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Kevin Petters
On Thursday, 17th march 2005,I collected Jeff Cobley (a fellow residential caretaker) from
Wye close as normal at about 8:20.a.m
We then proceeded to one of our sites at Florence Asher, Clydach, to carry on with power washing.
On the way I stopped for fuel at Tesco in Morriston. Jeff had a phone
call, from Kevin Petters,the supervisor, instructing Jeff, that when we had unloaded the van at Florence Asher, he was to leave
me there to power wash, and then to meet Kevin in Wye close.
After we unloaded the power washer, can of petrol, my flask and sandwiches. I then asked Jeff, to wait a few minutes, while I made a telephone call. I telephoned Kevin Petters to enquire, how long Jeff would be gone for?
He replied “Until the afternoon, sometime”.
I then told him, "You know there is nowhere to have a pee ". .
He then told me, “There are bushes across the road”.
I replied, “The bushes have no leaves and they’re opposite a primary school”,
He said “Well, use a communal area”.
I replied “Everywhere is visible”,
He replied, “Well that’s the down side of this job.”
The conversation ended there.
I have been doing this job for 4 years, and there has been no real problem having a pee, some sites have secluded areas, a colleague can guard the entrance to a bin area for you, use a bucket in the back of the van, or even drive to some toilets, if you need to do more than pee.
But this was the first occasion where I know, a worker had been put in this situation.
That was obviously the intention of Kevin Petters.
I then telephoned Rob Simpson, our team leader, and explained the situation, emphasizing that at
my age I need to pee more often in the morning.
Rob, then asked me to wait a minute, so he could tell Stuart, our manager.
He then got back to me and uttered the words I will never forget,
“Knock on a tenant’s door, and ask to use their toilet”.
I was quiet for a minute, dumfounded, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,
I then said, “but I can’t knock on the tenants’ doors”.
He replied “well find a pub then”, then that conversation ended.
In disbelief, I then told Jeff he may as well go.
Jeff was very reluctant and very apologetic saying “How can they do this to you? I am not leaving.”
I shrugged my shoulders, and said, “It’s best Jeff, you keep out of the problems, I am having with senior staff”,
Jeff then left.
I started up the power washer shocked in amazement, and proceeded to power wash the paving slabs, after a few minutes either through anxiety or the sound of the water jet I needed to use the loo. I then teliphoned Rob to say I had to leave the site to find a toilet, he then told me again
"Knock a tenants door, or find a pub".
I said in anger "I’ll find a pub".
I then moved the power washer into the bin area, and hid the full petrol can at the back of a bin,
hoping that no children would find it. I had thought of taking it with me, but I could not take it into a pub!
I then started to walk towards Clydach, but all the pubs were shut as it was only 10am.
I walked past the police station and decided to call in for advice, but it was closed.
In the window was a poster containing a picture of man’s and wolf’s face saying:
Beware of strangers at your door.
I then carried on walking through the main street in my Wellingtons and oilskins, facing looks of people,
who must have thought I was a tramp.
The nearest toilets I could find was at Clydach market,
A
distance of 1.6 miles.
I then walked back to Florence Asher feeling very hungry and thirsty. When I got to the bin area to retrieve my sandwiches, my sandwich bag had been torn, and the sandwiches eaten, obviously by a dog, I only drank a small amount of coffee from my flask, frightened I might need to pee again.
I then telephoned Rob, to tell him that I needed to go back down to Clydach to buy something to eat,
Then Rob screamed and said "You’ve wasted enough time already, you are not going back down to get something to eat",
I then said my stomachs not right, I need a toilet and he said "knock a tenants door", I said "no" and he screamed,
"You'r disobeying orders"!
I shouted back at him, "Ok, I’ll go and knock on a tenants door".
I then knocked on No.14
Florence Asher, and a lady holding a baby answered the
door. I said" I’ve got diarrhoea can I use your toilet"? She looked shocked and said, "are you serious"?
I replied "yes and no, I have got a bad stomach but I don’t want to use your toilet, but I have been ordered to, by my bosses after I told them that I am not using the rough ground opposite".
“You would have to be perverted to go there, opposite the school” she said incredulously, she then looked apologetically and sorry for me, and said, “look I would, but my carpet, its new”!
I replied, “no don’t worry”, I’m walking back to the Clydach market toilet.”
She then asked for the telephone number of my bosses, saying it’s disgusting that they can do this to someone.
I then left for the market toilets, 1.6 miles away.
This was an even worse journey than the first one, Wetting yourself in waterproofs is not so bad, but you cannot hide smell! Thankfully, I was able to hold on till I got there. Although by then my stomach was really paining and I was sweating profusely.
When I was sitting on the toilet seat, I thought and pondered of:
The irony of my colleague, Jeff’'s advice to me a few months earlier," Brian, I would not put up with the shit they are giving you,
"I would admit defeat and find another job."
I also remembered Darrin Davies telling us in a team meeting:
"Do not on any account, go into tenants' homes"
I also remembered talking to Jeff Evans, Chief Exec, of Family Housing in the bar "Chicago Rock" a couple of hours after the AGM,
"It's a funny life, the only ones left here socialising ,are the highest and lowest in the company".
"No no no" he said, "there is no high or low, we are all equal in Family Housing".
I did not argue at the time, BUT I could not imagine, him, Jeff Evans, being in the next dirty cubicle to me..
I also thought, about how in the past I had read, how disgusting, some third world countries were, in treating their prisoners,
i.e, by withholding basic toilet facilities!
I then walked back to Florence Asher, to be met by the lady at No 14.
She was quite upset, she told me she had rung the office.
"There were two of them, they did not seem to care a shit, they told me it is up to me if I want to leave you in, to use the toilet, some tenants do, some don't, it's my choice.
I smiled my usual smile, and then thanked her for her concern.
I then went to the bin area, and thankfully the power washer and petrol can were still there, I had been worried, in case, some children may have found the petrol, and possibly set the bin area alight or maybe themselves!
As I was getting the equipment out of the bin area, Jeff phoned at about 3pm to say he was on the way. Thankfully, I then got the equipment ready on the pavement. Twenty minutes later he rang again, to say the van had broken down, and Rob would collect me. I was then picked up by Rob, and taken to join Jeff by the Ynys Forgan roundabout.
I had to wait there 'till the break down van arrived, and eventually got dropped off home at 5.30pm.
What awaits tomorrow................
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