Raise the scarlet standard high (completed 26/06/06, p15)
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The CBB -> Ste Therese's House
#1: Raise the scarlet standard high (completed 26/06/06, p15) Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 7:42 am
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Archived for length:

Part 1
Part 2

~pim~The Russells will be getting involved shortly Wink .

“I see,” Hilda said, looking at the group standing before her - consisting of Elsie, Gaudenz, Lisa and Vreneli. It was the first time she’d been faced with a delegation of the domestic staff, rather than just Elsie alone. “This has the support of an overall majority of your department, I assume?”

“I asked everyone in agreement with it to sign it, Miss Annersley,” Elsie said. “I think you’ll find that all our names are there.” It had taken the best part of a week after the initial meeting to decide on exactly what to put and for them all to get chance to sign it, but sign it they all had. “Best all round to have things down on paper, isn’t it? That way everyone knows what’s what, and folk have something to refer back to if need be. Avoids any awkward situations – say, people being asked to work on their days off or away from School premises when by rights there’s no way anyone should expect them to.”

“Well, there certainly are advantages to having things set down in writing, Mrs Bradshaw,” Hilda said, wishing that the woman didn’t feel the need to be so belligerent all the time. “However, I trust you’ll accept that agreeing any sort of formal contract is a two-way process and as such generally entails a considerable measure of discussion.”

“Well, what’s on that piece of paper’s what we’re asking for,” Elsie said flatly. “If you want to talk about it then we’ll talk about it, but there’s nothing on there that’s not fair and reasonable. You’ll see that when you have a read of it.”

“That’s precisely what I’m going to do now.” Hilda perused the list of points before her carefully. All of the following to apply to all members of the domestic staff, including Gaudenz and his assistants. No-one to work more than seven hours a day in total. Everyone to be allowed one hour-long break and two fifteen minute breaks during each working day, which it was accepted were to be excluded from the seven hours to be worked. An exception to the maximum limit on daily working hours to be made, if requested, on special occasions such as Sports Day, provided that overtime be paid at one and a half times the hourly rate of pay of those concerned.

No-one to be expected to work during more than one half term holiday per academic year, or more than two weeks in total during the three main holidays in one academic year. Everyone to be allowed one day or two half-days off during each week, and every other weekend off. Rates of pay to be renegotiated at the end of this term and again at the end of each subsequent academic year. A list of average rates of pay for various domestic jobs at local hotels – compiled by Rosli’s cousin who worked at one of them – was provided for comparison with the rates paid by the School, and it was expected that the School would bring its wage levels broadly into line with these.

Meals to be served at the regular times unless the kitchen staff were informed otherwise within a reasonable timescale beforehand, and at least two days’ notice to be given if packed lunches or anything else out of the ordinary were required. In addition to all this, a comprehensive and all-encompassing list of the domestic staff’s duties to be agreed upon, and no-one to be expected to undertake duties not included therein except under exceptional circumstances. This list to specify that no members of the domestic staff were to be expected to work outside the School’s premises except in cases of emergency.

Finally, it was suggested, although not actually demanded, that the School employ an additional four maids. This, it was felt, would enable a return to the standard of meals and speed of laundry service that had been the norm a year ago.

Elsie and her three colleagues looked at Hilda expectantly.

Last edited by Alison H on Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:58 am; edited 22 times in total
#2:  Author: keren, Location: Israel PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 7:48 am
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well that sounds very reasonable, Of course it would have to be shown to madge
#3:  Author: Tan, Location: London via Newcastle Australia PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 7:48 am
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Wow! Shocked

It sounds quite reasonable, but it will be interesting to see how this is handled. I can imagine that Hilda must be worried about whether the teaching staff will start to expect the same level of conditions.

I remember (I think it is in Prefects or Althea) that with all the extras that Kathy Ferrars was doing that she only had one free night during the week?!

Well done Alison, I love reading this each morning!
#4:  Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:39 am
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Well! What's Hilda going to say to that?
#5:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 9:06 am
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Seven hours a day sounds quite short for the 50s... even with the breaks excluded, otherwise the requests sound reasonable to us in 2006! I wonder which way Hilda/Madge/Joey will jump?

I imagine the conditions of employment in the local hotels are broadly equivalent ie. whether the staff live in or not; Hilda would probably be reasonable to check that kind of thing...

I'm really enjoying this...
#6:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 10:06 am
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Golly. It does sound fairly thorough. Looking forward to more!
#7:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:07 am
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It sounds fair, but I doubt if Madge and Jem will think so. I can imagine Jo going up in flames about it.
#8:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:11 am
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Not sure about Madge and Jem; they do live in England and should be far more in touch with contemporary attitudes than Joey.
#9:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:13 am
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Ah, but are they? And will they realise that there is such a thing as employment law?
#10:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:36 am
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Surely Jem must be; he runs the San and that must include the domestic staff...
#11:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:16 pm
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Might as well post some more of this seeing as I have now been waiting 80 minutes for our so-called "IT department" to mend the accounts programme Rolling Eyes !

Hilda saw them all waiting for her to give them an answer and shook her head. “I’m afraid that I won’t be able to give you any sort of answer here and now. This is something which I’m going to have to consult Lady Russell about, and the ultimate decision will lie with her.” Usually she discussed important School matters with Joey as well, but, given the events of the previous half term, she was rather thankful that the imminent birth of Joey’s tenth child gave her a valid reason not to do so this time.

“I trust that you will accept that I’m not just trying to avoid the issue. All major decisions, particularly ones that involve financial matters, do generally have to be referred to Lady Russell. She was consulted before the collection for the School chapel fund was brought into being last year, and I’m also about to consult her regarding a presentation that I wish to make at the end of this term. However, I do assure you that I will ensure that your list of requests is passed on to her, and that I will let you know what she has to say as soon as I receive a reply.”

Elsie had been warned by Anna that this might happen, so she wasn’t really surprised. “If that’s the way it is,” she said. “Her that pays the piper and so on – when was it ever any different, eh? We’ll look forward to hearing what she has to say.” She looked directly at Hilda. “And thanks for saying you’ll pass our list on to her,” she added. “I know you’ll do as you’ve said.”

Hilda wasn’t quite sure what to think when the four of them had left. In a way it was a relief that matters were coming to a head: the tension in the atmosphere hadn’t really abated at all since half term. All the same, she was concerned that the Russells, far away in Armishire, might well fail to comprehend exactly what the situation was – and they weren’t the ones who would have to deal with the immediate consequences of whatever decision was made.
#12:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:31 pm
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Well, Elsie's certainly been comprehensive. I liked her attitude towards Hilda at the end; even though she's quite belligerent, she's respectful, too. Now I'm really eager to hear what Madge makes of it all. Thanks, Alison.
#13:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:30 pm
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Thanks Alison, I hope Madge realises that things need to change otherwise Hilda is going to be in a really tricky position.

Kathryn
#14:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 4:04 pm
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Very interesting, actually I think that hotel staff probably didn't have quite such good conditions in the 1950's, in fact some don't even now! But at least there is a basis for negotiation. Hope Elsie is open to compromise.

Thanks Alison.
#15:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:55 pm
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I think Elsie's just made an important realisation - Hilda is also an employee.

Thanks Alison
#16:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 6:14 pm
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Thanks, Alison. I am looking forward to finding out how Madge reacts.
#17:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:19 am
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And however Madge reacts, it's poor Hilda who'll be in the hot seat. Hopefully Madge will listen to her take on all this.
#18:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:48 am
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Rosalie's comment about Miss Bubb's from one of the Swiss books, but I can't remember which one!

“Rosalie, would you mind typing out a copy of this, to send to Madge Russell?” Hilda asked when the School secretary came in with the morning’s post. “It’s a list of terms of employment that the domestic staff want agreeing in writing: I was presented with it earlier this morning. For the time being I’d rather that no-one but ourselves and Nell know about it, but I’d quite like it if you’d read through it and let me know what you think.”

Rosalie sat down and looked through the list, nodding at various points and shaking her head at others. “You know,” she said thoughtfully, “when you had that car crash and Miss Bubb was Head, she had me working all hours. I honestly think that I’d have given in my notice if Madge hadn’t been so worried about Josette – she’d just had that accident with the kettle – at the time. That was for less than a term, and I was sitting in a comfortable chair in an office - and being paid a fair bit more than any of the domestic staff get paid. Until this term all of them have always been up early, and then on their feet working for most of the day.

“I must admit that I'd never really thought about it much until Mrs Bradshaw more or less forced everyone to think about it, but I can understand them wanting their duties and working hours formally defined and limited. Paying overtime, and putting wage rates up to what the hotels pay, and taking on extra maids, though … where’s the money supposed to come from for that?”

“Cuts in other areas, possibly,” Hilda said. “I daresay we could manage without spending quite so much on new sports equipment or drama props, but that wouldn’t go down very well with the parents – or the girls for that matter. Having said which, I suppose Mrs Bradshaw thinks that the School should just reduce what it pays out to shareholders, which I should imagine she thinks is far more than it actually is.

“I do have to say that I agree that the domestic department’s understaffed, and I can also understand that there are issues regarding working hours and time off. However, seven hours a day doesn’t seem very much – after all, we’re not running a factory or an office where people only come in at nine in the morning and then go home in the
evening. And I’ve certainly got reservations about the idea of having a list of duties – it’s very difficult to know what might be required from one day to the next, and I don’t want to end up feeling that before I ask for anything to be done I have to check that it’s on a list! What do you think the Russells’ll make of it all?”

“I can see Madame being quite upset, to be honest,” Rosalie said. “I think that she’ll be very distressed at what this list implies - i.e. that there are people at the School who consider that they aren’t being treated fairly. However, I think she’ll feel that negotiations and official written contracts just aren’t in keeping with the spirit of the School, where the idea’s always been that we operate on trust, and that people pitch in and help as needed.

“As for Sir Jem … well, I used to be his secretary, remember, and, although he’s a decent man and a wonderful doctor, he is rather old-fashioned in his attitudes – in a paternalistic kind of way. I can’t see him taking very kindly to anyone submitting a list of demands like this and wanting it all agreeing formally. He’ll probably say that that sort of thing belongs in a textile factory or a coal mine and has no place in an institution like the School.

“I’m quite sure that they’ll accept that something needs doing, especially if they feel that the domestic staff are unhappy, and that it's affecting the School in general, but somehow I can’t see either of them seeing a formal contract imposing all these limits and conditions being the best way of dealing with things. Especially not one that’s so … well, radical. I just hope that some sort of agreement can be reached that everyone concerned finds acceptable – otherwise I really do foresee trouble ahead.”
#19:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:12 am
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Yes, I think Rosalie's right about Madge and Jem's reaction to Elsie's demands. I hope some sort of compromise can be reached, though, as the domestic staff really do need a bit of consideration.
#20:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:17 am
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Rosalie is a most wise young lady. Thankyou!
#21:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:23 am
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Yup, Rosalie is spot on there. Thanks Alison Very Happy

Kathryn
#22:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:44 am
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Well done Rosalie, very perceptive!
#23:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:11 am
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I just wonder what kind of contracts Jem has to have with the non-medical staff at the San? He must have groundsmen, cleaners, cooks...
#24:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:13 pm
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I think Rosalie has the right idea there, it's going to be difficult to get either of the Russels to change their ideas from the Austrain locals desperately needing the money to present-day Swiss who are covered by employment law.
#25:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:40 pm
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Elsie is starting to influence the above stairs staff!!!
Thanks Alison Very Happy
#26:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 3:57 pm
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Thanks, Alison. It was interesting finding out Rosalie's views.
#27:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:40 pm
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Very interesting - and nice that Rosalie can feel some sympathy for the domestic staff's plight.

Looking forward to Madge and Jem's reaction.

Thanks Alison
#28:  Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:20 pm
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I think Rosalie has them figured out , I'm waiting for the standout between Jem and Elsie!
Thanks Alison
#29:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 11:16 pm
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Most impressed by Rosalie's analysis of Madge's reaction - spot on, I should think.

Still see storms ahead.
#30:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:02 am
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I decided that Rosalie would have known the Russells quite well - she'd known Madge since she was a child, and she used to be Jem's secretary. Hope the next 2 bits're OK - this conversation kind of got very long Rolling Eyes !

“Madge! How lovely to hear your voice. May I offer my congratulations on the birth of your new niece and nephew? I’ve been to see them: they’re lovely babies, and Joey’s so pleased with herself for having had twins again! I assume that you’re ringing about my last letter?”

“I am indeed. Sorry for not having got back to you sooner, but what with Joey and the babies I’ve been rather preoccupied. I must confess that I was completely taken aback when I read through it all, Hilda, which is why I’m ringing rather than writing. Oh, not about the leaving present for Mary-Lou: I think that that’s an excellent idea. Dear me, I can’t believe that she and Vi Lucy and all the rest of that crowd will be leaving at the end of this term, and that my own Josette’s only got one year left at School. It makes me feel positively ancient!

“All this about the domestic staff, though – I couldn’t quite take it in at first, and I have to admit that when I did I found it rather disconcerting. I’ve certainly never been presented with a list of demands like that before! I take it that it was the work of this new cook? From what I’ve heard it sounds as if she’s something of a troublemaker.”

“She’s certainly not what you’d call biddable,” Hilda said. “However, every single member of the domestic staff signed the original copy of that list, Madge. What I’m saying is that it isn’t just a case of one person wanting things changed in accordance with their own way of thinking. The entire domestic department’s involved.”

“I see. Oh dear - are they really so dissatisfied with things? I knew that there’d been some problems recently but I had no idea that it was that bad. I was quite shocked that they thought it necessary to ask for a formal written agreement about time off. They get some free time during term time, surely – although I must say that expecting every other weekend off seems rather excessive. It’s not as if the School closes at weekends, after all. And they must get time off during the holidays, presumably? I know that Karen used to be in the kitchen pickling and bottling fruit during the summer holidays, but she didn’t really have anywhere else to go, and of course Gaudenz and Lisa’s home is there so they keep an eye on things - but what about all the others?

“Mind you, I suppose there’s washing to be done - all the bedding and so on - and of course the place always needs cleaning during the holidays, especially just before the girls come back. And if there’s any decorating or building work needed then that gets done in the holidays, so someone needs to be there to clear up afterwards and to provide refreshments … . Still, the mistresses have to take the girls on their trips at half term, and look at all the time you spend seeing prospective parents during holiday time. School holidays are far longer than whatever time off people at other workplaces get, after all, and surely they’re not all there all through every holiday.”

“Well, no, of course not, but there’s an awful lot to be done during the holidays as you’ve just said, and they do work very hard during term time,” Hilda said. “I appreciate that the domestic staff in Tyrol probably worked just as hard if not more so, but times were different then; and we don’t have the level of domestic staffing that we had in Britain. That’s why it was agreed that the girls should dust their own cubicles and clear the tables, but that doesn’t really have much effect on the workload.

“There just aren’t enough hours in the day or days in the year for the domestic staff to have all that much time off. Since Mrs Bradshaw’s been here, they’ve been working fewer hours - but that’s meaning that we’re only getting very simple meals and that rooms aren’t being cleaned as often as they were before, which is hardly ideal.”
#31:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:25 am
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Madge's casual bit about Karen and Gaudenz was actually quite telling there - that as they had nowhere else to go it was right that they spend their time working for the School - that actually is quite demeaning.

Her later conversation did seem a little better though - she did acknowledge that there was a lot of work to be done. Interesting.

Thanks Alison. Laughing
#32:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:31 am
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Madge seems to be taking it all a little better than Jo did, although her idea that anyone who 'lived' in the school should consider the school to be their life was a little sad. If the domestic staff get their way, though, I wonder what it'll inspire Anna to do!
#33:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 11:09 am
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Thanks, Alison. I enjoyed hearing Madge's reaction.
#34:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 1:13 pm
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Madge's reaction was just about what I expected. If you live on the premises, you might as well work, and really, what do they have to complain about?
#35:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 7:25 pm
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Thank you Alison, I think Madge's reaction and their conversation is really realistic there.

Kathryn
#36:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 11:59 pm
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What struck me about Madge's reaction was her vagueness about what exactly it was that the domestic staff did! As their employer, surely she ought to know? They really do need job descriptions of some sort, even if there has to be flexibility in their work context.

How will this all work out?
#37:  Author: Changnoi, Location: in transit, midwest USA PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 6:33 am
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OK, please bear in mind that there has been wine and it has gone to my head, but:

Do people in Britain nowadays work seven hours only? I work eight and sometimes nine, as do all my peers. I know that France gets much bettr holidays than we do, but I didn't know that working conditions in Britain were different as well.

I would like to import Elsie over here, if this is the case.

Chang
#38:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:57 am
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Chang, most offices/factories now do 9 till 5/5:15/5:30, with an hour for dinner, but some people work longer, and shops generally open longer hours. & we get fewer Bank Holidays than most Continental countries do Evil or Very Mad ! I think Switzerland is one of the few Continental countries that does work longer hours than the U.K. on average, actually. & I think everyone at the C.S. needed job descriptions Laughing - the mistresses all seemed to be expected to take people hiking up mountains and doing winter sports without any sort of training Rolling Eyes ! & I suppose it must have been difficult for Hilda - I know it was her job, but she was expected to consult Madge about something fairly trivial like getting OOAO a leaving present, yet she was the one who had to cope when things like Naomi Elton's accident happened.

“I don’t like the sound of that!” Madge said. “I’m surprised that you’ve not put your foot down more with this Mrs Bradshaw – although I do accept that we’ve not had much luck with cooks since Karen left, and this one at least seems to be fairly organised. As for this idea of putting a limit on working hours and of having some sort of list of duties – obviously nobody wants to see anyone working themselves into the ground, but working at a boarding school’s a twenty four hour a day responsibility.

“Look at all the work the mistresses put into helping out with Sales, Hobbies Club, plays, extra sports coaching and everything else they do; and how often do Nurse and the Matrons have to get up during the night because someone’s not well? Imagine if everyone said that they were only going to work for so many hours a day, and the teaching staff refused to do anything beyond teaching their specific subject! I must say that I find this idea of imposing all sorts of limitations on what people are to do really rather self-serving, and not at all in keeping with the School’s principles.”

