ASTONBROOK WORKERS “OPPRESSED” BY SACKING

22-05-2008

One of the workers sacked by Birmingham’s troubled Astonbrook Housing Association has been talking about of the human cost of his dismissal. Thirty year old Abdi Said is worried about his mortgage – but also feels “oppressed” by what has happened.

As we reported earlier this week, Astonbrook – which houses more than 2,000 asylum seekers across the country – has a bleak future after losing a key Home Office contract (see link here).

Staff blame the crisis on interim managers Baker Tilley, appointed last July following allegations of fraud which are still being investigated.

Baker Tilley strenuously reject any suggestion of incompetence on their part (see link here).

In the meantime, Abdi Said and 14 of his colleagues are out of work today, having lost their jobs on the basis that they mismanaged the company. Abdi, from Kings Heath, was Astonbrook’s Transport Manager, earning around £18,000 a year.

He told us: “I’m just recovering from the bad news. I’m single, so it’s not so bad, although I’ve got a mortgage to pay, but there’s another worker I know who’s got four children.

"This isn't just about our jobs, though.  We feel persecuted and oppressed, and I don't know what we've done to deserve this.

"I left Somalia because there was a lot of persecution of different ethnic groups - it was like Zimbabwe is now.

"I came here in 1989 and went to school here, university, and I grew up in a rough area of London called Harlesden and I came out clean - no criminal record, nothing.  I'm a law-abiding citizen.

"There's been a lot of talk about fraud but I certainly wasn't aware of anything and although the police have been investigating for nine months, no one has been charged.

"One of the Trustees from Baker Tilley, Geoff Carlton Kelly even told our staff meeting two days ago that there was no fraud.

"I think I've been targeted because I've been involved in the press campaigning, but this organisation belongs to the community and it should stay within the community."

A spokesman for Baker Tilley confirmed that 15 staff had been dismissed because of alleged financial mismanagement following an investigation by a forensic accounting team from their Crawley office.

When asked to explain why a senior member of the company told workers just two days ago that there hadn’t been any fraud, the spokesman replied: “It's doubtful that he said that, or it might be that what he said was taken out of context.

“We also wouldn't have said anything prior to the completion of the investigation because that would be wrong.”

So why has it taken Baker Tilley ten months to uncover this supposed wrongdoing?

“There’s a police investigation going on following the raids, and this has been a difficult and complex project” he said.

Amid all the gloom, there is one shaft of good news - Baker Tilley say they hope the 120 remaining Astonbrook workers will be transferred to a new service provider.

Know anymore about Astonbrook Housing Association? Contact editor@thestirrer.com.