Doctor faces hearing for signing letter to Independent

[Ludwig]

A senior health professional faces disciplinary action after signing a letter to The Independent opposing the NHS reforms and provoking accusations yesterday that ministers are presiding over a "top-down bullying policy" designed to silence critics.
...
One signatory has received a letter from the director of an NHS trust which reads: "It is inappropriate for individuals to raise personal concerns about the government reforms."

Just think about the implications of the statement in bold.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 82737.html

[emordnilap]

Even unions with a membership of one need to be crushed.

[DN65AF]

It is and always has been standard employment practice in the private sector that doing such things (ie critizing your employer in a public manner) would be a disiplinary offense.
My own contract explicitly stated that public utterances by me, unless authorised by the company, mentioning my work or my employer was a disiplinary offense.
This is why say on Telecoms forums you won't find any BT openreach engineers to take an example...all matters relating to their work are confidential........and in general is often why internet forums are full of people who don't know rather than the people who do know - as the latter sector are not permitted to discuss their work/expertise.

A more controversial situation is where an employee achieves some sort of noterity which has no connection to his/her employer at all but the fact that the press constantly mentions that they are employed at X is deemed to bring the business into disrepute by way of association.

[Ludwig]

It is and always has been standard employment practice in the private sector that doing such things (ie critizing your employer in a public manner) would be a disiplinary offense.

This is the public sector.

They spend our money.

The Government is the employer of everyone in the public sector. Can we clarify that, by your argument, nobody who works in the public sector should have the right to publicly criticise the Government?

(That would include, of course, the BBC and the judicial system.)

I don't work for either Asda or the Government. However, while the practices are of Asda as an employer do not affect me, the practices of the Government affect me at every level.

You have made 5 posts on PS. Every one of them is a shameless apology for corporate or government interests. (In one of them you refer, hiliariously, to Halliburton as a reputable company.)

[RenewableCandy]

I'm not thinking of the politics so much as the logic.

"If you tell anyone we're the sort of people who over-react and bully people...we'll over-react and clobber you...not because we have to for our own survival, but because we're bigger than you."

[biffvernon]

It is and always has been standard employment practice...

That's never a justification. Time it changed.

[mobbsey]

I'm not thinking of the politics so much as the logic.

I'm self employed... I'd like to sack myself and outsource to someone cheaper but I'd probably end up taking me to an industrial tribunal

[woodburner]

The Government is the employer of everyone in the public sector. Can we clarify that, by your argument, nobody who works in the public sector should have the right to publicly criticise the Government?

(That would include, of course, the BBC and the judicial system.)

It would also include all MPs as they are employees.

.......Halliburton as a reputable company.)

[featherstick]

I'm not thinking of the politics so much as the logic.

I'm self employed... I'd like to sack myself and outsource to someone cheaper but I'd probably end up taking me to an industrial tribunal

Well, you better not talk about yourself behind your back then.

[woodpecker]

My local doctors, councillors etc. all take part in local public forums, and often criticise particular actions or policy decisions.

The doctors etc. tend to do it without revealing their actual identity. But we know who they are.

There is a long an honourable tradition in this country of public sector professionals - academics, doctors, scientists and many others - writing letters to The Times or other newspaper, detailing their concerns regarding policies and actions.

[biffvernon]

I have a friend who happens to be Director of Health for a local authority not a million mile from me. A few days ago he posted on facebook:

A rare thing indeed- an excellent piece of journalism in the Daily Mail. Time is running out to save the NHS. If the Health and Social Care Bill goes through Britain will have an American style healthcare system within a decade. Great if you're a millionaire but disastrous for the vast majority of people. Write to your MP, sign the petition, do whatever is necessary!

and linked to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... osals.html

And it is indeed quite something for the Mail.

[woodburner]

Right I've written to my MP expressing my opposition to the proposed NHS reforms. It's easy, just go to http://www.writetothem.com/.

[woodpecker]

Very good Biff.

I wonder, is that an online-only article, or in the print edition too? I see from some sources that there is these days quite a divergence between online and paper content at the Mail - perhaps contributing to the remarkable growth in the popularity of its website.

[RenewableCandy]

Apparently the on-line DM is the most popular English-speaking newspaper site in the world (and here I include American English!).

[PS_RalphW]

Right I've written to my MP expressing my opposition to the proposed NHS reforms. It's easy, just go to http://www.writetothem.com/.

My MP is Andrew Lansley