When life gives you lemons - make Caipirinhas!

Back in 2008 life seemed to be going well - I was 8 years into a job I really loved, and seemed to be making a real difference there, too. OK, I was working too many hours, but enjoyed it so much that it didn't seem to matter. My marriage hadn't survived the move to this job, even though it had appeared to be a lifesaver to us both at first, but circumstances meant that I was the one to petition for the divorce, which had been finalised 2 years previously. Walking away from 19 years marriage had been easier than I thought it would be.
Since I started there I had been working with one major handicap - I didn't have an assistant who was capable of running things when I wasn't around, nor willing to make decisions themselves, despite all efforts to empower them. The association (it was a large charity) decided that we didn't need an assistant manager as this would entail paying a lot more, so I simply had a "centre assistant"! It was a nothing title, and didn't even explain what that person did, and none of the people who came and went from that role liked the title - and despite trying to get it changed the committee I answered to refused to move on it. It meant that the people employed as centre assistant didn't feel valued, were not paid enough to take responsibility, and I ended up having to work harder to cover the slack.
At the end of 2007 it all changed. The current centre assistant left after only a few months, due to an unexpected pregnancy, and finally the association decided we should look for not one, but two, replacements (business was also expanding so we needed additional staff), and to give them a worthwhile title - so we advertised for an Assistant Manager, and an Activities Manager (we were a residential outdoor activity centre), and received a much higher calibre of applicant, and duly appointed two very capable candidates.
The association had employed an expert to do some staff training for us, and in conversation with him we had all expressed concerns about the hierarchical chain of command. We had a management committee that we reported to, and I was on that committee, but it had no power - so any decisions we made about the running of the centre had to be passed up to a finance committee, and then to the executive committee for final approval. We met quarterly, but the other committees only twice a year, so the process was very slow, and if they wanted clarification, or changes to our suggestions, it came all the way back and started again. The expert suggested to the association that he could do a review of the system as it appeared flawed, and he felt particularly that the lowest level management committee needed some teeth as it was powerless at present.
We were all excited at the prospect of streamlining the decision making process, and getting plans executed faster, but just after the review started - mid 2008 - we were told that all the current jobs were also under review and there would be changes to all our roles! This was a big shock, as we had all though the review was going to be on the committee structure, and not on the whole staffing structure, particularly as we had just changed things round with the previous recruitment drive.
The result was that they put in a temporary management group, and came up with three new job titles - Centre Manager (which had been my title), Assistant Manager, and Property Manager. They produced the job descriptions and personal specifications for the three posts, and told us we were all eligible to apply for the new jobs! The new Centre Manager job had to have (essential qualities) a degree in Business Administration, and the Assistant Manager had to have (also essential qualities) a teaching qualification, while the Property Manager didn't require any formal qualifications. Surprise, surprise - my former Assistant Manager had a degree in Business Administration, and the Activity Manager had a teaching qualification - while I had no "formal" qualifications,
We were all called in individually and asked which "new" job we would like to apply for - and I pointed out that among the three of us it was clear which roles they had in mind for us since only one person was qualified for either of the two top positions, though they strenuously denied that this was the case, and I could still apply for my old job! I pointed out that I did not have the "essential" qualification needed for either of the two most senior posts, so was basically excluded from applying for those. It was obvious that they had tailored the roles for us in a specific order, but no-one would admit that, or even talk to me - who had been their centre manager for some 7 years (I had a different role with them in another building previously for over a year) - about it.
My job as manager had included free on-site accommodation as part of my "package", which was considered essential as part of the caretaking role, and having someone on hand for emergencies. The new role of Property Manager, which I reluctantly accepted and started early in 2009, was at less than two thirds of my previous monetary salary, so they agreed to include the accommodation in exchange for regular caretaking duties, emergency call out responsibility (we had been supposed to do that in rota before, but since the others lived 30 minutes or more from the property it had all fallen to me!), and as a goodwill gesture!
However almost immediately they informed me that they felt a "caretaker" was no longer needed - this in the same week that I had responded to a (false) intruder alarm, a group turning up to use some of the facilities and no-one leaving a key out for them, and accosting a dog-walker who had wandered onto the property - so were revoking the accommodation offer.
I explained that financially I couldn't afford to accept this, so they offered me redundancy instead - but I also sought legal advice regarding constructive dismissal since they had made changes to my contract of employment making my position untenable! This could all have been avoided if someone from the association had respected my original position of manager and taken the time to talk to me and explain what they were doing, but at no time did anyone, or would anyone, tell me what was going on.
