Rolling abuse: Nick Clegg's £300,000 student-proof limo
Sarcasm from Danny Alexander? Foul language from Francis Maude? Physical abuse from Eric Pickles? Whitehall watchers have been kept guessing about reports of bullying and harassment faced by the Coalition’s chauffeurs.
In recently released figures, the Government Car and Dispatch Agency topped a league table of discrimination, bullying and harassment among half a million Whitehall pen-pushers. In contrast to workers at the the Foreign Office’s “exclusive and discreet” country manor at Wilton Park, which topped the league for staff satisfaction, almost a quarter of the long-suffering drivers reported abuse at work.
Bad behaviour aimed at the chauffeurs has leaped up by 50% since the New Politics of Coalition™ swept into Whitehall. But the agency has loyally refused to print details of who was responsible for tongue-lashings.
With 26 luxury Jaguars still at ministers’ disposal, David Law’s attempts to rein in his Tory counterparts’ taste for expensive transport would seem to have been in vain. Still, the car pool does have ways of getting its own back on more difficult customers. Alongside the Jags and the venerable Rovers the agency keeps a couple of Ford Mondeos for those less in favour.
Vince Cable had better watch his temper.
7 Comments
Drivers.
Pull up.
Switch off the engine.
Take the keys.
Leave them there.
Drivers.
Pull up.
Switch off the engine.
Take the keys.
Leave them there.
P45
JSA
“Bad behaviour aimed at chauffeurs has leapt by 50%”. Is that a fact? Is that based on confirmed allegations? A league table compiled by who?
I detest bullies. I detest politicians who bully whatever their allegiance. I don’t believe there are many people who would deny Balls and Brown are bullies. I rather suspect that Cameron and Osborne are bullies. I have the same opinion of Clegg.
Is this a balanced commentary or is there the sound of an axe being sharpened? Is the author honest?
I rather suspect that there will be no response…..
@Pete: Here’s your response. The figures are from the Civil Service People Survey 2010 and the GCDA Staff Survey Report 2010:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/improving/engagement/people-survey-2010.aspx
http://www.dft.gov.uk/gcda/docs/Staff%20Survey%20Report%202010.pdf
Weren’t GCDS beaten by the Fire Service College?
Thanks for the response. The figures do not indicate who is doing the bullying – a number of choices are presented in order to identify the sources of bullying. None of the choices received enough responses (ten or more required) to generate a percentage. The clear imputation of the article (especially the headline) is that the current government ministers are more prone to bullying and harassment than the last. There is no evidence in these figures to suggest that.
@Alessandre – you need to look at the overall scores for discrimination, harrassment and bullying – GCDA ‘wins’ by a country mile. The discrimination score in particular (three times the Civil Service average) should give ministers and GCDA bosses pause for thought.
@Pete – there’s nothing wrong with the title at all. The article says in the first and third paras that the GCDA has decided to withold the identity of the bullies – but there is still guessing going on in Westminster about who they are! The leap since the last election is certainly suggestive, but the article doesn’t pretend to prove anything. Scrapbook is a news and gossip site, not Wikipedia, and a bit of perspective is pretty much essential
6 Trackbacks
NEW –> Official report: ministerial drivers are the most bullied staff in Whitehall http://bit.ly/eivBe2
RT @psbook: NEW –> Official report: ministerial drivers are the most bullied staff in Whitehall http://bit.ly/eivBe2
RT @psbook: NEW –> Official report: ministerial drivers are the most bullied staff in Whitehall http://bit.ly/eivBe2
Discrimination, bullying and harassment against govt drivers up 50% since coalition came to power reports @psbook http://bit.ly/f11V0c
Official report: ministerial drivers are the most bullied staff in Whitehall : http://bit.ly/g2O7dl
RT @psbook: Official report: ministerial drivers are the most bullied staff in Whitehall http://bit.ly/hQFygd