A WORKER at a school welfare service that helps to stop bullying claims she was forced out of her job after being bullied by her managers.
Julie Swale, 49, says Rochdale council’s education welfare manager Sue Dearden would not speak to her.
She also claimed another senior member of staff, Jude Crabtree, gave her too much work and replaced her computer with an older model so she could not meet deadlines.
At an employment tribunal in Manchester, Ms Swale, from Littleborough, told Judge Hodgson: “Most of the time, Sue ignored me. I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t feel part of the team. When my computer was taken it affected my self-esteem. I felt I was being set up to fail.”
According to an official booklet published this year, the Rochdale Education Welfare Service focuses on ‘promoting and enforcing school attendance and provides advice and guidance on related procedures and policies e.g: anti-bullying’.
Ms Swale resigned from her job in March this year. But she said the bullying started in 2006, after she provided a witness statement for an aggrieved colleague.
Julie and a pregnant co-worker were made to move offices – and carry their removal boxes themselves.
The colleague suffered a miscarriage shortly afterwards. The hearing was told that Ms Swale took extended leave in late 2007.
Ms Swale said her managers used her absence as an excuse to phase her out of the office. She was considered for redundancy and claims she was not informed when positions opened up.
Ms Swale took sick leave soon after returning to work in late 2008, and says she was harassed by managers persistently phoning and writing her letters.
“Jude called and said: ‘What’s meant to be wrong with you now?’. It was condescending’,” she said. Barrister Matthew Snarr, representing Rochdale council, brought forward evidence that Ms Swale had been offered interviews for new positions at the council while she was on leave. He suggested she had a history of putting forward grievances and said her managers had, on occasion, found her to be ‘aggressive’.
Ms Swale is claiming for unfair dismissal, victimisation and sex discrimination.
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I was bullied out of my last job by my female boss who was a woman in her early 40’s who had obviously got a chip on her shoulder with the younger girls, I had been with the company for 5 years when she joined & all of a sudden was told I had made mistakes in my work & was put on a form of monitoring so that my team leader had to check every bit of work I did & report back to her, in the end it got so bad I had to leave, the union won’t help me now I have left & I am struggling to find decent work because I have no reference from them
I am a strong person & never ever thought I would be a victim of bullying at work but all I keep thinking is of a saying I was once told years ago ‘be nice to people on your way up the ladder as you might need them if you ever come back down the ladder’ I just hope my ex boss gets what she deserves in the end
Oh the sad irony
All bullies should be whipped through the streets naked and strung up from the nearest lampost.
So-called "managers" in British companies/institutions are just "bullies", full-stop. They think they are "bosses" --so they have to be "bossy", and a "real boss" should be "really bossy". Obviously, it's too primitive for words, but that sums up British work culture, doesnt? It's not just democracy that stops at the works gates, it's treating other people fairly and due respect. Most British "bosses" would laugh themselves silly at these comments. That's why they wouldn't stand a chance of holding positions of responsibility at continental European companies. Would you believe it: they don't think that humiliating and insulting employees is either morally acceptable human behavior or, come to that, good for business operations. Moreover, employees in continental Europe are protected from abuse behavior by Works Councils. Another piece of EU Labor Law which "Nu-Labor" opted out of, to save us from the kind of catastrophic industrial relations and Kaputt economy they have in Germany I suppose. Thinks! Summat not quite right there!
managment motto---DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO?????????????
We're on the road to nowhere.
The Peter Principal in all it's glory. Many of us have fallen victic to it.
principle....excuse me.
You have and deserve a lot of support Julie - a case of adult bullying yet again!
andanotherthing, Hello my friend. I just wanted to ask you a question: does your gravy stick to the spuds or is it like water? and if the gravy sticks to the spuds can I come round for Christmas dinner.
The British attitude to management is unique. I emigrated to Australia with a young family 40 years ago & my attitude to management at that time was 'bizzare'.
It was always 'them & us' & I was extremely fortunate that the 'Aussie' managers were very, very tolerant indeed of the immigrant British worker's 'bolshy' ' attitude.
They knew from experience however, that attitudes would change the 'Poms' would eventually embrace the more conciliatory, cooperative attitude of the Australian lifestyle.
The real root of the problems in management in British Industry comes from the so called 'workers themselves. I remain in close contact with my home town & I have seen many instances where, after promotions, people forget where they have come from, become full of their own importance & in many instances drop friends & companions &, as they call it, "move on". Unfortunately this attitude appears to be encouraged & accepted as normal practise. Hence the bullying.
It is little wonder that the class divide remains alive & well in British society. It is perpetuated by the so called 'working' Class themselves. And lets face it, British people are in fact 'snobs'.
You should try working for royal mail. All the managers are bullies with huge chips on their shoulders !!
Esso, the viscosity of my gravy is unquestionable. My potatoes are pleasing to the mouth due to goose fat and basting. The remainder should be rendered down over time and introduced into the stuffing.
Mr Mancunian, Sydney Australia
22/12/2009 at 16:55
In which case the workers become a problem when they join the management team?
Acid, Chadderton...
You are perfectly correct with your observation, however.The 'attitude' is embedded in the British psyche & is only realised when one becomes a 'superior'.
I saw this in South Africa having witnessed the British immigrant's patronising attitude toward the 'black' workers, with a few exceptions of course, but very few.
In Australia , no toleration of this. You never know, or care for that matter, the social status of the person that you are in conversation with,in a social situation that is. Work is different, but the managers do not act act in a way that would put those in his or her charge at a social disadvantage by making them feel uncomfortable or inferior.
Perhaps it can only be observed from outside looking in. Whatever the truth of the matter I am & always will be English. It's embedded in my psyche you see. However, I do so love this Australia.
Workplace bullying is an insidious and hugely destructive thing which can often result in the victims being unable to work in their chosen career. However I do have to say that like many things this awful government have done, the Employment tribunals are there just for show, hardly anyone ever wins their case. Contrary to popular belief the success rate in race cases is just 7% most other cases rarely exceed 10%. The high settlement value cases which we sometimes see in the media are newsworthy mainly because they are so rare, the vast majority of the ones that do win receive tiny amounts, with an average of just 2 months salary being the norm.
And of course that's for the ones who are able to bring a case, most victims of bullying are in no fit state to be cross examined by an aggressive barrister or to even provide the evidence to their solicitor to built a proper case.
It shouldn't be like this, but for most victims it is, when people need to turn to the institutions which seem to offer help, it simply isn't there. I suppose it's part of the cata;logue of government departments which are simply a facade to make it appear that Nu Labour has been doing something when the reality is, that it's just window dressing.