One week ago, Christine Perriot resigned from BTL. It’s big news because in her battle with BTL, Perriot had emerged as a kind of people’s champion – a little David taking on the BTL goliath. And she was winning. The Supreme Court forced BTL to re-instate her after she was, according to no less than the Labour Minister, terminated for union activities. And so, for many, to hear that she had thrown in the towel 5 months after the court brought BTL to heel, it was somewhat of a disappointment – even if it was an understandable decision. But what really is behind her resignation? Well, Jules Vasquez spoke to Christine Perriot yesterday and she said that BTL management had made her life a living hell.
Christine Perriot, Resigned from BTL
“What I experienced in the last four months here at BTL, that is beyond...Treatment of discrimination and harassment and actually everything is just negative, it is like everything was just geared to target Christine Perriot.”
Jules Vasquez,
You say in your letter that they made your life into a living hell.
Christine Perriot,
“That’s how I consider it because like for example the first day I returned to work, I walked into the company and shortly after being greeted by my friends and everybody like excited because I came back, they called me into a meeting and they started questioning my clothes – you know the pants I am wearing, the shoes I am wearing, and telling me that from now on, this is how the policies will be and from now on, procedures will be this way and you will do this and you will do that and time card. They went even to that extent to check if got punched.
I said alright, I will check my pants, check my shoes, and check time card. That is alright but the same day before we even finished with the meeting, I was instructed that I have to go to P.G. and I had to get myself and then I got a reprimand letter because I am telling them about the policies. Imagine you are talking to managers who supposed to know how the policies work and they pretend they don’t know such a policy exist and since when that? Because even when I had emergencies with my kids and under normal circumstances when they would say yes, go – I am being denied.
When I applied for leave to go deal with some matters, urgent to me and my family, my manager would grant those. Here you have the Human Resource Department telling me they are going to deny it. And even to a form, we have some forms there at BTL where you apply for leave, even to get those forms, I am denied.
I go to the bathroom, they monitor how long I stay in the bathroom. If I am on the phone they are telling me about staying long on the phone. And if I go to the bathroom, make sure I don’t take my cell phone in the bathroom because nobody is allowed to call in there. And I go like this is nonsense. Then it got to the point that I have to tell them if I am going to the bathroom or if I am going to get water. The minute I have to get up from my desk, I have to tell them and it has gotten to that extent which I would tell them I am going to the bathroom. How silly that looks, that reminds of when you are at primary school.”
Jules Vasquez,
BTL says your claims of being harassed, discriminated against, and intimidated are wrong and that in fact it is you who just ignored the company’s requests to answer to them, to attend meetings.
Christine Perriot,
“Jules you know they would write anything like that just so that they can try to get a face cover but everything they do is just for me, in my opinion, is a fake, a farce – pretend.”
Jules Vasquez,
An outsider would say what did you expect, you’re going up against Michael Ashcroft, not a nice guy.
Christine Perriot,
“When I was going back, yes, a lot of people told me I am not going to be treated right, I am going to have bad days. I did expect it, some bad days. I did expect some bad treatment. I did not expect discrimination. I did not expected the extent that they go to force, I would say force, but to make their managers and co-workers do things because they just want to get to me. I have worked in environment where my manager hates me to my guts for being a woman or no woman belongs here. I’ve worked under those environment. I’ve worked in an environment where my manager, because I would not go out with them, would target me. I have worked under that. I’ve worked under situations where because I am a woman in a so-called man’s field, everybody is against me and I have to work twice as hard just to be considered half as good. I have worked in an environment like that. So I felt like why should I be deprived?
My point of going back was because I enjoyed what I did at BTL. I liked what I did. I wouldn’t have been there seventeen years if I didn’t like it.”
Jules Vasquez,
Being on the outside of all drama and friction, how does it feel right now?
Christine Perriot,
“Well making the decision to step away was not just spontaneous. It was difficult under the circumstances because 17 years, this is what I knew. It was not easy but I did not realize that making the decision to finally walk away, I did not know that it was such a load that when I did it, it felt, from BTL, relieved. I actually felt relieved. I am at peace. I feel...I can’t explain but it feels like a whole burden just came off. I don’t know why, it just felt that way. I actually felt lighter.”
Jules Vasquez,
What would you say to those people who were riding with you?
Christine Perriot,
“Well first of all I must say that the battle is not over. I still have my case pending. We are just waiting for the date to be set.”
Jules Vasquez,
Christine a lot of people saw your struggle as a sort of David versus Goliath. Christine the worker, the IT employee, versus Michael Ashcroft the billionaire. Has Goliath won?
Christine Perriot,
“Jules David and Goliath story didn’t say Goliath win. David and Goliath story said David win with one pebble, one pebble. If my story is compared to that, without a doubt – Goliath is not going to win.”
BTL’s position as outlined in a 3 page letter accepting her resignation, states that Perriot never showed up for meetings, that she missed work, that she neglected duties and that the company had good and sufficient cause to terminate her, but chose not to. As for Christine, she says she’s not retiring completely from public life, and she has a number of projects she’s looking into.
