Quote for the month
"There is a light at the end of the tunnel but first you'll have to find the light switch, and change the bulb, before switching it on yourself. No problem, as targets of bullying are picked on for their competence and abilities." (Tim Field)

Workplace bullying | School bullying | Media requests
Conferences and meetings etc | Books | Tim Field on TV | Training
Dealing with computer viruses and spam
Stockists of Bully in Sight and PTSD
What readers say about Bully in sight

Workplace Bullying

Which teacher union would you choose to join?
The NASUWT: supports bullied deputy head in successful £200K compensation case against the governors of Our Lady of Assumption Roman Catholic Primary in Tile Hill, Coventry, England: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3687643.stm
The NUT: John Clare, Education Editor of The Telegraph exposes the charade of "the virtual reality world of the NUT" and describes general secretary Doug McAvoy as a "latter-day duke ... religiously opposed to every education initiative introduced by both the Tory and Labour governments" and despite being the biggest teacher union Doug McAvoy "knows that the union's influence on governments of any hue is, and always has been, negligible"; Polly Toynbee in the Guardian notes the "vainglorious departure of Doug McAvoy trumpeting away at the NUT conference"; Edward Heathcoat Amory in the Daily Mail says "Goodbye and good riddance ... to the dinosaur who did more than anyone to diminish the respect the British once reserved for the teaching profession" and describes Doug McAvoy as "a one-man roadblock on the way to reform" who is "more than any other individual, personally responsible for much that is wrong with our schools"; Conor Ryan in The Independent asks if the NUT can be saved from itself and observes Doug McAvoy as having turned the NUT into "the least relevant [teacher union] ... resembling Citizen Smith's Tooting Popular Front".

NASUWT teachers' leader dies aged 58
Eamonn O'Kane, general secretary of the NASUWT for the last two years, died in May 2004 after a long battle with cancer. A moderate regarded as a highly skilled and respected leader, he had, together with ATL general secretary Mary Bousted, been the target of a year-long advertising campaign waged by Doug McAvoy's NUT which Mr O'Kane had been forced to describe as "corrosive ... calumnies" in a statement titled Has the NUT gone nuts?. Tributes (including one by Doug McAvoy) to Eamonn O'Kane: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3739253.stm

ASLEF barbecue ends in brawl
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3745745.stm

Bullying in the workplace - a survival guide from the NUJ
http://www.nuj.org.uk/inner.php?docid=729

Former charity manager wins case after blowing whistle on bullying of staff
Royal London Society for the Blind vice-chairman Harry O'Neil denies existence of bullying in the charity, despite a history of claims, cases and investigation: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3688299.stm

Bullying claims trouble Royal Mail
Claims of bullying, harassment and intimidation continue to dog Oxford postal sorting centre: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/3728333.stm

ACAS updates guidance on bullying and harassment
http://www.acas.org.uk/publications/AL05.html

The Forces Helpline is an independent service provided by ex-forces personnel
http://www.forces-helpline.com/

Police quit jobs over bad bosses
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3691821.stm

Stress increasing in universities
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3704719.stm

UK HSC runs public consultation exercise on stress
Your opportunity to contribute: http://consultations.hse.gov.uk/consult.ti/StressManagementStandards

TUC claims unions reduce number of employment tribunals
Since the inception of the UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line in January 1996 and Bully OnLine in January 1998 the Number One complaint has been that unions are failing to provide support to members in cases of bullying and stress with a certain union being repeatedly accused of colluding with the employer to frustrate and obstruct the member's case. The TUC has refused to take any action to restrain the NUT in respect of its libel action against Tim Field and would seem by inaction to be condoning the actions of trade unions who avenge accountability with vexatious legal actions: http://www.tuc.org.uk/law/tuc-7978-f0.cfm

New Quebec law tackles bullying
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040526/CAHARASS26//?query=psychological+harassment

Canadian nurses call code pink
Witnesses and bystanders play crucial role in intervention: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1084745407552&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

Quebec deals with workplace bullies
http://www.occupationalhazards.com/articles/11657

US whistleblower wins US$26million compensation
Employee lifted lid on Pfizer's drug marketing scam: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=521445

US Methodists tackle bullying
Pennsylvania petition on bullying, mobbing and scapegoating petition clears first hurdle in order to be added to United Methodist Book of Resolutions: http://www.umc.org/Calms/Petition.asp?mid=2886&Petition=41309

School bullying

Authorities back bullies and punish target for defending himself
Bullied boy sentenced to probation after fighting back in school: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/US/Bully_Boy_Sentenced_040506-1.html

