For a Few Pounds More....

Earlier in the week I wrote to the Surrey and Borders Partnership Trust's commercial and training arm ' Priority Enterprises after Jill G posted elsewhere that she had not been able to get a response from this organisation . Prioritypresents itself as operating at arms length from S&BP which it should do as it manages the disabled workers at the Trust's Old Moat garden centre in Epsom .

( anyone not up to speed with thiis here is a summary of how the garden centre workers were treated)

I e-mailed Priority's Work Services Secretary Jo O'Neill and politely asked her why Jill had not received a response. This set off a flurry of e-mails between Jo and Declan Flynn , S&BP's Acting Work Services Manager and Declan copied me in to this exchange and implied that the evasive e-mail S&BP's Operations Manager Peter Kinsey had had his PA post off to everyone who complained about the treatment of the garden centre workers was in fact Priority Enterprises response to Jill.

Jo O'Neill then sent this to Jill.

I understand .... that you did not receive Peter Kinsey's (Director of Operations, Surrey & Borders Partnership NHS Trust) email as I have highlighted and copied as follows:

Thank you for emailing me to express your views regarding this matter. This is a local issue in eastern Surrey which we are discussing with our stake-holders. Changes to therapeutic payments are part of a larger change project which we are undertaking to modernise and improve employment services for people with mental health problems in line with recognised best practice. Those changes have been discussed extensively with our staff and people who use our services.

Peter Kinsey

Regards

Jo O'Neill

Work Services Secretary

Jill asked me to post her response along with her original e-mail .

To Jo O'Neill

Priority Enterprises

June 14th 2006

Dear Jo O'Neill

Thankyou for your reply below but with respect you have not answered any of the questions I asked in my email.

I asked you how many people the £3 a day wage cut to nothing a day affects and what consultations were made before enacting such a policy? I also asked what your agency is doing to comply with minimum wage legislation?

I also asked where your accounts are published and how I can obtain a copy?

You have not answered any of these questions in your reply.

Far from seeing this as a local issue in Eastern Surrey I and others see this as an attack on the rights of disabled people everywhere and we are

campaigning for justice at : http://justice4sabtworkers.blogspot.com/

Or to put it another way how would you and Mr Peter Kinsey like disabled people to reduce your salaries to nothing? How would you like to be treated as unpaid labour? No you would not like it and you would not put up with such treatment so you should not expect disabled people to have to put up with being treated as unpaid labour by you I believe you are infringing minimum wage legislation and also the Disability Discrimination Act and we are not going to let this matter rest.

Please reply with answers to my original questions.

Yours Sincerely

Jill G

Here is Jill's orginal e-mail in which she requests specific information

Sent: 31 May 2006 15:33
To: Jo O'Neill
Priority Enterprises Administration Office:
Wingfield Resource Centre, St. Anne's Drive,
Redstone Hill, Redhill, Surrey RH1 2AA
Cc: Peter Kinsey
Subject: Wages and Accounts for Priority Enterprises

Dear Jo O'Neill

I understand from the Priority Enterprises website that you are their contact person. Could you please give me details of your policy for paying wages to those working in your projects? I understand that a payment of only £3 per week to some workers has recently been reduced to nothing.

Can you tell me how many people this affects and what consultations were made before enacting such a policy. Can you also tell me what your agency does to comply with minimum wage legislation? Can you also tell me where your accounts are published and how I can obtain a copy?

Jill G

From UKSurvivors group

Just in case you have forgotten, here is Mr Kinsey's response again. This was sent to everyone who complained about the Surrey and Borders Trust cutting the pitiful £3 a day it was paying its garden centre workers. This was not a response to Jill at all.

Thank you for emailing me to express your views regarding this matter. This is a local issue in eastern Surrey which we are discussing with our stake-holders. Changes to therapeutic payments are part of a larger change project which we are undertaking to modernise and improve employment services for people with mental health problems in line with recognised best practice. Those changes have been discussed extensively with our staff and people who use our services.

Peter Kinsey