Workers
on the London Underground who were sacked after empty beer cans were found in
their mess room have lost their claim for unfair dismissal.
An
employment tribunal found that the six maintenance staff were fairly dismissed
by Metronet last October after beer cans and a bottle of cognac were found in
Farringdon station.
Metronet
maintained the six employees knew that beer was being kept in the mess room,
contrary to the consortium’s policy.
The
tribunal said it was satisfied that each applicant understood the consequences
of breaching the procedures and that they knew it was their responsibility to
report any breach.
The
RMT union had threatened strikes over the sackings, but cancelled industrial
action after the staff said they would take the matter to tribunal.
David
Crawley, managing director of Metronet, said: "The vast majority of our
staff and the general public know that alcohol and the safety-critical
operation of the Tube simply don’t mix
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Metronet
maintains two-thirds of the Tube network.
