Brighton SolFed

After two ballots in favour, and under pressure to comply with EU legislation about worker consultation, management at the children's charity ChildLine have agreed to recognise a trade union. With twenty-odd redundancies at ChildLine's Nottingham base last year -- after a Mickey Mouse 'consultation exercise', and no pay-rise for two years, it's time for workers to get organised.

Like many charities, ChildLine relies heavily on volunteers -- especially as counsellors. There are also 'sessional' and 'contracted' workers (casual labour, to you and me), who have their hours changed or cut with little or no warning. At the moment, it looks like ChildLine workers will get Unison or Amicus as their union -- but volunteers and casuals wouldn't have the same rights of union representation. While it's a step forward, a TUC-style trade union would serve to divide rather than unite ChildLine workers – paid and unpaid, permanent and casual.

ChildLine is run like an empire by fading TV personality, Esther Rantzen, backed up by a bunch of unelected, unaccountable trustees. Last year, workers were told in an email that they weren't going to get a pay rise for the second year running. No negotiation, no consultation, no nothing. In the meantime, volunteers and casuals are used to fill the gaps left by a freeze on recruitment. Only a new kind of union, and a new kind of workplace organisation can deliver for ChildLine workers. Union and non-union members are already starting to meet informally to discuss the best way to make that happen.

Bullying can be expressed physically, but more often than not takes the form of psychological aggression, whether aggression, threats, abuse, or ridicule... Whichever form it takes, it is always vindictive, cruel, malicious and humiliating. The result is devastating for the victims, causing serious stress-related heath problems, such as severe fatigue, depression and immune system suppression.

While the dangers of bullying in the playground are now regularly highlighted, little attention is paid to the bullying that takes place in the workplace. Meanwhile, it has reached staggering levels. Research by the University of Manchester found that 50% of people had witnessed bullying at work and one in six had been bullied in the last six months, while one in four had been bullied in the last five years. A study of workplace bullying, ‘Workplace Bullying in Britain', found that 18 million working days are lost per year due to sickness caused by bullying.

Why is so little being done? Because capitalism uses bullying to control the workforce and increase productivity. Historically, the extent of bosses power to hire and fire dictates the level of bullying and fear of the sack used to intimidate workers into accepting worsening conditions. The last twenty years has seen the virtual collapse of workplace organisation, which was the only real check on the power of managers. Hence, the growth of workplace intimidation, which has led to a sense of powerlessness, making it hard for workers to challenge the attitudes of even the most obnoxious of managers.

Managers now routinely exploit people's anxiety arising from an almost permanent state of job insecurity in order to force them to work harder for less. Amid this climate of fear, capitalism has sought to create a culture of conformity, routed in free market ideology, as a means of social control in the workplace. They have attempted to enforce this new doctrine of teamworking by getting rid of or marginalizing those workers unwilling to conform to the new mantra. This has enforced a nasty workplace culture in which bullying thrives. Workers who are not ‘onside' are constantly undermined, passed over or sacked.

The aim is to marginalise unwanted workers both as a means of getting rid of them, as well as to send a clear message to other workers that they must conform or face the consequences. Amid this poisoned atmosphere, bullying becomes the norm, not just by mangers but also by workers eager to run down others as means of currying favour. In today's workplace environment, people who go sick, have family commitments, are different or even wish to take holidays, become susceptible to bullying. In countries such as the US and Japan, where the culture of management-inspired conformity has been most widespread, people work longer than at any time in the last 100 years. On average, they only take 10 days holidays each year.

We hear much about the caring nature of modern capitalism, but the old realties remain. Fear and intimidation are the main methods through which management control workers. Bullying will always be present under capitalism. Its extent will be determined by the ability of workers to organise in order to stand up to managements diktats. Workplace bullying in all its cruelty will ultimately only disappear in a democratically controlled workplace, where decisions are taken collectively.

Have you noticed nowadays when you are off sick, you still get phone calls from work? They can be about trivial stuff like someone not being able to find a file, or more important questions that it seems only you know the answer to.

Workers are even asked about who could cover for them, like that's part of your job description. This can come from your boss or supervisor or from fellow workers left in the lurch by the mismanagement above them.

Increasingly, it seems to be alright to harass people at home who are sick. This only increases the anxiety felt by those off sick and sometimes can be used to pressure them to return to work before they should do.

With mobile phones and email it is even harder to escape from intrusive communications from work. Not long ago, you reported sick and sent a sick note. You were only expected to contact your employer to either to send in a renewed sick note or tell them when you'd be back. Nowadays, the employers seem to need daily updates and information that only you can provide.

Sick harassment has spread like a disease spread from middle management who have already sold their soul to the company devil, and seem to expect everyone else to feel ‘loyalty' from their sick bed.

There is no specific legalisation covering being contacted when off sick. If it gets really bad, you could go through a claim for harassment but realistically, how far do you think you would get? So, until the scourge passes, don't encourage them. When you're off sick, screen your calls, ignore the emails and don't be tempted to contact work unless you really have to. It's the only way to stay healthy when you're off sick.

Workers ranging from refuse collectors and school dinner ladies to architects were due to walkout for 24 hours in protest at controversial Government plans to raise their pension age from 60 to 65. But just as the Council workers were set to strike, the unions called off the action, after the Government backed down on its plans to make changes to the local government pension schemes.

It shows how the threat of direct action can achieve desired results. The only problem on this occasion is it only forced the Government back to the negotiating table.Time will tell if this is simply a ploy to delay matters until after an election.

Council workers need to be ready to take further action if it is needed. And putting the unions in a position of strength means not letting the bureaucrats throw it all away.