The performance by Alistair McGowan as Jimmy Savile is unnervingly believable, riveting and quite clearly emotionally draining and I really do hope he has plenty of support for what is undoubtedly an extremely taxing role. As an impressionist and accomplished actor, it's hard to think of anyone better able to play this part and he richly deserves all the credit for agreeing to it.
Some may feel this play is too early, but I'm with many victims who seem to be saying it's actually high time to be exploring these issues and talking about Jimmy Savile, precisely because he appears to be in danger of being edited-out of our national and institutional consciousness.
I gather there are at least two extra performances and this from the LondonTheatre1 website:-
Jonathan Maitland said, “We were always determined that some of the profit from this show should go to support the amazing and vital work that National Association for People Abused in Childhood do, and I’m pleased to confirm that we will definitely now be in a position to make a substantial donation to them at the end of the run. What pleases me more than anything is that the play has had overwhelming approval from the many survivors of sexual abuse who have come to see it, as well as the wider theatre going public.”
Gabrielle Shaw, Chief Executive for NAPAC said, “We are delighted with the success of this outstanding play. ‘An Audience with Jimmy Savile’ shines a light on how Savile got away with his terrible actions, but even more importantly it highlights the varied experiences of those who were victims of his abuse. NAPAC works with adult survivors of childhood abuse, and the producers’ donation will go directly towards this work – notably the NAPAC support telephone line which offers free and confidential advice and a listening ear for those trying to deal with the trauma they have suffered.”
Jez Bond, Artistic Director of Park Theatre said, “I’m thrilled that Park Theatre has helped bring this important play to the stage. The reaction of our audiences after every performance reminds us just how successful theatre can be in raising the debate on current affairs. There’s much to be learnt from this disgusting piece of our society’s history – and I’m proud that we’ve been able to play even a small part in the autopsy of the events.”
Jonathan Maitland said, “We were always determined that some of the profit from this show should go to support the amazing and vital work that National Association for People Abused in Childhood do, and I’m pleased to confirm that we will definitely now be in a position to make a substantial donation to them at the end of the run. What pleases me more than anything is that the play has had overwhelming approval from the many survivors of sexual abuse who have come to see it, as well as the wider theatre going public.”
Gabrielle Shaw, Chief Executive for NAPAC said, “We are delighted with the success of this outstanding play. ‘An Audience with Jimmy Savile’ shines a light on how Savile got away with his terrible actions, but even more importantly it highlights the varied experiences of those who were victims of his abuse. NAPAC works with adult survivors of childhood abuse, and the producers’ donation will go directly towards this work – notably the NAPAC support telephone line which offers free and confidential advice and a listening ear for those trying to deal with the trauma they have suffered.”
Jez Bond, Artistic Director of Park Theatre said, “I’m thrilled that Park Theatre has helped bring this important play to the stage. The reaction of our audiences after every performance reminds us just how successful theatre can be in raising the debate on current affairs. There’s much to be learnt from this disgusting piece of our society’s history – and I’m proud that we’ve been able to play even a small part in the autopsy of the events.”
Jimmy Saville, although never convicted, in my mind was a prolific and deviant offender. His actions have no doubt brought misery to peoples lives, and in some cases even destroyed them altogether.
ReplyDeleteYet for me, Savilles deeds are only part of the crime. More sinister perhaps is that the 'establishment' would rather allow him to continue his devient behaviour then risk attracting negativity from the general.
Savilles victims, as Leon Britains or Cyril Smith, were human sacrifices by an establishment that must maintain the image of upmost integrity at any cost.
Politics, the Church, Social care or the media whatever all played their part in creating victims like Savilles. Even worse, compounding the victims misery more by failing to investigate, prosecute or even telling victims they were lieing.
I haven't seen the play, and am unlikely to get the oppertunity to do so, but I do hope it potrays the disgusting and cowardly role the 'establishment' played (and I feel are still playing) in protecting the guilty from the innocent.
