Non-disclosure agreements

As non-disclosure agreements are in the news I thought posting one might add a little information to the discussion. This is an extract from one I was pressured into signing in 2009.

4. The terms of this Agreement are confidential and shall not be disclosed by either party to any third party except:-
4.1 in the case of the Employee his immediate family, provided such person agrees to maintain confidentiality; or
4.2 in either case for the purposes of taking professional advice in relation to this Agreement provided the professional adviser is bound by a duty of confidence; or
4.3 in compliance with any legal obligation to disclose, for example to HM Revenue and Customs or the Compensation Recovery Unit.
5. The parties agree and undertake (in consideration of their mutual promises to that effect) that neither will make or publish any derogatory or disparaging statement or do anything in relation to the other, which is intended to or which might be expected to damage or lower their respective reputations.

You'll see that I shouldn't be posting this (clearly!) but as the other party broke the terms of this (para 5 above) in a private briefing to ex-colleagues the day after it was signed I'm not unduly bothered!

The SPCK case

OCICBW has just alerted me to the fact that the Brewers who asset stripped SPCK have just lost the unfair dismissal case that the staff of the Durham SPCK were taking against them, It seems the brewers were too cowardly to send anyone to the proceedings. Here's an extract from the Northern Echo's coverage of the case:

An employment tribunal held in Newcastle yesterday found the six, with 90 years’ service between them, were unfairly dismissed by American brothers Phil and Mark Brewer when they suddenly, and unexpectedly, closed the shop, in January last year.

Joan Cummins, one of the six, said: “I’m so delighted. It was never about the money.

We’ve got our justice.

And here's Phil Groom's coverage. A sad story but at least now some justice is being done against those asset-strippers.