Bullied Queens schoolboy Joey Bari awarded $195,000 damages
Officials did nothing about the abuse: http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/188228p-162856c.html

My daughter was driven to the brink of suicide
"Bullying [is] not a problem at this school" reportedly says head teacher of Mintlaw Academy, Scotland:
http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=84106&command=displayContent&sourceNode=83936&contentPK=9956191
and
http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=84106&command=displayContent&sourceNode=83936&contentPK=9956665

A nice outcome from Pleasantville, New Jersey
Boy who got 'Crybaby Award' honored: http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040528_1066.html

Media requests

Bullying by neighbours: I'm Michelle Woods and I'm currently working on a new show for RDF Media (The makers of Faking It and Wife Swap) called Meet the Neighbours for Channel 4. Our programme aims to take five diverse households from around the UK to a purpose built community this summer and over the course of four weeks and with the help of two experts create an idyllic community! We are looking for your troublesome neighbours - perhaps those who are noise pests, or interfering types or those who are bullies and could do with realising the error of their ways. If you know someone who fits the bill or want to know more about the show then call me on 020 7013 4521 or email neighbours@rdfmedia.com

Women going though a bullying crisis: my name is Liz Scarff and I am looking to get in touch with people who may be interested in taking part in a feature I am working on for Glamour magazine. The feature is a piece about women who go though a crisis, ie bullying, and find the experience is the impetus to completely change their life for the better. I am looking to speak with women who are aged between 23 and 35. Taking part would involve a telephone interview and a photograph. If you are interested or require further information please contact me on lizscarff1@hotmail.com

Bullying Makeover: my name's Jenny Ward and I'm doing a documentary for BBC Radio 1 about bullying and how best to deal with it. I'm hoping to follow one person's experience of being bullied and take them on assertiveness workshops, counselling sessions and other programs to help make life better and hopefully make the bullying stop. I'll be interested to hear from anyone in the UK who is being bullied who'd like to form the main part of a 30 minute documentary. Ideally I'm looking for someone in their early twenties (15-24 is the listenership). I'm also interested in anyone who is involved in programs which help people cope with bullying eg therapists, drama workshop leaders etc. It's all early days so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for the programme they'd be gratefully received too! Please get in touch at jenny.ward@bbc.co.uk

More media requests at media/media.htm

Rats and Bullies
A film produced by Roberta McMillan and Ray Buffer (http://www.ratsandbullies.com) probes the suicide of 14-year-old Dawn-Marie Wesley from Mission, British Columbia, who took her own life by hanging herself with a dog leash in her bedroom after systematic bullying and threats by three teenage girls from her school. Her suicide was discovered by her then-13-year-old brother who had come to her room prior to the family's dinner, to use her TV. The bullies were named in Dawn-Marie's suicide note which prompted an investigation by RCMP and Crown Counsel leading to two precedent setting cases by Canada's provincial court in which the bullies were held accountable for their threats.

Conferences, meetings etc

Saturday 20 November 2004
UK National Work-Stress Network Annual Conference, Hillscourt Conference Centre, Rednal, Birmingham. Delegate fee £45 (unwaged £10). Speakers include Tom Mellish (TUC Health and Safety Officer), Steve Lee (HSE Stress Priority Programme), Warinder Juss and Simon Dewsbury (Thompson's Solicitors). More information from les@roberts.farmcom.net

More conferences and seminars at workbully/conf.htm and workbully/events.htm

Surveys etc

Researchers at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton are looking for targets of workplace bullying in Canada
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040507/CANOTE07-1/TPBusiness/General

Books

More books at resources/books.htm

Training

Dealing with computer viruses and spam

Are you bombarded with computer viruses and spam?
There's guidance for new (and old) users of the Internet regarding viruses, spam and scam: action/newuser.htm

Stockists of books published by Success Unlimited

What readers say about Bully in sight

"I would like to express my appreciation to you for writing [Bully in sight]. Where do I start? The book works on so many levels, the madness of the adversarial modern workplace which tacitly accepts bullying. The spurious reliance on accreditation, "quality" marks etc to cover up malpractice, it exposes the lot for the sham it is. In reading [Bully in sight] I have discovered a lot about myself particularly in relation to assertiveness and my attitude to guilt. Of course the sections on exposing the bully and laying them bare speak for themselves, I could go on and on. I would urge anyone, bullied or not to read it, I wish I'd had a copy years ago when I was a shop steward. The time and effort and research you put in must have been immense. Many books I have read purport to change ones life, this one does." (JE, Cheshire, England)

More reader feedback at successunlimited/books/tstmbis.htm