“I don’t think that that’s how it’s intended, to be fair,” Hilda pointed out. “Mistresses do get free periods, after all; and they’re not up as early as the domestic staff. I do quite agree that the idea of confining the domestic staff’s duties to what’s on some sort of list is highly objectionable, and that the idea that people should just down tools once they’ve worked a certain number of hours in a day – especially only seven hours, at a boarding school – is even less acceptable. However, the domestic staff have traditionally worked rather longer hours than anyone else. Whilst that might once have been considered normal, perhaps we do now need to accept that it isn’t so any longer.”

“Times are certainly changing,” Madge agreed. “Of course, I’ve still got Marie and Andreas and Rosa, but so many other people don’t have half the number of staff that they had before the War. The cost of help these days is astronomical. And that’s another thing. Asking for overtime pay for working extra hours on Sports Day and other special occasions really is an absolute cheek! I’ve had a look through these rates of hotel pay, though, and they do seem to be somewhat higher than what the School pays … but Jem says that even if we could find the money it’d be asking for trouble to put up wage rates just because people’ve asked us to do so. What if the junior mistresses, for example, were then to do the same? People are quite free to look for jobs at hotels if they think that life there would be so much better, after all – and they certainly wouldn’t get long holidays there!

“Well, thanks for your input, Hilda. I was aware from what the girls had said that there’d been some problems with the domestic staff lately; but I was hoping that everything’d settle down once this new cook got used to the School. I must confess that I hadn’t realised that the domestic staff were getting so little time off, and it hadn’t really occurred to me that they’d be unhappy with the amount of work that they were doing. Oh dear, it’s not easy when we’re here and the School’s thousands of miles away. It certainly seems that some sort of action is needed – Marie and Eigen and Luise and the others were always so happy at the School in the early days, and I really don’t like to think of there being discontentment there. Nor do I like this idea of the standard of meals and cleaning and so on not being what it should be.

“I’ll discuss it all with Jem, and then I’ll get back to you. I’ve certainly been given a lot to think about, anyway. I’d better go now: this call must be costing a fortune! Take care, Hilda, and give my best to everyone. Bye now.”
#39:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 9:06 am
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Hmmm, that doesn't seem very promising, does it? Madge doesn't want to restrict their hours, define their duties or raise their pay. As for saying that the domestic staff are free to go and work for a hotel - be careful what you wish for Madge!

Thanks Alison - very interesting.
#40:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:46 pm
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Thanks, Alison. I agree with Lesley that things are not looking very promising.
#41:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:11 pm
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Most unpromising. I agree, it is a boarding school and the staff and pupils are there 24/7, but Madge must surely realise that things have changed since Marie, Eigen and Rosa were pitifully glad to have jobs because their families were so poor.

I do wish Alison would post more of this, I'm longing to find out what Elsie will do.
#42:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:54 pm
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This is going to be a tricky problem for Madge to solve. Both sides need to compromise really!
Thanks Alison
#43:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 2:25 pm
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Yes, it's a fascinating story. It's good that Madge can see that they are not so well off as perhaps she had thought, but I wonder what she'd think if they did all leave to go and work in a hotel! Is Karen looking for that many new staff?!
#44:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 4:50 pm
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I'm not really sure that Madge has grasped the full situation, at least from the domestic staff point of view. I think she really needs a nice long chat with Elsie Very Happy

Thanks Alison!

Kathryn
#45:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:44 pm
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KathrynW wrote:
I think she really needs a nice long chat with Elsie Very Happy


Or Hilda on the phone saying the entire domestic staff have gone on strike and that half the junior mistresses are refusing to cross the picket line Laughing
#46:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:49 pm
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Now that sounds like a good idea!
I have a feeling that I worked a 40 hour week in the late 60s.
#47:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 11:17 pm
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Quote:
Or Hilda on the phone saying the entire domestic staff have gone on strike and that half the junior mistresses are refusing to cross the picket line Laughing


Err, how would you cross a picket line in a boarding school exactly?? Laughing Laughing Wink
#48:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:01 am
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I'm afraid I'm quite disappointed with Madge and Jem; I hoped they would be more enlightened than the Swiss contingent.

mmm...
#49:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:05 am
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Easy! You picket the main area of work. It's just like picketing a university which has halls of residence. Braziers, walking around in a circle waving placards, singing and chanting are optional extras but make it more exciting for all involved.

If you've got really good supporters, they'll bring you a big tin of chocolates and lots of coffee...
#50:  Author: tiffinata, Location: melbourne, australia PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 4:52 am
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And it would be good coffee and chocolate in Switzerland!

I love picket lines. We had one a number of years ago, caused by our employer taking literally the new laws imposed by the state government.

Sitting on the picket line, who should walk past us but the Premier of the state! He gave us the finger and told us to get back to work.
#51:  Author: Changnoi, Location: in transit, midwest USA PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 4:53 am
    —
Altough I had hoped that Madge would be more supportive, some of her comments actually resonanted quite well with what is said today by opponents of unions or of higher pay:

If you think you can get a higher rate at a hotel, then go to a hotel. Since you DON'T have a contract at the Chalet School that is very good, then go to the hotels.

The idea is all that free-market-y stuff. Supply and demand. There's apparently enough supply of workers willing to work for CS wages for the CS to run. If they chose to go to the hotel, then the market would dictate that the CS would need to raise its wages to survive.

I hate sounding like Ayn Rand, and I don't actually believe this stuff, but it's just what Madge made me think of.

Chang
#52:  Author: JustJen, Location: sitting on the steps PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:08 am
    —
If Madge doesn't watch out the entire Dom. staff might quit and get those higher wages that the hotels are paying leaving the school high and dry.
#53:  Author: keren, Location: Israel PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:50 am
    —
but do the hotels have vacancies?
Is the work there all year round,
there is probably a catch there
#54:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 7:52 am
    —
When I pointed out to my ex-bosses that they were paying me £2,000 less than the recommended minimum wage for the job, the answer I got was that they couldn't pay me any more without having less money left for themselves. True enough, but I still couldn't believe that they'd said it! & at my current place they restrict when you can take your holidays, and every time we try to have a sensible discussion with the bosses about it all we get is "Well, you can always go and work somewhere else." Employers can be v unreasonable! Oh - and I'm sure Elsie knows all about organising picket lines Wink .

“Dear Hilda,

“Jem and I have had a long discussion about your letter and also about the telephone conversation that you and I had earlier this week. Whilst we aren’t overly happy with the approach that the domestic staff took in bringing their concerns to your attention and ours, we do acknowledge that the present situation appears to be far from ideal, and that something needs to be done to address those concerns.

“It seems to us that most of the problems are arising because there are not enough members of domestic staff to carry out all the requisite tasks without working unacceptably long hours. We were aware when the School moved to the Gornetz Platz that the level of staffing in the domestic department was lower than it had been previously, for financial reasons; and we’ve now admitted to ourselves that we under-estimated the problems that that might cause, especially in these changing times when expectations are perhaps different from what they were when the School first opened.

“We’ve therefore decided that the best solution all round is for us to authorise the employment of four extra maids in time for the start of the new academic year. There is a waiting list for places at the School as obviously you’re aware, and we understand that several forms have less than twenty -five girls in them at present; so we feel that the best way of funding the additional wage costs will be to accept a number of extra pupils for September. There isn’t really anywhere else that we can get the money from - obviously funds will have to be earmarked for the adaptation of the Stephanie for the new kindergarten (assuming that all goes to plan!), so we’ll be looking to trim spending in other areas slightly for next year anyway.

“Hopefully this will enable a return to the standard of domestic service that’s expected at the Chalet School without leaving members of the domestic staff unable to enjoy a reasonable amount of free time. This business of only working so many hours a day and expecting some sort of notice before making packed lunches and so on has got to stop, though. Quite frankly I’d be tempted to suggest that Mrs Bradshaw be asked to leave at the end of term, were it not that it seems to be so difficult to find a cook there. We’ve never found it acceptable for any one member of staff to make their own rules, after all. However, I’m optimistic that what we’ve decided will put an end to all this discontentment, so hopefully she won’t feel the need to be so difficult in future.

“Anyhow, Hilda, I hope this will set matters to rights and avoid any further problems with the domestic staff. I’m looking forward to hearing that everyone’s much happier and that everything out there’s as it should be! Hope that Sports Day and the rest of the end of term festivities go well.

“Best wishes,

“Madge.”
#55:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:04 am
    —
Oh, ouch..., I somehow don't think that will make the difference which Madge and Jem would like...
#56:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:23 am
    —
Although it's a step in the right direction, I don't think it's going to make Elsie any happier. Especially if they're paying for the extra staff by bringing in extra girls and therefore extra work!

Kathryn
#57:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:04 pm
    —
I really don't think that that's going to be enough, especially as they're going to be joined by new girls. Madge and Jem really haven't thought this through, have they?
#58:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:06 pm
    —
Thanks Alison
#59:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:55 pm
    —
No, I don't think Elsie is going to be at all impressed by this solution! Thanks, Alison.
#60:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 2:05 pm
    —
Hmm, I can see the girls coming down for breakfast one day, finding none, and the kitchen doors firmly locked and perhaps barricaded, with Gaudenz and Lisa joining in.
#61:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:33 pm
    —
Now that would be interesting!!! What WOULD they say? (Alison, you're meant to jump in quickly there and tell us!! Laughing )
Thank-you, this is muchly appreciated. Very Happy
#62:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:38 pm
    —
Not a brilliant letter from Madge there - "We'll take the staff to reduce the worklaod, and accept more girls to make it up again"

Thanks Alison
#63:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:39 pm
    —
Also very interested in having a strike. And interested in how the Teaching Staff will react to the fact that class numbers are going to go up - will make more work for them and mean Staff less able to give individual attention.

Thanks Alison.
#64:  Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:32 pm
    —
Oooh!
Full on strike please with junior mistresses(who are they at this time?) and Anna and Rosli!
Thanks Alison
#65:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 9:05 pm
    —
Let's start a chant.

We want a strike! We want a strike!

Now if I can get Patmac and the other non-singers to join in, the tunelessness will surely drive Alison to post more just to shut us up.
#66:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:24 am
    —
Quote:
I hope this will set matters to rights and avoid any further problems with the domestic staff.

I somehow think not.

Feel too sorry for Hilda to chant for a strike. Wonder how her cooking is?
#67:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:58 am
    —
Hope this bit isn't too OTT - just wanted to bring the state of affairs at Freudesheim up to the same stage things're at at the School.

“I appreciate that it hasn’t been easy around here lately, but it is going to get better,” Joey said. “Mike’ll be staying with the Emburys and sharing their boys’ tutor, and then he’ll be off to school with Steve and Chas. And – but please keep this under your hats because it’s not official yet – my sister and Miss Annersley have decided to open a Kindergarten up here; and Felix and Felicity’ll be starting there in September, all being well. So only Cecil and Geoff and Phil of the children’ll be at home all the time, and hopefully Geoff and Phil’ll sleep a lot for a while yet.

“That means that for a couple of days a week we should be able to manage with just one of you here. So you’ll definitely each be able have a day off every single week; and on top of that I really will try harder to make sure that we don’t need much doing on Sundays, to give you one fairly quiet day a week as well. That’ll be much better, won’t it?”

“Well … yes. Thank you.” Anna said. “But we’re still going to have all the cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and everything else to get through every week. And there’ll still be Cecil to look after, and the babies certainly won’t sleep all the time!”

“And what about holiday time?” Rosli asked.

“Well, you could both sound a bit more grateful!” Joey said exasperatedly. “As for holidays, we’ll all be off to the Tiernsee before long! However, if either of you do want a few days or a week off two or three times a year, then as long as you let me know well in advance, and it’s not during school holidays, and obviously you don’t both want to be off at the same time, it should be all right. We’ll probably be able to get someone to come in for a few hours a day to help out, to cover for you. Maybe that “daily” woman that Mrs Morris has knows someone who would be suitable.

“I’m afraid that we probably won’t be able to pay you whilst you’re off, though. Things are a bit tight with us just having bought Die Blumen, and we’ll be having to pay someone else whilst you’re not here. Now, as far as getting through all the work goes, I’ll try and help out with the mending as much as I can, and anyway there shouldn’t be quite as much to do generally once Mike and the elder twins aren’t here as much. So are we all happy? No more creeping off to Mayrhofen at crack of dawn?”

“Well, not really,” Anna said. “We still won’t have any sort of definite agreement about time off - and you’re saying that you won’t pay us for when we’re on holiday.”

“And there won’t be any less cleaning and dusting to do just because Mike and Felix and Felicity aren’t here all the time,” Rosli added.

“Oh don’t start with all that “agreements” business, please!” Joey said. “This is a home, not a business! And as for all this talk about the cleaning and the dusting and whatever else, it is your job after all – I get fed up of typing things and reading proofs sometimes, but I just have to get on with it. We can’t all have everything exactly as we want it, can we? There has to be some sort of compromise. Honestly, I don’t know what’s got into you two lately. I’m trying to be reasonable. Now come on, things’ll be much better come September - you’ll see. Anyway, that’s all I’m going to say on the subject, and given the reaction I’ve got I’m beginning to wish that I hadn’t said anything at all!”
#68:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 12:11 pm
    —
Oooh Joey, be careful! *g*
#69:  Author: RroseSelavy, Location: Oxford, UK PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 12:48 pm
    —
To be fair, that was a pretty major offer given Joey's previous stance. I think the problem is now that neither side (both at Freudesheim and the school) realises the importance of negotiation - they just say what they want straight off and can't or won't try to haggle to reach a mutually agreeable decision.

But that's what makes this drabble so interesting - no-one is perfect!
#70:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:01 pm
    —
But exactly what has Joey given them? The possibility of less work in a few months time, one day off per week and perhaps a quiet day on Sunday. Time off - if booked well in advance but unpaid - that's going to be really helpful - and no change in actual wages because the Maynards have just bought a holiday home. The amount of work hasn't really changed, when the Maynards go on holiday Anna and Rosli will be doing the same work but in a different location.

Oh and Joey will take on more of the mending - whoopi do!

Don't think it's enough, Joey.

Thanks Alison.
#71:  Author: RroseSelavy, Location: Oxford, UK PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:44 pm
    —
But from Joey, it's a darn good start! It's a basis for negotiation, not something to be rejected straight away as not good enough (which I agree it isn't). I know what I'm trying to say, but my brain keeps getting in the way...
#72:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:15 pm
    —
The interesting thing is that Joey is still thinking in terms of granting favours, not dealing with equals... Perfectly typical of her age and class, but not helpful.

Anna and Rosli have actually developed, leaving Joey behind.
#73:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:16 pm
    —
Alison H wrote:
I’ll try and help out with the mending as much as I can,

But didn't she do some of the mending anyhow? I seem to remember her darning Jack's socks at least once, and complaining how hard he was on his socks. And wouldn't the triplets have done their own mending? I can't imagine that would reduce the workload much. But at least there's the day off a week and quieter Sundays - definitely an improvement over the 24/7 that was previously expected.
#74:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:03 pm
    —
I remember that sock moment as well- is it in Three go? And she gave some pairs to Madge!
Thanks Alison Very Happy
#75:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:05 pm
    —
I think Joey rather missed the point...although it is a start I suppose. But I can just imagined her matyred 'I did try...' if there's still trouble!

Kathryn
#76:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:54 am
    —
ibharis wrote:
Joey is still thinking in terms of granting favours, not dealing with equals...

Couldn't agree more.
#77:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:48 am
    —
Elsie sat in her room, looking at the photograph of herself and her former workmates protesting outside the factory where they’d been employed. If only they had some sort of union back-up here! Of course, unions weren’t always all they were cracked up to be – she remembered how her parents had always spoken with bitterness about the way that the union leaders had given in so quickly during the General Strike of 1926 – but at least they provided some sort of support, and above all a sense of solidarity. When she’d been a schoolgirl in the 1930s there’d always been that feeling of solidarity with everyone around them. Her mother and father had been involved in so much. Unions. Committees. Movements. Marches.

Admittedly, the world had changed since the difficult days of the Thirties, and she supposed she should be glad that life for most people was so much better now than it’d been then; but that didn’t make what was going on here right. Of course, having four extra pairs of hands would be a help; but how would it guarantee anyone their time off or ensure that they’d never be expected to work ridiculous hours? They’d even been told that they weren’t to knock off after their seven hours a day were up if things hadn’t been finished. Well, she wasn’t having it!

To add insult to injury, the Russells had sent their response to Hilda Annersley rather than to the people from whom the requests had come, and their attitude seemed to be that what they said went and that that was all there was to it. Just because they were the majority shareholders in the School - as if that gave them some sort of divine right to issue proclamations and expect everyone to accept them. There didn’t even seem to be much point trying to speak to Hilda Annersley about any of it, seeing as she evidently wasn’t the one wielding the real power around the place.

And they were supposed to settle for having nothing, nothing, in writing. Nothing guaranteed, nothing to fall back on. Same over at Freudesheim – and the Maynards’d said that they weren’t even going to stump up holiday pay! However bad it was for the Chalet School staff, it was worse for Anna and Rosli: the status of domestic workers in private homes was so ambiguous in law that it could be difficult for them to claim any rights at all.

Oh, why had she ever come to a place like this? None of her Chalet School colleagues belonged to a union. (Not that there was much in the way of domestic staff unions anywhere in the world - that one that the T.U.C.’d set up hadn’t met since last year - but there were always general workers’ unions.) Even if they all started paying subs to a union tomorrow, it wouldn’t do much good in the short term: they couldn’t really expect whichever union it was to get involved in their dispute the minute they joined. There was no sort of support network here on the Gornetz Platz at all. It wasn’t just the absence of unions and political organisations. There was just nothing. No Working Men’s Clubs and Institutes, no Women’s Co-operative Guilds, no anything. They didn’t even have a Co-op!