'Getafix'
Off topic, but PbR another difficult subject?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/andrew-neilson/uk-public-spending-watchdog-explodes-myth-of-%E2%80%98payment-by-results%E2%80%99
Clear of 13.38. Would you do that in a PSO interview whereby your talking about the index offence than out of the blue you say "off topic, what's your health like"? My point is, stick to the point!!!
ReplyDeleteWe've always done 'off topic' on this blog so it's not a problem 15:00. Maybe unusual blog etiquette but it seems to work. You carry on 13:38
Delete1655 I don't agree with lets stay on topic . A rambling blog is a drag to get to the issues if you want a cartoon mess read a comic. This comment does not make me a bully or a dictator 1500 grow up dramatic queen.
Delete1500 sorry should 1518
Delete00:09 Are you OK? I get the impression you feel down and a bit unappreciated at the moment.
DeleteAnnon 15:00
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think you have the right to control what comments are left on this blog?
Unless you are Jim Brown, the blogs author, you have no right to demand how, why and when comments are made.
Agree, disagree, discuss whatever. You may even consider adding something yourself other then becoming enraged and offensive when someone does something that you don't like.
As far as I'm aware there's no formal format that MUST be adhered to, and the comment you're refering to is about TR and probation, not about Crufts or whats the best washing powder to use to remove stains.
Stop being a dictator and a bully.
Anon@15:18, you took the words out of my mouth, though Anon@15:00 worries more as an interviewer than poster!
DeleteOn Saville and donations to charity. When you consider the endemic nature of abuse in every major social/religious institution in this country. Children were not safe in their own homes, in residential care, in schools, in charities - St John's Ambulance - in extra-curricular activities – sports, outdoor pursuits, scouts/girl guides – in hospital, in church, and in the BBC. And yet support for adult survivors must depend on donations to charity.
Very good point.
DeleteUsing this case as an example, there was one offender and over 200 victims. That is why there is no statutory resources for victims. If every victim of CSA was offers years of counselling, the costs would be enormous.
Delete'Imagine a childhood disease that affects one in five girls and one in seven boys before they reach the age of eighteen; a disease that can cause erratic behaviour and even severe conduct disorder among those exposed; a disease that can have profound implications for an individual’s future health by increasing the risk of substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and suicidal behaviour; a disease that replicates itself by causing some of its victims to expose future generations to its debilitating effects. Imagine what we, as a society would do if such a disease existed. We would spare no expense. We would invest heavily in basic and applied research. We would devise systems to identify those affected and provide services to treat them. We would develop and broadly implement prevention campaigns to protect our children. Wouldn’t we? Such a disease does exist – it is called child sexual abuse'
Deletehttp://www.carterbrownexperts.co.uk/financial-costs-child-sexual-abuse/
So very true! Well said.
DeleteBrilliant post!
DeletePreferring trial by evidence rather than innuendo, Twitter, media manipulation and others, am I alone in having trouble with this? Savile was odd to say the least, but we have a lot of heat and only flickering light. Please ponder:
ReplyDeleteA sizeable proportion of ‘claims’ against Savile have been disproven. Others are still being investigated. There have not been any conclusions yet reached to a legal standard.
These claims take place over decades and in many locations. Were all the thousands of NHS staff, social workers, youth workers and such so smitten/frightened/overawed by his presence, that no-one out of those thousands said anything?
Think of the logistics in silencing every one of those independent witnesses. Could this happen?
Before the inevitable descent upon me as being an apologist, please read other blogs such as the excellent ‘Anna Raccoon’ where these claims are examined in greater detail. It seems she should know, because she was there.
Regards
For anyone who might want to explore this indeed difficult subject in more detail I can recommend an excellent book by Dan Davies, "In Plain Sight" "The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile". Davies, in addition to his research, also interviewed Savile at length on several occasions over a period of years. One reviewer describes the book as "driven by a relentless desire to understand the the man and the society which feted and tolerated him for so long".
