The gagging clauses are being widely used across UK police forces, leading to concerns they are being used to ensure the silence of police employees. This would prevent them from speaking out over issues of public interest, according to a Freedom of Information survey, reported in the Telegraph. Stephen Barclay, a Conservative member of the Public Accounts Committee, told the paper that the practice was “very concerning,” going on to state that “these agreements have a clear effect beyond those who sign them because other officers with ambition will see what has happened to those who have concerns and decide to stay silent.” The 13 forces which responded to the requests for information were only the ones which agreed to provide details, meaning the actual number enforcing the confidentiality agreements is likely to be significantly higher. The Freedom of Information requests showed that some 200 officials and civil servants put their name to compromise agreements over the course of two years, costing some 14 million pounds. Additionally, 4,500 local authority workers entered similar arrangements. Compromise agreements are a legally-binding deal, usually surrounding the termination of employment, during which soon-to-be former employees are provided with a hefty sum, providing they do not pursue any claims against their employer, thereby preventing possible complaints. Such compromise agreements frequently involve ‘confidentiality clauses’, meaning the terms of the agreement cannot be revealed, and sometimes, alongside some or all aspects of the employment. Signatories have in the past been specifically instructed not to air any previously-aired concerns with the press. Lancashire Constabulary had the highest incidence, reporting 34 signings. Surrey Police’s 28 agreements over the course of three years have cost the taxpayer some 614,000 pounds.Greater Manchester Police confirmed to the paper that 14 agreements had been signed in the past three years, with a further 17 being signed by Nothumbria Police.London’s Metropolitan Police is also implicated, having gagged 230 of its police officers over a seven year period, with its former head of human resources, Martin Tiplady, being handed 259,462 pounds after he put his name to one of the agreements. The former commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson received 176,838 pounds in a single payment: more than 1.8 times his annual salary.James Patrick, a constable in the Metropolitan Police, was investigated for gross misconduct and told not to use Twitter or his blog last December, after he expressed concerns over the impact of the cuts on the force.“This is someone who has tried to raise his concerns through the legitimate channels, but was not able to do so,” his lawyer Karen Todner told the Guardian at the point of investigation.“They are gagged in the NHS, arrested in our police forces and blacklisted in many industries,” Cathy James, chief executive of the charity Public Concern at Work told the Guardian earlier this week, prompting calls for a review of legislation.In the case of the NHS, potential whistleblowers have been gagged, threatened and stopped from raising concerns pertaining to patient safety.Barclay told the Daily Mail earlier this year that NHS gagging clauses were having “having a chilling effect on whistleblowers,” saying that “hundreds of potential whistleblowers may have been prevented from speaking out for fear of legal action.” The former chief of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, Gary Walker, revealed in February that he received a 500,000-pound ‘super gag’ in 2010. The money was offered in exchange for keeping silent regarding his belief that his hospital was a threat to patient safety. … Read More
‘Fight Club UK’: Economic crisis sparks ‘heartless’ culture in British males
Labor Party MP Diane Abbott will speak out against the degradation of male values in modern Britain in a speech to a UK think tank on Thursday. Warning of a ‘celebration of heartlessness’ among British adolescent men, Abbot will signal that unemployment and economic woes is driving a wave of misogyny and disrespect towards women.”At its worst, it’s a celebration of heartlessness; a lack of respect for women’s autonomy; and the normalization of homophobia. I fear it’s often crude individualism dressed up as modern manhood,” she will say. Likening the phenomenon to the American film ‘Fight Club,’ she will say “the first rule of being a man in modern Britain is that you’re not allowed to talk about it.” Faced with minimal employment prospects, many young British men are forced to return home after finishing their university degrees. This in turn leads to a stagnation of their development, locking them into a family life that they resent. Abbott also mentions the grown men who are working longer hours, dying of curable cancers and taking their own lives. As well as the current economic climate in the UK, Abbott signals that pornography and a culture of ‘hyper-masculinity’ create an ideal of manhood that is impossible to aspire to and fundamentally detrimental.“Normal sex seems boring,” the MP will argue, blaming an overly- ‘pornified’ culture.”Growing numbers of men of all ages [are] turning to the drug by themselves due to performance anxiety, triggered by a host of psychological issues.” In response to this new generation of heartless men, the MP is expected to suggest number of measures to encourage young males to open up and talk about their emotions. Labor policy will call on schools to present their pupils with a broader interpretation of masculinity and urge parents to speak to their sons on the subjects of manhood and fatherhood.Slow progressThe outlook for Britain’s flagging economy is looking dour as the government reported an increase in unemployment for the first quarter of the year on Wednesday. The increase of 15,000 more unemployed has pushed the jobless rate in the UK from 7.7 per cent to 7.8 per cent. The figures were called ‘disappointing’ by Employment Minister Mark Hoban. They contrast recent statistics that show the gradual recovery of the UK economy from the financial crisis. … Read More
This Is What We Deserve: 100% Surveillance
A right cannot be conditioned upon a license; that is not a right at all, but rather a privilege. … Read More
Wanted: Men to work in Swedish preschools
The lack of men working in Sweden’s preschools is cause for concern, according to Equality Minister Maria Arnholm, who has said she’s open to altering employment rules to make it easier for men to enter the education field. … Read More
Saudi Arabia to allow girls to take sport classes, but only in private schools
The ministry decree published in Saudi newspapers says that private schools for girls have been told to “put into effect a number of rules to regulate sports,” Agence France-Presse. Although the reforms are being hailed as a progressive move in the predominantly-Muslim country, the measure appears to exclude the majority of students at state-run schools. At private schools, where the initiatives are being encouraged, the government has requested that school officials ensure girls wear “a covering and decent outfit” for sport activities in “suitable areas.” The ministry directive also advised that female Saudi instructors receive top priority for employment positions at the educational facilities. The ministry pointed out that some private schools were already offering physical education, but without any regulations to follow. The issue of Saudi women participating in sporting competition entered the spotlight during the 2012 London Olympic Games. Saudi officials threatened to withdraw from the Games when the International Olympic Committee ruled that its female judo participant, Wojdan Shaherkani, could not wear a headscarf during competition. Eventually the two sides came to agreement over the dispute, and the Olympic Committee allowed Shaherkani to “wear something that would not compromise her safety.” Today, many details in the lives of Saudi women are closely regulated by Sharia law derived from the Koran. Every adult woman is required to have a close male relative as her ‘guardian’, who is authorized to make a number of decisions on a woman’s behalf, including the right to travel, to start a business, and study at university. Saudi women are prohibited from driving, and are required to cover themselves in public, among other restrictions. … Read More
Brutal job search reality for older Americans out of work for six months or more
JEFFREY BROWN: And now back to the jobs picture. Despite the good news in today’s employment report, nearly two million Americans 55 and older are still out of work. Economics correspondent Paul Solman looks at the continuing struggles of the long-term jobless in their 50s. It’s the…
Where Is The Recovery? A Higher Percentage Of Americans Had Jobs Three Years Ago
If you think that the latest employment numbers are good news, you might want to look again. In April 2013,58.6 percent of all working age Americans had a job. But three years ago, in April 2010,58.7 percent of all working age Americans had a job. … Read More
