Today is the official R U Ok day and while I am yet to read Rio Tinto's no doubt empty spiel with promises of listening to their employees and looking after mental health, I thought today would be a great opportunity to check in with those within Rio Tinto that have caused direct harm to our family and make sure they know we are thinking of them and their mental health too. We're coming for another visit to Central Park soon, this time for a few days so perhaps after some reflection at least one of these individuals will be ready to take action and have a conversation with us. It's a long list, let's start from the top.
Simon Trott, Chief Executive Iron Ore
By now you must surely know at least part of our story, aware that we have stood outside your office twice now waiting for a conversation, a resolution for our family. So tell us, Are you Ok knowing that a family of an employee has suffered at the hands of your co-workers? Are you Ok sitting up there in silence, trying to give the illusion that you don't know anything? That it's not your problem? Are you Ok knowing the standard you walk past is the standard you accept? And if you keep ignoring us, walking past, what example are you setting for the employees below you? Keep on walking past, pretend you don't see it and everything will be Ok....for everyone except those you are harming.
Richard Cohen, Managing Director Ports, Rail and Core Services.
Richard, Are you OK? A year has passed since your 'judgement calls' on our family, your elaborate apologies and false promises to continue discussions with our family about the harm your employees caused, the harm that you admitted to and made 'judgement calls' on what that harm was worth, the questions you said you would get answers for but never did. A year since your 'judgement calls' very nearly caused a suicide.
Are you Ok going home to your family every night knowing that ours is still suffering because of your decisions?
You might have put it to the back of your mind hoping it would go away, that we would give up if you ignore us long enough but we have not forgotten. We remember every single word you spoke, we made sure of that, for us and for our little girls.
Cecile Thaxter, Vice President of Health, Safety,Communities and Environment
Cecile, Are you Ok? Your lack of action despite recieving emails, registered mail and knowing we have stood outside your office just doesn't seem to match your position description. You should be an expert in dealing with Health, Safety, Communities and environment- all areas that need to be addressed for us yet your lack of action is evidence of either incompetence or cowardice. Hopefully you figure out which it is and use the many resources that Rio Tinto has to offer to deal with whatever is causing you to go against your position description and your Code of Conduct.
Toby Ellis, General Manager of Facilities
Toby, Are you Ok? You contributed in so many ways to the harm and surely that plays on any decent humans conscience, no matter how long you hide behind the big players above you. Are you OK knowing you lied, deliberately tried to deceive us, tried to knowingly expose our family to more Asbestos by trying to send our contaminated belongings back? Are you OK withholding answers and test results? Destroying evidence? Are you OK knowing that one of your 'team'-most likely yourself- organised someone to enter our home illegally and destroy and remove our belongings?
That's just an overview, go back to the posts made just for you if you want to really contemplate everything you did and the harm you caused.
Sarah Newland, Performance, Housing and Towns.
Are you ok Sarah? It's been a while but we haven't forgotten how you tried to send our family back into the contaminated house 3 days out from Christmas, or somehow move our contaminated belongings to another house...in the same breath that you told us our entire family was on the National Asbestos register for the next 20-30 years. We haven't forgotten how you lied deliberately in your 'investigation' to cover up the harm, used faulty methods of testing, ignored the advice of a professional you hired on the state of the ceiling cavity full of asbestos. You told us to call Beyond Blue if your answers caused us that much harm, only to be told by them that something like this was beyond anything they could help with. Great advice Sarah, hope the town of Pannawonica and all the other Rio Tinto towns you take 'care' of feel OK with your level of expertise and integrity.
Brendon Podmore, Superintendant Facilities
Your story is short but it's still worth a mention. You were insulted in the recorded meeting that we suggested you and Sarah Newland were 'covering up' by lying about the direction of the ducting, using faulty methods of testing and botched assessments that you ignored anyway. Are you ok now that the evidence is clear that you were indeed 'covering up' and trying to deliberately deceive our family?
The other Rio Tinto employees walking past us outside your office, the employees within that are reading this, the residents and families of Pannawonica.
Are you ok? Knowing that you could ask the questions, push for answers, stand alongside another employee, a family yet you choose not to. Maybe you feel like it's not a choice you can make, maybe you feel you would lose that promotion, that pay rise, your job...your comfortable life and house in a mining town with all expenses paid. To a certain extent we understand why it could be difficult for some but it's not a choice we would have trouble with, giving away your personal power to these individuals within a corporation is enough of a reason for us to ask you all, R U Ok?
Comments