I don't suppose we'll ever strike the right balance with racism?

[mint]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4717103.ece

I have just read this and I find it most disturbing.

On the one hand, there are terrorists that we are reluctant to convict and, on the other, there is this episode.

If the man is found wanting in the performance of his duties then, by all means, he should be stopped from working and sacked forthwith.

But, if he is only protesting about unfair discrimination and the performance of his duties is otherwise satisfactory, why is he being stopped from doing his work?

Fortunately, I am no longer a UK taxpayer but, if I were, I'd be a bit cross that this man will be paid as normal for goodness knows how long an "enquiry" will take, in order to put his feet up and "spend more time with his family".

Where is the sense in all this? 

[woolybanana]

Racism has long been used as a tool to get away with things: eg incompetent lecturers in FE have often used racial discrimination as the reason for their being made redundant when the real reason is that they have been proved not to be up to the job over a long period. So threaten a tribunal or even go to one to try and force a better settlement.

I reckon in this case it is a try on to get a nice extra wodge to retire on, and sheer wounded pride at not getting the top spot or what he wanted.

The Met will have followed the rules strictly as they cannot have such a loose cannon in the institution.

(This does not mean there are not genuine cases of racism and I don't just mean white on all others).

[Richard T]

[quote user="woolybanana"]I reckon in this case it is a try on to get a nice extra wodge to retire on, and sheer wounded pride at not getting the top spot or what he wanted.[/quote]

Just as a matter of interest, what is it about this particular case that leads to to "reckon" it's a "try on"?

Richard T

[AnOther]

The race card is all to often the ploy of last (or first) resort when somebody doesn't get their way.

But the most disturbing passage in the article is "immediately condemned by the Black Police Association" how bl00dy racist is that. Can you imagine the outcry if somebody tried to set up a White Police Association [:-))]

[woolybanana]

His career has been much better than 99% of most police officers and he is approaching the age of retirement when contract prolongations are short and when new blood is needed. He has illusions about his own usefulness and irreplacability within the organisation.

[Richard T]

[quote user="woolybanana"]He has illusions about his own usefulness and irreplacability within the organisation.[/quote]

Nope, you got me there. I searched the article for any reference to his "illusions" (although maybe you meant "delusions") but couldn't find any. Perhaps you could help me out.

Richard T

[woolybanana]

Will you accept "delusions" in place of "illusions"? Same thing really.

[Richard T]

Of course. But my point was that I couldn't read into the article anything which would suggest that he had illusions or delusions.

Richard T

[woolybanana]

It is contained in the history of racial slights he claims to have accumulated. And that he doesn't seem to understand that not everyone can get the top jobs.

[Gastines]

I think the words Racial Discrimination has caused more people to become Racist. There was a time when people of different colour were accepted for their worth and colour wasn't the major issue. Now that this idea of Compensation for any wrongly used word or deed has arisen,helped by the H. R. Lawyers etc, it seems that it does nothing but cause racial problems. Having had a few friends of different colours,it seems they have many more problems integrating than the paler species. You only have to look at the Indian Caste system ,the African Tribes still trying to wipe each other out etc etc.

Regards.

[tegwini]

from the Timesonline comments ...

Hurrah for the boys in blue! This year I've had a burglary, a car stolen and my wife had a bottle thrown at her by a junkie. Police action? You're kidding. Culprits apprehended? You're 'aving a giraffe mate. So apart from falling out and persecuting motorists, what are the police actually for?

Bob, Liverpool, England

 

I had a little chuckle over this comment,   much needed, as it's raining here in Wilts - again,  for a change ...

Tegwini

 

 

[Kevinmc]

There are lots of people using the race card.

I was living in Bristol last year and there was a Polish guy there whose english was perfect, so he ran a service for other Poles, filling in official forms, dealing with landlords etc. He had a client who couldn't get his deposit back from a landlord. Solution - a racial harressment report to the police, pressure came to bear and problem solved.

Interestingly, he's gone back to Poland now. In 2 years he'd seen the exchange rate go from 7 zlotys to 4 zlotys to the pound and england no longer held the same financial appeal. 

 

[Rose]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

Racism has long been used as a tool to get away with things: eg incompetent lecturers in FE have often used racial discrimination as the reason for their being made redundant when the real reason is that they have been proved not to be up to the job over a long period. So threaten a tribunal or even go to one to try and force a better settlement.

[/quote]

 When I had a company in the UK I had an employee who was off sick more in first 6 months than she was at work.  We had followed all of our procedures to the letter, explored every avenue of getting her back to work but all failed.  In the end we gave our case notes to our insurers solicitors to see if they were happy for us to sack the young woman. (we wouldn't do anything without the solicitors agreement! which says a lot in itself!) In the end they said we were totally correct to dismiss but... if was she black, lesbian, disabled or belonged to a minority group we would be wise not to.[:-))]   [:@]

We also interviewed a young black male... in our neck of the woods and in our industry black and male would be fantastic as we positively sought to represent all members of the community so we were very keen to recruit him.  However, he  failed to turn up for the first interview, was an hour late for the second, had to cut the interview short as he had to leave as his mum was waiting in the car.  His original application form was not good, when we sought a reference for him this also was not ideal so we declined to offer employment.  A few days later we had a call from his mother saying that she would be pursuing a complaint due to our racist policies. [:-))] We explained to the mother why we had taken the action we did... she said the bad reference was because he had fallen out with the previous employer so we agreed to interview again... this time we had an independent  Equal Ops advisor on the panel.  The boy turned up again 45 minutes late and our advisor had to leave within 15 minutes... he kicked off saying it wasn't fair and not long enough and he left... this time we had a report from the equal ops advisor and we never heard from the young man again... [:@]

I could go one and on!!!

I know one thing... I created a business from nothing and created over 60 jobs... and in the end I hated it, hated the worry of doing the right thing, I'm glad I did it but oh so glad I no longer have to shoulder that responsibility! [8-)] [blink]