I received a settlement as well as my redundancy payment, which also included free use of the on-site accommodation (a separate cottage) for 6 months as I had nowhere else to live. So ended over 9 years, very successful years for them, relationship between us, leaving me completely in the dark about why it had all come to this - and to this day no-one has clarified this, with even the chairman of the management committee, who was a personal friend, unaware of what the thinking behind it was.
There I was at 56 years of age, unemployed, and with no home of my own. I had fallen into a period of mild depression during the final weeks, so as soon as my final payment came through I decided to visit my nephew in Brazil - I needed to get away and clear my head, and also at the back of my mind was the thought that maybe I could make a new start in Brazil. I had been applying for jobs before I went, though nothing suitable for a 56 year old, with no formal qualifications was turning up.
I had a great time in Brazil, though Salvador (the capital of Bahia state) was too big, too noisy (though I was there during one of their regular festivals), and not that appealing to me anyway. I made a couple of trips, and fell in love with the Chapada Diamantina National Park, some 400 kms away. But, too soon my holiday was over and I returned to job-hunting in the UK.
While sending out some of the 150-plus applications I submitted, I was also wondering what the possibilities were of moving to Brazil. The cost of living was much lower, the climate very agreeable, but job opportunities for a 56 year old foreigner with no formal qualifications about as remote as in the UK - at least legal ones, since numerous foreign tourists simply stayed and worked off the grid (i.e. no taxes and low pay rates). As it turned out I only received 3 replies, all in the negative, from all those applications, and was shocked that so many companies did not even have the courtesy to respond - all the applications were in response to adverts, either in the press, online or at the Job Centre, so I was not "cold calling" them.
I remembered that the hostel I stayed in while in the Chapada Diamantina ran a children's charity, so contacted the owner to see if she would offer me a 2-year voluntary role helping there, which she jumped at. A volunteer visa allowed a 2-year stay (well, one year renewable for the second year), and I hoped that this would give me time to sort out some sort of permanent residence. So I started taking a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) course, and trying to get all the required paperwork for the visa - which was much, much harder than I expected!
I was still applying for jobs, and took on some temporary work - 2 contracts - though this didn't amount to much, but also planning my move to Brazil bearing in mind I had to vacate the "free" accommodation in November 2009. Because I would have no income as a volunteer and not that much in savings, even after my redundancy settlement, I cashed in my 2 work-related pensions (though I had only worked for the two companies some 15 years in total so it didn't account for that much) and the endowment policies (taken out to cover the mortgage on the marital home that my ex-wife kept as part of the settlement), primarily because I was still paying into them, and it seemed better to cash them in to purchase an annuity, giving me a small regular monthly income for the rest of my life, rather than keep paying into them. The annuity I took out guaranteed a fixed income for the first two years, so I knew how much I would have coming in, but after that I was hoping to have found a more permanent solution.
By the time November came round I had submitted my first visa application, but it was returned as some of the paperwork - from Brazil - was missing! I decided, however, that I couldn't wait indefinitely so moved to Brazil late November, intending to get the rest of the missing paperwork and return in the New Year to try again! The very nice lady at the 
Brazilian Embassy in London, had been very understanding and was holding onto my papers (I had copies!) pending my return. I placed some personal belongings in storage, hoping to be able to ship them out to Brazil once I had achieved some sort of permanence, and flew out to my new life.
Upon arrival my first priority was accommodation - I had managed to book a "kitinet" - basically a bedsit - before arrival, but could only stay there a month as it was booked out for Christmas, a very busy time in the National Park, so immediately started house hunting. Initially a friend of the charity owner was to help me, but after two abortive attempts to meet up after we had met first for a meal, I decided to use a local agency, and was shown several properties in the centre of the small town. Some needed too much work, some had potential, but none had parking space or even a yard, and none of them had full legal title available (which apparently is very common in Brazil!), so the following day I was taken a little further afield - still within the town limits, but away from the centre. Two of the properties were unfinished - they knew I needed to move in urgently! - and a third had great potential as it was in two separate storeys and there was the possibility of renting one out, though the top floor, which had gorgeous views, was again unfinished, and wouldn't have been nearly as nicely appointed as the ground floor! The final property I was shown that morning was a vacant 4-bedroomed house on a 690 sq m plot, with garden (very overgrown) all round, though it had a beautiful view from the kitchen window. It was finished to a good standard, and just needed a coat of paint, and some minor repairs (bug screens were all torn) to be habitable, and amazingly also had full legal title, but I felt was far too big for me, and at the limit of my budget. Bear in mind that small properties in town could be bought for under £5,000!
