[Imc-uk-process] A long goodbye to UK Indymedia
Tony Gosling
bristol at nuj.org.uk
Mon Mar 22 16:45:27 PST 2004
A long goodbye - but I leave you with some suggested procedures for the
future - Tony
Hi IMC comms admins and process people,
[please take a minute or two to read through this]
There has been some truly nasty stuff going on here at Bristol Indymedia
(BIMC) centering on unfounded accusations of my links to 'far right' groups
at a website which I publish www.bilderberg.org A hate campaign (including
continued bullying, abuse and a threat of physical violence against me by
Ian Ferguson <ian at videonetwork.org>) culminated in my being ultimately
tricked into staying away from the BIMC meeting where my 'fate' was
decided. I was away in Wales helping to organise this
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PPG7/message/174 and could have got back in
time for the meeting. I was told the matter would only be discussed at a
special meeting the week after.
Hostility toward me centred around my raising issues at BIMC meetings such
as what I felt was the misuse of features and local list admin passwords
and censorship of my investigative reports - such as this one where my news
about crateloads of enormous new computers being brought into NATO's
Corsham computer centre by US soldiers was censored
http://bristol.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/9188
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-bristol/2003-November/001123.html
These were described by some as as me 'dominating meetings' 'causing
problems' and 'raising issues about himself'.
You can view the heated BIMC public discussion about me for yourself here
if you wish
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-bristol/2004-March/date.html
I am 'Ecovillage Network UK' , 'ian' is the main person demanding my
exclusion from the editorial group. 'Kyra' launched the attack on me
Several members of the group including one frightened anonymous person has
weighed in in my defence. eg.
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-bristol/2004-March/001462.html and
they explain articulately the witchunt side to all this and what such a
combination of lies, injustice and threats and this 'kangaroo court' way of
dealing with disputes means for freedom of speech we are supposed to hold
dear.
As a professional freelance researcher, local branch secretary and National
Executive officer of the National Union of Journalists ( www.nuj.org.uk the
biggest UK journalist's union) I support professional journalists in and
around Bristol when they are targeted by management, often for their
political views. We have a particularly right wing (supported Hitler in the
thirties) newspaper group, Northcliffe, monopolising all newsprint in the
city as well as owning two radio stations. It was in this capacity that I
chaired the opening meeting of Bristol Indymedia. I am an out-of-work
professional journalist myself. And when I am intimidated and slurred I
find, in this climate of fear, there is no integrity in the process and
no-one who to face down these liars and bullies.
I am seriously concerned about procedures in place at Indymedia for due
process in excluding or 'disciplining' people. And suggest the
international movement adopt some simple disciplinary and grievance
procedures as my union would recommend and which is, in most organisations
required by law. (see examples from the co-operative movement below)
What happened to me was a Trotskyite style fix up done behind closed doors
where I was not able to defend myself culminating in all my admin
privileges being stripped. A peculiar irony - since I only ever wrote two
features in the centre column both of which were either defaced or removed
within hours.
The timing of this whole affair has also been interesting since we are
about to have a crucial trial
http://bristol.indymedia.org/newswire/display/13612/index.php testing the
legality of the war against Iraq here at Bristol Crown Court.
My administration of this [IMC-Communications] list has been used as
'evidence' of my untrustworthiness - which is weird because I only became
an admin in the absence of anyone else prepared to do it. Anyway - I
repeatedly said I'd hand over admin. control to whoever wanted it - no one
has asked me to hand it over until today - particularly after this
upsetting experience I have no wish to continue.
One of my most bitter critics behind the scenes at Indymedia UK meetings,
who has never met me to my knowledge, an anonymous Indymedia person called
'Space Bunny' has recently become an admin of this [IMC-Commnications]
list. He/she is sb at j12.org please be aware that 'space bunny' has
been one of the main people posting 'far right' lies about me.
I have been one of the admins of this list for a 18 months or so but am
tonight with a sense of relief - and worry that Indymedia is leaving
itsself open to being consumed by violent, lying forces it was set up to
combat.
I am tonight handing my admin. of this list over to another BIMC person
Mike Tonks mike at bettercode.com and signing the UK Indymedia bank
account into his hands.
