Thursday 26 February 2015

Whitsleblowing, underage loans and better off not knowing



26 February

Whistleblowers! I wonder if I am the only who person who thinks this term is dismissive to people who raise concerns within their work situations. If we report a criminal offence to the police, we are tagged as being, ‘a grass’. Why is it that when people speak out against what is wrong in society, they get put down, shunned and derogated? Why are they seen as being a lower person than the one committing the offence? Why are they so hated? If anyone can answer these questions then they are on to sure fire winner in my view.

Here’s another one for you then; at what age is it acceptable to allow children to have credit, or loans? Years ago when I worked as a parcels delivery driver I visited a school just before lunch time. The school secretary was the one I had to see about signing for the package I had for then. Anyway, she didn’t see me straight away and carried on dealing with a group of kids who were all asking for a loan to pay for their school lunches. One child already owed for four lunches and was warned that there would be no more until the bill had been paid. So you can see why I ask the question at the top of this paragraph. Let me link it to my first paragraph …

I found out about that during my working day and felt at the time even though I thought it was wrong to actually give loads to these kids, I couldn’t say anything to anyone because of customer confidentiality. Now I wonder if I was correct to keep quiet, how many of those kids are now up to their necks in debt? Here’s another one …

Most of the items I delivered and collected for forwarding on were well wrapped up either in jiffy bags of covered in brown paper. That was fine because no-one would know what was in them. I wasn’t interested at all, even though I perhaps knew what the company made, as well as the company they were being sent to. Like the engineering firm in Hinckley who made bits for aircraft engines.
So one day I called in at one of my daily calls and was told that I was take very good care of one package, ‘ … because it has £10,000 worth of diamonds in it.’ I was shocked by that, not just because of what was claimed but because the guy had assumed that I was safe enough to be told. When I pointed that out to him he said something like, ‘We know you’re safe Ron. You’ve taken much higher priced goods than that one and they’ve not gone missing.’ The mind boggles at times, it really does.

Here on Jaronland right now, we are all over the place, again! Kile’s mum was taken into hospital on Tuesday with suspected meningitis. Thankfully it wasn’t and now she’s home and trying to rest, but with Kile and Billy, there’s little chance of that happening really. Her mum Lesley is staying with her and she is taking most of the stress out of things for Sam. Jan is over there now doing the afternoon school run. This weekend we are due to have to Kile anyway so that’s fine, and Billy will go to his nan’s for the weekend. And just to make that wee bit more of interest, now that Jan has got her new car, I have arranged for my car to be returned early seeing as it’s hardly being used right now. It’s no wonder we both feel stress one way or another eh?

Today’s photo then is … 

Another piece of Brum's public art.

And today’s funny …

Adam was about to be put to death for the his 1998 conviction. He climbs on the electric chair and is about to be shocked, when the chaplain asks, “Do you have any last requests?” Adam looks at him right in the eye and says, “I am so scared, all I ask of you is to hold my hand!”

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