ReplyDeleteI'm aware of Anna Raccoon and other blogs. I would suggest that any research on the subject start with the Wikipedia article here:-
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile_sexual_abuse_scandal
How did Mr Saville pass the stringent vetting of the security services to allow him to get close to the Royal family and the then Prime Minister perhaps the questions we should be asking is what exactly did MI5 know and when?
ReplyDeleteYou might want to look at just how many of these creeps were lauded by that prime minister. Its starting to reach disturbing numbers. No wonder we still cant get to the bottom of the dolphin square horror.
DeleteIt seems to be a cesspit at the top, how much have they covered up-- Dominique Strauss-Kahn just another member of the international banking elite. What hope have we got when the likes of these run the world?
DeleteMassive demo in London tomorrow nowt in the media though-- just part of the global cover up.
papa
Er, instead of global cover up, try public don't give a shit :-/
DeleteYour right we have a sitting lord goes in collects his money fills in his expenses claims. Votes in many debates and his view is taken seriously or his vote has to be yet the CPS from somewhere decide he is to senile to face a trial. Then why is he in the F**** house of lords taking our money for being a senile **** That said he should pay the money back and disappear. In my view jail if proven yet it looks like Scotland will pick up the line of integrity and put him before the judge and jury.
DeleteOn the aspect of 'in plain sight', Savile's deeds are being exaggerated to the point that my scepticism has started to make me feel uncomfortable. Bear with me. I mean that as every new revelation emerges, I can't help thinking 'bandwagon'. It's got to the point where it would have been impossible for any human being to have been alone with, never mind abusing, that many children. Don't forget, in a homophobic age, Savile's was (whispers) 'a bit funny, you know, lives with his mother'. The genuine victims have had the sympathy for their suffering diluted be a load of chancers and a media, insatiable for stuff they can't be sued for. Meanwhile, Greville Janner lives.
ReplyDeleteDo the principles of fair trial etc and non abusive discriminatory language apply to certain people in society then?Use of the word senile in this way is both ill informed and ageist.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by ETC then if your being pedantic. This is part of the story where we will all be cheated as he actually avoids a fair trial. Dementia to most ordinary people equals the same result as senile. Happy to change the word either way what of his conscience.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greville_Janner,_Baron_Janner_of_Braunstone#Final_investigation_and_CPS_decision
On 16 April 2015, the Crown Prosecution Service issued a statement indicating that they would not charge Janner owing to his poor health.[31] During Leicestershire Police's Operation Enamel more than 20 men were interviewed who claimed Janner had abused them before they were adults.[32] The Crown Prosecution Service stated that the case met their evidential test for prosecution and they would have otherwise have prosecuted on 22 counts of indecent assaults and buggery, which are alleged to have occurred between 1969 and 1988.[1]
However, they decided that it failed the public interest test, as Janner was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2009 and the associated dementia had progressed to a point where he could not engage with the court process, and his evidence could not be relied upon. This meant that a court case could not proceed.[1][31] Four specialist medical practitioners, two acting for the prosecution and police and two for the defence, have confirmed the severity of Janner's dementia.[33] Just over a week later, it emerged that although the four doctors agreed Janner was suffering from severe dementia they were not unanimous on the six points listed in the CPS statement. Only one was asked if Janner could be faking the condition, a suggestion which was categorically dismissed.[34]
Also of note the creep Janner had sufficient lucidity the other month to transfer ownership of his multi million pound hone to his childrens name, thereby protecting his assets if his unfortunate victims tried the civil courts route. Utterly repellant individual.
DeleteYes thanks hardly F**** demented or senile then is he ? OH lets not be ageist tho or get the language wrong as some distraction at 736 will defend the indefensible. Ignoring he is a monster if convicted.
