Broken Biscuits (part 3)

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Breakdown

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The next day

Aggie arrives at work, earlier than normal. “What’s going on?” she mutters to herself, amazed that Bruno, the other fundraising assistant - and everyone else - all seem to be there, looking busy, with heads down. “Bruno? You’re never in here 'til nine!” Bruno looks up, just grunts and keeps on working.  

One by one, Mercedes sees everyone to talk to them about their position. By the end of the morning, the new phrase going round the office is 'at risk of redundancy'.

Aggie is fed up. She meets her boyfriend for lunch at the Mill Pot Café for a bit of support.

“Everyone’s behaving differently,” she says. “It’s weird.”

“Sucking up more like,” her boyfriend says. “I’ve seen it all before. You wait - no one will leave before the chief does tonight!”  

“Well, I’m just going to be myself,” says Aggie defiantly. “They know my work and I work really hard. If I’m one of the three who go, that’s their loss.” 

Aggie’s boyfriend orders a dessert he knows she likes to cheer her up.

The board decides

At an emergency board meeting later that week, the trustees discuss a proposal by the chair, Iphigenia, and Mercedes to explore a potential merger with a local aid charity, Reliance. All agree to plan further, before approaching Riaz, its director.

Mercedes addresses the board: “I take full responsibility for all this. I was over-confident last year and now…one foolish incident has lost us our major funding.”

There are some mutterings of disapproval by the trustees but most seem to be supportive and want to do what they can to help.

“I assume you’ve met with the chair of ReadyBix to try to sort this out?” asks one trustee.   

Iphigenia responds: “We’ve tried to speak to Clive but his PA’s blocking our calls and he’s not responding to our emails.” 

“My wife knows Clive’s wife, Camilla. They used to share the school run at one time,” pipes up another trustee. “I’ll ask her to have a word tomorrow.” 

This is welcome news to Mercedes. If Clive could at least listen to what they had to say, it might help. 

At the end of the meeting, Iphigenia and Mercedes decide to go for a coffee to think about what to do next. Mercedes dumps her board papers on her desk, grabs her bag and rushes off, feeling better than she has for the past week.

As she leaves, she passes Selma, their cleaner. “Night!” she calls to her.  

The file

Selma always leaves Mercedes’ office to the last. She’s tired, wants to finish and get home. Dusting the desk a bit too vigorously, she accidently knocks off a folder and the papers spill onto the floor.  Picking up a piece of paper, she spots the words 'Merger with Reliance'. 

Selma can’t believe what she’s just seen. She works at Reliance too! Guiltily, and with her heart beating fast, she reads some of the paper. If they merge, it’ll mean she’ll lose one - or worse - both jobs. And it’s been so hard getting evening work. Terrified that someone will come in, she stops reading, tidies up the file and puts it back where she thinks it was.

But Selma can’t stop thinking about what she’s seen in the file.   When she gets home, she rings her friend Derek who also works at Reliance and is the local Unity Union rep. Derek is shocked and furious at her news. He keeps asking questions that Selma can’t answer. Selma keeps saying: “Please don’t say anything about this! Please, Derek! Don’t say anything!” Selma’s now worried that she’ll get into big trouble at Millcaster Aid to Africa. “No worries. I won’t repeat this to anyone. Trust me,” Derek says.

The confrontation

First thing the next day, Derek raps loudly on the director’s door.

Almost before Riaz has time to wish him good morning, Derek starts to tell him what he’s heard about the merger with Aid to Africa.   

“What’s going on?” Derek says. “Why hasn’t this been mentioned before?”  

“Perhaps because this is the first I’ve heard of it,” says the director dryly, picking up the phone.

Have your say

• In your experience do people start to behave differently when potential job cuts are announced? What happened?
• When should an organisation start to share their thoughts about a potential merger with the other party?  What should they do first?
• Should Derek have gone straight to the director? What should he have done?
  

Have your say on the Millcaster Tales forum.

Past episodes

This story is a follow on from a previous story. Read part one and part two of 'Broken Biscuits'.