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Employment lawLatest NewsHR practiceUnfair dismissal

Supermarket worker forced to leave after giving away dead flowers

by Gareth Vorster 25 Apr 2008
by Gareth Vorster 25 Apr 2008

A supermarket supervisor has been told by an HR department to ‘jump or be pushed’ after giving away a bunch of out-of-date, 75p flowers to a regular customer.


Mary Whitner, 59, who was days away from retirement, but had hoped to work on, said she was called into her manager’s office and told to “resign or be sacked” after letting a customer keep the flowers, which were due to be thrown away, according to reports.


Whitner, who worked at the Co-op supermarket in Burgess Hill, West Sussex for 23 years, said: “I’m being treated like a thief. It was a bunch of dead flowers and a very loyal customer, but the HR department in Leeds called me up and told me to jump or be pushed. That’s exactly what they told me.”


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A spokesman for the Co-op told the Telegraph: “It is Co-operative Group policy not to discuss individual staff members publicly.


“However, I will add that in all staff matters, there are strict HR policies, agreed with relevant unions, that are adhered to by local management and HR personnel.”

Gareth Vorster

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