1 ) About Northamptonshire County Council and Health and Safety Executive

We tried to search for help in Northamptonshire County Council and Health and Safety

Executive , where we sent our letters togheter with copy of our grievance procedure : on

3rd February 2008 to the former and 9Th February 2008 to the latter.

There is content of that letter :

Dear Sir / Madam

I am writing to you , because I would like to complaint about Health and Safety Manager of company where I work and my bosses .

Before I start I present myself and my boyfriend .

My name is Beata Ulikowska , my boyfriend’s name is Marek . We have been working together in Alibone Recycling Ltd , Moulton , Northants , for over two and a half of year. We come from Poland . All we wanted , when we come to England , to have good, honest job and earn money, that our dreams could come true . We prize peace and quiet.

My main duty is to sort rubbish . Marek used to do the same , but since April 2007 he was bobcat operator , now his position is not known . We work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. . To do this work we do not need any qualifications ( besides Marek’s driving licenses ) , job is very hard and simple. In our factory work with us 11 Polish people and about 20 English. From the beginning we are always stressed at work . I will try to explain - why .

Marek does not speak English - I am only one woman ( besides office staff ) in all company and I believe that as a woman and as Marek’s girlfriend I should not search for others men company . We are izolated and nobody really knows us . I tried to speak to bosses about our difficult situation , that we are discriminated by other workers , that they torment our psyche . Result was always inverted . Our bosses turned back to us . Stressful relationship and harmful work conditions caused , that on 2nd January 2008 we started grievance procedure in writing ( in our letter we have not mentioned all our problems - we thought , that the best way is say it verbally ) . We expected answer in writing and invitation for meeting to explain our problems and find solutions .We asked for assistance of our trade union representative .

As a response our bosses called for Julia Leatherland - Health and Safety Manager .

( Our bosses sold over 50% their shares to Oakley Waste Management Limited , and she is in management of this company ) . She came with main boss Trevor . They said , that they treat our letter very seriously and that they want to help us . The first meeting (07/01/2008 )lasted only one hour , the second (24/01/2008) - maybe one and a half of hour . On the first meeting they promised us :

- help

- solid investigation

- polish translator for next meeting

- solving our problems

- carefully listening to our grievance .

During second meeting it turned out that they want to scare us and that they treat us in very disregarding way .

- Translator was one of their workers , he was not independent , he tried to influence us , he knows English less than I know , I had to correct him .

- When I tried to say something she interrupted me , she started to speak louder to make my voice unheareable , she spoke not about subject .

- She did not want to hear anything about past ( how does she imagine to improve our situation , to make bad things will not happen again , if she want to know nothing about our persecutions ).

- When we said that our bosses do not treat us equally - Marek has obtained written warning - when others smoke cigarrettes ( once almost was a fire ) , drunk come to work , drunk operate vehicles : fork lift truck , digger , lorry , and nobody says nothing . 17 - year old boy can drive every vehicle . Health and Safety officer said that that it is a problem of our bosses not her , when I am endanger , I do not want to be run over or burnt , besides smoking in factory during work is against law . As a response she punished Marek . She said thatas a person who can not speak English , he can not operate any vehicle . Marek from this meeting does not drive bobcat any more . But this rule is only for Marek , for example Leon , who does not speak English too , works as a lorry driver , people without licenses operate vehicles , everyone can - but not Marek .

- She suggested that we should take leave holiday to think once again about everything , we suppose that it would be the first step to dissmise us .

Now she insists for next meeting on Tuesday - 05/02/2009 , it is the first time , when she asks for assistance of our representative . She wants to make conclusions . We can not agree for that :

- Nothing was explained

- Representative was not present during our meetings , he does not know what we were talking about

- we suspect that they want to hire us because we were brave and started to speak about their injustice .

I hope that you take everything under consideration and help us . We would like to accuse officially Julia Leatherland about dishonesty and our bosses about discrimination and victimalization . I hope that in England are institutions which care about people like we , who work hard and pay taxes .

Yours faithfuly

Beata Ulikowska & Marek

Sadly those institutions have not helped us . Nobody have never spoken with us .