DeleteWhat really concerned me was the head of CPS saying on Telly that Mr Janner no longer presented a risk! I've raised this before and still find it astonishing that soemone in her position could be so naive!
DeleteI find the best place for up to date info is ExaroNews www.exaronews.com
ReplyDeleteJim, please don't summarise bleak futures tomorrow as we all know what has been posted on the blog over the last week or so. Can we discuss NAPOs AGM?
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you get the ball rolling with a guest blog?
DeleteIf 18:40 is the same person who feels entitled to tell people what to post and has previously sought to direct the content of Jim's, yes Jim's blog, and is perhaps also the person who blew their own trumpet at the prospect of putting out another blog, because they had become tired of Jim's yes Jim's blog. Perhaps this person would like to go away and write their own blog. Feel free to tell us all how to find it and then we can all decide whether to visit or, perhaps not.
Delete1840 ???
Delete18:40 The Bleak Futures series has finished - by all means start discussing the Napo AGM though.
DeleteI liked Bleak futures..it gave me hope. In my little place in the NPS we are so isolated and insular it's terrifying., well it is to me anyway, the boss probably loves it. Hearing from others, experiencing similar, to know that there are people out there feeling similarly has kept me going, and for some reason there are a lot of posts in BF that I hadn't seem before, even when relying on a daily read of blog.
DeletePlease don't let the saboteurs, or saboteur, get the upper hand. Bullies and self centered ignorance clearly abounds. Lets not let that win.
AGM you mean how are they going to contrive the event in getting all the members attending to bless them and adopt whatever they say . Well we have the experience of the SGM to recall Rendon waxing lyrical and losing his temper at a disabilities issue. Then the practice of hoodwinking all NECs because we never hear of anything in dispute as employers.
ReplyDeleteOh and then the utter slide out from JR motion and lobbying the slippery oily Mr lawrence pulled off last AGM. By my reckoning members do not have a chance of anything at the AGM. Not on his watch we keep hearing. Good luck !
I'm admin. Someone please tell me what they think they are getting for their Napo subs?. Not facetious, not sarcastic, just a straight question.
DeletePerhaps we could show our disappoval of the GS by simply walking out when he rises to deliver his annual eulogy. Pity the repellant rendon wasnt still around so we could do likewise
DeleteWhat do you think you are getting for your subs? It's neither here nor there that you are Admin – a member is a member. If facing a disciplinary or capability procedure, you know you can seek advice and representation from your local Rep. If facing the draconian sickness procedure, you can similarly be supported. Or if you are aggrieved about something – maybe bullying, discrimination, you can take your complaint in the first instance to your local Rep for advice about process and procedure. If the need arises you could be represented by a national Rep or a barrister at an employment tribunal. These possible scenarios are probably some of the main reasons why people join unions – as you would take out an insurance policy. Also, unionised workforces tend to have better conditions and pay than their non-unionised counterparts – the union premium.
DeleteYour subs also finance the other work of the unions – national negotiations on terms and conditions and taking any necessary actions to protect and advance these agreements. We have seen rafts of legislation designed to make it more difficult for unions to organise and fight campaigns – from restrictions on strike picketing to check-off procedures, the last thirty years have witnessed a political drive to weaken the collective bargaining power of unions. Unions are weaker than they were and this has been reflected in declining membership numbers, as old manufacturing industries have been allowed to die and the economy shifted towards the service industry.
In the public sector, the decline of a professional workforce and the impact of outsourcing have undermined consensus and solidarity. So, now when there are ballots to elect leaders, or for a mandate to take industrial action, turnout figures are usually low, which undermines the industrial muscle of the union leaders to negotiate from a position of strength, supported by a strong mandate. This situation is going to worsen when the Tories pass legislation specifying percentage thresholds for ballots.
What you get from your subs is only one part of the equation. What you do for the union is the other part. The union as a force for betterment can only be effective if members engage in keeping the unions strong, through activism and through being bothered to vote in ballots and being mindful enough to see that their terms and conditions were not gifts from the employer but the result of decades of trade union efforts to improve the lot of workers.