We returned to the agency office and the agent was checking to see what we could view that afternoon, when someone came in and asked about available rentals. The final house I had looked at was one of their potential rentals, too, and the lady was quite interested, but they asked me first since a sale is better than a short-term rental! It took me about 30 seconds to make my mind up, and I bought a house! The price was far less than a one-car garage in the UK would have cost me, and I paid cash from my redundancy money! It was much bigger than I needed, and a little more expensive than I was initially looking to spend, but the fact it was ready to move in and needed no expensive work doing, meant that it was in fact a good investment, and probably cheaper than many of the others would have been factoring in repairs, and possible legal disputes later on.
I paid a 50% deposit by bank transfer and we started the title deed transfer process, but it became apparent that this would not be complete by the time I had to vacate the bedsit and by then the town was booked out for Christmas (bear in mind it is mid-Summer in Brazil that time of year), so I approached the seller and asked if it would be possible to move in early, and they agreed without any problem - one of the advantages of being a gringo is that they trust you much more than they would a Brazilian. plus they did have half the asking price!! So I immediately started looking for furnishings, bought some paint, some new mesh for bug screens, cleaning materials, and started preparing to move when my rent expired. I moved in on December 23, 2009, after a few false starts on getting the furniture - some shops didn't deliver to the area despite assuring me they did, and the one who I bought most from missed the delivery day (truck got a puncture!), and finally arrived 3 hours before I was due to leave for Salvador to return my hire car, three days later! Much of the furniture arrived flat-packed, and part of the deal is they assemble on delivery, so I had to forego that and do it all myself upon my return!
So after spending the previous 30 years paying off a mortgage (as we moved "up" we renegotiated the mortgages) I was finally living in my own house - paid off in full (well, it was less a month later when the deeds were finally signed and transferred), with no debts, living in one of the most beautiful places I had ever been to - and about to embark on a two-year stint as a volunteer, and feeling more relaxed and contented than I had for years - my only regrets were that my elderly mother and 22 year-old daughter were 5,000 miles away! It did take me a further 6 months and 2 trips back to the UK to finally get my volunteer visa, but nothing then could take away the peace I felt in my soul.
The reference in the title? The Caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil and consists of Cachaça (a sugar based spirit), sugar, crushed ice and ... lots of lemons!

Membership of a Trade Union

In the mid-80's I was working for a supermarket in the UK as a Bakery Manager - they were making "bake-off" bread (part baked, rather than made from scratch) and other bakery products so the department didn't need highly skilled bakers, however right from day 1 the bakery was understaffed, and despite numerous pleas for additional staff I was the one making up the shortfall in hours every week. The bakery was never fully staffed (it was a brand new store and the bakery was only 75% staffed from the start), and every time Human Resources advertised for staff, the store manager vetoed this saying we didn't have the funds available, then she would take me to task for working too many hours! After about 6 months of this I decided that the time was right for me to leave so handed in the required (per my contract) 8 weeks' notice. No-one spoke to me about this or asked about my reasons for wanting to leave, so I simply went about my duties as normal. I started looking for other work, but as I had 8 weeks I wasn't initially looking that hard, but the day before the first 4 weeks were up the store manager came into the bakery and told me I could finish the following day!! She said that as I hadn't completed 6 months' service when I handed in my notice I only needed to give them 4 weeks, not 8. There was nothing in my contract stating this, and the HR department also appeared unaware of it, but 24 hours later I was unemployed!
A close friend and neighbour told me that Crane Freuhauf, an engineering company nearby that he worked for, was looking for temporary workers, so I rang them and two days later was granted an interview. The production manager looked at my CV, looked up at me, and asked what engineering skills I had. I explained that, as my CV indicated, I had not worked in engineering before but had reasonable DIY skills, so he opened a drawer and produced a screw, and asked me what I could tell him about it!! I said it was about 2.5c ms long, stainless steel, possibly a size 8, right-hand thread, and required a Phillips screwdriver - which seemed to satisfy him, so he offered me a trial, and asked me to come back the following Monday.
About 50 of us were ushered into the conference room and told that we were being taken on as temporary workers for a period of 13 weeks (the Conservative government had recently announced a job creation scheme and any business who employed new staff for a minimum of 13 weeks received a subsidy equivalent to part of the wages!), and that we were all on 2 weeks probation. He read out our names and the departments we were being allocated, and I was going to be on the main assembly line, however the door opened and the welding supervisor came in and said that some of his new workers had not turned up so he took 5 of our intake to train as welders (all who had some welding experience, but needed to be shown "our" system!), meaning some of the remainder of us were reassigned, and I was placed in the machine shop!
