Because of the support you are showing to the cinema and the staff, people are empowered to speak out against what is happening. 

Like Sean, who has worked at the cinema for some years. Read Sean's letter below.

Please can you ask your friends and family to sign too?

Thank you.

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Dear Holli Keeble and members of the Board of Trustees at Tyneside Cinema,

I am writing to inform you that I am withdrawing my participation from Tyneside Cinema's current redundancy consultation, and will not participate in any voluntary consultations during this process.

The redundancy consultation is an HR process. Major flaws in HR processes at the cinema have been exposed and the organisation is consequently subject to an independent review. It is not appropriate to be continuing with redundancies when the authority and integrity of the people making the redundancies is in question. Moreover, the financial failings that are behind this process are historic and not simply due to Coronavirus. Over £62,000 has been spent in the last two years on ‘staff restructuring’ alone.

It has become clear to me that the Senior Leadership Team, the Chief Executive and the Board of Trustees have failed to carry out their duty of care for me, and other employees. Your response to serious allegations and incidents has been inadequate, incompetent, callous and, in several cases, simply non-existent. It seems you have failed to grasp the seriousness and severity of the allegations that have been made. I have no confidence that the current leadership team have the capacity to arrange a legitimate review into the HR scandal. It has also become clear that you lack the skill to fairly carry out the current redundancy process. To hear the leaders saying they plan to plough ahead with this process in spite of the ongoing investigation into their own conduct, is so disheartening.

On a more personal note, for reasons that I've made public, and other reasons that I have currently decided to keep private, working at the Tyneside has been traumatic for me, in more ways than I'll probably ever understand. It had been destructive to my confidence, my mental health and many aspects of my personal life. It has led me to panic attacks, episodes of depression and even suicidal thoughts. I feel that to participate in this flawed redundancy process would be giving it the credence it absolutely does not deserve, and would be an insult to the countless victims of Tyneside's disgraceful conduct, of which I am one myself.

Yours sincerely, Sean Winnie