Superb Netnipper. Absolutely spot on.
DeleteI posed the question. I'm in the GMB and took VR - thanks but I didn't need the history lesson - I explicitly referenced Napo because all of those things you talk about regarding weakened Union influence, happened, along with TR, whilst Napo was the nearest thing to a monopoly in union terms. I'd have better things to do with my money if the Probation Officer's union managed to oversee the biggest reduction in PO/OM posts and allow them to be replaced by machines, in some instances.
DeleteWhat a good suggestion 8.12 if members are serious about showing their disapproval of I.L leaving the room when he delivers his speech is a very effective way of collective dissatisfaction at the AGM. It will be interesting to see how many comment on this proposed action, or will it be more of the same apathy that has allowed us to get to where we are today. 70k is a big salary, I'd expect to have to show results if it were me, but look at what has happened to us on Mr Lawrence's watch, lost holiday, lost essential user allowance, no pay rise and his negotiating with privateers about how best to make staff unemployed ... I could continue but sadly we are all too aware of the catalogue ... Time to make the stand at AGM
DeleteSorry I will be staying to listen . I wonder how much total crap he will bulldoze out as if he is a victim and we are cruel to expect him to be at least a little capable. Now why don't the NEC call for an inquiry into the activities of the general secretary ? Oh is it because they always endorse what he tells them.
DeleteTo 16:54 who posed the question somewhat deviously or maybe mischievously – but who cares...Napo has a monopoly in probation and the POA has a monopoly in prison and the FBA has a monopoly in the fire service. Look at the job losses in prisons and look at the pensions situation in the fire service. A union is not a messiah and cannot always resist the political currents. It's difficult isn't it when the causes are complex?
DeleteProbation Officer's union managed to oversee the biggest reduction in PO/OM posts and allow them to be replaced by machines, in some instances.
DeleteYes he did because he rushed in all new and shiny as part of the consultation \ design process of TR . Got himself embroiled despite warnings and concerns from many activists not to. Wrote in his blog last week that more redundancies than he had anticipated \ expected. He should be sacked for that comment alone. Ian Lawrence has to go he has failed at everything he touches and the spin is not helping napo survival. Let us have the national members loss figures versus recruitment. It cannot be a balanced sheet can it? As for the history lesson as quoted by 16:24 yes your right too much blah blah and he missed your point completely.
Netnipper is right. Union membership is not a service to buy, it I a movement to contribute. Like the NHS, we all pay so those in need are protected. The rest of us get the satisfaction of knowing we are all working together for the benefit of our colleagues in need. It is the greatest social movement in history. It is not surprising that the Tories hate it.
ReplyDeleteWell yes but the service has to work for the members. Napo appears to most to work for itself nowadays.
DeleteLet me get this right, we pay subs to contribute. Shouldn't it be the other way round? With IL on 70k a year, I'd want him to do something for me!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this is still the case, as I left NAPO years ago, but you used to be able to claim NAPO subs against tax paid on the basis that it was a professional organisation.So, for the price of a stamp and a letter to HMRC, NAPO was nil cost.
DeleteNo just the tax value as relief actually.
DeleteJust keeping an eye on MoJ propaganda. 17 June - Rachael Maskell secure a debate on safety in prisons - " The national tactical response group, which deals with serious incidents and riots in prisons, has seen an 89% increase in demand since 2010, with 223 calls in 2014 compared with 129 two years earlier. Only this week, we witnessed a riot involving 60 prisoners at Her Majesty’s prison Stocken. An officer was stabbed and hospitalised... "We must also look at our probation service, which has also experienced severe cuts as it has been taken on its own journey around privatisation and out into the market, meaning that it is not able to integrate fully with the rest of the criminal justice system. We have to ask serious questions about that."
