An update to last weekend's post about Pret a Manger firing a union organizer from its St Pancras store: Pret management alleges that Andrej Stopa was dismissed for making repeated homophobic slurs towards a co-worker. The union disputes this, saying that the manager who brought the complaint ("a malicious grievance") against Stopa had been at loggerheads with Stopa over Stopa's workplace agitation regarding food safety and employment conditions, and cites witnesses to that effect. (Thanks, Keith and Andrej!)

  • Wreckrob8

    Still, he is entitled to a proper hearing with representation (or at least in the presence of a witness) if he wishes (this may or may not be a union representative), before any form of disciplinary action can be taken beyond an initial verbal warning. I trust they have a record of the escalating degrees of disciplinary action taken (written warnings) before a final dismissal. I am not sure, however, whether certain types of alleged offences obviate the need to adhere strictly to this process, such as bullying, but I suspect they would have to be gross and criminal offences such as assault.

    • Gunker

      Taking the companies release at face value would imply that he had an independant hearing in front of the employment tribunal for (him protesting about the ) first offence and internal hearings for the second.

      • Wreckrob8

        Oops. I should read before speaking, shouldn’t I? To be honest, given their previous statements, I was expecting them to go with the nature and seriousness of his offences necessitating instant dismissal.

  • retchdog

    would be a clever tactic, to paint an agitator in a politically-incorrect light so as to confound the left…

    not that this happened here, of course.

    • Stooge

      Of course, claiming martyrdom for unionising would be an equally clever tactic for a fired homophobe.

      • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

        Someone’s a clever bastard… we just have to work out who.

        • Antinous / Moderator

          How hard could it be to find the person who heard the homophobic comment to verify what happened?

          • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

            How hard would it be to lie for a friend?

            I appreciate this is conspiracy level stuff, but just saying.

          • Antinous / Moderator

            How hard would it be to lie for a friend?

            Successfully? It’s remarkably difficult.

  • dioptase

    Sadly, there’s no rule that says both things can’t be true.

    Boss 1: Andrej has been trying to unionize our stores
    Boss 2: Can we get rid of him?
    Boss 1: Maybe.  I heard he made some offensive comments
    Boss 2: Yeah, go with that.

    They might be getting rid of him for unionizing and using a sliver of truth to cover their asses.  Heck, he might have just used slang for a cigarette, but they might have felt it was enough cover.

    • class_enemy

      So which side do you come down on in the case of a homophobic labor activist?

      It’s kind of like putting a humidifier and a dehumidifier in the same room, turning them both on full blast, and taking bets.

      • Antinous / Moderator

        The humidifier always wins because it uses a tiny fraction of the energy that the dehumidifier uses.

  • Cokelid

    Oddly neither side mention the living wage or the union as the cause. Where did that come from?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/J4YFY7LOJFYPD75NGAGUOTEJFQ Anne

    Don’t forget Andrej founded the union. And seems to be the only discernible member. So when the union says X, that’s just Andrej saying it but trying to add a veneer of gravitas to it.

    Taking both statements at face value and trying to decide which to believe:
    1) Pret says Andrej already lost once at a tribunal. That’s pretty big. And a miracle they kept him on after that. Heck, even if he had won at tribunal, it would be big if they’d kept him. The relationship has already seriously deteriorated.
    2) Andrej now says he’s filing another tribunal claim. Presuming the written records cited by Pret, he’s going to lose again. It is easier to get fired in this country than you think and the causes stated and it sounds like documented pretty well will keep you fired.
    3) if someone else at Pret was trying to Organize or join a union and getting fired for it, then there might be something to contrast with Pret’s now clear printed statement that its workforce are free to belong to unions. But there doesn’t seem to be anyone trying to except Andrej.
    4) the Living Wage thing just seems to be brought in to add legitimacy. Both the Telegraph and the Guardian agree the stats bear out that Pret pays much more than higher than minimum wage to start and has higher salaries and better odds of progression on the whole than almost any other chain restaurant in the UK, although below London living wage.

    I’m VERY pro union, and proudly pay my dues every month. But this time, I’m with Pret.