The next part of our induction (which lasted only one morning!) was to meet the shop steward, who said that we should all join the Trade Union (AEU - or Amalgamated Engineering Union), which would cost only a pound or two a week. One of our number was a former shop steward himself, so asked what benefits we, as temporary workers, would receive from our membership - and the shop steward blustered a little and mumbled "well, nothing", but went on to say that the full-time workers would not be too happy working alongside non-union workers (back in times when unions had more power most factories were "closed shops" meaning that non-union workers would not be employed, but times had changed). A few of us, myself included, decided to join up - I had never worked in a factory before and wasn't sure what it would be like anyway, so thought this small concession might make things easier for me.
As it turned out rural Norfolk was not at all militant, and the existing workforce couldn't care less whether we were union members or not! Nevertheless I was a card carrying member of the AEU!
After 13 weeks we were all laid off, at the end of our "contracts" but immediately taken back on for a further 13 weeks! The industry had natural "breaks" so it was a week-long shutdown, but many of us (full-time employees too) worked through the shutdown on overtime, so effectively our employment hadn't terminated - but the company still got a new job creation subsidy!
During my second temporary contract it was time for the annual pay negotiations, which the unions undertook on our behalf, and though, despite being union members, the "temps" had no vote on the outcome, but could attend the meetings (held during work hours). That year the company offered us 6% increase (about double the then rate of inflation), and the union representative from our sister factory, some 30 miles away), who was much more militant advised us to hold out for more!! He was at great pains to explain that the Unions could no longer advise that the workers went on strike for a better deal (as that was now illegal!), but he felt that if we, the workers, were to decide on that course of action we could get an improved offer. There were members of company management attending the meeting, and he kept just inside the law in what he was saying, and then asked for a show of hands on the current offer, which the voting members accepted - much to his disgust!!
During my third temporary contract I was offered a permanent job with the company, and as they promised to multi-skill all the permanent staff (including welding training) I felt it was a good move. The pay was not bad for Norfolk, we got 6 weeks paid holiday a year (though at times that coincided with shutdowns rather than when we wanted a holiday) and holiday pay was paid at time and a half. This was a throwback to the days when many factories worked shifts round the clock, and night and weekend shifts received enhanced rates of pay - so being on enforced holiday meant a reduction in pay for that period. Unions, when they had some power, had negotiated that all holiday, to all the workforce was paid at the enhanced rate of time and a half!
When the pay talks came round the following year the company offered us 10%!! That was way above the national averages, and, in my opinion, a very generous offer. There was a catch - they did want something in return! We had an agreement that anyone clocking in up to 3 minutes late would not get docked pay - they wanted to revoke that. There was also an agreement in place that we stopped working 5 minutes before a break (morning tea break, lunch, afternoon tea break and end of day) to "clean up" - they wanted to stop that, too. Finally because we worked a 39 hour week this was 4 x eight hour days, and Friday was only 7 hours, and there was only one hour between tea break and end of day - they wanted to stop that too.
Before the meeting there was much discussion about this, mostly along the lines of "we are giving the buggers nothing!". I spoke to most of my co-workers in the machine shop and tried to explain that we didn't, in fact, have to give anything up! None of us arrived "late" so the "3 minute rule " didn't apply to us, as the machine shop (and in fact most of the production lines) were classed as "hot" areas we could have a drink (from the vending machine, which cost pennies as it was heavily subsidised, or from a flask which most of us also had) whenever we liked, including Friday afternoon - so we were losing nothing there either, though we would have to drink standing at our work stations rather than sitting in the "tea area". Finally the "clean up time" - we could go to the toilet whenever we needed, so what was stopping us from going 5 minutes before a break time and washing our hands! Basically we could play the system and lose nothing in exchange for a 10% pay rise!
The day of the vote arrived and we met again in the dining room - again the militant Dereham branch shop steward addressed us, and pretty much said we would be wise to accept the offer as it was very generous - privately he was echoing what I had said, but not in front of the management!! So we turned it down, and finally settled for 6% with no concessions!
The two occasions I witnessed trade union shop stewards in action the workforce defied them and voted opposite to what they were advising! I only remained with Crane Freuhauf for 2 years - business was suffering (I believe even back then to cheap Chinese imports!) and the company were closing our factory down, and retrenching a lot of staff, and relocating others to the Dereham plant. I didn't wait for the possible redundancy notice and the risk of fighting with numerous others for scant job opportunities in a rural area, but managed to find another job - not in engineering - very quickly.