County Council said that they do not deal with such cases , Health and Safety Execcutive

asked our company for carrying over manual handling training for labourers and that is it.

　

　

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE IN WRITING STAGE ONE

I Beata Ulikowska and Marek Z.,we have grievance about our work,working environment and working relationships.

1.About our work conditions

- A lot of times we were claiming about quality of brought rubbish.You have done nothing about that.

I heard that rubbish can be kept only for 48hours,usually it lasts longer

Resently quality of rubbish is the worst than ever before .In November 2007 it started to delay,vaporized,it looked like boiling water,because of smoke hovered above.Rubbish was hot in touch.We had to work with it and breath in toxic,hazardous to health substances.

-Rubbish is kept outside.This is terrible after rain ,when it becomes wet.Our leather gloves soak through with water.They are slippy.We can not change them for another one because ,you supply us with new pair of gloves once a few weeks( today we are working the seventh week in the same gloves,dirt has come through leather ).

-We asked for changing bulbs one year ago , you did that one month ago

-In October I asked Max for new safety clothes for Marek.He has not obtained its yet.He is only one person in factory ,who has received nothing

-Marek had accident at work(30/05/2007).Acid liquid dropped into his eye.He was pushing cardboard,when it happened.He has never known what is under cardboard,so he is always endanger.Few days later he was splashed again,this time fortunately by milk.I asked Jason for for installing plastic glass in bobcat in front of Marek.Jason refused to do that,but promised protective glasses ,which Marek has never obtained.

-Marek’s bobcat is not in good condition :-switchboard is tighten with string,-the door is fitted only with one hinge ,he can not use it,to get in and get out of bobcat he must use space above spoon,-electric wires(since summer) have not got safety covers.

Our health problems :

Eyes-Marek after accident,I because of bulbs

Backbone-because of carrying heavy objects,standing 10 hours on foot

Legs-Marek works all day long in one position,I-10 hours on foot,wrong blood circulation.At nights I have got legs cramps

Ears-permanent noise

Hands-pain and growing stiff

Lungs-we breath in hazardous to health,cancerous substances

We are exposed to many diseases.AIDS and Hepatitis are the most dangerous.At the beginning of work Health & Safety Officer promised to give us medicine against liver diseases,but we still have not been injuctioned

2.About our work

-According to law in England is 48 working hours limit a week including overtime.Normally people work 37,5 basic hours plus overtime,we work wuch longer within the limits of basic hours.

-Our salary is reviewd annually.You promised that it will be the last week of June.In 2006 it was September,in 2007-in July.We lost money by reason of these delays.

-You agreed to pay for 2 sick days a year.You have not kept promises.We have not obtained any information that sick pay is not available any longer.You simply refused to pay after,when one person of our team was absent because of sickness

-I have never agreed to work as a piece worker.It is difficult for me as a woman to work amongst men and keep pace with them,at their fast rate,do the same quantity and carry the same burdens.Even the best sportswomen in the world have got other than men regulations

-It is not fair that English people earn more than Polish.Russ has got bigger salaries than Marek.Russ works shorter(29/05/2007),additionally he was absent 6 weeks by the reason of sickness.He has not got Marek’s experience and he had to learn everything

3. About working relationship

13/08/2007-Marek received formal written warning stage 2.He did not want to do piece work.Few weeks earlier Marek was promised by Max and Paul that he will not be asked in future for doing such kind of work.Marek did not have to sign this document,because he was not explained with disciplinary procedure.It was moment(after 2 years of employment),when he obtained staff handbook.It is not OK that some documents you give for signing in English,but the other one you have never shown because they are not translated into Polish.

-Some weeks later Paul was talking with Marek disciplinary.It was not confrontation with person who denounced Marek to mitigate conflict.It was accusation after hearing only one side of misunderstanding.Marek was guilty before he could explain anything.

We hope that you take everything into consideration,and we are looking forward our meeting.We would like to invite our T&G Union Representative for our meeting to help us to dissolve our problems

Date - 02/01/2008