29th December 2004, 04:41 PM
BAJR, I'm not opposed to a hotline, I'm concerned about its (your) legal position and exactly how it works (and above all of course the fact that something like it is considered necessary). It was the website idea that particularly worried me.
Is every county council/curator etc receptive to the idea? Presumably the idea only works if the curator is happy to rush off to investigate every (anonymous) complaint. Perhaps they should be administering contracts better (at all?) in the first place - after all, the root of the problem is surely that there are no checks on work done, and reliance is placed on a "professional" approach in a world where the concept of professionalism has been severely undermined. I have attempted to raise the question of the nature of professionalism on other threads.
There is also the possibility, on some occassions, that the complainant may actually be wrong! And professionalism works both ways - yes, you run a risk of losing your job etc. if you stand up for you believe in. If everybody did it.......
But having said all that, your hotline must be worth a go.
I agree that unionisation is not the way forward. The IFA is the way to go, but it canonly work if peple stop maoning and being totally negative about it and MAKE it work. Hotline reports should be copies to the IFA as well as the curator - they can't do anything if they don't have the information. But remeber that they can do little on unsubstantiated and anonymous complaints.
Is every county council/curator etc receptive to the idea? Presumably the idea only works if the curator is happy to rush off to investigate every (anonymous) complaint. Perhaps they should be administering contracts better (at all?) in the first place - after all, the root of the problem is surely that there are no checks on work done, and reliance is placed on a "professional" approach in a world where the concept of professionalism has been severely undermined. I have attempted to raise the question of the nature of professionalism on other threads.
There is also the possibility, on some occassions, that the complainant may actually be wrong! And professionalism works both ways - yes, you run a risk of losing your job etc. if you stand up for you believe in. If everybody did it.......
But having said all that, your hotline must be worth a go.
I agree that unionisation is not the way forward. The IFA is the way to go, but it canonly work if peple stop maoning and being totally negative about it and MAKE it work. Hotline reports should be copies to the IFA as well as the curator - they can't do anything if they don't have the information. But remeber that they can do little on unsubstantiated and anonymous complaints.