Then again, who said that they needed anyone else? She thought about Rosli’s description of Joey Maynard’s reaction to finding that Anna had gone away for a week. The Chalet School would never manage without its domestic staff for more than a few days, if that. Of course, with no union there’d be no strike pay; but they all lived in, there was plenty of food in the kitchen, and although many of the staff sent money home surely any stoppage would only be for two or three days. Maybe the people round and about would even come and show their support for the strikers – she’d seen that happen at home often enough.

Yes, they could do this! She was experiencing a real surge of adrenaline now: she felt ready to take on the Russells, the Maynards, the whole sorry lot of them! She marched purposefully out of her room and headed for the domestic staff’s sitting room. It was time to make a real stand!
#78:  Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:36 am
    —
Fantastic! What will they do about it?

Thanks Alison - looking forward to more.
#79:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:41 am
    —
Great to see her thought processes - wonder how long it'll take for the Russells and Maynards to realise something is going on.

Thanks Alison.
#80:  Author: pim, Location: Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:04 am
    —
*sits back to wait for the fireworks*

Thanks Alison Very Happy
#81:  Author: Chelsea, Location: Your Imagination PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:54 pm
    —
Is it just me, or does the idea of going on strike but using the school's food/lodging seem a bit...hypocritical (not quite the word I want, but it will do)?

Waiting to see the fireworks.
#82:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:01 pm
    —
Oh...a strike! Yay! Thanks Alison Very Happy

Kathryn
#83:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:13 pm
    —
Now this is going to be interesting! Thanks, Alison.
#84:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:48 pm
    —
I can't wait!!! *bouncing in chair very violently!*
Thanks Alison Very Happy
#85:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:15 pm
    —
Also anxiously awaiting the fireworks.

Wasn't Jo less than gracious to Anna and Rosli?
#86:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:08 pm
    —
Somehow a strike doesn't feel right... but neither does dictat... Why oh why can't they be reasonable and negotiate properly?
#87:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:03 am
    —
Will be very interested to see how the school copes - and what they learn from trying.
#88:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:48 am
    —
“Is everyone here?” Hilda asked, looking round the staff room. “And all Junior and Middle forms have a prefect with them, I assume? Yes on both counts? Good. Now, I’m afraid that we have something of a situation on our hands, as you’ll probably have gathered from the fact that we only got coffee and yesterday’s leftover rolls for breakfast - although I’d like to thank Anna Mieders and Davida Armitage for doing an excellent job with what was to hand at very short notice.”

“It’s true that the domestic staff have called a strike, then?” Kathie Ferrars asked.

“I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous!” Matron said. “Anyway, they can’t stop working just like that – surely they should at least have given us some sort of advance warning?”

“I don’t mean to sound abrupt, but I’d appreciate it if everyone would save their comments until I’ve finished speaking,” Hilda said. “We’ve got a lot to sort out and the practical issues really do need to be addressed as soon as possible. Yes, they’ve called a strike. You will all be aware by now that they recently requested that a formal agreement be made regarding the terms of their employment. It was decided that this was unnecessary. Mrs Bradshaw did inform me that they would call a strike unless negotiations were opened, but it was felt that this was an empty threat. It was thought unlikely that most members of the domestic staff would agree to such a course of action.”

She was aware that her words sounded rather stilted, but she was conscious of the need to be very careful about what she said and how she said it. She wasn’t at all happy with the way that matters had been handled, but she knew that she couldn’t be openly critical of the Russells in public.

“However, this morning I was made aware that strike action was going ahead and would be commencing today. I immediately made Sir James and Lady Russell aware of the situation, and was advised that no negotiations were going to be opened for the present. They feel that it would be unacceptable to be swayed by such tactics and are of the opinion that this is a token protest that is unlikely to last for long. That does, however, leave us with the problem of how we are to cope in the meantime.”

“Negotiations! What is this, a coal mine?” Peggy Burnett, who’d heartily disapproved of Elsie Bradshaw ever since the row over the tennis match, exclaimed. “If it was up to me I’d send them all packing!”

“We can hardly do that!” Hilda said exasperatedly, wishing that people would keep quiet unless they had something helpful to say. “There are laws about such things. Anyway, what would we do then? Look at the problems we had replacing Karen. What we do need to do is to sort out how we’re to manage in the meantime.”

“Could Nell Wilson spare us anyone from St Mildred’s?” Ruth Derwent suggested.

“Their domestic staff have joined the strike. I spoke to Nell first thing this morning.”

“How about the San?” Jeanne de Lachennais asked. “Or one of the hotels? Or surely there must be labour agencies in Interlaken?”

Hilda shook her head. “I’ve spoken to Jack Maynard. Their staff had already told him that they wouldn’t come over here even if he instructed them to. Heinrich, the lad who does the maintenance work over there, is courting Mechtilde, one of our maids; and it seems that she told him to make the San staff well aware of all our domestic staff’s grievances. They wouldn’t be able to spare anything like the sort of number of people we’d need anyway. I doubt that the hotels would be able to spare anyone at all - they’re all fairly busy at this time of year - and even if they could and would, or if the labour agencies could send anyone … well, have you had a look outside?”
#89:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:03 am
    —
Thanks, Alison. I think that the last bit of this post must be missing, but never mind, we'll just have to start a chant.
#90:  Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:12 am
    —
*joins in the chant*

The Russells are just making things worse here, I get the impression the Elsie is not going to give in after a few days.
#91:  Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:03 am
    —
cue here for an interesting morning of dommy sci - perhaps this time they'll have to eat ALL their efforts, not just the successful ones - and practical housekeeping lessons.

how is Hilda to explain this to the girls?
#92:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:23 am
    —
Something along the lines of 'You've learned how to make the polishes, now use them.'?
#93:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:39 am
    —
Hurrah!

*Brings coffee and chocolate to the picket*

I'm so impressed with the level of solidarity in the Platz. And unimpressed by the Russells. But what about Joey and co? *bated breath*
#94:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:01 am
    —
Thanks Alison, I love seeing Hilda's thoughts there Very Happy

Kathryn
#95:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:59 am
    —
Sending hot chocolate and sticky buns for the pickets.
#96:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:03 pm
    —
Are the kitchens locked, or will the teaching staff have to cook Mittagessen, Kaffee und Kuchen and Abendessen?

ETA: Hilda ought to have a look at this:

www1.umn.edu/humanrts/business/allcodes.html

This convention took place in Geneva, 1948, and came into force in 1950
#97:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:39 pm
    —
Jennie wrote:
Are the kitchens locked, or will the teaching staff have to cook Mittagessen, Kaffee und Kuchen and Abendessen?



The kitchens are open. If it was a day school I'd've had them denying people access to the kitchens, but seeing as it's a boarding school and they can't really send all the girls home I thought they'd better leave the kitchens open!
#98:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:07 pm
    —
And I thought that was another installment! Please put us out of some of our misery, Alison. Pretty please with icing and a cherry on top.
#99:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:19 pm
    —
Good for Elsie! I'd love to see Madge's face when she heard that the strike has gone ahead. And surely it's only fair that someone from Freudesheim comes over to help out in the school's time of need, to reciprocate the help the school gave Jo when Anna went away.
#100:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:58 pm
    —
Well, I don't think Anna or Rosli will come over, so that leaves Jo. Hm, how likely is it that she'll put in a day's work? she's far more likely to make useless and inflammatory comments than be useful in a kitchen.
#101:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:14 pm
    —
Hehe. A strike! How fine. Wish I could have seen their faces!
#102:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:49 pm
    —
I'm pleased to discover that Hilda doesn't agree with the way the Russells have handled the situation - restores my faith in her.

Glad all the domestic staff are standing firm - hope that continues.

Thanks Alison.
#103:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:04 pm
    —
Stand fast Chaletian staff!!!
Thanks Alison Very Happy
#104:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:50 am
    —
There was a sudden and very undignified rush to look out of the windows. The domestic staff were arrayed in lines outside the building, those in the front row holding up banners in support of their cause. Some of them waved as they saw the “upstairs” staff looking out at them, and moments later the strains of a rather tuneless rendition of “The Red Flag” were to be heard drifting upwards on the clear Alpine air.

“I take it that that’s a … what’s the expression? Picket line?” Joan Bertram said in disbelief. “You mean that if we got replacement staff they’d try to stop them from getting inside the building? They’d succeed as well - I certainly wouldn’t fancy arguing with Gaudenz! Or with Mrs Bradshaw for that matter!”

“This can’t be allowed!” Matron said. “Passers-by are stopping to stare. Anyway, they can’t restrict access to the School’s premises. If you ask me, we should tell them we’ll get the police to make them move!”

“Mrs Bradshaw would love that, I should imagine,” Rosalind Moore remarked. “She’s not stupid: I bet she’s got a camera with her. She’d be sending pictures to the British newspapers with some exaggerated version of events – imagine how embarrassing that’d be for the Russells. Sir James is quite a well-known figure these days.”

“Please could we save these remarks until later,” Hilda said. “We do need to get on. Now, under the circumstances, I can’t see that we have any choice other than to try to cope as best we can by ourselves, which means that we have to decide who’s to do what. Suppose we start with the maintenance work and taking care of the grounds? I have a feeling that the grass on the cricket pitch is in need of cutting, and didn’t someone say that the door of one of the dormitories was sticking? It’s fairly obvious that that’s men’s work, so it seems like a straightforward enough place to start.” She looked at the only two men present.

Herr Laubach nodded, and Hilda smiled at him gratefully, glad that he’d been persuaded to stay on until the end of this term. “Gnadige Fraulein, I will do all I can to help,” he declared. “I am an old man and not as spry as I once was, but I am sure that Herr Denny and I will manage between us.”

Mr Denny looked horrified, and threw his arms in the air dramatically. “What do I know of gardening or carpentry? I am a music master! I would surely only make matters worse. I might even injure myself or someone else. Surely the cricket pitch and a troublesome door are not matters of urgency?” He looked at her reprovingly.

Hilda tried not to look as despondent as she was beginning to feel. This wasn’t going to be easy. However, some of the mistresses were giving her supportive looks, and she was sure that most of them would be willing to at least try to help with the cooking, the cleaning, the washing and the rest of the domestic work. How far they would succeed remained to be seen.
#105:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:54 am
    —
I want to know who the first member of the teaching staff will be who actually shows some understanding of what the domestic staff are about... or indeed who suggests that negotiating with them would be a good idea!
#106:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:00 am
    —
This is very fine, Alison, I can just see the embarrassment that Jem and Madge will feel. When do the newspaper reporters and photographers arrive?
Wails: One episode per day isn't enough.
#107:  Author: Caroline OSullivan, Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:05 am
    —
Ooh, hadn't thought about the picket line. I thought maybe Hilda was going to point out that it was snowing and no one would be able to come to their aid. Just realised though it's the summer term so snow would be unlikely Embarassed

Thanks Alison Very Happy
#108:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:41 am
    —
And how will any of the mistresses have time to cook for so many, and clean a place as large as the school as well as teaching their classes?
#109:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 9:18 am
    —
It should be interesting when the staff realise just how much work is involved in cooking, cleaning and laundry for a community of several hundred people. Lots of them have probably never done anything of the sort before.

Jay B.
#110:  Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 9:42 am
    —
I'm guessing that most of the staff have little experience in cooking and cleaning for *themselves* let alone masses of other people - coming from backgrounds where their families would at least have a maid or two, spending most of their childhood away at school and adulthood at university or a boarding school.

It's a vast gulf between experimenting with sandwich fillings, making coffee and doing your own mending to cooking nutritious meal for several hundred girls, keeping up with the dishwashing, laundry, ironing, scrubbing, mopping, dusting and sweeping...

Household labour was sheer hard work, physically, in those days and not the sort of thing that mountain walks and lacrosse are necessarily going to prepare you for - I can see the entire staff and student body being put to bed early because of the physical over strain, and then realising there's no-one to bring hot drinks!
#111:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 9:57 am
    —
Nell Wilson ran the Guide Camp back in Tyrol, so she's probably got a bit of a clue, but that was on a small scale compared to doing the work for the whole school. Have the St Mildred's domestic staff come out in sympathy, I wonder? I'd like to hear Nell's opinion on all this.

Jay B.
#112:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:17 am
    —
Yes, the Millie's staff are out in sympathy. Perhaps something will be done now.
#113:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:18 am
    —
Jennie wrote:
Perhaps something will be done now.


I would love to see Madge's face when she hears about this.

Thankyou!
#114:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:20 am
    —
It's Jem's reaction that will be vair amusing, he's so used to being in charge and having his word taken as law.
#115:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:21 am
    —
I'm giggling at the idea of Mr Denny doing work around the house. He's now stuck in my head as some kind of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen lookalike Laughing Excellent

Thanks Alison
#116:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:28 am
    —
And why should Hilda assume that because they are men, they can and want to mow the playing fields and mend doors?
#117:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 2:07 pm
    —
With reference to negotiating - Hlda can't negotiate - she doesn't have that authority here - it's the Russells that need to negotiate - and at the moment I don't think they will - perhaps if the teaching staff downed tools? Wink

Thanks Alison
#118:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 2:55 pm
    —
Brilliant Alison, thank you Very Happy

Kathryn
#119:  Author: JustJen, Location: sitting on the steps PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 3:29 pm
    —
Forget the stupid door and cricket pitch. They should be worryinng about meals etc.

Wonder what the students think about the strike? javascript:emoticon('Laughing')
Laughing
#120:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 5:14 pm
    —
I think the Middles will probably support the staff - but the Seniors are almost certain to toe the party line.

Thanks Alison
#121:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 7:15 am
    —
Hope this particular bit isn't too silly. Seeeing as, strangely enough, I do not have any domestic staff, I am up early this morning to do all the Evil or Very Mad housework before the match ...

“Well, let’s try sorting out the cooking then. That certainly is a matter of urgency. There doesn’t seem to be any attempt to deny us access to the kitchen; but I understand that there’s very little food actually ready to be eaten, so someone’s going to have to see to preparing the meals. Anna, you’d be the best person to deal with that, I would have thought?”

“Well, I can certainly try,” Frau Mieders said doubtfully, “but, with the best will in the world, I cannot cater for two hundred and fifty girls, plus staff, on my own. I’ve only got one pair of hands.”

“Very well,” Hilda said, when there was no immediate response from anyone else. “Who will assist Anna with the cooking?” She was beginning to feel as if she were trying to allocate tasks to a form of Juniors rather than addressing a staff meeting; and she was also feeling slightly nervous about what she was going to do if the mistresses, whatever their reasons, refused en masse to take over the domestic staff’s work. “Jeanne, perhaps?”

Dainty little Mademoiselle de Lachennais was far from thrilled at the thought of spending such a warm day cooped up in the kitchen amid all the heat of those big ovens (which she had very little idea how to use), getting covered in flour or cutting up vegetables. However, it looked as if she was going to end up having to do some of the domestic work, and cooking seemed infinitely preferable to assisting with certain other tasks. “I suppose so,” she said. “But I have classes all morning and for much of the afternoon. What is to happen about those?”

“Let’s tackle one problem at a time,” Hilda said firmly. Anna Mieders opened her mouth to say that it would take far more than two people to attend to the meals, not to mention the washing up; but Hilda, determined not to let Jeanne or anyone else sidetrack the conversation on to the separate problem of what was to be done about lessons, was already speaking again. “What about the laundry?”

“I’d be willing to have a go, but I wouldn’t have a clue how to use one of those new-fangled washing machines,” Rosalind Moore said apologetically. “Nor one of those big irons. I’d probably ruin everything.”

“Why don’t I take the laundry down to one of those launderette places in Interlaken?” Joan Bertram suggested. “If I could borrow someone’s car?”

“With the amount of laundry we have here? It would hardly be practical!” Matron exclaimed.

“Anyway, you’d never get it out through the picket line,” Sharlie said. She and Kathie Ferrars both had to suppress a giggle at the thought of Joan confronting Elsie Bradshaw and the others armed with a pile of dirty washing.

“Oh all right, I’ll help with the laundry,” Matron said. “Although I’ll have to leave it if I’m needed elsewhere.”

“I don’t mind doing some washing,” Davida Armitage added, wanting to be seen to be willing to help. “I’ll try, anyway, as long as someone can show me how the machines work. I’ve only ever washed things by hand before – and certainly nothing like the amount of stuff I suppose there must be here.”

“Thank you!” Hilda said. “I’m sure it’ll take more than two people to deal with the laundry, obviously, and the cooking, but at least we’re starting to get somewhere with allocating the work. Now, how about the cleaning?”

“I could do some dusting,” Rosemary Charlesworth offered. “I can polish silver as well, if that’s any help.”

“We don’t really have much silver, Rosemary,” Hilda said delicately, “but thank you for offering. There is an awful lot of other work to be done. What really needs doing is … well, the floors need mopping, for a start, and above all the, ah, bathrooms will need cleaning.”
#122:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 7:35 am
    —
Not silly, rather sad.
#123:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 7:45 am
    —
You can't blame them for being reluctant to be involved in cooking and washing though; imagine trying to cook for all those people and have it all ready for a certain time, and meeting with everyone's approval. I find it bad enough to prepare dinner for six people at home here! Thanks, Alison, this is an absolutely brilliant story.
#124:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 7:46 am
    —
They, none of them, are coming across particularly well here, are they? Think Hilda's fear that they will down tools is very likely.

Thanks Alison.
#125:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 7:47 am
    —
Oh, I'm not.... its more that all this work has been going on around them and they don't have a clue... neither what is usually done nor what needs to be done.
#126:  Author: Caroline OSullivan, Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 8:06 am
    —
Thanks Alison Very Happy

Feeling a bit sorry for Hilda, looks like she's walking on eggshells.

