“Nepotism and Mismanagement”. The Party’s Over for the Party of the Workers!
We have raised the issue of bullying in the workplace before and the decision of GMB members to hold a strike ballot seems to bear out our concerns. We have pasted the text from the GMB statement on the matter below.
GMB members at Newham Adult Learning Service overwhelming vote to move to official strike ballot over failure to tackle mismanagement and nepotism at service.
Unless Newham Council take notice of this overwhelming vote and actually tackle the mismanagement and nepotism a move to an official industrial action ballot is inevitable says GMB London
GMB London members employed at Our Newham Learning and Skills - formerly Newham Adult Learning Service (NALS) - have voted overwhelmingly, in a consultative ballot, for the union to move to an official industrial action ballot over the persistent and ongoing failure to tackle mismanagement and nepotism in the service.
The Newham Adult Learning Service is part of the London Borough of Newham. It provides education and training courses at eight locations across the borough for approximately 8,000 adults each year. The service currently employs around 100 people across teaching and support staff.
The series of events leading up to the consultative ballot which closed on Friday 21 January have been ongoing for nearly two years.
The outcome of the consultative ballot will be conveyed to senior management at Newham Council as well as to the GMB London Regional Committee. It is the GMB London Regional Committee that will make the decision on proceeding to an official industrial action ballot.
John Colquhoun, GMB London Regional Organiser said:
“Unless Newham Council takes notice of this overwhelming vote and actually tackle the mismanagement and nepotism a move to an official industrial action ballot is inevitable.
“We have been working on Newham Adult Learning Services (NALS) for two years after members raised issues with the union including institutional bullying and nepotism. Over the two years, an internal review was commissioned which acknowledged nepotism in the service but nothing has ever been done to combat it.
“It is incredible the Newham Council have refused to act in the face of such blatant nepotism whilst at the same time not refuting the allegations. Looking the other way in the face of such behaviour is what has led Newham Adult Learning Services to the position it is in at the moment and it appears London Borough of Newham now doubling down in its behaviour.
“To see management getting away with such practices after working with us for two years to fix these issues is just a slap in the face for our members. They are incredibly angry and have understandably had enough. The lack of action from LBN has left them with little choice but to take action to make their voices heard.”