ReplyDeleteSelous: "The hon. Lady talked about the importance of probation supervision. The transforming rehabilitation reforms mean that people with sentences of under 12 months now get probation supervision—they did not in the past... Reoffending was mentioned. Since 2002, the proven reoffending rate has remained stable, and it stands at 26.2%. For adults released from custody, the rate is 45.2%, and it has remained relatively stable since 2004, although it was slightly higher in 2002 and 2003... In 2014, due to an unexpected increase in staff turnover and in the prison population, there were delays in bringing staff numbers up to the level required..."
1. People with u.12 month sentences DID get intervention from probation in the past
2. The reoffending rate was, until 17 June 2015, unacceptable - hence the rush to impose TR. Now its stable. Oh really?
3. The prison staffing crisis was created by the coalition government, mainly through privatisation & mass redundancies.
How can the lies be allowed to go unchallenged day after day after day?
During that debate there was this from Ian Lavery: "The Prison Service and the probation service, which has been mentioned by different speakers, are in total and utter chaos. We should not be surprised. I will give a number of examples from HMP Northumberland, which is not in my constituency but is in the lovely county in which I live.
ReplyDeleteIt should not be a surprise that we have this crisis in prisons when we look at how we have sold off the Prison Service to private companies such as Sodexo, which is, after all, a French catering company running prisons in places such as Northumberland. The fact that that type of organisation is running prisons does not inspire any confidence among the public. When Sodexo took over HMP Northumberland, it immediately made one third of the staff redundant. What happened? The prison was in chaos. As my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) said, the prison then had to get a bank of people it had just made redundant to make themselves available, and that is still the case. There have been horrific situations at HMP Northumberland. Whose safety are we looking at? Not just that of the staff. I want to put on the record what a fantastic job prison officers do under tremendous pressure. The level of stress-related illness among prison officers is beyond all imagination, as my hon. Friend the Member for York Central described.
Look at what has happened because of staff reductions. Throughout the country, a third of the staff has been made redundant. In some prisons, the staff has been reduced by 50%. Are we surprised that there are problems in prisons? Are we surprised that there has been an increase in assaults on prisoners of around 10%? Are we surprised that there has been an increase in assaults on staff of 11%? Are we surprised that serious assaults on prisoners are up 35% and serious assaults on staff are up 33%? Of course we should not be surprised when there is no one managing prisons as they should be managed. I mentioned that there are a lot of people on bank working, if and when they are needed; we have lost a lot of experience in the Prison Service as well.
On 27 January, Her Majesty’s chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick, gave a damning report on HMP Northumberland, saying that “not all prisoners received a thorough initial risk assessment or induction… prisoners said they felt less safe at Northumberland than at comparable prisons… recorded assaults were high and work to confront bullying and violence lacked rigour… there had been three self-inflicted deaths since 2012..."
Selous: "The hon. Member for Wansbeck (Ian Lavery) talked about his concerns over Sodexo. He is right that its parent is a French catering company. I would just say that another Sodexo prison won the Elton prison industries award, which has been mentioned. The prison I recently visited in Salford had pretty low levels of sickness absence among its staff."
Would that be the Ben Elton Award for fiction, I wonder?
Rachael Maskell also put the following to the Minister:
ReplyDeleteAnother big question is why so many people end up in our prisons in the first place. We know that the number of community orders has fallen, despite their effectiveness, and that many people are held in prison while awaiting trial, with 27% not returning to prison afterwards, having been given other sentences.
"I challenge our incarceration of so many people who are experiencing mental health challenges or addiction and substance abuse. I question whether it is right for people struggling with health issues to be locked up for 23 hours a day and whether, if that is not the right environment for them, we cannot find alternatives that will really help to address their health issues and issues around reoffending."