Would be interesting to see the reaction of Rosa, Marie & Andre - I'm sure one of them must have heard bits of conversations between Madge and Jem Rolling Eyes
#127:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:05 pm
    —
Thank you Alison, I love seeing the staff's reaction. I can't help feeling that they might well come round to the domestic staff's point of view if they have to spend too long helping out downstairs, so to speak!
#128:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:09 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison, it's quite clear that the staff have no idea how much work goes into the domestic and unthanked side of things.
#129:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:15 pm
    —
Oh dear, not the, ah, bathrooms! Now who will do that? Laughing I really don't see how they are going to cope at the moment...
Thanks Alison
#130:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:49 pm
    —
Now they'll realise they should have kept up Guides, then they'd have some girls with Cook, Laundress and other appropriate badges (although I don't suppose there's a badge for toilet cleaning, is there? Laughing )

Jay B.
#131:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:52 pm
    —
La Petite Em wrote:
Oh dear, not the, ah, bathrooms! Now who will do that? Laughing I really don't see how they are going to cope at the moment...
Thanks Alison


The bathrooms don't seem to get a lot of use, though, so perhaps the cleaning of them won't be as bad as we suspect! Laughing
#132:  Author: jonty, Location: Exeter PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:56 pm
    —
Rotten scabs. I'm shocked that the mistresses can't see the bigger issues involved, and the only reason they are reluctant to break the strike is that they don't want to do get their hands dirty. Which of the mistresses is going to be first to show some solidarity with her domestic colleagues? My money's on Kathie Ferrars.

Thanks Alison. I love this drabble.
#133:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 1:07 pm
    —
The teaching staff are in a difficult position. Even if they do sympathise with the domestic staff, their first responsibility is to the girls, some of whom are delicate. Even if Hilda decides to close the school, it will take a while to contact all the parents and guardians, make travel arrangements, etc. And even then there'll be some girls who have nowhere to else go in termtime.

Jay B.
#134:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 3:33 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I have just caught up with this drabble - I'm afraid I had got a bit behind. I'm glad that Elsie and the rest of the domestic staff have gone on strike. I wonder who will volunteer to mop the floors and clean the bathrooms.
#135:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:50 pm
    —
Who is going to look after the girls whilst the teaching staff do the work? And if some of the girls are so delicate, why do we never hear about special diets for them? EBD certainly placed a lot of faith in butter and milk.
#136:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:46 pm
    —
Thanks Alison Smile Can't wait for more!
#137:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 7:41 am
    —
Thanks for the comments Very Happy .

There was silence.

Hilda looked round the room.

“Sorry, but I’ve got a lot on with Sports Day coming up,” Peggy Burnett said hastily.

“We’re hardly going to look very dignified if the girls see us cleaning the bathrooms, are we?” Dorothy Lawrence muttered.

“You know that I’m always willing to help with concerts, or with Hobbies; but I am not paid to scrub floors!” Joan Bertram added firmly. “If you’re talking about duties, we’re employed to teach and to look after the girls, not to do the cleaning - and it’s not our fault that the domestic staff are in dispute with the Russells.”

Nancy Wilmot spoke out at this point. “Well, I’m not too proud to get down on my hands and knees and try to scrub a few floors, and I’d be only too ready to offer if we were stuck because there’d been an outbreak of illness amongst the domestic staff. However, under these circumstances, I think that, instead of us sitting here arguing about who’s to do which part of the domestic staff’s work in their place, someone should be out there talking to them and trying to sort all this out.

“I don’t know exactly what they’re after, but I can’t see what’s so unreasonable about wanting some sort of agreement about pay, working hours, duties, that sort of thing. It wouldn’t hurt if we had one ourselves, quite frankly. And they’ve always worked long enough hours, heaven knows, even if most of us never really thought about it much until recently. And they work during part of the holidays whilst the rest of us are off, don’t they? Also, if they’re forced into giving in because they can’t afford to stay on strike, imagine what the atmosphere’ll be like afterwards. It’s been bad enough lately as it is. I don’t mean to be rude, Hilda, and I appreciate that it’s the Russells who’re making the decisions, rather than you; but if you ask me this isn’t the way to go about things at all.”

“So you think that we should just give in to them?” Matron demanded. “Have our hands forced? Let them have whatever they want just so that they’ll come back to work? Then what? It’ll look as if every time anyone disagrees with any element of School policy then they’ll just have to stop working for a few hours and it’ll be changed to suit them. You’re talking nonsense, Nancy!”

“Actually, I agree with Nancy,” Sharlie said. Kathie was nodding her head in agreement and so was Rosalie.

“No-one’s saying for a minute that we should go outside and tell the domestic staff that the School’ll agree to any terms they care to name as long as they come back to work!” Rosalie pointed out. “However, I don’t suppose for a minute that it would have come to this had the domestic staff’s concerns been addressed more fully when they were brought to the attention of the School authorities a few weeks ago - before there’d been any talk of calling a strike. Clearly there are matters that need to be addressed, and they aren’t just going to go away.”

“Yes, but, as I understand it, what they’re asking for is some sort of agreement saying that they’re entitled to stop work after so many hours a day and refuse to do anything outside their normal routine tasks, regardless of what does and doesn’t need doing,” Ruth Derwent said. “Surely that’d cause as many problems as it’d solve. Anyway, what do you four propose that we do about it? Are you saying that we should refuse to help with the domestic work? Leaving the girls with no food to eat and no clean clothes to wear? We can’t do that, and we can hardly send them all home to Britain and France and Australia and everywhere else that we’ve got pupils from. Whatever your personal views on the situation with the domestic staff may be, the fact remains that the domestic work has to be done.”

“But what of our work?” Jeanne asked. “Who is to take my classes if I am to spend the day in the kitchen? And what are the girls to do all day if there is no-one to teach them?”

The phone began to ring just then. “Would you excuse me for a moment?” Rosalie asked, glancing at Hilda. “I’ll just go and see who it is.”

“Maybe it’s Lady Russell to say that she’s changed her mind,” Kathie said hopefully.

Sharlie, who’d wandered back over to the window to take another look at what was happening outside, shook her head. “I can tell you exactly who it’ll be. Joey Maynard, that’s who! Anna and Rosli are just on their way over to join Mrs Bradshaw and the others. They must be on strike as well!”
#138:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:15 am
    —
Very pleased that Nancy and the others have spoken out. They havevoiced what we have all been saying.

As to that phone conversation - do hope we get to hear it.
#139:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:01 am
    —
Yes, good for Nancy and co.
#140:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:18 am
    —
Go staff!

Of course what they could do is ship the little dears off to hotels in the valley and send the bill to the Russells... Twisted Evil
#141:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:55 am
    —
I think the staff should join the picket line themselves Very Happy

Thanks Alison, I think some of the staff are rather enjoying this...

Kathryn
#142:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 12:47 pm
    —
Thank goodness of Nancy and Rosalie, some common sense at last. I just love the idea of Anna and Rosli joining in the strike. How will Jo cope for a whole day without her workers?
#143:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 12:48 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I'm glad that Rosli and Anna have joined the picket line. Nancy is definitely making sense in what she is saying.
#144:  Author: Changnoi, Location: in transit, midwest USA PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 1:55 pm
    —
I have loved these last two updates, Alison! (I've been packing and watching Copa Mondial and not reading regularly...)

I think the comment about polishing the silver was wonderful and was so evocative of just what the issue is. The upstairs staff, even the domestic economy lessons that the girls are forced into year after year--they are all focused on things like polishing silver, like this is an essential issue of househole maintenance, and then they become short-sighted. Not only is this an essential issue of household maintenance, this is ALL THERE IS to household maintenance, so why can't the domestic staff manage? Then, when it is revealed that there are bathrooms to be cleaned, laundry to be done, etc., it seems like some of the staff are *still* having this epiphany of, "Oh, all this stuff needs to get done as well."

And I'm pleased that Anna and Rosli are joining in the strike, Anna especially, if it is Anna. I can't forget Jennie's drabbles where Anna has a heart attack from overwork. This has never seemed implausible.

Chang
#145:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:50 pm
    —
They are right, though; what will happen to the girls if everyone is cooking and cleaning? Lessons still need to go on, or parents will be complaining, and the school is now awfully big.
I love the way Anna and Rosli have come to join in! Jo is going to go ballistic!
Thanks, Alison, for a story that is really making me think!
#146:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:47 pm
    —
I've just read this all the way through - I've cheered, chuckled, shaken my head and even shouted at Madge and Jem to get real!

For what it is worth, I was at a boarding school in the 50's where 'Domestic Science was compulsary up to Vth form. I, too learned to polish silver (which my parents certainly had none of - and neither do I. I learned the correct way to starch a table napkin and to iron it so that it was a true square. How to stuff tissue paper into the puff sleeves of babies' dresses. The correct way to iron a handkerchief. Dusting (first put a headscarf on so you don't get dust in your hair).

No one told me how to clean a toilet. (Oops! I forgot, the CS doesn't have them.) Or how to iron a man's shirt or press trousers. We certainly didn't learn how to scrub floors or even mop and polish them.

We did learn a lot about cooking, which was useful, though not on this scale.

Given that the staff, at this stage, are older than I was in the same era, and came largely from middle class backgrounds, I should imagine they DON'T HAVE A CLUE!

I do feel sorry for Hilda being middleman - perhaps she ought to lead her staff on strike as she is not being listened to!

'Tis great Alison! Thanks.
#147:  Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 7:28 pm
    —
Good for Anna and Rosli
I'm looking forward to the conversation with Jo Very Happy
#148:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:51 pm
    —
What WILL Jo do now? hehehe
Thanks Alison Very Happy
#149:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 6:54 am
    —
Thanks for the comments Very Happy . Will get back to Joey soon!

Elsie wasn’t sure just how long she’d expected the strike to last before receiving some sign that the School authorities were ready to give in, but by the third afternoon they’d had virtually no direct contact at all with the “upstairs” staff and pupils.

No-one from the School had come to tell them that the Russells were ready to speak to them - but on the other hand no-one from the School had come to try to order them back to work either, and she wasn’t sure what that signified. In the meantime, she and the others continued to spend their days stationed outside the buildings, a few of them on the side of the School that offered a clear view of Freudesheim. The weather was in their favour, being warm and dry but not unbearably hot. It wasn’t even particularly cold at night, when they took it in turns to stay outside in small groups whilst the others went to their rooms.

It had occurred to her that the mistresses might try to prevent the domestic staff from getting back into their living quarters – she’d never been involved in a strike involving live-in staff before - but it hadn’t happened. Was that because they had too much else to do? Or because they didn’t want any unpleasantness? Or because they felt some sympathy for the strikers? She wished she knew.

As for the School kitchen, it hadn’t been necessary to venture near there since the strike had begun. Elsie had had the foresight to ensure that she and her colleagues had plenty of drinks and sandwiches with them to start with, and they’d found various members of the local community - a word she’d never found herself using in connection with the Gornetz Platz area previously – ready and willing to bring them fresh supplies. A good number of the maids had friends and relatives living nearby, Mechtilde’s young man Heinrich had told the domestic staff at the San all about the strike and the reasons for it, and Rosli’s cousin Paula had discussed the situation with her co-workers at one of the local hotels.

Jack Maynard and his staff were respected locally for the work that they did, but the foreign school was regarded at best with indifference. Its pupils and mistresses had little contact with most of those inhabitants of the Platz who were connected neither with itself nor with the San, usually seeing them only at church - and even that would be ceasing once the new chapels were completed. Whilst some of those passers-by who stopped just wanted to have a good look at the picket line outside the fancy school, many people, on hearing what was going on, felt considerable sympathy for the domestic staff - most of whom were from the local area.

So generally the strikers were in good spirits, but they would have been in much better spirits had someone from the School appeared to inform them that they could have the written agreement about terms and conditions that they wanted. As for the situation at Freudesheim, Joey Maynard had been over on the first day - trying and failing to look dignified with five children and a boisterous dog in tow - to tell Anna and Rosli to stop this nonsense and get back to work; but, when they’d refused and people had started jeering at her, she’d left; and she hadn’t been back. Jack Maynard hadn’t been anywhere near the picket line: he just seemed to be taking the attitude that Freudesheim’s domestic staff would come back soon enough when they realised that not working wasn’t getting them anywhere.

What they did know was that there'd been no attempt to get any “replacement” domestic staff past the picket lines into any of the three establishments concerned. They'd have stopped that straight away if there'd been any sign of it! So what was going on in there? How were the School and the Maynards faring with no domestic staff? How long would it be before something definite happened?
#150:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:38 am
    —
Alison H wrote:
So what was going on in there? How were the School and the Maynards faring with no domestic staff? How long would it be before something definite happened?



Answers on a postcard please!


I know you only posted this a bit ago, but isn't it time these questions were answered.
#151:  Author: Caroline OSullivan, Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:46 am
    —
Joins Elsie in wanting to know how they were managing without the domestic staff and still teaching lessons.

I wonder what the girls think of the strike - presumably they must have told at least the seniors what was happening?

Thank you Alison Very Happy
#152:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:49 am
    —
Thanks Alison, it's interesting the way that the school is regarded on the Platz. I wonder if the support from the community will have any affect on th powers that be?

Thank you!

Kathryn
#153:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:06 am
    —
Thanks Alison, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

Lol @ poor Joey trying to look dignified with all the kids and Bruno!
#154:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 12:49 pm
    —
Please post some answers to your questions, Alison. One post a day just isn't enough, this is so enthralling.
#155:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 2:05 pm
    —
Oh, yes, we really do need to know what is going on at school and at Freudesheim! How are they coping? Who is doing all Jo's housework now? Because I can't believe she's doing it herself!
#156:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 2:10 pm
    —
I should think she's just about ready to be admitted to the San for a long rest, fancy having to look after her own children for three days.
#157:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:37 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I am looking forward to finding out who is doing the work at Freudesheim.
#158:  Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:07 pm
    —
I think they've got fairies.
More please Alison
#159:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:30 pm
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Excellent, thanks Alison - very intrigued as to how the School is managing.
#160:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:31 pm
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This reminds me of the little verse about the horseshoe nail.
#161:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:11 pm
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Well the school doesn't seem to have fallen to pieces... are the girls doing all of the work? Shocked
Thanks Alison Very Happy
#162:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:21 am
    —
Inside the School building, Hilda was battling to keep control of the situation whilst trying to suppress the feeling that it would take very little for everything to descend into chaos. She was finding herself without much time in which to think about anything in depth: ever since the strike had begun, she’d been spending most of her time helping to cover classes for those mistresses who were busy with the domestic work. That was having the knock-on effect of meaning that her own work was piling up on her desk: Rosalie had offered to tackle some of her correspondence for her, but hadn’t had chance to do so because for the past two and a half days the telephone seemed to have been ringing non-stop.

Those parents who lived locally (mostly those with San connections) had all been on the phone, demanding to know exactly what was going on. One of them had asked if Sports Day, scheduled for next week, would be cancelled if the strike were still going on then; and no-one had been sure what to say. The staff at St Mildred’s were in touch constantly, although all they had to say was that the state of affairs there was very little better than it was at the main School.

Joey had rung numerous times during the first day of the strike, saying that none of this would ever have happened if they’d sacked Elsie Bradshaw when she’d told them to, and wanting to know if she could bring her family over to the School for meals - until Rosalie had pointed out that those picketing the building would probably refuse to let her in. And they’d even received calls from a local newspaper, asking for their comments on the matter. The third time that the reporter concerned had rung, Hilda had told Rosalie to give him the Russells’ number in Armishire.

The main purpose of the staff meeting that first morning had been to allocate all the domestic work to members of the teaching staff; but they kept finding that there were more and more jobs to be done, jobs that none of them had even thought of to start with. And all of these seemed to take far more time than they expected them to. Emptying the rubbish bins, for example, sounded like a fairly trivial task – until those who undertook to do it found out just how long it took to empty the bins in every classroom, every common room, every dormitory, and every single other room that had a bin in it.

Even some fundamentally important things had been overlooked initially, because their being done was so much taken for granted that it just hadn’t occurred to anybody that they would need doing. On the first day of the strike, Gaudenz had lit the boiler as usual, before the domestic staff had left the premises. On the second day, he hadn’t. The weather was warm and no-one had given the boiler a second thought - until there’d been no hot water for those who liked their baths “chill-off” in the morning, nor for washing the pots after breakfast. Herr Laubach had eventually managed to get the boiler lit, but he seemingly hadn’t quite got the hang of dealing with it because it had been going out every few hours ever since.

He’d also done his best to cut the grass on the cricket pitch but, much to Peggy Burnett’s dismay, had managed to damage the wicket. That, however, was the least of Hilda’s worries; and anyway all outdoor sporting activities other than walks had been temporarily stopped after the first morning of the strike, because the girls had been far more interested in looking at the picket line than in concentrating on P.T..

As for the cooking, the laundry and the cleaning, there’d just been one problem after another with all of them.
#163:  Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:30 am
    —
What a mess. What are the Russells going to do about it? They have to do something, or I can see the teaching staff downing tools as well, and just leaving Hilda!
#164:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:17 am
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Hopefully this will help them all to wake up to exactly how hard the domestic staff work!
#165:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:19 am
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Madge and Jem will have to understand that they can't simply carry on living in the Dark Ages... I hope!
#166:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:49 am
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Interesting. Wonder how long it can continue!

Thanks Alison!
#167:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:20 am
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Thanks, Alison. I think that it was a good idea to put the reporter onto Madge and Jem. I'm glad the staff are finally starting to realise quite how much the domestic staff have to do.
#168:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:48 pm
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I wonder if the teaching staff are going to walk out too...
#169:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:55 pm
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I'm not convinced that Hilda wouldn't be in the lead when it comes to the teaching staff downing tools. After all, she's having a pretty rough deal now, stuck in the middle of the strike and the Russells. Thanks, Alison.
#170:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:14 pm
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I don't think the teaching staff are going about this very efficiently. Emptying the waste bins in the form rooms isn't really a priority in the circumstances, and couldn't the form captains be made responsible for doing it? I have to wonder if some of them are doing things badly on purpose either because they sympathise with the domestic staff, or they feel it isn't their job

I do feel sorry for Hilda. Whatever she does she risks offending or upsetting someone.

Jay B.
#171:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 3:27 pm
    —
At least now maybe they'll realise how much work the domestic staff actually have to do!

