Bab Cullen (with placard) on the picket line af Cowley. never been on Gate 16 that morning. 1 This even included the works security guard who was on gate 16 at the time of incident and categorical statement that Cullen was not there.
Two witnesses went to the stand to say that they had witnessed the incident and that the person concerned was Peter Williams, another TGWU shop steward.
Ivor Braggins, the TGWU senior shop steward, went on to the witness stand to say that he had in fact told management who the guilty party was during the domestic discipline procedure and that management had OVER the past year the London Borough of Islington has shown itself despite its socialist retone Yest despite its "socialist" rhetoric. year it was involved against its staff in a 16 week strike in Children's Day Centres.
This year the Council leadership deftly manoeuvred itself out of the fight against ratecapping.
Nevertheless It could have been reasonably believed that when it came to confronting racist practices amongst its OWn something that would not have even cost money, the Council would have lived up to its manifesto mitments* or at least supported its own staff when they stood up racism. Unfortunately this has been the case, and NALGO members in Islington are now starting fourth week of strike action for the most basic principles.
There had been a long standing problem of racial harassment of black staff by white workers in the Rent Achad told Mr Farrants, the Industrial
Relations Manager, that the person made a arm was Pete Williams.
Bob to the witness stand to confirm that he in fact was the one who had terfered with the arm, although he had not broken it as was claimed.
the witness box and asked if he had in fact been given the name of Peter
Williams during the domestic procedure. He confirmed that he had been given the name but claimed that he had chosen not to pass it onto higher management.
NALGO strike against racism and Council complicity
By MICK WOODS counts got around to taking disciplinary action, three of those accused found quilty. Vi Howell was cautioned.
Pledger cautioned and reprimanded.
number union workforce, fered harassment outside work.
comto not
Opportunities Employment the that section be split up and employed dealing with the public.
had this ment order.
chosen to ignore it. He said that he who had interfered with the wiper and jury"
Pete Williams himself then went on in
Cullen, they
Farrants was then called back to to name
Section of the Housing
Department. When the council finally refused to do.
were and Steve Henney and Rene the Council,
After this half-hearted response the number entonion once and officials witnesses involved in the case sufthe
In May a NALGO meeting in the
Housing Department agreed to write to the leader of the Council and the take
Chair of Personnel protesting at the
Council's failure to maintain its Equal
Policy and demanding that the racists on
Under not
In the case of Vi Howells, a supervisor, who in the opinion of the union merely colluded with, rather
Socialist Viewpoint, No. 7. September 1985, Pope 13
In the summing up the council for ARG conceded the whole case. He said that management now recognised that they had sacked the wrong man. They felt, however, that Mr Cullen had contributed to his own sacking by not himself naming Mr Williams during the procedure. On basis they were urging the Tribunal — in the event of a finding of unfair dismissal - to look towards a cash settlement and not a reinstate-
Although the Chair had been in a position half way through the case to make an "interim judgement" he was not in a position at the end of the case to make a verdict. He announced that it would be a "deferred judgement".
Five weeks later the decision of the Tribunal was announced. In finding for unfair dismissal they heavily criticised management. The decision said that a part ofthe disciplinary procedure had been a "farce" and that top managers had acted as "judge
But the finding itself was exactly along the lines of that appealed for by ARG in their summing up. Bob declared, was partly responsible (they chose to call it 35%) for his own sacking for failing the juilty party. and herefore they had decided to make it financial settlement and not a reinstatement order.
Bob Cullen is now taking legal advice on the possibility of an appeal against the finding. than had been involved in, the harassment, NALGO merely called for her to recognise that she had acted in contravention of the Equal Opportunity Employment Policy and undertake not to repeat this. This she
After 3 months of negotiations with
La meeting representing all the neighbourhood office workers voted on August 1 by a massive majority not to open the new decentralised neighbourhood housing offices for so long as any of the proven racists were in jobs giving them contact with public. Subsequent to this management withdrew their threat to disciplinary action against workers refusing to work with those oroven racists and agreed to isolate lenney and Pledger but still refused to do this in the case of Vi Howell.
these circumstances NALGO had no option but to call strike action and, on August 5, of the 469 called out 450, many of them new starters, came out and have held