment from senior management

Examples of unacceptable behaviour

Clear indications that bullying is a disciplinary offence

Appropriate details about procedures

Involvement of trade union and HSE representatives

Assurances that complaints will be dealt with confidentially.

Organisations need to bear in mind their culture and management style when developing a policy because setting a positive example goes hand-inhand with formal procedures.

However dealing solely with the concequences of bullying is not good enough- it wrongly focuses attention on individuals rather than the culture that has allowed the bullying to go on.

Victims of workplace bullying display similar psychological symptoms to soldiers who have experienced combat situations, according to research by psychologist Dr. Noreen Tehrani.

According to her reseach, one in five people who have experienced bullying at wirk exhibited the main symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

B.Nisbet on behalf of pilton sucks.com associates.

Friends and Readers.

The Human Rights Act 1998 became law in the UK in October 2000. The HRA allows citizens for the first time to use a court of law in the UK if they believe their human rights have been breached.Prior to the introduction of the human rights act a UK citizen had to take their case to the european court of human rights in Strasbourg, a costly proceedure taking many years.

The Human Rights Act enshrines the provisions of the European convention of human rights in UK law.

S.Berry on behalf of Pilton sucks.com associates. 

Bullying is a pervasive problem inUK workplaces,with around 15% of people at any one time labelling themselves as being bullied. This figure can be doubled if the label of BULLYING is removed,and individuals are asked instead about persistant unacceptable behaviours that they experience at work. Such behaviours range from overt actions such as SHOUTING, through to covert actions such as failing to assign CREDIT FOR POSITIVE WORK.

BULLYING AT WORK CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE AND TO ANYONE, regardless of GENDER,AGE or hierarchical position.

The effects of bullying can be severe, in some cases resulting in SUICIDE or significant MENTAL BREAKDOWN.

In the UK a majority of bullies are reported to their managers[80%]

The organisations action [or inaction] taken in relation to bullying will often be JUDGED BY STAFF, with INACTION by organisations being seen as CONDONING BULLYING AT WORK.

Once bullying behaviour has become established it is much more difficult to remedy.

C.S

Workplace bullies should be reported to the police and prosecuted under the criminal law, according to a leading employment lawyer.

Unions have called for legislation outlawing workplace bullying,but Stephen Levinson a partner at Manches,said there are a number of legal remedies already in existance.

He said harassment involving threatening or abusive behaviour could be prosecuted under the Public Order Act which carries a maximum six-month prison sentence.

Other activities commonly used by office bullies, such as sending offensive letters or e-mails could be tackled under the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

There are also remedies under health and safety laws and Protection from Harassment Act 1977, Levinson said.

Some employers just turn a blind eye to the problem, costing their companies millions of pounds in lost efficiency and staff turnover, and laying themselves open to claims in employment tribunals

Yet some of the most comon forms of bullying are also criminal offences under a variety of laws and employers may be liable themselves if they do not take effective steos to protect their staff.

But despite the existing remedies, Levinson admitted that the current legal position was unsatisfactory and echoed calls for stronger legal protection for VICTIMS of bullying.

In November 2005, the Andrea Adams Trust along with Personnel today released the results of the annual survey into workplace bullying.

The survey of more than 1,400 HR professionals,revealed that almost 70% have witnessed or have been aware of bullying in their organisation.

The survey reveals that bullying takes a variety of forms and is usually perpertrated by the VICTIMS immediate MANAGER. Humiliation and ridicule, unfair critcism and intimidating behaviour are the most common examples. Nearly two-thirds 62% have come across incidences of verbal abuse and 5% physical abuse.

Three-quarters say there is an unwillingness by senior management to acknowledge bullying as a problem,and the management culture is seen as one of the main reasons for firms to effectively deal with bullying.

D. Thomas-M.BERRY 

Friends and readers. Inspired by the Andrea Adams Trust- the UKs leading authority on workplace bullying-Ban Bullying at Work Day is a national event which aims to highten peoples awareness of workplace bullying and offer organisations and individuals an opportunity to get involved and start tackling this issue in earnest.

