[CIMC-work] (Indymedia due-process procedures...?) FW: [Imc-communication] A long goodbye to UK Indymedia

Tue Mar 23 12:56:42 PST 2004

___

The lessons of the past few days in Spain must be studied carefully by all
those who wish to understand the nature of the period through which we are
passing. What has occurred in Spain will tomorrow happen in Britain, the USA
and every other country. We must be prepared!

www.marxist.com/Europe/lessons_of_spain0304.html

------ Forwarded Message
> From: Tony Gosling <bristol at nuj.org.uk>
> Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 00:45:27 +0000
> To: imc-communication at lists.indymedia.org, dri at indymedia.org,
> evan at protest.net, bristol at nuj.org.uk, evnuk at gaia.org, sb at j12.org,
> anna at mail.nadir.org, mike at bettercode.com, imc-uk-process at lists.indymedia.org
> Subject: [Imc-communication] A long goodbye to UK Indymedia
> 
> 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
> http://media.guardian.co.uk/
> http://www.pressgazette.co.uk
> http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/media/
> http://lists.southspace.net/listinfo/nuj_bristol/
> http://lists.southspace.net/pipermail/nuj_bristol/
> http://www.takebackthemedia.com/bushnonazi.html
> http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml
> http://www.gegrapha.org/uk/default.htm
> 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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