Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Sunday, August 10, 2014
The Public Accounts Committee have just published a report were it finds what Civil Service whistleblowers like myself have been telling them for years: That the Civil Service punishes people who blow the whistle, that staff who victimize them have no disciplinary action taken against them,and the Civil Service Commission are not fit for purpose. Nice to hear others admit what you have been saying for years. Meanwhile, you can read all about it in the independent by going here.
Monday, June 30, 2014
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Friday, May 16, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
I have copied and pasted a copy of an e-mail I got from Paddy Dillon of the Information Commissioner's Office.
Case Reference Number RCC0539953
Dear Mr Ali
I write further to your recent email raising concerns about a telephone conversation you had with Michael Avery on 2 May 2014. You consider that Mr Avery spoke to you in an inappropriate way.
I am sorry that you are not satisfied with the service you have received in this case. I am aware that you called Mr Avery in response to his letter and email of 28 April 2014 regarding your complaint about a request to the Cabinet Office. I was sitting within earshot of Mr Avery during the call and have also discussed his reasons for terminating the call with him.
Mr Avery explained that early in the call you sought to raise matters relating to a previous case he had handled involving the Civil Service Commission. You have also referred to this case in your email to me. However, that case was closed some time ago and has been considered by the Tribunal. It does not have a bearing on the Cabinet Office case currently under consideration and there is no further purpose in us discussing that matter with you.
Mr Avery has also explained that he terminated the call because he did not consider it was serving a useful purpose owing to the fact that you were not allowing him to finish speaking. It appears that both sides of the conversation may have become slightly frustrated during the call.
However, on the basis what I heard of Mr Avery’s handling of the call, I do not consider that he spoke in an unacceptable way. He asked you to allow him to make his points but then explained he would terminate the call. He also invited you to submit any points you wished to make in writing. If you do have further points to make about the Cabinet Office case, I agree that it may be beneficial to submit your points in writing.
Your complaint about the Cabinet Office remains open and will be handled by Mr Avery. I note your request during our conversation on 2 May for the case to be reallocated, but I do not consider this appropriate or necessary. In all cases handled by the ICO, decisions are reached on the basis of the information available in the case. Where either party disagrees with the decision reached in a Decision Notice, they have a right of appeal to the Tribunal. Therefore, if you are unhappy with the eventual outcome of the case, you will be able to consider an appeal.
However, it is important to note that a decision has not been reached on your case yet. Mr Avery has written to the Cabinet Office with some enquiries to assist him in reaching a decision. Therefore I would suggest that, unless you have any further supporting information directly relevant to your request to the Cabinet Office, you do not need to take any further steps at present. You will be contacted in due course with further information about your case.
Yours sincerely
Paddy Dillon
Team Manager, Information Commissioner’s Office
Dear Mr Ali
I write further to your recent email raising concerns about a telephone conversation you had with Michael Avery on 2 May 2014. You consider that Mr Avery spoke to you in an inappropriate way.
I am sorry that you are not satisfied with the service you have received in this case. I am aware that you called Mr Avery in response to his letter and email of 28 April 2014 regarding your complaint about a request to the Cabinet Office. I was sitting within earshot of Mr Avery during the call and have also discussed his reasons for terminating the call with him.
Mr Avery explained that early in the call you sought to raise matters relating to a previous case he had handled involving the Civil Service Commission. You have also referred to this case in your email to me. However, that case was closed some time ago and has been considered by the Tribunal. It does not have a bearing on the Cabinet Office case currently under consideration and there is no further purpose in us discussing that matter with you.
Mr Avery has also explained that he terminated the call because he did not consider it was serving a useful purpose owing to the fact that you were not allowing him to finish speaking. It appears that both sides of the conversation may have become slightly frustrated during the call.
However, on the basis what I heard of Mr Avery’s handling of the call, I do not consider that he spoke in an unacceptable way. He asked you to allow him to make his points but then explained he would terminate the call. He also invited you to submit any points you wished to make in writing. If you do have further points to make about the Cabinet Office case, I agree that it may be beneficial to submit your points in writing.
Your complaint about the Cabinet Office remains open and will be handled by Mr Avery. I note your request during our conversation on 2 May for the case to be reallocated, but I do not consider this appropriate or necessary. In all cases handled by the ICO, decisions are reached on the basis of the information available in the case. Where either party disagrees with the decision reached in a Decision Notice, they have a right of appeal to the Tribunal. Therefore, if you are unhappy with the eventual outcome of the case, you will be able to consider an appeal.
However, it is important to note that a decision has not been reached on your case yet. Mr Avery has written to the Cabinet Office with some enquiries to assist him in reaching a decision. Therefore I would suggest that, unless you have any further supporting information directly relevant to your request to the Cabinet Office, you do not need to take any further steps at present. You will be contacted in due course with further information about your case.
Yours sincerely
Paddy Dillon
Team Manager, Information Commissioner’s Office
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Saturday, May 3, 2014
First Encounter
My first encounter with the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) begins not long after my employer Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) inform me they are going to charge me with being an extremist for heckling the British National Party (BNP) at a peaceful protest in Burnley.
This is what’s called a first to first meeting, like Solicitors have with their clients, where a man or woman in a pin stripe suit greet you with a friendly handshake and reassuring smile.