Anyway- a long tootle-oo to all the good guys and girls out there - and I
won't have access to Bristol Indymedia Editorial or IMC communications any
more so if you want me to know what you're saying please don't reply to
lists etc - if you want to email me you can do so
at bristol at nuj.org.uk or evnuk at gaia.org
Tony Gosling
www.bilderberg.org
www.public-interest.co.uk
tel +44 (0)117 944 6219
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE
The cooperative has an obligation to operate a fair disciplinary procedure.
The following disciplinary procedure is operated if the employer has
complaints about the conduct, attendance, timekeeping or job performance of
any employee.
A) A disciplinary sub-committee of the Directors will be established to
investigate the complaint. Investigations will be made fully, but as
quickly as possible. The employee has a right to a short summary of the
nature of the complaint in advance of the first meeting of this
sub-committee unless the employer considers the matter so urgent that such
a statement cannot reasonably be provided (in which case the employee will
be informed at the beginning of the meeting). The employee concerned has
the right to present their case and to be represented or to be accompanied
by a friend. A written record of meetings of the sub-committee and its
decisions will be kept.
B) There are three stages in the disciplinary procedure.
First stage: oral warning or written warning. The employee will be told
what to do about the situation, either verbally or in writing. The warning
will lapse after three months.
Second stage: written warning. If the complaint persists within the period
of the previous warning, the procedure will be repeated. At this stage the
employee is warned in writing that a further breach of discipline will lead
to dismissal. The warning will lapse after a year.
Third stage: dismissal. If there is a further breach of discipline within
the period of the previous warning, the cooperative may decide, using
procedure (x) below, to dismiss the employee.
At each stage of the procedure the employee shall be entitled to a further
short summary of the nature of the complaint, which may be wider or
narrower than that given earlier. Warnings lapse after the fixed periods
of time at each stage.
C) A first disciplinary complaint against an employee shall be treated
using the first step in the procedure, apart from exceptional circumstances
in the case of alleged serious or gross misconduct, when an investigation
at the second or third stage may be initiated. There is no dismissal for
first offence except in the case of gross misconduct. Examples of gross
misconduct are theft, assault or willful breach of confidentiality or any
other deliberate action, which jeopardises the Professional Indemnity of
the co-operative
D) The disciplinary sub-committee shall have power to impose oral and
written warnings for first and second stages offence.
The employee shall have the right to appeal against this decision to the
Directors, by giving written notice of appeal to the Secretary of the
cooperative within seven days of the decision of the disciplinary
sub-committee.
E) At the third stage, the disciplinary sub-committee shall advise the
Directors what disciplinary action, if any, it considers appropriate. The
Directors shall not impose any sanction stronger than that recommended by
the sub-committee, but may choose to impose a lesser penalty or none at
all. The employee shall have the right to appeal to the General Meeting of
members of the cooperative by giving written notice of appeal to the
Secretary of the cooperative within seven days of the decision of the
Directors (in the case of dismissal, using the procedure outlined in clause
(x) below).
F) In cases of alleged serious or gross misconduct, an employee may be
suspended on full pay during the disciplinary procedure or after the
issuing of a Termination Notice, but their right to attend meetings of the
cooperative shall not be affected.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
This procedure is to be followed if any employee feels they have a
grievance against any other employee, or against the operation or decisions
of the cooperative as a whole, which affects their ability to perform their
job satisfactorily.
A) The complainant shall ask the Directors to select one of their members
to meet with the complainant, to discuss and try to resolve the matter.
B) If no solution can be found, the complainant shall put her/his grievance
to a specially convened sub-committee of the Directors, which will
investigate the matter, bear representations from the people involved and
make a formal proposal for its solution. The complainant and any person
against whom it complaint shall have been made shall have the right to be
represented or to be accompanied by a friend,
C) If the complainant is not satisfied, there is a right of appeal to the
General Meeting of members of the cooperative.
If subsequently the employee is still not satisfied, there is a right of
appeal to an agreed outside arbitrator.
Reference by an employee to another employee in this grievance procedure
shall not construe any form of disciplinary action by the employer against
that second employee, and disciplinary matters may only be raised by the
employer using the procedure laid down in (y) above.
Bristol branch - National Union of Journalists
http://www.public-interest.co.uk/bnuj/
10-12 Picton Street
Montpelier
BRISTOL
BS6 5QA
England
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http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/media/
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http://lists.southspace.net/pipermail/nuj_bristol/
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/bushnonazi.html
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http://www.gn.apc.org/media/nuj.html
http://www.nuj.org.uk
http://www.cpj.org
http://www.ifj.org
0117 944 6219
mob. 07786 952037
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