Thanks Alison Very Happy

Kathryn
#172:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 4:57 pm
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Someone has to compromise!
Thanks Alison
#173:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:01 pm
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Sincerely hope Hilda told Joey to bog off (though I hope in far more refined language!) Perhaps, instead of complaining to the School Joey should get in touch with her sister and tell her to come and sort this mess - because I can see the entire Teaching Staff downing tools soon - they shouldn't have to put up with this.

Thanks Alison.
#174:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:50 am
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They can't, though, because of the girls - they won't abandon them. And Hilda certainly won't, though I can certainly see her sending them all home if things get any worse.

I agree with JayB that the girls could perfectly well handle the simpler jobs, some of them better than the mistresses, no doubt. Come on, staff, one thing you should be good at is organising!
#175:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:48 am
    —
The catering had been a struggle from the start. Frau Mieders had said, not unreasonably, that there was no way that she and Jeanne de Lachennais could manage to prepare the daily meals for the entire School between just the two of them. Dorothy Lawrence had been assigned to help them out – meaning that the extra music classes that she would otherwise have taken had had to be cancelled, and as those were “extras” paid for separately from the normal fees there would quite possibly be a number of demands for refunds – but it had soon become obvious that three pairs of hands still weren’t nearly enough to do the amount of work needed.

Eventually it had been decided that forms due to have domestic science lessons should spend those periods helping Frau Mieders and her two assistants. It was far from ideal, and doubtless there’d be parents who wouldn’t be entirely happy when they heard about it; but no-one had had anything better to suggest.

Most of the girls regarded domestic science lessons as a welcome break from academic work, and the younger forms in particular had been inclined to treat “helping” in the School kitchen as a bit of a laugh until they’d realised that there’d be nothing to eat that day unless they got down to work. Those doing the washing up had thought that they’d got the easiest job, albeit the most boring one; but they’d soon found that, contrary to their expectations, it wasn’t just a case of putting the cutlery and crockery in soapy water and then taking them out again. More than a few dishes had ended up in several pieces, and Janice Chester had slipped on some water that someone had spilt on the kitchen floor and narrowly missed banging her head on one of the cupboard doors.

Anna Mieders was a competent cook, but she was neither accustomed to catering for so many people nor particularly familiar with using the large ovens in the School kitchen. Fruhstuck had been late on the second day because those involved hadn’t got up early enough. Some of the Sixth Formers had had to serve the morning coffee on all three days so far, and the “Kuchen” served for Kaffee und Kuchen since the strike had started had been just bread and butter because there hadn’t seemed to be time to prepare anything more.

Mittagessen, consisting only of cold meats and salad, hadn’t been too bad so far, except that the portions had been rather small on the first two days as the amount of fresh salad ingredients needing to be bought had been underestimated; but Abendessen hadn’t been a success at all. The domestic science classes’ efforts had left a lot to be desired, and the time needed to cook the food in the large, slow-burning ovens had been misjudged on both days, meaning that they’d had to eat late and that even then the food had been slightly undercooked. The three mistresses working in the kitchen were all exhausted, and were finding that even when they got to bed all they could think of was how they’d have to get up early the next morning to attend to Fruhstuck.

The laundry was faring even worse. Most of the mistresses had some idea of how to of wash clothes by hand, but not of how to operate the machines that were now used in the School; and there certainly weren’t enough people to do all the washing by hand. Whilst Matron had been otherwise occupied checking Janice over after the accident in the kitchen, Davida Armitage had put some of the uniforms in with a set of white towels, and the colour had run. And the machine had leaked. Then she’d burnt a hole in one of the tablecloths whilst trying to iron it.

Matron had been furious and banished her from the laundry room at that point. Barbara Henschell and Peggy Burnett had been sent to assist her instead and so far there at least hadn’t been any more serious mishaps, but somehow they didn’t seem to be making much impact on the piles of washing and ironing to be done, both of which were now far larger than they’d been when the strike had started. None of them had realised before just how much laundry the School generated, or just how tiring working in the laundry room all day was.
#176:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 8:48 am
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No wonder they're struggling, I don't think *I'd* realised how much work was involved in running a school! Eye-opening Alison, thank you Very Happy

Kathryn
#177:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:38 am
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The worse thing is having no cakes!! *giggles*

Thanks Alison
#178:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:27 pm
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They ought to be utterly ashamed of themselves having the girls in the big kitchens where they're already having accidents. I don't know what the laws were like in 1950's Switzerland, but perhaps Elsie could arrange for an official visit of the School for whatever health-and-safety was called then... Twisted Evil
#179:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:34 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I hope none of the girls will have a serious accident when they are doing this.
#180:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:15 pm
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I wonder how long it will be before the parents do start to complain about their children receiving sub standard food and spending their time preparing it themselves, not to mention the disruptions to lessons and so on. Rather a lucky mistake made by Davida Armitage, though! Thanks, Alison.
#181:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:54 pm
    —
Will we get to see what the girls think about it all? What about the Russell/Bettany/Maynard girls? Will they find themselves having to defend Madge and Jem to the rest of the school? They're in an uncomfortable position.

Jay B.
#182:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:18 pm
    —
Definitely not going well - yet what else can they do? The only alternative has to be sending the girls home and I think Hilda will get to that point soon.

Thanks Alison.
#183:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 7:49 am
    —
Thanks for the comments. Hopefully I'll finally get this finished next week!

Those doing the cleaning weren’t managing any better. Nancy Wilmot had eventually agreed to take charge of it, with Kathie Ferrars, Sharlie Andrews, Rosemary Charlesworth and Celine Lenoir to assist her. She had however made it clear that she’d be keeping a record of teaching hours lost due to the strike for any parents who wished to see it. Unfortunately, without Elsie’s timetable they’d found it very difficult to avoid clashes between the times that rooms were being cleaned and the times that rooms were being used, which had resulted in all sorts of confusion and inconvenience.

Nancy, Kathie and Sharlie, at least, had started off with the best of intentions, but they hadn’t been quite sure which of the cleaning products they were supposed to use for what, and they certainly hadn’t realised just how exhausting the work could be. The windows just seemed to keep ending up covered in smears, they’d never have dreamt that there were so many surfaces and corners in the building for dust to get on to and into, and Kathie had used bleach on several surfaces which it really wasn’t meant for. They’d worked so hard that every joint and every muscle ached and the skin on their hands and knees was red raw, but they still didn’t seem to have got very much done.

Added to that, some of the younger girls had found it highly amusing that the mistresses were doing the cleaning, and there’d been numerous requests to be “excused” - so that they could go and watch what was going on. Kathie had snapped at them, Nancy had ignored them, Sharlie had laughed with them until she’d got fed up of it and told them sharply that she’d like to see them doing the cleaning, Rosemary had got upset, and at one point Celine had downed tools and walked off in a huff.

Whilst all this was going on, very little actual schoolwork was being done; and Hilda was quite sure that if the present state of affairs lasted for much longer she’d be inundated with complaints from parents when they found out about it all. Thankfully the public exams were over, and the Sixth Formers were supervising some of the Junior and Middle forms to free up mistresses to do the domestic work. The Fifth Formers were being trusted to work on their own. However, none of the mistresses were getting the chance to mark or even to set any work, and most of the girls were too interested in the strike to concentrate on their studies anyway. It wasn’t even all that much better at St Mildred’s.

The less serious-minded of the younger girls were rather enjoying the unexpected break from “proper” work and the twin spectacles of the domestic staff demonstrating outside the building and the mistresses doing the domestic work. However, they weren’t so impressed with the unsatisfactory food, the lack of outdoor games and the possibility that Sports Day would have to be cancelled. Ailie Russell had nearly come to blows with several people who'd said that it was entirely her parents’ fault – either for not being able to control their staff or for treating the domestic workers so badly that they’d been driven to fight for their rights, depending on who the speaker was.

Amongst the rest of the pupils, opinion was divided between those who thought that the strike was wrong and that the domestic staff shouldn’t have abandoned the work that they were employed to do, and those who thought that they were quite right to stand up for themselves. However, even those who disapproved of strike action admitted that they’d never realised until now just how much work the domestic staff had to do: they sympathised with the teaching staff but at the same time couldn’t fail to notice how much they were struggling with the work that the domestic staff did day in day out. And, although a few girls were saying that people should be glad to be in work and should just get on with what they were paid for, they were in a very small minority. Even most of those who opposed the strike had come to sympathise with the domestic staff’s cause.

Elsie would have been surprised to know that, but she would have been even more surprised by the attitude of the Sixth Formers. With the exams over and with many of the eldest girls in their last few weeks at school, they’d been looking forward to sitting back and enjoying themselves as the term drew to a close, and they certainly hadn’t anticipated having to spend their time keeping an eye on the Juniors and Middles instead. However, there’d been virtually no complaints from any of them. As soon as they’d been told that the mistresses were having to take over the domestic work, they’d offered to help supervise the younger girls before Hilda had even had chance to ask them about it.
#184:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 8:12 am
    —
And when is Madge going to appear? If I were Hilda I would be warning her that she'll have no school left to supplement her income before long.

The end of the CS? Going down with a whimper, not a bang?
#185:  Author: Caroline OSullivan, Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:25 am
    —
Poor Ailie though I can understand why others would take it out on Ailie.

So what will Madge do. She's not been a good 'leader' in this drabble so far - too much 'Lady Russell' and not enough 'Miss Bettany'.

Thanks Alison Very Happy eagerly awaiting the next installment
#186:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:37 am
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I hope we see Madge soon, and Jem if he is going to be helpful... and I do want to know what is happening at Freudesheim... please...
#187:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:57 am
    —
Thanks, Alison, I hope the M/B/R clan comes to its senses soon. The cheek of Jo, wanting to bring her family over for meals.

ETA: I should imagine the staff who are doing the cleaning and cooking will be very supportive of the domestic staff.

Last edited by Jennie on Thu Jun 15, 2006 2:21 pm; edited 2 times in total
#188:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:37 pm
    —
Josette must be feeling it too - and the Maynard triplets. Where is Madge? It's not right that she just expects the Teaching Staff to cope.

Thanks Alison.
#189:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:41 pm
    —
I'm looking forward to seeing Madge too and I'm very impressed by the reaction by most of the girls, especially the older ones. I imagine this is quite a wake up call for most of them!

Thanks Alison Very Happy

Kathryn
#190:  Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 8:08 pm
    —
I'm feeling a little suspicious of the Sixth Formers...

Quote:
Elsie... would have been even more surprised by the attitude of the Sixth Formers. ...they’d been looking forward to sitting back and enjoying themselves as the term drew to a close, and they certainly hadn’t anticipated having to spend their time keeping an eye on the Juniors and Middles instead. However, there’d been virtually no complaints from any of them. As soon as they’d been told that the mistresses were having to take over the domestic work, they’d offered to help supervise the younger girls before Hilda had even had chance to ask them about it.
#191:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:37 pm
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Thanks, Alison. It was interesting to see what the girls' thoughts are.
#192:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 11:46 pm
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It's just impossible, isn't it, despite the hard work and goodwill. They'll have to send the girls home if it isn't sorted soon - and by the time it is, half the staff will have collapsed with exhaustion.
#193:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:51 am
    —
Madge will be turning up soon. Hope this isn't dragging on too much, but it's getting towards the end now!

When Anna and Rosli had walked out, slamming the door behind them, Joey’s instinct had been either to ring for help or to go and shut herself away whilst she tried to collect her thoughts and decide what to do. But Madge had been thousands of miles away, and Rosalie had made it clear to her that the School had troubles of its own and that she probably wouldn’t even be able to get into the building. And Jack’s attitude had been that none of this would last long, that Anna and Rosli would be back soon enough, and that it might actually do them good to realise that they weren’t indispensable. And she hadn’t been able to go and shut herself away because Felix, Felicity, Cecil, Geoff, Phil and Bruno had all been clamouring for her attention, and there hadn’t even been anything in the kitchen for the rest of the day’s meals.

Just going to the shops to buy some food had been like a military operation, with five young children. It had taken so very long just to get them all ready and out of the house, before battling her way round the shops which was a lot easier said than done whilst pushing a big double pram. For lunch they’d had to make do with sandwiches and then, when she’d finally managed to get to work on the evening meal, she’d struggled to get on with the cooking and keep an eye on the children at the same time. Geoff and Phil at least had been all right in their cots - until they’d woken up and cried just as she’d been putting the potatoes on to boil - but she’d been terrified that the other three might get too close to the hot oven or grab hold of a sharp knife if she wasn't watching them all the time, and equally nervous of what they might get up to if she left them on their own in the Saal.

By the time she’d fed the children, she’d bathed the children, Jack had arrived home, they’d put the children to bed and she and Jack had eaten, she’d been too tired even to start on the cleaning or the washing. On the second day she at least hadn’t had to go to the shops, and she’d managed to persuade Hilary Graves to take the elder twins and Cecil for a couple of hours, but Freudesheim was a very big house to clean and there was an awful lot of washing to do. There was so much of everything to do. It seemed to be never-ending.

Finishing one task just created another. When clothes had been washed, they then had to be put out to dry, then ironed and put away. When the cooking had been done, the cooking utensils had to be washed and put away and the kitchen tidied. When the meals had been eaten, the washing up had to be done. She felt as if she was on a treadmill that never stopped.

When Jack came home from the San on the third day of the strike, he found Geoff and Phil screaming their heads off and Joey sobbing with them. “Hey, come on,” he said gently. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Can’t be that bad?” Joey looked up at him furiously. “Jack Maynard, just let me see you trying to cope with this house, the washing, the cooking, two babies, three other children and a restless dog, and then tell me that it can’t be that bad! Maybe tomorrow I should spend the day working on my book and you can have a go at dealing with all this. No, I didn’t think you’d like that idea. I don’t know how Anna and Rosli do it all, even between two of them. And this is when the girls and Steve and Chas are at school and Mike’s with the Emburys: I can’t even begin to think what it must be like when they’re all at home. D’you know what, Jack? I don’t wonder that they’ve had enough, because I’ve only been doing this for three days and I’ve had enough already.”

Last edited by Alison H on Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:55 am; edited 1 time in total
#194:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:55 am
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Welcome to the human race!
#195:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:30 am
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Well finally - glad Joey has seen that - perhaps Anna and Rosli will be able to return soon if she continues with that attitude.

(Would have loved to see Jack being made to do it all though! Wink )

Thanks Alison.
#196:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:22 am
    —
So glad that Joey has realised what a lot Anna and Rosli have to cope with, maybe now she'll join the picket line. That would really make Madge sit up and listen...

Thanks Alison!

Kathryn
#197:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:23 am
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Ah now you realise Joey!

Thanks Alison!
#198:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:45 am
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I'm so glad that Jo has finally realized how much work is involved in running Freudesheim. Now perhaps she'll be willing to agree to Anna and Rosli's terms. Thanks, Alison, and please keep this dragging on a lot longer!
#199:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:16 pm
    —
Welcome to real life, Joey. Pity Jack didn't take up the challenge, isn't it, he might have discovered a few realities too.

Stealth smirking at the pair of them.
#200:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:46 pm
    —
Well hello Jo!

I'm so glad she's come to her senses. Maybe she'll offer Anna and Rosli sensible working hours now.

Thanks Alison!
#201:  Author: JustJen, Location: sitting on the steps PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:51 pm
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Welcome to the real world Joeyjavascript:emoticon('Rolling Eyes')
Rolling Eyes
#202:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:26 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I'm glad that Joey has finally realised what hard work it is running a household.
#203:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 12:43 am
    —
Of course, it's too much to ask that Jack should help her ... Absolutely no-one could do that on their own. I'm surprised she didn't thump him, and I wouldn't be surprised to see her on the picket line, plus all the kids!

Definitely not dragging on, Alison, it's been fascinating.
#204:  Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:15 am
    —
I'm surprised Joey hasn't requested the triplets be sent home for the duration, to mind the children and help out.

I suspect Joey has realised that all her boasting about her huge family, beautiful home, welcoming hospitality and active career have been possible *only* because of Anna and Rosli, and that 'the more children there are the easier it is' isn't true when there's no one else to mind them.
#205:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:47 am
    —
Thanks for the comments Very Happy !

“Is there no sign at all of them coming back to work? I can’t believe that this is happening: I really can’t. Still, we’ll just have to ride it out, because I’m not going to give in to blackmail - which is effectively what this is. The School’s coped with far worse than this in the past and we're certainly not about to let ourselves be bullied into anything by our own domestic staff.”

“I hate to complain, but neither Jeanne nor I are as young as we once were; and we and Dorothy cannot keep rising so early to attend to Fruhstuck and then be working in the kitchens all day. It’s too much. How Mrs Bradshaw and the maids do this all the time, I really am finding myself beginning to wonder.”

“I was just saying to Peggy that I’ve been wondering what we’re going to do about Sports Day. The girls’ll be heartbroken if it has to be cancelled, but there’s no way we can cope with visitors with things the way they are. Who’s going to set up all the things that Gaudenz normally deals with? And Anna and Jeanne and I certainly won’t be able to sort out all the refreshments we normally have for it, on top of making the ordinary meals. I must admit that I can quite see now why Mrs Bradshaw gets so annoyed about being expected to prepare packed lunches and so on at short notice: it’s difficult enough to cope with the catering on a normal day.”

“Hilda, we’re going to have to take some of this washing to a launderette, picket line or no picket line; and just stay there as long as it takes and pay whatever it costs. No-one’s going to have any clean clothes by the end of the week otherwise. I’d never have believed that the School could generate so much laundry in one week: I really do not know how the laundry maids keep on top of it all week in week out.”

“I don’t see why we should be expected to do the cleaning. I’m employed here to teach history and that is what I should be doing. Maybe we should all have contracts saying what we are and aren’t meant to do.”

“I’m doing my best as far as the cleaning goes, but my hands and knees are red raw and my back’s absolutely killing me. The mind may be willing but the body isn’t! Ow! Whatever the domestic staff are paid, I’m quite sure it isn’t anywhere near enough for doing all this all the time!”

“We really need to make a start on the girls’ end of year reports, but none of us have had time to do anything at all about them so far. There’ll be no marks for this week anyway. Everything’s getting so far behind that I can’t see how we’re ever going to catch up.”

