One of those lucky things

Two nights ago we had this meeting, a forum. We're taking over this other company, P&O, and we came under attack basically by the P&O management. We are going to offer jobs to our new colleagues, but obviously it wasn't enough for them. Even when our area manager was being totally welcoming, they bombed us. They were very rude and insulting, if you asked me. And then I did one of those things that I always manage to do. It's not even anything spectacular. But it was just done at the right moment I guess. I stepped up to the microphone (cos we had microphones standing at the aisle for everybody to voice out their issues) and said what anybody could have said. But no one else had said anything. No one else apart from our managers of course. Not even the P&O staff were standing up and saying anything. We were just hearing all this shit from their managers.

What really got to me was when this guy stood up and said, "P&O staff are really loyal. We don't want to leave the company." Whoever said anything about leaving the company?? We're offering you jobs for God's sake! And this other guy said, "P&O staff are much older than Maersk staff. We're very loyal to the company." So what? Young people can't be loyal too?

So enough was enough, and it was getting pretty late too (the meeting was at night), and I stepped up to the mike and said what was on everyone else's mind, I said, "I just wanted to say before the night was over that Maersk staff are loyal, too. Even at the lower level, like me, we're very committed, I'm very committed to making this Maersk-P&O union work."

And that's it. That's all I said. And everybody clapped. But anybody could have stood up there and said that. I don't think what I said was anything truly special even until now. But I impressed my area manager, and he must have asked my country manager what my name was, cos I received this email the next day thanking me for standing up and saying what I said. I was really touched, because it was totally unexpected. But there was something that he said in the mail, his last words, that really said it all. He said, "the environment you chose was difficult, and is a further show of your character." I read that last bit over and over and over. Because yeah, he's totally right. It is a definite show of my character. And I used to think it was a bad thing, to always want to defend myself and defend others, to always fight back when I'm being oppressed, but this time someone's gone and said it was a good thing.

So I'm rethinking everything, and I guess sometimes being outspoken is good, and sometimes it's bad. I guess you just have to choose your words carefully and pick the right time to say them. But I'm glad that he could pick out bits of my character from what I did that night, and I'm glad that he has let me know, because rarely does someone commend you for doing things that come so naturally.