Nortel Insider – by Desk Jockey

I have noticed that there is a lot of undeserved hatred being leveled towards Nortel and by extension, its employees. One need only read the latest stories on CBC News about Nortel and the comments to get an idea of how the public at large feel about the company.

Many of the comments are very bitter and hateful. Some of them say things like “good riddance” in response to the coming layoffs and still others think that the loss in severance and pensions of many innocent employees is something that “they deserve”. Other suggest that employees have been “feeding at the trough” for too long and “had it coming”

These claims are patently untrue. Is working your entire career, helping to build one of the biggest companies in the world, only to watch it destroyed by despots and criminals and watch your life and those of your coworkers suffer considered “fitting”? I personally have seen entire teams work overtime into weekends, sacrificing time away from family and friends, only to be laid off and have their severance removed. This experience should not be wished upon anyone.

Nortel employees have been through enough hardship from due to bad leadership. Please do not subject to them to any more unwarranted hate. To hate and feel contempt for them is akin to hating the civilians of another country that yours may be at war with. It’s wrong and unjustified as they are honest hard working people like everyone else.

To those who have lost lots of $$$ on stock: Your anger is understandable, but Nortel employees were not responsible. The former leader’s criminal behaviors (Dunn) show who was truly responsible, unfortunately our justice system seems to protect the biggest criminals at the expense of the little guy. Unfortunately Nortel’s reputation has suffered and continues to suffer under the tyrannical leadership of the few so called privileged and elite.

Has employee morale been reduced? Yes, of course! But does this mean that they have turned into bad people? Most definitely not! Instead, their resolve and respect for one another has increased. The rank and file are the ones who have suffered the most under the many iterations of bad leadership that have plagued and continue to plague Nortel. They do not deserve the enmity that should be reserved for the people who got us all into this position we are in. We remain committed and loyal to one another.

When thinking of Nortel, one must be be careful to distinguish Nortel the company from Nortel’s leadership, which over the years has shown utter contempt for shareholders, employees and the public at large with their lavish bonuses and profiteering from the demise of this great company. Like hyenas and vultures they shamelessly seek to benefit from a disaster and in doing so, bring undue hardship on many. These are the ones who have destroyed Nortel and caused hatred of it among the public at large!

The executive has used this “hatred” of Nortel in an attempt to deceive employees that there is a “media bias” against Nortel and that is why Nortel is in the position it is in today. By doing this, they attempt to shift the blame for their misdeeds away from themselves! In reality, a “bias” exists against the executive but this “bias” is actually justified criticism of their ostentatious behavior in the face of the company’s financial crisis, which they have had a very real part in creating.

So in conclusion, please remember that employees have been victims just as much as the public and shareholders. Many have also lost much of their own money due to NT stock fraud.

In recent days, there have been a rash of comments attacking me personally for the view points I’ve held. Despite their vitriolic and hateful tone, some of these comments have presented valid concerns. One in particular was that I was not completely clear on who I represent.

So, to clarify: The view points on this site reflect those of myself and the others who help me write in this blog and help maintain the site. No one else. In particular, views presented here do not reflect those of Nortel or of its employees as a whole. This information has been on my About page but I wanted to clarify it here, to appease the reasonable detractors. (There is still another class of detractors that will continue to hate me no matter what and there is little I can do about this)

But there is a bigger concern.

Those of you who read the articles here will know that freedom of speech and freedom of thought are the two most important issues at stake. I have made these a priority. But it has been getting harder in recent times to adhere to these principles because of the consequences that I must face for being truthful.

Lately, the hateful comments have gone from inane to potentially destructive. Recent comments have accused me of leaking trade secrets in order to aid competitors and bring down Nortel and personally profit from the whole affair. I have done no such thing and would not even think of undertaking such criminal actions, especially against a company that I am loyal to.

More insidious comments have vaguely threatened physical violence against me, by suggesting that bad men were out to get me and that they were “looking for [me]“

Let me give a short history, if you will. My grandparents came to this country to escape a tyrannical regime bent on maintaining control through brutal repression. Expressing your opinion could get you locked up, or worse. When they arrived here, they instantly saw the opportunity available in this country.

This opportunity was not just the availability of jobs and the entrepreneurial spirit, but was more fundamentally rooted in the freedom of thought and freedom of speech. I firmly believe these are the things that have made this country great.

My grandparents, through their hard work, instilled these principles in my parents and by extension, myself as well.

But yet I am finding it hard to stay true to these principles when I have to worry about threats. I do not wish to upset anyone and have always said that people are free to disagree with me. But lately it seems that many have taken this to mean that they are allowed to launch bitter personal attacks and use heavy handed techniques to bend me to their will. Frankly, this is taking a toll on me.

I will try my best to continue on for the time being but may have to take a break from it all. I know that this is exactly the result my detractors seek to accomplish, but please remember that I have a family to look after, not just myself.

Thank you all for your feedback, both good and bad, and remember to stay true to yourself.