So what do you think my first encounter with the PCS was like?
Hordes of PCS officials scurrying forward to shake my hand and welcome me with words of comfort?
Immaculately dressed lawyers falling over themselves to assure me there is nothing extremist about heckling the BNP?
The PCS Chairman leaping from his chair and promising I have the full support of the union.
Er, not exactly.
Today I turned up to discuss my case and there wasn’t a single person waiting to greet me.
I don’t mean I had turned up late, or got the wrong date. I mean nobody from the PCS had bothered to turn up, despite the fact I paid my annual fee’s.
Let me just spell that out again: my employer Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs were charging me with being an extremist for heckling the British National Party at a peaceful anti racist protest in Burnley, and the PCS HAD NOT BOTHERED TO SEND ANYBODY TO DISCUSS MY CASE, despite the fact I paid my union fee’s.
Yes, there were plenty of PCS officials who worked in the department, there were even some who worked at the Tax Credit Office in Preston were I was based. But as for any of them being here, in person, on hand and willing and able to discuss my case, there wasn’t a single sole. The Union which claims to put its members interests first, was clearly not itching to put forward mine.
Even if they had turned up, I doubt they would have been much use: there should have been three PCS officials here today, all who worked for the department. But one was at a union conference, one was at some union jaunt and the other had gone on holiday.
I have always thought that some PCS officials were rather too paly with senior management, so I checked the local pub at dinner time. Sure enough, there they were sitting together, laughing and joking and having a merry old time.
Our department is one of the biggest in the Civil Service, and we have PCS reps on every floor. Union business is the subject of meetings at the highest level. In fact, union business is so important that once a month we are given time to sit back, put our feet up and read the union newspaper. It’s called PCS news, and it assures members that it will provide first class representation whenever they need it. I don’t think that they do.
It is a widely held view amongst the press and public that Civil Servants have jobs for life. Civil Servants could commit murder and they still wouldn’t get sacked for it, runs the argument. ‘Furthermore, they would never be charged with being an extremist for heckling the BNP. If they were, the PCS would be up in arms and would represent them to their best of their ability.
I like to ask people about how many Civil Servants do you think HMRC have sacked for heckling the BNP and they say none. The thing is, I also ask them to tell me how many do they think the PCS have refused to represent who have been sacked for heckling this Neo Nazi group, and they also say none. The problem is their wrong, and on both accounts.
This is what’s called a first to first meeting, like Solicitors have with their clients, where a man or woman in a pin stripe suit greet you with a friendly handshake and reassuring smile.
So what do you think my first encounter with the PCS was like?
Hordes of PCS officials scurrying forward to shake my hand and welcome me with words of comfort?
Immaculately dressed lawyers falling over themselves to assure me there is nothing extremist about heckling the BNP?
The PCS Chairman leaping from his chair and promising I have the full support of the union.
Er, not exactly.
Today I turned up to discuss my case and there wasn’t a single person waiting to greet me.
I don’t mean I had turned up late, or got the wrong date. I mean nobody from the PCS had bothered to turn up, despite the fact I paid my annual fee’s.
Let me just spell that out again: my employer Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs were charging me with being an extremist for heckling the British National Party at a peaceful anti racist protest in Burnley, and the PCS HAD NOT BOTHERED TO SEND ANYBODY TO DISCUSS MY CASE, despite the fact I paid my union fee’s.
Yes, there were plenty of PCS officials who worked in the department, there were even some who worked at the Tax Credit Office in Preston were I was based. But as for any of them being here, in person, on hand and willing and able to discuss my case, there wasn’t a single sole. The Union which claims to put its members interests first, was clearly not itching to put forward mine.
Even if they had turned up, I doubt they would have been much use: there should have been three PCS officials here today, all who worked for the department. But one was at a union conference, one was at some union jaunt and the other had gone on holiday.
I have always thought that some PCS officials were rather too paly with senior management, so I checked the local pub at dinner time. Sure enough, there they were sitting together, laughing and joking and having a merry old time.
Our department is one of the biggest in the Civil Service, and we have PCS reps on every floor. Union business is the subject of meetings at the highest level. In fact, union business is so important that once a month we are given time to sit back, put our feet up and read the union newspaper. It’s called PCS news, and it assures members that it will provide first class representation whenever they need it. I don’t think that they do.
It is a widely held view amongst the press and public that Civil Servants have jobs for life. Civil Servants could commit murder and they still wouldn’t get sacked for it, runs the argument. ‘Furthermore, they would never be charged with being an extremist for heckling the BNP. If they were, the PCS would be up in arms and would represent them to their best of their ability.
I like to ask people about how many Civil Servants do you think HMRC have sacked for heckling the BNP and they say none. The thing is, I also ask them to tell me how many do they think the PCS have refused to represent who have been sacked for heckling this Neo Nazi group, and they also say none. The problem is their wrong, and on both accounts.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
HMRC sacked me for breach of contract for raising concerns under the Public Interest Disclosure Act and Civil Service Code using breach of contract disciplinary procedures. Request made under the Freedom of Information Act shows HMRC stating they do not have breach of contract disciplinary procedures.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Saturday, January 4, 2014
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