The Real BOCS Story:Make some noise!!
Mon, 5 Feb 2001, 10:45 pmWalter Plinge2 posts in thread
The Real BOCS Story:Make some noise!!
Mon, 5 Feb 2001, 10:45 pmWell, if anyone is interested, here is the inside scoop on what is really taking place with the sale of BOCS. This could be long, but bear with it.
The Ministry/Perth Theatre Trust has tendered for the sale of BOCS 3 times now. It is only the current tender that has really raised the ire of those within.
Before the current tender, Ticketek were in the running and planned on keeping the call centre in Perth, even if only temporarily. With the current tender process, Ticketek pulled out leaving only Ticketmaster7 as a bidder.
As BOCS employees all knowledge of the current tender was denied us until sources from Sydney asked us "if we liked our new bosses". This led to the current round of action.
Meetings with David Hounsome of the Trust served to keep the staff in the dark until this revelation. Mr Hounsome then indicated that Ticketmaster7 was in line to take over BOCS. Hounsome revealed that the terms of tender had been changed to allow Ticketmaster7 to dismantle the local call centre. The retention of the call centre HAD been a key requirement of the tender up until this point, but the terms were changed MID-TENDER.
Question: why was the tender process changed after Ticketek had unsuccessfully tendered twice before and finally pulled out?
The Media Entertainment and Arts ALliance (MEAA or Equity) has encouraged BOCS staff to wear badges, provide petitions etc to halt the sale and sway public opinion (which we already feel opposes the sale). BOCS staff have also engaged in leaflet distribution and encouraged patrons to contact local MP's, running candidates, and the Minister for the Arts (Mike Board) to vent their feelings.
Mr Hounsome has summarily threatened BOCS staff with the sack if engaged with any of this activity, proclaiming that it was a "hanging offence" if instigated during normal political times, but also a "hung, drawn and quartered" offence during an election period. My guess is that this could also be construed as one of those offences, however Mr Hounsome has made it clear that what staff do to campaign in their private time is their business, to a certain extent.
It appears to those within the company that the sale of BOCS is inevitable and just requires a rubber stamp. We are comitted to preventing this, but we do need help. If you have any queries, I will do my best to answer them within this forum under the relative anonymity enjoyed here.
The Ministry/Perth Theatre Trust has tendered for the sale of BOCS 3 times now. It is only the current tender that has really raised the ire of those within.
Before the current tender, Ticketek were in the running and planned on keeping the call centre in Perth, even if only temporarily. With the current tender process, Ticketek pulled out leaving only Ticketmaster7 as a bidder.
As BOCS employees all knowledge of the current tender was denied us until sources from Sydney asked us "if we liked our new bosses". This led to the current round of action.
Meetings with David Hounsome of the Trust served to keep the staff in the dark until this revelation. Mr Hounsome then indicated that Ticketmaster7 was in line to take over BOCS. Hounsome revealed that the terms of tender had been changed to allow Ticketmaster7 to dismantle the local call centre. The retention of the call centre HAD been a key requirement of the tender up until this point, but the terms were changed MID-TENDER.
Question: why was the tender process changed after Ticketek had unsuccessfully tendered twice before and finally pulled out?
The Media Entertainment and Arts ALliance (MEAA or Equity) has encouraged BOCS staff to wear badges, provide petitions etc to halt the sale and sway public opinion (which we already feel opposes the sale). BOCS staff have also engaged in leaflet distribution and encouraged patrons to contact local MP's, running candidates, and the Minister for the Arts (Mike Board) to vent their feelings.
Mr Hounsome has summarily threatened BOCS staff with the sack if engaged with any of this activity, proclaiming that it was a "hanging offence" if instigated during normal political times, but also a "hung, drawn and quartered" offence during an election period. My guess is that this could also be construed as one of those offences, however Mr Hounsome has made it clear that what staff do to campaign in their private time is their business, to a certain extent.
It appears to those within the company that the sale of BOCS is inevitable and just requires a rubber stamp. We are comitted to preventing this, but we do need help. If you have any queries, I will do my best to answer them within this forum under the relative anonymity enjoyed here.