Ambridge Socialist Update
8th March
Tracy Horrobin needs to join a union (as does Jazzer)
Tracy Horrobin who does front of house work at Grey Gables has been given a written warning by her employer Oliver Stirling. She has a right of appeal but would be well advised to accept the warning given the gravity of the disciplinary offence she was charged with, and which she admitted.
On Monday lunchtime Tracy was discovered in a spare bedroom at Grey Gables with her current partner Jazzer in the process of a liaison. It was her lunch break but having sexual relations at the workplace amounts to gross misconduct. This is usually a sacking offence not least because it raises questions in the employers mind about whether the individual can be trusted in future.
In this case there were some mitigating circumstances. Firstly while it was gross misconduct there was no reputational damage to Grey Gables since only three people know about it (aside from listeners to the Archers obviously) and none of them is likely to talk. Secondly Oliver is well aware of the nature of the person he employs-Tracy- and has continued and valued her employment partly because she adds something to the hotel.
Even so a further indiscretion and she could end up being dismissed and with Jazzer facing likely redundancy at Berrow pig unit (no doubt on statutory terms) the sooner both join Unite, the relevant union in both cases, the better they will be able to grapple with future events.
Ambridge Socialist Editor Keith Flett said, as a union officer in real life I have on occasion got people off gross misconduct charges, invariably because it hasn’t suited the employer to dismiss even they could have. Having union representation and advice was I’m certain invaluable to those individuals.
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