LUL has upheld the outrageous sacking of Eva Bayford on appeal. Eva's workmates are now gearing up for indutrial action to demand her reinstatement - and the rest of us should do all we can to help.
There's a long-standing labour movement maxim that 'an injury to one is an injury to all'. Individual cases are never really about just an individual; they are always about a wider principle too. In this case, that wider principle is rights for probationers. Management seem to think that they can dispose of probationers at will, safe in the knowledge that a sacked worker can not take an 'unfair dismissal' claim to an Employment Tribunal during their first year with an employer (11 years into a 'Labour' government, and workers still don't have this basic right).
Eva's RMT branch is holding a special meeting next week to decide what action to take. For details, and publicity materials, email the branch.
Comments
EVA BAYFORD & SARAH HUTCHINS
The branch meeting voted unanimously to support a ballot for industrial action for Eva Bayford and for Sarah Hutchins a CSA on the East Ham Group.
Eva's case is apalling. She was called in to be disciplined for being absent from duty. When it was pointed out that she was covering a short shift, the supervisor had given her permission to go and that she had checked with the ag1 that she was only supposed to cover 4 hours, the case could not hold water. After an ajournment she was called back in and sacked for poor conduct and acused of lying when she said that she had phoned the ag1. The ag1's integrity was never questioned thay just branded her lier.
With Sarah Hutchins she was assaulted three times on the gateline at Becontree. Once when she was pregnant. This obviously resulted in her having to take time off. Ocupational health recomended that she be given a job with a physical barrier between her and the customer.
when she had her return to work interview, she went in without a union rep. The GSM said there are no such jobs available and refered her to redeployment.
At no time was she offered the obvious choice SAMF. When she was in redeployment she went for a train operators position and got it. On the last day of her course she collapsed with pnumonia
and had to go home. When she returned to work the GSM refused to let her start work and put her on gardening leave. he then went on to medicaly terminate her even though she had a letter from her doctor declaring her fit to work.
We must stand by these members of staff and give them every support up to and including strike action.
Rick Grogan