I am currently looking after a special needs person at work and have done for the last 6 weeks. Next week a strike has been organised so I am stuck between 2 positions which are both moral and principled.

I have been training and assessing this person for a work experience NVQL.There is 8 weeks allocated and organised for this. Each day lost is 4 hours of practical and coaching lost for this person.

The Strike that has been voted unanimously for by both the management union TESSA , as well as the RMT . TESSA voted for the strike first an unprecedented action in its history as it is not a militant union.

Being a member of one of these unions means I should come out on strike when my work colleagues do and show my support. its a three day stike but as it starts on a Sunday it means that the person I am looking after and coaching will miss two days worth of experience and training. not to mention I will lose two days worth of pay that I or any of my colleagues can afford too who can in these days of Finacial tightness?

There is another issue that arises if my work experience trainee decides he wishes to come into work to train. He cannot deal with stress , crowds, or any kind of pressure and the station I work at is a key station which managers will recruit everyone they can from top management to office workers to come in and cover the staff striking.This means they will keep the station open at all costs....it will be hectic as people working there will not have the local and specific knowledge we have working there to help out the passengers so it will be crowded, busy,not too mention that there will be many stations on the network unable to open for safety reasons due to lack of staff. Peopel will want to know what buses and alternatives for travel there is. I know this will be too much for my trainee work experience person to be able to deal with or handle.

I cannot give him biased advice whether to come in on those days affected the choice must be his but if he does want to come in I will then be assiting in the operation of the station and letting down my fellow staff and union members who voted for strike action. I have sought advice from management and the union rep what ever his decision is if he comes in or stays away I will be letting someone down and in a big way.

I do not know what to do.......................

Today was a glimpse of spring a chance for me to tidy my garden do a spring clean around the house......shame winter will be returning with a vengance next week....oh when can we get to wear those summer frocks again ?

Sarah.

Eileen
Thank you for your reply......I appreciate advice is an impossible thing to give in this situations.But hearing everyones viewpoints can help.

I have trouble putting muyself first not that selfish....probably why I paid a deposit for another girls holiday who pulled out when it was too late to get a refund so lost £100 ( a TW girl), gave a new SIM card to a girl for nothing and did not even recieve so much as a thank you ( yet another TW girl in here who everyone thinks is wonderful). So I guess I am one of lifes soft touches who rarely looks out for myself soley

Hi Sarah,
would it not be possible to extend the work experience by 2 days so that he can continue to completion after the strike?
Maybe its not usual, but this is an exceptional circumstance, and your charge doesnt deserve to loose out. As nor do you.

Mandy
unfortunatly these work experience schedules have taken many moths to arrange there are 6 special needs people being given work experience each one of these has various agencies involved with them so tacking a few days on is not poss so late in the day they all have special programmes for their needs.

Eileen I am certain that those people mentioned who I offered some little help did not bother saying thanks shows a lack of guilt or conscience............

but this cause is a much greater cause than myself

Would there be any sense in discussing the situation with your union rep?

Good luck,
Lynn H.

Hi Sarah,
in that case I think my advice would be to inform the agencies involved with their work experiences, and let them decide the best action to take. They are after all working with their best interests at heart. Its not really for you to have to deal with.

how about chatting to your HR PERSON - they HR must have arranged all this stuff in the first place
would also chat with your union rep as lynn suggests

Thanks Lynn,Mandy and Vikki.

I put in the post that I had consulted with my union rep.

My position is awkward because whilst I am buddying the special needs person I am not counted as a rostered member of staff and operate in my own little working universe as it were. Being able to choose what we do and what section of the station we work on.

I appreciate everyones input I have just heard that the strike has been called of so I no longer need to make such a difficult choice.

Thank you to all that responded to my posting.

Sarah

AWWWW Rae.

I am blushing here thats bringing a lump to my throat and a few tears to my eye's

Thank you for saying something so touching and thoughtful one girl like you makes up for a hundred dissapointments in others.

Thank thank you thank you.

(((((((((((HUGS))))))))))) XXXXXXXX

Wendy
Luckily strike action is not actually a common occourence.It is not exactly a matter of life or death for the person I have been training....and they will still get their certificate at the end of the programme I felt it was a shame that they would lose out on even 2 sessions of live experience.
In the devriefing of the training I will as no doubt the other 5 trainers will raise the issue what to do during an Industrial dispute/strike should it happen again.

Hey Sarah!

I am so glad the strikes been called off! I was struggling to imagine what I would do in your place. I think I would have - with a heavy heart - gone to work as the special needs person would be a much higher priority to me. I would also apologise to my colleagues and hope they'd understand. Oh, so glad that you don't need to worry about it anymore!

As for your comment of being a 'soft touch', well hun, in my book you're a great girl with a heart of gold and the world can't have enough people like you. Don't worry that you may not get the thanks - you get the kudos and thats worth much more to you.

Much love

Rae xx

Sarah,

When nurses strike they do not abandon critically ill patients and they and hospitals/doctors stop admitting elective admissions. I think you are just the person to write to the Union and Management and suggest a mutual policy for dealing with special needs clients if a strike comes up again in the future. I trust their humanity will result in a caring policy being developed.