“Personally, I can’t wait for the end of term – I can’t even begin to tell you how exhausted I am! The domestic staff don’t even get the full summer holiday off normally, do they? Really, it’s hardly any wonder that they’ve felt driven to do this, if you ask me.”

“Hilda, sorry, I know you’ve got a lot on and I’ve dealt with as much as I can by myself, but I’ve got a list here of people who’ve rung this morning wanting to know why they haven’t had answers to their letters. Have you had chance to look at any more of the post yet?”

“Well, all right, Hilda, maybe it is easy for me to say that when I’m not the one having to cope with the consequences, but surely … oh. Are things honestly that bad? And that’s what people are saying? Yes. Yes, I do see. But even so …”

“Miss Annersley, Vi Lucy sent me to report myself to you for saying that I didn’t have to do what she said because she wasn’t a mistress, and, er, for saying that we shouldn’t be being left with the prefects instead of the mistresses when we’re supposed to be here to get a good education. I’m really sorry I was rude, but I only said what most other people are saying.”

“Miss Annersley, are we to supervise the Juniors again today, or are we going to have chance to get on with some of our own work? I don’t mean that for cheek but none of us have got anything done this week. It’s a nightmare without the domestic staff, isn’t it? A lot of people are saying that they never realised just how much work they do and that they don’t blame them for going on strike if they …er, feel that they’ve got reason to.”

“Have you seen this petition from the girls in support of the strikers? It was organised by Rosamund Lilley, of all people. I always thought she was a pretty quiet sort of girl, but feelings seem to be running rather high at the moment.”

“I’m getting to the end of my tether with all this. If it goes on for much longer, I’ll be joining the strike myself!”

“Me too!”

“And me!”

“Hilda, it’s me. You sound absolutely worn out. It’s bad enough here at St Mildred’s: I assume that it’s even worse over there?”

“Nell! Oh, bless you for ringing – you’re the very person whom I wanted to speak to. Now, do you agree with me that this has gone on long enough? It’s time for “our dear Madame” to remind us all what she’s really made of. If she still can.”
#206:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
    —
Well I can't say I blame any of them - and I'm really pleased that Hilda and Nell look as though they are finally going to do something.

Thanks Alison.
#207:  Author: Caroline OSullivan, Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
    —
Thanks Alison Very Happy

Poor Hilda, she sounds at the end of her tether. Interesting to see what, if anything, Madge will do. If she wants the school to continue ...
#208:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:33 am
    —
Poor Hilda. Let's hope Madge can be persuaded to give in gracefully and give the domestic staff what they want. I think everyone else will be joining them on the picket line soon if she doesn't. Thanks, Alison.
#209:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:45 am
    —
Love all these comments by the staff and girls. Great fun trying to work out who's saying what! And a nice note of sarcasm with reference to 'our dear Madame'.

Jay B.
#210:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:59 am
    —
That was the best post yet... absolutely fab...
#211:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:33 am
    —
Wonderful. You're capturing the atmosphere so well!
#212:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:56 am
    —
I can just imagine all of the confusion. Come on Madge, we need Miss Bettany, not Lady Russell!
Thanks Alison
#213:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 12:03 pm
    —
If Madge doesn't do something, there won't be a school left to do anything about.

BTW: it sounded to me as if Hilda was expecting Madge to bully the domestic staff back to work.

Alison, this certainly isn't dragging, but may I put in a plea for us actually seeing the negotiations between Madge, Hilda, Nell and Elsie?
#214:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:13 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. It will be interesting to see what Madge does.
#215:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:12 pm
    —
It's not the giving in because the domestic staff are on strike, it's the sitting down at a table to negotiate with them and to hear their grievances, and do something about it.

ETA: Jack's attitude might change if the domestic staff at the San decide to join in the strike.
#216:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:01 pm
    —
This is great. The chaos came over so well. Thanks Alison.
#217:  Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 5:27 am
    —
And I think the admin has some legitimate questions about the proposed contract as well - I don't think they should just accept it as is, so Elsie will have to adapt too.

It is a boarding school, with the girls there 24 hours a day, and emergencies do happen (real ones, not manufactured ones), like a quarantine, which will produce more laundry, special food requirements and so on, or a rained out expedition that has to stay at school for the weekend. They need a way to handle unexpected occurences that doesn't punish the students as well.

The teacher's situation is a bit different - most salaried professional jobs are not 'on the clock' as it were, and require a variable amount of work. For them the total hours aren't so much an issue, it's more a case of spelling out what their duties are (including how much they are expected to do re coaching, out of class supervision, chaperoning on expeditions) and when their free days are, when they have no mandated duties.
#218:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 8:23 am
    —
The bit in blue's from "Head Girl".

“Thank you, Marie,” Madge said absently as a cup of coffee was placed in front of her. Was she imagining it, or had Marie given her a slightly frosty look then? She was probably imagining it. Marie had been her housekeeper for as long as she and Jem had been married, after all, and had worked for her at the School before that, whilst Marie’s husband Andreas had been Jem’s manservant long before she and Jem had even met. These were ties that went back for over twenty years. She couldn’t imagine being without Andreas and Marie and Rosa. They were part of the Russell household.

She remembered a conversation that she’d had with Jem, years and years ago, shortly before Andreas and Marie’s wedding. “What I'm thankful about is that Marie will still be here. It's a good thing she decided to fall in love with my own servant.” At the time he’d meant only to praise Marie’s work, she knew that; but somehow now the words sounded wrong. When had the term “servant” started to fall out of popular use? And, when she tried to imagine David employing a “manservant” at some point in the future, she found that the idea seemed more than a little ridiculous.

What would David’s future hold, she wondered. She and Jem had always assumed that their eldest son would join his father at the San, but what if he decided that he wanted to work in this new National Health Service that had been set up six years ago instead. It was a different world these days. She remembered, when she’d been a young girl, her guardian once saying that the Great War had signalled the end of the old world and that nothing had been the same ever since. She and Dick had laughed at him, at his old man’s talk, but more and more often lately she’d found herself thinking how much the world of her youth had changed and how quickly it was continuing to change. Far too quickly for her to be able to keep up with it.

How had she got so far out of touch with what was happening at her own school, she asked herself desperately. When she’d gone to Switzerland for the coming of age celebrations last year, she’d been troubled then by a feeling that the School was slipping away from her. There’d been so many girls there whom she hadn’t known, and who would have had no idea who she was had they not been told. There’d even been mistresses there, that new young maths mistress for example, whom she’d never met before. And she hadn’t known whom any of the domestic staff were: even Karen hadn’t been there any more. She’d got the uncomfortable impression that she’d been seen by many of the people there as some sort of visiting dignitary – in complete contrast to Joey, whom it had been quite obvious was regarded as an integral part of School life.

Twenty-two years ago, all she’d wanted had been some way of earning enough to live on without being separated from her little sister. She hadn’t known anything about running a business. She hadn’t even had any experience of being a teacher. But she and Therese had made a success of things, even if she did say so herself. Who could have foreseen that the School would have grown the way it had done? Or that it would have survived and grown back stronger than ever after being forced to leave first Tyrol and then Guernsey? She might have been a wife and mother and removed from the day-to-day goings on of the School by then; but she’d still been there, close by, and she’d still been the one who’d made the ultimate decisions. But ever since the School had moved thousands of miles away to Switzerland, it had become harder and harder to convince herself that she still had her finger on its pulse.

When Hilda had rung to tell her that she’d have to come to Switzerland, part of her had been guiltily, sneakily glad – glad that she was still seen as the one who was truly in charge of the School, glad that everyone felt that it was her presence that was needed to end this dispute with the domestic staff.

But she’d got it all wrong, hadn’t she? Hilda hadn’t rung to say that her presence was required because if Lady Russell told the domestic staff to go back to work then they’d go back to work. Hilda had rung to tell her that most of the staff and most of the girls were speaking out more and more loudly in support of the domestic staff’s cause, and that the reason she was needed there was because she was the one who held the purse-strings and she was the one whose signature was needed on official documents. Hilda had told her in no uncertain terms that she was needed there because she was the only one who had the authority to offer to open negotiations. And that, if she didn’t do so, she wouldn’t have a School left for very much longer.

It had given her quite a shock. One that, she’d realised afterwards, she’d very badly needed.
#219:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 9:36 am
    —
A new bit. Fabbity. Am glad it's dawning on Madge that she is in many ways living in another world whether or not that is her own fault.
#220:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:00 am
    —
Glad Madge realised that Hilda was telling her she needed to be there to negotiate, not for any other reason - perhaps this will give her a wake-up call.

Thanks Alison.
#221:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:53 pm
    —
I'm glad that Madge is finally waking up to her responsibilities, for they are just that. As their employer, she has a duty of care to her employees, all of them, and that includes ensuring a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and decent working conditions.
#222:  Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:06 pm
    —
Nice to see Madge is coming round:)
Will Joey be in on the negociations? Twisted Evil

Thanks Alison
#223:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:09 pm
    —
I am rather wondering where all the money is going? I had assumed that the school charged fairly high fees - especially with all the extras that were paid for. It sounds as if, either they need a proper Financial Controller and real budgeting or the shareholders are voting themselves rather large dividends at the expense of the staff.

If hotels are paying more (and, don't forget they are 24/7 establishments, too) then there is seriously wrong at the school.

I'm glad Madge has had a wake up call and is planning to shed her 'Lady Russell' persona.
#224:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:14 pm
    —
patmac wrote:
I am rather wondering where all the money is going? I had assumed that the school charged fairly high fees - especially with all the extras that were paid for. It sounds as if, either they need a proper Financial Controller and real budgeting


That's the reason why, when I was planning out RCS (around about the time I was writing the third! Laughing ) I included a Bursar. It does seem that a proper accounting needs to be done - we're talking about an exclusive Swiss Boarding School with more that 400 pupils - the money must be going somewhere.
#225:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:41 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I would also like to know where all the money is going. I'm glad that Madge is slowly starting to realise that her view needs to change.
#226:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:57 pm
    —
The problem is that Madge is still thinking in terms of poverty in the Tyrol and not modern Switzerland. If she doesn't negotiate, which is what the domestic staff asked for, she won't be able to keep the school open. I dare say that very few of the pupils' parents will be pleased that their daughters' expensive education is suffering, and the teaching staff will leave if they have to do the domestic work for much longer.

Madge's earlier solution - four more maids, lots more pupils, won't work. A definite staff/pupil ratio is needed.
#227:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:58 pm
    —
Let's hope Madge manages to deal fairly with the domestic staff, and everyone else, and that they get the school functioning again. Thanks, Alison.
#228:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 2:49 pm
    —
Brilliant Alison, 2 fab posts. Thank you!

Kathryn
#229:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:20 pm
    —
patmac wrote:
I am rather wondering where all the money is going?


Well, there are all those free places for the Russell and Maynard and presumably Bettany children as well.

Jay B.
#230:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:46 am
    —
“Excuse the mess,” Joey said wryly as her sister followed her into the house. “Sit down if you can find anything to sit on that isn’t covered in toys or piles of mending or anything else! Geoff and Phil are asleep at the moment – I’ll bring them down to meet you later – and the other three are in the garden with Bruno. Now, I’ll get us a cup of tea if you’d like one, but I’m afraid that I’ve got no cakes or biscuits to offer you. And do I take it that you’ve come on your own?”

“Tea would be lovely, thank you. And yes, I’ve come on my own. Jem couldn’t have taken time off at such short notice, and anyway the School’s my responsibility.” She shook her head. “I’ve just come past it and seen the picket line. It reminded me of the strikes at the Corah Mine during the Twenties, when we lived in Taverton. I never thought I’d see anything like that at the School.”

Joey handed her a copy of the previous day’s edition of the local newspaper. “There’s a picture of it in there. It shows the people on the picket line being supplied with drinks by a group of woman who live nearby – none of whom I can even put a name to. We used to know practically everyone who lived near the School when we were at the Tiernsee, didn’t we? How things have changed! You get a brief mention in there yourself - the article says that the strikers’ employer refused to give any comment.”

“Well, I just had no idea what to say when the reporter chap rang up. I’ve had to deal with a good many things in my time but I’ve never had to deal with anything even remotely like this before. I suppose I’ve never really stopped thinking of myself as the Headmistress of the Chalet School, even though Hilda does such a fine job of running the School on a day-to-day basis, but I’d never really thought of myself as an employer until now. People like Hilda and Nell and Rosalie are my friends, after all. Even with the domestic staff … well, think of Marie inviting us all to her wedding, and Karen following the School when it left Tyrol even though she’d lived in Briesau all her life?

“It’s strange … even when we made the School into a limited company, I never really thought of it as having anything in common with somewhere like the Corah Mine. The idea of the School as a workplace just… well, I suppose I’ve always liked to think of the School as a place where we try to do good, and also as a sort of extended family, rather than as an organisation. And that was how I tried to treat the domestic staff when the School first opened. I always insisted that everyone be polite to Marie and Eigen, and I always tried to take an interest in their family. Practically all the domestic staff we had in the first few years were either part of or friends of their family, after all!

“I admit that I never thought much about the fact that they worked longer hours than the teaching staff, but in those days servants did work longer hours than anyone else – they worked until the work was done. It certainly wasn’t that I was trying to … well, to exploit anyone. And I was quite distressed when I was told that the current domestic staff were unhappy and felt that they weren’t being treated fairly, and when I read some of what Hilda had written about the hours being worked and so on I accepted at once that something needed to be done. But when I read that list of demands for employment contracts and limited working hours and pay reviews and job descriptions, it all seemed so impersonal and so businesslike, and it was just completely alien to the way I’ve always thought about the School. But I do accept now that that I need to learn to see things in a different way, and I realise that the way things are done at the School needs to change. To move on.”

“So what are you going to do?” Joey asked. “Have you come here to tell them that they can have what they want? I do understand what you’ve just said, Madge. This strike has made most people – including me – accept firstly that the domestic staff haven’t been being treated very fairly and secondly that some sort of formal agreement is needed to regulate things. But … for one thing some of their demands are rather extreme, not to mention impractical, and for another thing – well, you have kept saying that you’re not going to be bullied.”

“Oh, I’m not going to be bullied!” Madge said. “Believe you me, I’m not going to be bullied! Elsie Bradshaw might be waving the red flag but I haven’t come here to wave the white flag! I’ve come here to try to reach an agreement. One that’s acceptable to everyone.”
#231:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:02 am
    —
Oooh. Good for Madge. Let the showdown begin.

*settles down on the sofa to wait*
#232:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:38 am
    —
It's very interesting to see Madge's reasoning there and I can't wait for her and Elsie to begin negotiations Very Happy

Thanks Alison!
#233:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:47 am
    —
Well, at least Madge is prepared to sit down and negotiate, but I have my doubts about whether she ought to be listening to Jo.

Thanks, Alison.
#234:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:39 pm
    —
What an excellent attitude for Madge to have; however, it will be interesting to see how she gets on negotiating with Elsie. Thanks, Alison.
#235:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:49 pm
    —
Good for Madge - thanks Alison.
#236:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:51 pm
    —
A good attitude to have, Madge - and nice to see that both she and Joey have recognised just how much things have changed.

Thanks Alison.
#237:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:16 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I look forward to seeing the conversation between Elsie and Madge.
#238:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:24 pm
    —
Madge sounds like she means business!
Thanks Alison Very Happy
#239:  Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:22 pm
    —
I would imagine if Elsie were realistic when she wrote the demands, that she knew they wouldn't get everything. But Elsie thought that her demands were a good starting point for negotiations.
#240:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:15 am
    —
Quote:
I’d never really thought of myself as an employer until now. People like Hilda and Nell and Rosalie are my friends

Quote:
I suppose I’ve always liked to think of the School as a place where we try to do good, and also as a sort of extended family, rather than as an organisation.


Those two comments absolutely sum up how Madge has always felt, and the difference between the small 'family' school when it began and the large organisation it has grown into. A brilliant analysis, Alison, and one that makes me hope they will be able to sort things out.
#241:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:56 am
    —
Finally getting towards the end now!

“Who’s that going into Freudesheim?” Mechtilde asked.

Rosli peered over towards the house she’d now been absent from for nearly a week. “It’s … oh! Anna, come here, quick! You know her better than I do! Is that who I think it is?”

Anna came rushing over, looked in the direction of Freudesheim, and nodded vigorously. “It’s Frau Doktor Maynard’s sister - Lady Russell. Elsie! Elsie – Lady Russell’s here! She’s just going into Freudesheim now. It looks as if things are about to start happening at long last! She’ll probably be coming over here as soon as she’s had a drink and tidied herself up after the journey. And hopefully Frau Doktor Maynard’ll be coming with her, and then we’ll be able to get all this resolved.”

“I certainly hope so,” Nette said. “It’s been nearly a week without pay as it is, and I’m starting to feel a bit guilty about it. My dad doesn’t earn an awful lot and my mum relies on the money I send her.”

“Well, you’d be able to send her a lot more if we got better wages,” Elsie told her firmly. “And you’d be able to see her a lot more if we had a proper agreement about time off. Where’s your fighting spirit?!”

“I’d hardly have said that this was a fight,” Lisa put in. “Lady Russell seemed like quite a nice woman when she was here last year, and hopefully the fact that she’s come out here means that she’s prepared to be reasonable.”

“Well, she’d better be!” Mechtilde said. “She’ll soon find that we won’t go back to work until she agrees to what we’ve asked for. We only want what’s fair, when all’s said and done. They’d never dream of treating the teaching staff the way they treat us.”

“Well, yes,” Miggi added doubtfully, “but look at the way the teaching staff have been trying to do our work whilst we’ve not been there. That’s not part of their job, but they’ve obviously been doing it all the same. Or at least trying to!”

“Bunch of flaming scabs,” Vreneli sniffed. “Mind you, I bet they don’t look at it like that. They’ll all be on the other side.”

