http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...aff-consider-legal-action-unpaid-bonuses.html well, that is a surprise (not)......!!!
That's not the worst idea you've ever had. If somebody could work out how much the bonuses come to in total for all staff put together (I would guess maybe £100k to £200k if even that much) then CARD and CASTrust could do some fundraising so Charlton supporters could thank hard-working front-line staff by paying them at least part of their withheld bonus. No middle or senior management though. That would be a huge gesture of solidarity between the low level CAFC workers and the fans, who I always thought were probably on the same side It would generate massive positive publicity for the protesting Charlton fan base and deeply humiliate Duchatelet and his cronies. The effect would be like the positive PR from the CARD water bottles, but multiplied by a thousand.
All happening now, and as with the takeover, our attention gets dragged away from the football. A dodgy statement from RD, which Airman on CL is now saying shows clear signs of being retouched by someone on the comms team. A statement that a strike may occur on saturday getting the game called off, which has been backed by Card. As with a lot of this sort of executive bullying, it would probably be cheaper to pay the bonuses than have ongoing staff unrest and its repercussions, but RD doesn't come across as much of a negotiator, and I would imagine he'll take vast umbrage with this. I do worry a bit about mass sackings for the staff - I'd imagine someone has looked at the contracts and declared that the staff have right on their side, but these things take a while to sort out if it's done legally.
In my opinion people's jobs should not to be risked in a power struggle between an opportunist politician and a hostile owner. Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the king that led them to it. (Henry V) Something for the Coalition leaders to ponder before they go to war on Saturday.
CARD will not be leading any unofficial action by the staff, they will be supporting it, very different. The success of the action will depend entirely on whether or not it is unanimous, Roland can't sack them all, but he could sack some of them. Heed the voice of experience. A large demo in support of them would send a clear message to everyone.
Lardi, Card cannot 'make' these people go on strike. They can suggest it (which wouldn't be very wise - there always seem to be air heads who tell people in these situations what they should do, as I know from personal experience) but if there is a strike, it will happen because the staff call it, not because Card tell them to. But I agree they need to think this through carefully, and check the legal ins and outs. Logically RD could pay them, which would be cheaper and quicker, but he's not been much in favor of common sense in anything he has done since he turned up at the Valley. I do wonder whether these bonuses are contractually guaranteed and signed off by Katie - be funny if she did that to him!!
An open letter from CAFC staff to Roland Duchatelet; inews.co.uk/sport/football/charlton-athletic-roland-duchatelet-staff-bonuses-card-open-letter/ Dear Mr Duchatelet, We wish to express our extreme disappointment at your decision not to pay hard-working staff the money that had been previously promised based on our performances this year. The work produced by staff, who dedicate their lives and go above and beyond to do their best for Charlton Athletic Football Club, is dependent on a large amount of goodwill. Many members of staff willingly dedicate more time than is contractually necessary in what have been increasingly tough conditions because we take great pride in working for the club and its supporters. However, that goodwill has been seriously eroded by what we regard as severely unfair treatment of loyal staff whose hard work and dedication have not been rewarded as promised. Having met as a group on Wednesday morning, the unanimous feeling amongst staff was that of anger and upset at both your decision and the lack of previous communication surrounding the money that we were due to be paid on Tuesday, July 31st. As staff, we will continue to fulfil our contractual obligations to the best of our abilities, but we are also considering our next steps to ensure payment of the bonuses as promised. Sincerely, Administrative Staff Charlton Athletic Football Club The Valley _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Note: The word 'card' appears in the address of the article because the Coalition is mentioned in the article for organising a demonstration on Saturday in support of staff. However, CARD had nothing to do with this open letter as far as I am aware.
The non-payment of bonuses to CAFC staff has just been mentioned on the 6:30 BBC1 London News. A short report will presumably follow before 7pm.
Duchatelet says in his letter today that as far as he knows the Aussies still want to buy the club. They are waiting to lodge some new paperwork with the EFL. It’s so ambiguous it’s laighable. We were in an identical place 6 months ago, if you look at a certain over enthusiastic posters posts...
Nobody (staff or fans) has any reason to believe anything that man says. He even tries to make a positive out of saying everybody has been paid on time since he took over. That is not something to be proud of, it is a legal requirement. Employees at CAFC are not his serfs, to be paid when he feels like it due to his boundless generosity alone. What an arrogant old bastard. He has lied to his own staff. Do the work, and you will get the bonus. Well they did the work, and the date for their bonus payment came and went with no bonus paid and no explanation. RD has treated his low paid workers like ****. If Lee Bowyer gets on so well with the old scrote, maybe he ought to hop onto the Eurostar and go and have a quiet word with him in Belgium.
A suitably cautious reply from the staff. Presumably they are not members of any union, and even if they were they would have to be very careful. Even a work-to-rule is legally questionable, since it is a change of normal working practice, if they have been working more than the hours they are paid for. A Union would be in trouble for calling a work-to-rule, but I don't know the situation if it was just individuals. And Roland's trump card in any dispute is that he doesn't care one jot what happens to our club.
Duchatelet does presumably care about his reputation as a decent businessman. I'm told he thinks of himself as something of a philanthropist. News of this dispute should be broadcast as widely as possible, especially in Belgium. RD needs to be embarrassed by having this kind of tawdry dishonesty exposed to his business chums and the people his companies trade with.
