This Week Hasn't Been Great.

We received a newsletter (.....is that supposed to be all one word?.....) from the company that our old company has been merged with, and amongst the usual observations of good/bad and little supposedly uplifting titbits regarding things going on within the company, the ominous phrase of "upcoming changes to streamline the service into a state of lean cleaning practices" had been nonchelauntly slipped in.
     Now, to explain this to those not familiar with modern managerial jargon, that is Yuppie Speak for "we are going to mess around with the hours of low level staff".
     Worried, Supervisor rang Area Manager and left a message, and today she finally rang back. There ARE going to be "changes", she admits, but she has no idea what these changes will be. There has been talk of bringing back the afternoon shift and moving one member of morning staff onto it. There has also been talk of possibly cutting back "where applicable". But the bottom line is, she doesn't know - or says she doesn't - for certain.
     There are meetings going on, apparently, for the next week or so to decide what if any alterations are going to be put in effect.
     Until then, we are just going to have to sit tight and wait.

I received this news today.
     A few days ago I received news that the headteacher of the school my mother spends 99% of her time at is leaving and is likely to be replaced by the current deputy headteacher; a woman that nobody at the school likes and who has made it clear on more than one occasion that she in turn doesn't rate anybody else there either, my mother included.
     This means that once she takes over - if she does - at the beginning of the Spring Term, the regular bookings the school provides will possibly, probably even, dwindle. If indeed they don't stop altogther.
     Mother is an absolutely superb teacher, and very popular; on that score her reputation is assured. But due to one school monopolizing her time to the point where nobody else can get a look in, the majority of the other schools she used to attend - all but one, actually - have stopped phoning. And who can blame them? Every time they rang, no matter how far in advance, her calender was booked, and always at this one school; it is hardly surprising that she is no longer top of their list. Or even on the list.

So! To sum up: my work is under threat of losing hours and mother's work is under threat of stopping altogether.

.....damn, blast and buggeration.

Alice x