And John McDonnell contributed: "The chaos of the past five years is also reflected in what is happening in the National Probation Service, with Sodexo laying off 600 probation officers. Who will supervise people coming out of prison now? The split in the service, mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for York Central, between higher-risk prisoners who need supervision and medium to low-risk prisoners is counter-intuitive. There is regularly a shift between medium and high risk, and between low and medium risk. People are not safe inside and rehabilitation is not taking place because of overcrowding and a lack of staff. When prisoners come out, they are supervised in an almost chaotic manner because of a lack of staff and the breakdown of some of the central service provision that was backing up those staff, including, yet again, the failure of computers. In addition, the private companies are trying to maximise their profits by cutting back on professional standards.
We are in crisis again. That is not a party political point—whoever was in government, I would be making the same statement in the light of this evidence, which is coming from front-line staff. They are saying, “We’re not coping with the level of staffing and the pressures on us.” The Minister takes real care in his job. He responded as effectively as he possibly could within the financial constraints under the previous Government; he must now get a grip on the issue and say to the Treasury, “We need the resources to staff these prisons, protect the probation service and enhance the service delivery we are getting from the companies that have taken over.” Otherwise, I fear that there are real risks both inside prisons and when people come out. That risk is not just to prison officers and prisoners, but to the general public as well."
Sounds like the same old arguments, however valid & real, are being ignored, dismissed & spun out of existence by whoever holds the govt brief for probation, prisons & justice. Where it was once Grayling & Wright now we have Gove & Selous. So why are those arguments left behind, dying on the floor of the House? Why isn't anyone listening? Why is it that the statistics, the facts, the truths are all set aside? Why are the careers of hundreds of probation employees so meaningless?
ReplyDeleteNot too long now, just a matter of hours in fact, before the promised announcement about redundancies. In the deep, dark shadow of my depression - activated by work-related stress, the dishonesty & the dishonourable acts of those I once trusted - I try to bear an unbearable weight, to bear the unbearable wait. The coldest, dreariest midsummers day in living memory. It just gets darker from here.
Commiserations - probation folk have really finally discovered, that our flawed system of Government is run by ELECTED people who have little idea of how organisations work and how subtle one needs to be to inculcate positive change in those who, for a multitude of reasons, commit crime.
DeleteWhat has amazed me is how much the common folk will tolerate and that just a few thousand take to the streets in protest or who actively complain to the media and parliament.
I think the even bigger news due soon, is about how the Greeks will/or will not reach an accommodation with the European bankers and the wider consequences that are presaged, by those outcomes.
I am not minimising the stress involved for individuals who either hope for or against being laid off by Sodexo or another CRC owner - it is despicable that decent public servants should be treated so badly BUT then again, there are other things that are dreadful also, that I have not protested loudly enough against - I am truly sorry and hope that before too long good sense begins to prevail.
So the darkness continues for another week as Sodexo play hard & fast with our EVR monies, refusing to honour the national agreement - preferring their own version.
ReplyDeleteIn the absence of any union having the balls to tell Sodexo to Sod Off, Gove, Selous - where are you?!? What happened to your careful scrutiny of the EVR funds.
The unions have already rejected the offer you haven't seen yet. The six branches linked to Sodexo owned CRCs have all gone into dispute because of the company's intentions to put the offer to their staff when it has not been agreed at the NNC, something that is ALSO against the National Framework Agreement. In short, watch the unethicla behaviour of this notoriously unethicla company unfold over the coming days. This is whay we were fighting to oppose outsourcing; because these companies are interested in only one thing and will achieve it at all costs including breaking agreements and even, if they think they can get away with it, laws. The only defense is to hold them to account in the way that Serco and G4S were held to account over electronic monitoring.
ReplyDeletefor anyone who still has doubts about the chances of Sodexo not coming good, PLEASE google 'Sodexo-Sourcewatch', previously highlighted by another as a comment on this blog. It reveals how vile it is, damaging the lives of so many people, including harming thousands of schoolchildren in Germany, in their provision of unchecked toxic horsemeat , as a catering company with umpteen school dinner contracts. This website shows how it will stoop to anything which will create huge profits.