“I don’t think it’s about taking sides,” Lisa said. “They were probably thinking more in terms of looking after the pupils. Some of the girls are only eleven or twelve: you can’t really expect them to look after themselves. Sometimes you do have to do things you hadn’t bargained for, especially when you’re working in a school. I want a proper contract as much as anyone, but I’m not saying that I think we should start clocking in and clocking off and refusing to do anything that’s not set down in black and white. And things like Sports Day don’t happen that often, after all - it doesn’t really hurt to work a little bit extra once in a while. As long as we get treated fairly in return.”

“I don’t even mind if it’s not a special occasion,” Nette said. “ I really don’t mind working a little bit later than I was expecting to even on a normal day, if there’s something that needs finishing off or something particular that needs doing urgently. But I do mind people thinking that they’re entitled to expect me to work all hours, especially when they don’t appreciate it or even acknowledge it. And I certainly mind when it’s happening all the time.”

“Which it’s been doing for as long as I’ve been here!” Vreneli said. “I definitely want a proper agreement about what we do and don’t have to do, and I want it in writing. All the same, I can’t see Lady Russell agreeing to everything we’ve asked for. It’s not just that she won’t want it to look as if she’s given in: it’s that maybe some of what we put was pushing it a bit. The part about overtime pay, especially. What do you think we should do if she agrees to some of it but not all, Mrs Bradshaw?”

“Well, it’s pretty unusual to get everything you ask for in this sort of situation,” Elsie admitted. Seeing some of the younger maids look surprised, she added, “I’ve been involved in strikes before, remember. Any time that there’s a strike or any other type of industrial dispute, there usually has to be a bit of give and take somewhere along the line. They want us back at work, after all, and we can’t go on not earning indefinitely.”

She looked round at everyone else. “We’ll just have to see what Lady” – she couldn’t be doing with titles - “Russell has to say, won’t we? But she’s most certainly going to hear what we have to say, and if she thinks we’re going to be a pushover then she’s going to be in for quite a shock.”
#242:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:09 am
    —
Interesting to see the different perspectives of folk. Thanks Alison!
#243:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:54 am
    —
very intersting - I look forward to the negotiations!

Thanks Alison!
#244:  Author: Caroline OSullivan, Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:49 am
    —
Thanks Alison. Am wondering who will be in the negotiations. presumably each 'side' will have several spokespeople
#245:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:58 pm
    —
It's nice to see that the maids are prepared to work extra if required, as they won't always be able to finish on time when it's sports day or whatever. They do need to indulge in a little give and take and they certainly sound prepared to do so. I'm going to be really sad when this finishes, Alison, as it's been a brilliant read.
#246:  Author: JayB, Location: SE England PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:57 pm
    —
It's interesting to see the domestic staff beginning to understand the "other side's" point of view. Things look more hopeful for the negotiations.

Jay B.
#247:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 3:12 pm
    —
Thank you Alison, it was really interesting to see all the maids' views on the dispute.

Kathryn
#248:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:10 pm
    —
Pleased to see that even Elsie understands the need for compromise.

Thanks Alison.
#249:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:25 am
    —
Madge wished that they had a round table instead of a rectangular one. That way, this might not seem quite so much like a confrontation. She, Hilda and Nell were seated along one side of the table; and Elsie, Lisa and Mechtilde, the delegates chosen by the domestic staff - the rest of whom were still outside – were seated opposite them. Rosalie was sitting quietly at the foot of the table, her pen poised over her notepad.

The founder of the Chalet School had been slightly worried that the forceful Mrs Bradshaw might refuse the offer of talks when it was made clear that nothing was being guaranteed beforehand. But Elsie was a veteran of industrial disputes and knew well enough that refusing to negotiate might well have weakened the strikers’ position rather than strengthened it.

Elsie was determined, however not to make any more concessions than she absolutely had to, especially not to this woman with her title and her rich husband – this woman who pocketed most of the profits the School earned from other people’s labour without lifting a finger in return. Even if she had sneakingly admired the way Lady Russell had stood in front of the picket line half an hour earlier and said that she’d come here both to listen and to speak.

So, determined to be the first to speak, the head of the domestic staff looked directly at the ultimate head of the School. “Before we start, I just want it understood that what’s going on outside isn’t some sort of empty protest, and that we’re not in here to be patronised or fobbed off with a load of empty words,” she said. “It may be us against all the rest of you but we’ve got right on our side and we’re agreeing to nothing that’s not fair.” She sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest challengingly.

“Is it really necessary to keep talking about “you” and “us” all the time?” Madge asked quietly. “With all due respect, talking like that really doesn’t help.”

“Well, it is “you” and “us”, isn’t it?” Mechtilde said. “I don’t mean to be rude, Lady Russell, but you can’t have any idea what it’s like to be expected to be up and working whilst most other people are asleep in bed, and to be working long into the evening as well, and constantly to end up feeling that people think you’re only there for other people’s convenience.”

“I’m sorry you feel like that,” Madge said. “That you’ve been made to feel like that. And I can well imagine what you think of me, coming here for only the second time since the School’s been in Switzerland and presuming to make decisions that’ll have a profound effect on the lives of the people who’re here all the time. But I set up this School, when I was only twenty-four years old and my brother and I had been left on our own with very little money and a young sister to support; and, believe me, I worked very hard to get it established. And I’m here because I accept that the ultimate responsibility for what goes on here is mine – the responsibility for mistakes that have been made in the past, and the responsibility for trying ensure that those mistakes aren’t made again in the future.”

“And those of us on the teaching and administrative staff are employees too,” Nell said. “Our jobs aren’t always easy either, you know, and we do plenty of work outside lesson times. And in some ways we are all here for … well, not for other people’s convenience exactly, but for the common good, for lack of a better way of putting it. This is a School. It’s a community. Most of the people who live in that community are young girls, far away from home, and whilst they’re here the School acts in loco parentis to them. This isn’t somewhere where people arrive for work at 9 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m.: it’s somewhere where people live. Together.”

“Well, it’s all very well you preaching on like that,” Elsie said. “But no-one comes and tells you that you’re expected to make a load of packed lunches for first thing tomorrow, when you’re snowed under with work as it is. No-one expects you to run round making hot chocolate for a load of people who’ve done nothing more strenuous than get a bit wet whilst they were out for a walk. No-one expects any department other than ours to cope with being so understaffed, nor to work all through the half term holidays.”

“May I say something?” Hilda asked. “I’d like you to know that I’ve received a petition, signed by the vast majority of the pupils here, expressing their overwhelming support for the domestic department. They don’t know exactly what it is that’s been asked for, but what they’ve said is that they don’t think that you’ve been treated fairly in the past and that they want things to be different in the future. I’d also like you to know that the same view has been expressed by almost all the teaching and administrative staff. I assume you’re aware that they’ve tried to take on the domestic work this week – and they did try, just as the Sixth Formers tried to help with the younger girls. Now, trying to manage without you really has brought it home to all of us just how much has been being expected of you. I’m sorry that you’ve been made to feel under-appreciated in the past, but we can’t turn back time. All we can do is try to ensure that matters are different in the future.”

“And we’re not going to get anywhere at all if all we do is try to score points off each other,” Madge said.

Elsie and Mechtilde looked at each other. Madge held her breath for a moment, but then they both smiled. Lisa was smiling as well. “Point taken,” Elsie said. “All points taken, in fact! Now, shall we get on with it? The sooner this is sorted out, the sooner we can all get back to what we should be doing!”
#250:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 8:59 am
    —
Thank you Alison, I'm so glad that everyone seems to be being so reasonable. A timely intervention from Hilda there really helped I think Very Happy

Kathryn
#251:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:20 am
    —
Oh good the negotiations start and really rather positively.

Thank you Alison.
#252:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:21 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I'm glad that they're starting the talks. I'm looking forward to the outcome.
#253:  Author: Caroline OSullivan, Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:37 pm
    —
Hurrah! that the negotiations are so positive and they all realise that there has to be some give and take.

Thanks Alison Very Happy
#254:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:18 pm
    —
Finally, I think, now, that the negotiations can start properly - and after all, if the Teaching Staff could not do the domestic staff jobs, the same could be said of the reverse.

Thanks Alison.
#255:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:24 pm
    —
Good start! Interesting that Hilda has made public the petition by the girls right at the start - good for her.

*feels more hopeful*

ETA : forgot my manners Embarassed Thank you.
#256:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:19 pm
    —
That's a good start to the negotiations, both sides being so reasonable. Thanks, Alison.
#257:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:33 pm
    —
The negotiations seem to be well under way, and things look very hopeful. It was good to hear Hilda being so outspoken at the beginning, and I'm glad that the girls are supporting the domestic staff.
#258:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:43 am
    —
Nearly finished Very Happy !

“Dear Karen,

“Well, after a lot of talking, the strike’s over, we’re all back at work, and hopefully this really is the beginning of a new era both at Freudesheim and at the School!

“Frau Doktor Maynard came over to the School to talk to Rosli and me – which I suppose was rather ironic, given how often we’ve been annoyed over the past few years about the amount of time that she’s spent there when we’ve been trying to do the housework and look after the children at the same time. She’s usually so pleased with herself that it came as quite a shock to us to find her being actually quite humble. She said that she’d effectively grown up as an only child, with her brother and sister being so much older than her, and that for part of that time she’d been at the School rather than in a normal household anyway, and that she’d just never really stopped to think about how much more work running such a big house with such a long family entailed.

“And, believe it or not, the Herr Doktor came with her! I think it’s finally dawned on him that his meals don’t just appear on the table by magic and that his clothes don’t just wash and iron themselves and put themselves away. I honestly do think that the events of this past week have made the Maynards take a good long look at what really goes on in their home, and I’m genuinely optimistic that they’ll be a lot more careful about the way they treat Rosli and me in future.

“Anyway, we’ve now got written contracts, the terms of which we shall be loudly reminding them of if things do start getting difficult again! We’re each to have every other Sunday off, on an alternate basis, and one day a week off in addition to that. And we’re each to get three weeks’ paid holiday a year – and that doesn’t include time spent “on holiday” with the Maynards! - plus we can take up to one week a year’s unpaid holiday in addition to that. They did say two weeks’ paid holiday originally; but, after I pointed out that I assumed that they’d be expecting us to work for at least part of Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and to work as normal on the various other days that most people have off, they agreed to make it three weeks. I have to say that I was quite impressed with myself over that – it must be Elsie’s influence!!

“They’ve decided that they’re going to rent out their new house at the Tiernsee for part of the year. I don’t think that they’re all that keen on the idea of strangers using the place; but they’ve realised that it’s a case of needs must. They’ll keep it for themselves or the Russells or the Bettanys to use during July and August, and rent it out during the early part of the summer and during the winter sports season. That, they say, means that - as well as giving us a bit of a pay rise for the first time in a long time - they’ll be able to employ someone to come in to help with the cleaning for two mornings a week – and hopefully more than that when either Rosli or I are away. Rosli’s mum knows someone who might be interested, so hopefully that’ll work out all right. And they’ve agreed that during the school holidays, when all the children are at home, we should take the washing to a launderette rather than keep on trying to do it all by hand.

“Frau Doktor Maynard’s going to do all the mending herself, and both she and the Herr Doktor are going to be spending more time with the children in future – which I’m glad about for the children’s sakes as well as ours. They’re going to have to, anyway, to give Rosli and me more time to concentrate on the housework, because they’ve agreed that as a general rule neither of us should be doing any work after Abendessen. Frau Doktor Maynard’s going to take the children and Bruno out for their walk every day, and she’s going to do the shopping as well. She even said that going to the local shops more often might do her good - help her to get to know some more of the people who live nearby.

“Until recently I don’t think it had occurred to the Maynards for a minute that Rosli and I might ever walk out on them. And I think the fact that we did walk out on them, even though it was always with the intention of coming back once the problems were dealt with, made them realise that, whatever they may have thought in the past, we’re not quite so doggedly devoted to them that we’ll take whatever they throw at us and just get on with it – i.e. that they can’t carry on taking us for granted the way they’d been doing for years.

“I’m just going to add, though, that I suspect that getting them to agree to terms that were acceptable to Rosli and me, and especially to putting everything in writing, would have been a lot more difficult than it was had it not been for what you and Rudi said to the Frau Doktor over the phone when I was staying with you. So thank you both for that - I’m very lucky to have such good friends.

“And so that’s the news from Freudesheim, and hopefully by the time I see you in July – which I will now be doing whilst we’re at the Tiernsee, if you’ll have me for a couple of days! – we’ll all be settled into the new way of doing things. Now – on to what’s been agreed over at the School!
#259:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:47 am
    —
I'm so glad that Jack and Jo were reasonable. Anna and Rosli deserve all the concessions they wrang out of them, and I hope they get to enjoy their newly acquired leisure time! Thanks, Alison.
#260:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 8:47 am
    —
Also glad to read that Jack and Jo were reasonable, and will be spending more time with the kiddies. Thankyou Alison!
#261:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:01 am
    —
Good for Jack and Joey.

Now onto what's been happening at the school indeed...Very Happy

Thank Alison!
#262:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:51 am
    —
Well done Doktor and frau Doktor Maynard! Now the school...?

Thank you Alison!
#263:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 10:07 am
    —
Yes... what is happening at the school? I think you forgot to tell us!
#264:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 10:09 am
    —
How lovely, thanks Alison!
#265:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:07 am
    —
Well, that's one part of the dispute sorted out satisfactorily, but you forgot to tell us about the school, Alison.

Thanks, I'm looking forward to more of this.
#266:  Author: ibarhis, Location: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:49 am
    —
I'm not sure that Alisons forget - but I hope Alison intends to feed our curiosity soon... please!
#267:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 1:05 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I'm glad that things have been sorted out at Freudesheim.
#268:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:07 pm
    —
This is all splendid!

(Maybe Elsie and Anna could nip over to Asda once they've sorted out the School Twisted Evil )
#269:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:54 pm
    —
Joan the Dwarf wrote:
(Maybe Elsie and Anna could nip over to Asda once they've sorted out the School Twisted Evil )


What a good idea!

Well, now that Anna and Rosli have dragged the Maynards into the 20th century, lets hope the school follows suit.

Thank you Alison.
#270:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 6:13 pm
    —
That was good - I'm pleased that they have come to an agreement.

Thanks Alison.
#271:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:51 am
    —
Only 3 or 4 posts to go now!

“When Lady Russell walked over from Freudesheim and stopped in front of where we were all standing, I was glad because I knew that the situation was coming to a head, but I was very nervous that she was just going to say something that’d put everyone’s backs up and make matters worse. At first I thought she might order everyone to get back to work at once and threaten all the people from the School with the sack, rights or no rights, if they didn’t do as she said. Then, when I realised that she wasn’t going to be aggressive, I thought she might treat us like a group of naughty schoolchildren, and say something about being very disappointed in us and hoping that once we realised how wrong it was to neglect our duties we’d be thoroughly ashamed of ourselves – I could just imagine Elsie’s reaction to that!

“Even when she said that she’d come to listen and to talk, I thought that she might be thinking in terms of “soothing ruffled feathers” and trying to get everything “back to normal”. But, from what Elsie and Mechtilde and Lisa – the three people who went to sit down with Lady Russell, Miss Annersley and Miss Wilson and negotiate the terms that’ve now been put in writing and signed – said, she really has accepted firstly that the School that she’s in charge of is a proper organisation rather than some sort of group of family and friends (and servants!), and secondly that she can no longer think of the domestic staff as servants rather than as employees.

“I was afraid that the negotiations might turn nasty and make for an unpleasant atmosphere at the School long term, but that didn’t happen. Lady Russell wasn’t hostile towards Elsie and the others at all. And Miss Annersley said that most of the teaching staff and the pupils had expressed a lot of sympathy and support for the domestic staff, which helped to get things off on the right foot –and it sounds as if things progressed quite calmly from then onwards.

“Lady Russell had accepted even before the strike that the domestic department was understaffed; and half a dozen new maids are going to be starting at the School in September. There’s also going to be a pay rise for the current staff from then. And wage levels are going to be reviewed at the end of each academic year from next year onwards. That’ll apply to the teaching and administrative staff as well as the domestic staff - they’re all getting proper written contracts, to put everything on a more formal, businesslike footing. Elsie, Mechtilde and Lisa did concede on the question of overtime pay, but everyone was reasonably satisfied with what was agreed as far as money was concerned.

“As far as working hours go, all the domestic staff are to get one day a week off, and two free weekends every half term, and no-one’s to work for more than three weeks during the school holidays in any one academic year. Everyone’s to get an hour-long lunch break, and fifteen-minute breaks both in the morning and in the afternoon; and anyone who starts work before lessons begin won’t be working after Abendessen on the same day, and vice-versa. Elsie’s got it all timetabled out! Although even she’s come to accept that you can’t always be to the minute as far as starting and stopping work at a School goes, and that sometimes there has to be a bit of give and take.

“At least half a day’s notice is to be given before making changes to mealtimes – Elsie accepted that more than that wasn’t always possible because these things so often depend on the weather - and Lady Russell’s agreed that if the girls go anywhere at short notice then the School’ll just have to pay for them to buy something to eat whilst they’re out.

“And, last but definitely not least, it’s been put in writing that the domestic staff’s role is “to undertake general domestic and maintenance duties on the School premises”. Fairly vague, but it shows that it’s been accepted that they’re not just there to do anything and everything (and especially not to be sent over to the neighbours!). The main thing about that is that it acknowledges that they are employees – not there to be at everyone’s beck and call, but there to do a job of work.
#272:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:54 am
    —
How reasonable that all sounds. I'm glad that the negotiations went well and hope everyone is happy now. Please can Jo meet Elsie once more before the end, Alison, as I'd love to see how they'd get on now!
#273:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 9:45 am
    —
thank you Alison
#274:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:39 am
    —
Thanks Alison, it sounds like they've all come to a pretty good deal all round.
#275:  Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:07 am
    —
Quote:
that she can no longer think of the domestic staff as servants rather than as employees


I think that has been the core of the whole problem - the staff and Joey have regarded the household staff as servants, to do what they are told, when they are told, and be grateful for the opportunity to serve their betters. Now they are realising that they are employees, who can leave the job and get another one if they want it, and who have wants and needs that are as important as those of their employers.
#276:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:37 am
    —
That seems to be an acceptable compromise all round. Thanks, Alison.

