I was no ‘fool’

It was ten years ago on 1st April 2015 that my long term and one and only employer made me redundant.

This was after working at the Borough Council for over 36 years climbing the ladder from starting as a Landscape Technical Assistant in 1976 to becoming a Principal Parks Manager with this being my last titled post for over 20 years.

Austerity was blamed, ha, maybe the ‘new’ regime that my section merged into didn’t like me and so as I reached the grand old, I mean young age of 55…woosh I was pushed.

It was strange, as in the year before this happened I was quietly being sidelined. I felt something was coming. I was right. In November 2014 ( there had to be an agreed timeline to hit for my redundancy to kick in from 1st April 2015) my bosses boss ( gosh the Council’s hierarchy was gigantic!) I was informed face to face that my post was at risk (aka redundancy) but it was so strange as following those words I couldn’t hear anything else he said to me as he rambled on for what seemed like hours and hours (was just a few minutes really) all I could see above his head was the dark clouds of gloom ( which he brought with his management style) had parted and the sun popped out blazing away surrounded by clear blue sky.

Nodding, I took his voice tone to be ‘positive’ for me, but I honestly haven’t to this day got a clue about what he said after he broke the (oh so positive) news to me.

Funnily, representatives from the hierarchy and HR needed to communicate stuff to me, so I searched for and chose my email address as ‘teldetrop’, with detrop meaning ‘uneccesary’ or ‘unwanted’ as that’s how I felt. I’m sure with their low IQ they never worked that one out!

Oh and through the timeline ‘consultation’ period my supportive Union representative who’s aim was for my job protection just told me to accept it, get out and do something else!…..which I did!

…and a little poem I wrote after my redundancy kicked in….

So here I walk away
Redundant from today
Tossed aside into the gutter
As if it really didn’t matter
Thrown into the brown wheelie bin
All the work I had put in
All the time, effort, expertise I’d got
Just doesn’t seem to matter a jot
From the people that manage and supposed to care
Look straight through as if I wern’t there
The bosses that reside at ‘archie brook
Really did not give a fukk
So head held high I journey on
Lookin back over what has gone
It was stripped away in front of all
What a cheek what a gall
As I drive away beyond a mile
There’s one thing you wont take
n that’s my smile!

Oooh now for a cup-of-T