ReplyDeleteAnd shame on our rotten government for ignoring all the evidence to approve such an unscrupulous company.
I genuinely don't think they are unscrupulous. I just think they are crap. Weak, unsophisticated, uninformed, dunb. They are incapable of doing anything they take on properly because their drivers are all wrong and they lack to capability of recognising the fact. Most of the Sodexo staff I have met to date have been in post since 1/2/15 and have NOTHING to offer in terms of expertise, knowledge, insight, capability etc. Just the blind (not) leading the blind.
ReplyDeleteREAD THAT WEBSITE - It shocked me. Similar comments, toned down, are also on Sodexo Wiki, and a couple of other sites
ReplyDeleteREAD that website, and if still not convinced of the levels it will stoop to, there are several other websites, damning Sodexo - read 'scandals and profiteering in publicly funded privatised food services' and 'Corrections Corporation of America - Sourcewatch' , and other sites on same page. Sodexo heavily invested in CCA until public outrage forced them to withdraw, but their involvement in the American prison system identified, their insufficient staffing, low pay, low health and safety standards and resistance to unionism led to unruliness and violence within the prisons. Sound familiar?
Oh and one error I made- the Sodexo horsemeat scandal was in Britain, the one in Germany was contaminated strawberries, which caused 11,200 schoolchildren to be ill.
oops! please ignore the repetition and gap - I got interrupted and thought I'd lost the beginning.
DeleteIf we revisit the numbers, because we know numbers mean prizes in the privatisation game, then lets assume a £63M EVR pot was donated by MoJ (sorry Tony, not disbelieving you, just going for the easy sums option). There are 21 CRCs which, for the sake of this game, I'll regard as 21 equal units meaning there will be approximately £3M per CRC. Sodexo have six units, thus £18M. They want to set 600 staff free. Would it be fair to suggest the numbers say there's roughly a pot of £30,000 per person available? Allowing for staff on varying points of the pay scale, with varying numbers of years' service, then the EVR package in our national agreement means 600 job losses in the Sodexo CRCs are probably completely covered by the MoJ 'grant' from the public purse.
ReplyDeleteAside from the utter disregard for experienced professionals, complete contempt for knowledge and the naivety of the approach, what's not to like? Sodexo get shot of 600 expensive employees, the costs being covered by the UK taxpayer - its cost Sodexo absolutely nothing. Why argue?
Unless you think you can hold back, lets say, 33% of that money for yourself? That's £6M of free money. If I remember correctly that's about a year's operating costs for one CRC. A creative accountant could make £Millions more by improving the operational accounts with that much free money - offsetting X here, improving Y performance there, rewarding shareholders...
Can you see the headlines in Daily Bigot at breakfast? Nigel Farage would choke on his toast:
ReplyDelete"MoJ give French company £63M to make 600 UK employees redundant"
Because that's the top & bottom of it.
Yep, and don't forget our clients, some of them are that fed up of being changed from one OM to another they are also starting to react to the changes that are happening.
DeleteAfter a degree from HEC Paris, Pierre Bellon joined the Société d'exploitations hôtelières, aériennes, maritimes et terrestres in 1958. He started as a managing assistant, and climbed up the ladder to become CEO of the company.
ReplyDeleteIn 1966, he founded Sodexho SA (renamed Sodexo in 2008). Sodexo supplies catering services to the U.S. military, New York City public hospitals and University campuses in the US (including George Washington University, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Binghamton University).[3]
Bellon relinquished the group CEO position of Sodexo in 2005, but continues to be the chairman of the company.[1] Sodexo is a public traded company on New York and Paris exchanges.
In 1987, he contributed to the creation of the non-profit Association Progrès du Management, which purpose is to focus on the progress of the company through the progress of its leaders.
His autobiography is entitled I Have Had a Great Time.
Net worth 4.4 billion, dollars