BTW: will they be renewing Elsie's contract at the end of term?
#277:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 5:23 pm
    —
Thanks, Alison. I'm glad that things have been sorted out at the School as well. I am also wondering if Elsie will stay on.
#278:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 6:37 pm
    —
So pleased that a resolution has been achieved.

Thanks Alison.
#279:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:05 pm
    —
Everyone seems to be most reasonable and I'm glad that the teaching and maintenance staff are having contracts as well - about time!

At this rate, the School will be ahead of it's time instead of behind.

thanks Alison.
#280:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:27 pm
    —
A most reasoned and reasonable solution. Well done everyone!

Thanks, Alison.
#281:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 8:12 am
    —
“Contrary to what a lot of people probably think, I’ve never had the impression that the School makes all that much money. Certainly I don’t think that the Maynards get very much from it! I suppose that the Russells, who must have more than enough coming in from elsewhere, don’t really view it as being primarily a profit-making enterprise, and they’re the ones who hold the purse-strings. So I did wonder at first how they were going to find the money to pay for extra staff and higher wages. However, from what I’ve gathered over the past couple of days, the Russells got their accountant to take a good long look at the School’s finances, and he found that there was an awful lot of scope for savings to be made in certain areas. Don’t tell anyone about this, by the way – I only know because I inadvertently overheard Lady Russell talking to Frau Doktor Maynard about it.

“It’s basically all part of the same problem –the School’s never really been run as a professional enterprise. They spend an absolute fortune on luxury items ranging from new winter sports equipment to flowers for the gardens. And they waste money on things like redecorating the dormitories, when they were all right as they were, just to make them look pretty. I know that it’s meant to be an exclusive sort of school, but there do have to be limits on things like those and there don’t seem to’ve been very many up till now.

“Anyway, priorities are going to be different in the future, Lady Russell said –and the domestic department’s going to come a lot higher up that list of priorities. She did say that maybe they’ll have to look at an increase in fees as well – they’ve tried not to make them an awful lot higher than they are at the British branch of the School, but, with all the excursions they go on here, especially at half term when they’re paying for bed and board for all those girls, and the higher cost of living in Switzerland in general, that’s really not proving to be practical.

“I don’t think they’ll dare to try that for at least another year though – to give the parents chance to forget about a week’s worth of lessons having been missed during the strike! Incidentally, the domestic science syllabus is being overhauled to put more of an emphasis on basic housework – Frau Mieders was horrified by the mess that the “upstairs” staff made of trying to do some of the domestic jobs during the strike!

“Whether there’ll be any sort of integration between the “upstairs” and “downstairs” parts of the School as a result of all this I don’t know. Even if there is, I certainly can’t see it happening in a hurry. But I do know that there’s been a major change in attitude towards the domestic staff, and that at last it’s been a change for the better. In the early days in Briesau we were treated with condescension but at least we felt that we were seen as individuals and regarded as an integral part of the School. And then as time went on it gradually got to the stage where people were using terms like “myrmidons” and just seemed to see the whole department as a nameless, faceless mass there to do the domestic work and then fade into the background. Now, finally, the Chalet School domestic staff are being accorded the respect that they deserve.

“And Elsie might be the one who’s taken the lead in all this, but a lot of it’s down to you, Karen. It was when you left that things started to fall apart, and it was then that people started to realise that they couldn’t take it for granted that the domestic work would always be done and done well. And, when I came to that meeting at the School and told everyone what life was like for the people who worked at your hotel, they sat up and took notice, because that was real – it wasn’t just talk about how things should be, it was a real life example of how things could be. And if things in the future, either for Rosli and me at Freudesheim or for the domestic staff at the Chalet School, are anywhere near as good as they are there, then we’ll all have done very well indeed.

“You will come and visit later in the year, won’t you? Everyone’d love to see you. And to see the baby, God willing. And I can’t wait till next month, knowing that I’ll be seeing you and my family then. And knowing that, this time, when I come back to Switzerland it won’t be all that long before I’ll be in Tyrol again. For the first time since I don’t know when, I’m actually feeling that my life isn’t revolving entirely around work.

“With best wishes from everyone here, and lots of love,

“Anna.”
#282:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 8:48 am
    —
That was such a lovely letter. I'm so glad things have been sorted out in a satisfactory way to all concerned. Now we can settle down and wait for the birth of Karen's baby without any worries! Thanks, Alison.
#283:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 11:38 am
    —
Thanks, Alison. I am looking forward to the arrival of Karen's baby.
#284:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:41 pm
    —
Thanks Alison, glad everything seems to be sorted out so nicely! Smile
#285:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 1:06 pm
    —
So pleased it's been resloved.

Thanks Alison.
#286:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 1:27 pm
    —
Thank goodness things have been resolved so well. Thanks,. Alison. It's good to see Anna getting an even break.
#287:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 11:38 pm
    —
Lovely letter from Anna and she seems to much happier and more positive.

Thanks Alison Very Happy
#288:  Author: Alice, Location: London, England PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 9:07 am
    —
Thanks Alison, glad the situation has been resolved.
#289:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 9:24 am
    —
Five months later

“Oh, it’s so good to see you!” Anna, who’d been looking impatiently out of the window, ran outside as she saw Karen and Rudi, pushing the pram they’d bought after becoming parents seven weeks earlier, walking up the path towards Freudesheim.

“It’s good to see you too!” Karen laughed. “With it being dry we thought we’d leave the car up at the Pension Caramie and walk down. We’ll go over to the School later, but we wanted to see you first.” She hugged her friend tightly. “It seems very quiet here this afternoon!”

“Only Rosli and I are in,” Anna explained. "Frau Doktor Maynard’s gone to the shops, and taken Bruno and the children with her. Come on in and I’ll get the kettle on!” It was cold outside, but as soon as they were in the warmth of the Freudesheim kitchen Karen pushed back the hood of the big double pram and Anna leant over it eagerly. Two little faces peered solemnly back at her.

“I can’t believe how much they’ve grown since the christening!” she exclaimed. “And are they always this good?”

“Definitely not! They’re only both quiet at the moment because they’ve not long since woken up!” Karen said, but her face was radiant as she looked down at the children she’d waited so long to have and then up at her beloved husband.

“Well, Alexander’s usually fairly quiet anyway, aren’t you, son?” Rudi said, gently touching a small blue-mittened hand. The tiny boy gripped his father’s finger tightly for a moment, then let go and kicked his little legs happily. “Anneliese likes to remind us she’s there, though, don’t you, sweetheart?” He stroked the small face under the little pink bonnet tenderly, and the baby girl looked up at him and gurgled contentedly.

“Are you managing all right?” Rosli asked. “It can’t be easy with the hotel and two babies.”

“We’re not doing too badly so far, thankfully,” Karen said. “Our busiest time of year’s yet to come, but hopefully we’ll have got more used to things by then! I won’t say it’s easy; but they’re worth it.” She lifted both babies out of the pram and gazed down at them. “Aren’t you?” she said softly, her voice full of emotion. “We’re so lucky. Oh, we might get tired sometimes, and it might not always be easy trying to look after them and run the hotel at the same time, but we wouldn’t swap any of it for anything.”

Rudi put his arm round her. “We certainly wouldn’t.”

*************************

“That’ll be Frau Doktor Maynard,” Anna said when they heard the front door opening twenty minutes later. She was cuddling baby Anneliese - her goddaughter - and Rosli was cuddling baby Alexander, whilst Karen and Rudi sat watching them, hand in hand.

“She’s not going to come steaming in here accusing us of distracting you from your work, is she?” Karen asked, only half-jokingly. “Or making disparaging remarks about how we’ve “only” got two children when she’s got eleven. Or should I say fourteen now that they’re guardians for the three Richardson children as well?!”

“She’ll be fine!” Anna said. “She’s not nearly as self-obsessed nor as self-satisfied as she used to be, honestly! She learnt a lot during the strike: she admits that herself. She even gets on all right with Elsie these days: I won’t say that they’ll ever be friends, but they’ve got a sort of grudging respect for each other. And she doesn’t mind if we take a few breaks during the day – especially when it’s on such a special occasion as this! She even said that she was looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Anna, Rosli, I’m back!” Joey called, walking into the kitchen with Cecil following behind her. “Geoff and Phil are asleep, so I’m just going to leave them in the pram whilst I unpack the shopping and … oh. Hello. I’ll … er, I’ll leave you to it, shall I?”

“No, don’t,” Karen said, jumping up. “Please don’t go. Stay. I’ve been looking forward to seeing everyone at the Gornetz Platz again. And I’d like you to meet my family.” She took Rudi’s hand. “This is my husband, Rudi Braun. My love, this is Frau Doktor Maynard.”

“It’s nice to meet you at last,” Rudi said, standing up to shake Joey’s hand. “My mother and father - we see a lot of them these days - send you their regards.”

“And this is Anneliese, and this is Alexander,” Karen said, putting her hand lovingly on each little head in turn.

Joey looked at the babies, then back at Rudi, and then finally back at Karen. It had seemed strange for a minute to see the former Chalet School cook with a husband and children, but wasn’t this the most important lesson she’d learned this year? That the domestic staff weren’t just there to serve the people they worked for. That they were individual human beings, real people with lives of their own.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” she said to Rudi. Then she turned back to Karen. “And the babies are absolutely beautiful.” She smiled. “Cecil, sit yourself down!” Then she laughed, because her daughter was already climbing on to Karen’s knee. “Mamma’ll get you some milk. And she’ll get everyone else some more coffee.”

“That’d be lovely,” Karen said. “And we can all have a good catch-up on the news from here and from Tyrol.”

Joey poured the coffee, picked up her cup, sat down next to Anna and Rosli and smiled warmly. “I’d like that very much. After all, we’re all friends here, aren’t we?”
#290:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 9:47 am
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I'm so glad to see that everyone's happy, and the twins sound lovely! Thanks, Alison.
#291:  Author: keren, Location: Israel PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 10:14 am
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It was nice to see that Joey got the coffee and served everyone!
#292:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:28 am
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Thanks, Alison. That was such a lovely scene but I'm so sorry this drabble is nearly finished. Alexander and Anneliese are lovely names and I hope that things continue to work out for Rudi and Karen.
#293:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:38 pm
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My goodness, Joey has actually reformed!

Thanks Alison, what lovely babies they have too Very Happy
#294:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 4:55 pm
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That was very nice to see - like that Joey has learnt.

Also pleased that Elsie is still at the School.

Thanks Alison.
#295:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:36 pm
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My goodness, what a change in Jo. How nice that they can all be friends - equality at last?!

Thanks, Alison.
#296:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:53 am
    —
Final post at last! Thanks for reading this Very Happy .

For once in her life, Elsie felt a little bit shy, as most of her colleagues crowded round the visitors, hugging Karen, exchanging greetings with Rudi and admiring the babies; but then Karen saw her standing on her own in a corner of the domestic staff’s sitting room and came over to her.

“You must be Mrs Bradshaw,” she said. “I’m Karen. I’ve heard a lot about you - it’s so nice to meet you at last.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Elsie said, shaking Karen’s hand. “You’re something of a legend here, you know! When I started here, everything was in a right old mess, and all anyone could say was that it’d all run like clockwork when you’d been here but that it’d never been right since the minute you’d left. And they all rave about your cooking – which is a lot for anyone to try to live up to, I’ll have you know! You were with the School a long time, I gather?”

“Since I was a young girl, back in Tyrol,” Karen said, smiling reminiscently. “Over twenty years in all.”

“You were working at the School through the worst years of the Depression, then? Difficult times, those.”

Karen nodded. “Very difficult. Work was hard to come by and we considered ourselves lucky to have jobs at all, especially jobs at the Chalet School where the way we were treated compared pretty favourably to the way domestic staff were treated generally back then. It’s a different world nowadays, though.”

“It is that!” Elsie agreed. “Mind you, I thought I’d stepped back in time when I first got here!”

“I suppose it just seemed normal to me,” Karen said. “I’d been with the School for so long. It never really occurred to me that things could be different – until I met Rudi again … and then I left. But, if you ask me, you’ve been exactly the breath of fresh air that the School needed, Mrs Bradshaw!”

“Oh, call me Elsie! Everyone else in here does, as long as none of them upstairs are around to hear them!”

Karen laughed. “Elsie, then. It’s still “them upstairs”, is it?”

“Yes, but not nearly as much as it was,” Elsie said. “It’s funny, really – I suppose I started off being dead set against them, with their lah-di-dah voices and lah-di-dah ways; but after a while it gets difficult to think like that about people when you're all working under the same roof. Especially now that they seem to be treating us with some sort of genuine consideration and respect. And they’re most of them not so bad really!”

“So you’re quite settled here now?” Karen asked.

“I don’t know,” Elsie admitted. “I only came here in the first place because I was struggling to find a job at home – blacklisted by the local powers-that-be, I think! –, and working at a school like this was hardly something I saw myself doing long term. But I suppose I’ve got quite used to the place now. And, at the end of last term, when I said I’d decided to stop on, they did actually say they were glad about it.” She laughed. “Of course, that could just be on account of how they’d had so much trouble getting anyone to stay in the job after you’d left. You’re a hard act to follow!”

“Thank you,” Karen said, blushing. “And I’m quite sure that the reason they were glad you’d decided to stay was purely that they know what a good job you’re doing, honestly! Everything runs very efficiently under your leadership, from what I’ve been told.”

She looked across the room, at Rudi and at their babies who were cradled in his arms, and her face lit up. Then she smiled at the woman who was doing the job that had been hers for so long but in what now seemed like another lifetime. “You’ll be here for the foreseeable future, then, Elsie? Making sure that the School doesn’t start trying to slip back into any of its old ways where the domestic department’s concerned! Like I said, I think you’ve proved to be exactly what the School needed.”

“I don’t know about that!” Elsie said. “But there’ve certainly been some changes here over these past seven months! And, aye, I daresay I can see myself being here for a while longer yet.” She grinned. “Keeping the red flag flying at the Chalet School!”
#297:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:01 am
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I'm so sorry to see this ending, Alison, as it's been absolutely brilliant. That was a lovely way to finish, though, and I'm so glad Elsie is happy to stay on at the school. I think she's just what they need. Thank you for hours of enjoyment with this drabble.
#298:  Author: Joan the Dwarf, Location: Er, where am I? PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:12 am
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*Cheers*

That was so good! I loved following this drabble, and even started keeping SLOC updated on how the Chalet School Strike was going!
#299:  Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:17 am
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This was such a wonderful drabble. Really well written and believable. Thankyou Alison!
#300:  Author: KathrynW, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:22 am
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Thank you Alison, I really enjoyed that. It was absolutely fascinating and so well written. I'm really going to miss it Very Happy

Kathryn
#301:  Author: pim, Location: Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:45 am
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Thank you Alison for a fabbity drabble Very Happy I can't believe it's over though *sighs*
#302:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:02 am
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Ditto me, thanks Alison - will really miss this.
#303:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:24 am
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Brilliant ending, Alison.

I do like a happy ending Wink
#304:  Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:26 am
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Thanks Alison, lovely ending.
#305:  Author: keren, Location: Israel PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:06 am
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This was a lovely drabble,
I enjoyed it very much,
One of the most interseting things was the discussion it provoked and the way we rethought about things at the CS
#306:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:46 am
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Thanks, Alison, this has been a great drabble, I'm just sorry to see it come to an end.
#307:  Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:12 pm
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Thanks Alison. Like the others, I'll really miss this.
#308:  Author: RroseSelavy, Location: Oxford, UK PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:30 pm
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Thanks Alison Very Happy I really enjoyed this - the characters were so well written and believable.
#309:  Author: Alice, Location: London, England PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:47 pm
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Another drabble over... Lovely to see Elsie and Karen meeting. Thanks Alison.
#310:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:11 pm
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Thanks Alison, really enjoyed this drabble and all the discussion it provoked.
#311:  Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:20 pm
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Thanks, Alison. I'm really sorry to see this end. It was nice to see Karen and Elsie meeting each other and I'm glad that Elsie is going to continue at the CS.
#312:  Author: Becky, Location: Newport, South Wales, UK PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:21 pm
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Thanks Alison, I really enjoyed that - you made it all seem so realistic!
#313:  Author: Caroline58, Location: St Albans PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:34 pm
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Thank you for a happy ending and plenty of lessons learnt all round!

Caroline
#314:  Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:32 pm
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An immensely interesting and thought-provoking drabble - I shall miss it, though it's good to know that everything ended so satisfactorily.

Thanks a lot, Alison.
#315:  Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:34 pm
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Thanks Alison, that was a fantastic drabble.

*wanders off whistling The Red Flag*
#316:  Author: Identity Hunt, Location: UK PostPosted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:23 am
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Thank you Alison !
I have enjoyed this so much that I am profoundly dismayed that it is finally over Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad

I`m sure Elsie has more to say....(hint hint)
#317:  Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England PostPosted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:43 pm
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Thank you Alison.
#318:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries PostPosted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:38 am
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This has been an absolutely brilliant drabble - and it's provoked some fascinating discussion, so thank you to everyone who contributed!

Thank you so much, Alison - I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next
#319:  Author: Changnoi, Location: in transit, midwest USA PostPosted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 7:14 pm
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Thanks so much! I am just catching up on this after a week and a half or so without internet access.

It was wonderful. Thanks.

Chang
#320:  Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 1:50 pm
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Shouting for a new drabble from Alison.
#321:  Author: La Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham PostPosted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 3:41 pm
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Thank-you Alison, I think the situation at the school was resolved very well indeed! Very Happy
#322:  Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 8:34 pm
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Excellent ending. Very Happy

Thank you, Alison.
#323:  Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough PostPosted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:38 am
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Oh. Its finished. Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad

I have been ill for a couple of weeks and come back to discover one of my favourite drabbles has finished. Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad


Really enjoyed it though! Thank you. Laughing Laughing Very Happy
The CBB -> Ste Therese's House


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