The focus of Ban Bullying at Work Day is the dedicated website designed and hosted by Digital Opinion incorporating inspirational graphics by Leo Burnett, it is a uniquely rich source of information about workplace bulling, and offers a range of activity packs and promotional materials for download. It outlines the events which are taking place to support the day, and provides links to organisations which support the struggle against workplace bullying in many different ways,

It also describes the extensive research into workplace bullying commissioned by the Andrea Adams Trust and Personnel Today and undertaken by Digital Opinion, including the NATIONAL BULLYING SURVEY of victims and the 2005 SURVEY OF HR PROFESSIONALS.

Bulling at work is in nobodies interest. Both employers and employees are in a lose:lose scenario as a result of bullying in the workplace. The employer can expect significantly higher sickness rates, high employee turnover with the resultant high cost of training and retraining, exceedingly low work force moral and poor industrial relations whilst the employees can expect higher levels of STRESS, a miserable working environment and even premature death due to stress related illness such as heart disease and certain forms of cancer which have been linked to stress. Indeed, even SUICIDE and murder are far from unknown in workplaces which have bullies in the workforce.

To the employee, a bully can make life unbearable, as in the case we have been highlighting in Muirhouse Social Work Centre. Many employees will simply leave again as in Muirhouses case. Others will keep their heads down and some may even begin to fight back. The latter category of course can usually be seen as a problem employee by the emploting organization who WILL RARELY RECOGNIZE that there may be a deeper problem at the workplace.

If you think back to any experience that you had with a school bully then you will no doubt understand the emotions that the target of workplace bulling goes through. The emotions are after all a natural and normal responce to an abnormal ongoing series of events

 

ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE BORN FREE AND EQUAL IN DIGNITY AND RIGHTS. THEY ARE ENDOWED WITH REASON AND CONSCIENCE AND SHOULD ACT TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER IN A SPRIT OF BROTHERHOOD

NO ONE SHALL BE SUBJECTED TO ARBITRARY INTERFERENCE WITH HIS PRIVACY,FAMILY HOME OR CORRESPONDENCE, NOR TO ATTACKS UPON HIS HONOR AND REPUTATION. EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO PROTECTION OF THE LAW AGAINST SUCH INTERFERENCE OR ATTACKS.

ARTICLES 1 AND 12 UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS 1948.

Given the above as an agreed starting point for a minimum standard of rights to every human being, can there really be any justification for the way in which many employees across the world are being treated in their workplaces by either their managers or other employees?

Perhaps you can remember from your childhood, atime when you were bullied at school? You may remember the fear and anxiety that your treatment caused? Well, as confirmed by an ever increasing body of research, the unfortuate truth is that the emotions you felt back at that time are being felt by literally millions of working people right across the world nations both east and west.

As far as the UK is concerned, research for the BBC carried out by Charlotte RaynerPhD of Staffordshire University Business School and Prof. Cary Cooper of the Manchester School of Management[umist] has concluded that a staggering 53% of their sample reported having been bullied at work and 77% of respondents reported having been witnesses to such bulling. These statistics appear to be consistent with the growing body of research available at this time.

Harrassment can take the form of physical verbal or non verbal conduct which is unwanted by the individual target. In certain circumstances, harassment can be unlawful and can result in legal proceedings being taken against the harasser and often the employer as well.

Bullying is slightly different as it is deliberate, each incident may not seem significant to an objective observer when taken in isolation however it is important to recognize that there is a cumulative effect and each incident is in effect building on the last.

Bulling can be defined as the persistant use of offensive bahaviour which gradually undermines the persons self esteem and confidence. Whilst bullying does not include constructive criticism and behaviour or performance by line managers or supervisiors upwards, it should be recognized that such criticism can often be used as a way to further undermine the confidence of a person who already under the cumulative effect of harassment and that such poor performance may well be the direct result of that harassment.