- Brian Leach was let go by the supermarket for 'breaching its social media policy'
- Mr Leach deleted post and wrote an apology but was sacked this week
- The grandfather had worked at Asda in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for five years
A disabled grandfather has been sacked by Asda for sharing a Billy Connolly sketch about religion on his Facebook page.
Till worker Brian Leach, 54, was let go by the supermarket after seven colleagues complained that the comments in the skit were anti-Islamic.
Following the complaint, the father-of-one deleted the post from May and wrote an apology to his bosses and colleagues.
But Mr Leach, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was fired for gross misconduct on Wednesday after five years in the job for breaching the company's social media policy.
Brian Leach was sacked by Asda after sharing a post that quoted Billy Connolly's sketch poking fun at suicide bombers
Mr Leach was let go by the supermarket after five years in the job when seven of his colleagues complained the post was anti-Islamic
Mr Leach announced the sacking on Facebook and said he'd miss his regular customers
Mr Leach announced the sacking on Facebook. He wrote: Unfortunately, I have today been dismissed from Asda. Some of my colleagues took offence to the Billy Connelly, (sic), thoughts on religion, that I posted early May.
'It's been a pleasure working with my friends and serving the public of Dewsbury and I will miss my regular customers x.
The video referred to in the post was Connolly's Religion is Over taken from his live stage act a number of years ago.
In the sketch, the comedian rails against religious followers of Christianity and Islam.
It includes the lines: 'Religion is over, lads, it's f***ing over. Take your Reformation, your Vatican, your f***ing Mecca, and f*** off.
'Suicide f***ing bombing - now there's a bright idea. Every time there's a bang the world is a w***er short. F***ing idiots.'
Mr Leach, who suffers from epilepsy after a car crash as a child, said: 'I am overcome with disappointment that I have lost the job I love and the injustice of it all.
'I do regret posting it but we should be able to share comedy and I thought the line about suicide bombers was very funny.
'Anyway, Asda sells Billy Connolly books and DVDs so it seems like double standards to me.
'I realise it was poor judgement but it was just a joke and I didn't expect another colleague to post it to the entire Asian community.
'I thought I was going to end up with a knife in my back when I was stood at the back of the store on a quiet night.
'When I posted it I did not think much about it until I was hauled in. They showed me a screen shot of my post and asked me to explain myself.
Mr Leach shared this photo on Facebook today with the caption: 'Returning my locker key and company discount cards. Thought I would get a photo for the memories. All you had to do was give me a written warning!'
'They said seven people, all Asian as I understand it, had complained including the woman at head office who escalated the complaint.
'I thought I would get off with a final written warning but then I realised I was going. I am going to lodge an appeal to tomorrow.
'I don't want my job back after all that has happened. I just want them to admit I was unjustly dismissed.
'People were calling me a racist. There is no way I am a racist. Everyone is welcome at my till.'
The video referred to in the post was Connolly's Religion is Over taken from his live stage act. In it, he pokes fun at suicide bombing
The grandfather said he was 'feeling lost' without his job and has since gained employment at an ice cream parlour.
But he revealed today he would be appealing the decision.
An Asda spokesman said: 'We would never comment on individual circumstances.
'However, we do not tolerate any form of discrimination from colleagues or customers and take such behaviour extremely seriously.'
No comments:
Post a Comment