Irish Company's 'Mark of Respect' on September 11th

Wednesday September 11, 2002 21:48

by amanda - imc irl

Chorus Communications Displays Inability to Communicate with Staff in Adult Manner

Working for a large company I had anticipated I maybe required to take time out today to due to the first anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. When it wasn't mentioned earlier in the week I assumed that as the company was Irish and not American owned it would be allowed to pass without an official company response I was wrong.

I work in a call centre for a cable and digital television service provider. It's not a job I particularly enjoy or have any long-term plans to stay in, but I have bills and they are not an arms-manufacturer or massive polluter. (Although the company is owned by Prince's Holding, which belongs to Independent Newspapers and Tony O Reilly is my ultimate boss.)
When I came in at 11am, the start of my shift not two hours late, I had an email informing me that the company would be having a minutes silence at 1.46pm and the message on the phones to anyone ringing at this time would inform them that we were closing our lines in order to observe this silence as a mark of respect to America.
Over and over I read the email in order to digest it and decide exactly how to respond. Part of me said leave it go and just enjoy the few minutes of not being screamed at by irate customers but I couldn't, that just isn't me.
After speaking to some friends I trusted who don't work for the company during my break I wrote an email at 12.55pm to the management of my department stating.

I would like to request that today’s 1-minute silence be extended to include all innocent Afghani civilians who have died since October 5th and also to pray for no loss of innocent life in Iraq in the future. And also for a cessation of hostilities and violence between Pakistan and India, and Israel and Palestine which have been exacerbated by last year’s events.
All of these lives are just as important as anyone else’s. And as someone with friends in these countries as well as the US I don't see a difference and can't pay respects for one group of people without also doing so for the other.
Yours Sincerely
Amanda Moloney

It wasn't a lot of time to give them to change anything but I did at least expect a reply. I didn't get one. Following the minutes silence I sent the following email to all my department.

Hi all,
Earlier I sent this message around. It was rather late when I did that, as it was incredibly hard to form the words properly. So I imagine that is why I never got a reply.
----------Insert initial email--------------
I have friends who's family died last year in the WTC. I have friends who are desperately praying that their families in Iraq won't die now due to last year’s events. When I had my minute’s silence I included in it all who died on or since September 11th, and prayed to save those who yet may.
It is important to me that people are aware of that.
Thank you for reading this.
Amanda Moloney

Within five minutes of that I got a response from management. A woman whose job description seems to include "HR managers dirty work" came to my desk. I was told that sending the first message was ok but not the second one, as I had no right to involve anyone else at my level. I explained that I hadn't meant to criticise anyone but I hadn't got a response from management and felt a need to let to the people around me know what I was feeling. As I was given no choice about participating in the minutes silence despite the fact that I indicated I had a problem with it, I didn't think it would be out of bounds to advise my colleagues of something important to me.
I have since read the email I sent numerous times. And I feel it is perfectly reasonable. A number of co-workers contacted me and said I was echoing their sentiments or thanked me for sending it, as they didn't have the words or the bravery.
It seems to me that the biggest problem management had was not that I didn't want to tow the line, because they are perfectly capable of ignoring that. But because I chose to communicate that unwillingness to tow the line with my peers and it meant that they could no longer sweep my dissent under the carpet.
All I did was sit silently through their silence and then explain to those around my reasons for doing it as opposed to the reasons of the company.
I didn't stand up at 1.46pm and sing "A song for Basra" at the top of my voice. I didn't show up in my George W Bush war criminal t-shirt. I didn't criticises the company for participating in an over dramatised media stunt which is an attempt at justification for the upcoming murder of thousands of Iraqi civilians. I didn't mention the events of 29 years ago in Chile, the thousands of people who die every day of starvation and lack of medical attention due to American foreign policy. I didn't mention that I can understand why the World Trade Centre, and most certainly the Pentagon could be seen as legitimate targets by those who's lives have been destroyed by America's attempt to enforce their economic policies on the world, or my suspicions as to the truth surrounding those attacks.
No. I just asked that we think of all the other thousands of people whose lives have been lost because of last year’s events and hope that they could be the last.

Tomorrow I hand in my notice. That sounds more dramatic than it is as I was planning to leave in the near future anyway. But my disappointment that I feel in this company isn't something I will easily forget, and this isn't a dissent that they can contain.

Thank you for reading this.