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Artykuł pochodzi z pisma "Guardian"



• Tribunal likely to award distressed deputy £56,000
• Authorities criticised for rejecting complaints

Steven Morris
Saturday June 10, 2006
The Guardian

The bullying behaviour of an "autocratic" cathedral school headteacher drove her deputy out of her job, a tribunal ruled yesterday.
Catherine Maltbaek, head of the primary school of St Mary in Plymouth, Devon, was accused of the "worst case of bullying ever seen in the workplace". She humiliated her staff in front of pupils and parents, forcing deputy head Sue Preston and several others members of staff to quit, the tribunal panel heard.
One administrator fainted during a telling-off and Mrs Maltbaek berated others for eating at their desks or going to the toilet too often. On one occasion she is said to have repeatedly rung a bell in Mrs Preston's ear "like a town crier" to drown out her voice.
Mrs Maltbaek told Mrs Preston off for sending a Christmas card to a sick colleague and scolded her in front of giggling pupils for hanging up work in the wrong place. Mrs Preston, 55, sued the school, claiming she was forced to leave following a breakdown.
After a five-day hearing the tribunal at Exeter ruled that Mrs Preston had been constructively dismissed from her post at the Catholic primary school. The tribunal chairman, Brian Walton, deferred the question of compensation, but said Mrs Preston was likely to receive the statutory maximum, which is £56,000.
The tribunal also criticised the governors of the school, Plymouth city council and the Roman Catholic diocese for rejecting a report on the school they had commissioned from the National Bullying Helpline.
Mr Walton said Mrs Maltbaek was accused of acting in an "autocratic" way. It was said she was nit-picking, rude, dismissive and sharp. He said: "On occasions she displayed a management style which, however unintentional, could very easily be interpreted by staff as bullying."
Mrs Preston said she was constantly belittled and undermined. "Your whole life becomes total misery. I used to get no sleep at all. My sleep suffered, my home life suffered. I just wanted a kind word and no abuse in front of my children."
Christine Pratt, founder of the National Bullying Helpline, told the tribunal she was horrified by what she found."This is the worst case I have come across because of the magnitude of incidents over a number of years, the number of people involved and, most importantly, the number of people in authority who could have and should have done something."
Mrs Pratt said numerous letters from doctors and occupational health experts had been sent to the governors, the diocese and the council complaining that staff had reported problems of work-related stress and depression, but no apparent action was taken.
She said 16 people had come forward to tell her they had experienced bullying by Mrs Maltbaek. She also claimed Mrs Preston was offered £8,000 in "exchange for her silence".
Mrs Maltbaek conceded she could be "sharp and abrupt" but denied bullying her staff.
When the issue of compensation was being discussed by the tribunal Mrs Preston said: "The thought of working in a school again is something I cannot contemplate.
"I feel I have lost confidence and have been out of the loop so long I have lost my ability in many ways to pick up the strands where I left off. The treatment I received before I went, because it went on a long time, demoralised me to a large extent."

abrupt- szortski, obcesowy
belittle - umniejszać czyjeś zsługi, lekceważyć, nie doceniać
berate- strofować, wymyślać (komuś)
constructively- konstruktywnie, strukturalnie
contemplate- planować, rozważać
defer- odraczać
diocese- diecezja
dismiss- dymisjonowac, zwalniać
dismissive- lekceważący
display- okazywać
giggle- chichotać
magnitude- ogorm, rozmiar
nit-picking- szukający dziury w całym
on occasions- czasami
out of the loop- poza kręgiem, wykluczony
scold- rugać, besztać
statutory- ustawowy
strand- włókno, wątek
tell sb off- besztać, strofować
telling-off- połajanka, zbesztanie
undermine- podważać (coś lub czyjąś pozycję)
unintentional- nienaumyslny


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