Forklift driver fired for silence during leave

News Story
- 13 Sep 2007 ( #327 ) - United Kingdom
1 min read
A forklift driver who took time off to console his grieving girlfriend was sacked for failing to notify his employer of his absence.

Brian Cowell, 48, has lashed out at waste company Viridor, calling their treatment of him "disgusting".

Cowell, Bridgwater Mercury reported, was given compassionate leave after his partner Jackie Richmond's 23-year-old son went missing while fishing off the Dorset Coast on July 22.

His body was found on August 9.

"These past five weeks, I have been comforting my girlfriend and making arrangements for the funeral.

"I think they have probably done this because I couldn't phone up every day," Cowell says.

A Viridor spokesman says Cowell had instructions to stay in touch with the company through a 24-hour hotline, which he failed to use.

"[Viridor] sent him a series of letters asking him to let us know what was happening and when there was no response to those, he was sent a letter [of termination]."

He adds that Cowell can appeal the decision.
Do you have materials handling news? Submit your news here

Since July 2000, Forkliftaction News has been your guide to the developments that are shaping your industry.

Starting today we are also looking back on some of the key news stories from our extensive news archive.

In the news email and on the website, you'll see links to stories that were 'leading our news' multiple years ago, with topics spanning world-first products, big acquisitions, and major industry shifts.
We hope you enjoy this unique insight into the materials handling industry!

Words of support …

These releases in Forkliftaction are a nice experience for SNDC... We got seven inquiries coming from Canada, USA, Mexico, Israel and Australia (five from retailers, two from machines manufacturers) and we are still in contact with them. I can state that's a success story!

David Massat, Sales Director OEM and Export

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

It’s the year 2000. You’re in front of a boxy beige desktop waiting for the screeching ramblings of your dial-up to reach its finale. You go to Yahoo!, MSN, or maybe AOL, and start the mind-numbing process of finding your very specific needle in the digital haystack. And with web pages loading one image at a time, patience isn’t just a virtue – it’s a requirement!

As clumsy as this early iteration seems now, this technology was the great enabler that allowed Forkliftaction to connect to the industry across the globe.  

To everyone who has connected with Forkliftaction in the past 25 years, thank you for your contribution to our success! We feel deeply touched by your words of encouragement.

What has Forkliftaction meant to you? Drop us a line.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

It’s the year 2000. You’re in front of a boxy beige desktop waiting for the screeching ramblings of your dial-up to reach its finale. You go to Yahoo!, MSN, or maybe AOL, and start the mind-numbing process of finding your very specific needle in the digital haystack. And with web pages loading one image at a time, patience isn’t just a virtue – it’s a requirement!

As clumsy as this early iteration seems now, this technology was the great enabler that allowed Forkliftaction to connect to the industry across the globe.  

To everyone who has connected with Forkliftaction in the past 25 years, thank you for your contribution to our success! We feel deeply touched by your words of encouragement.

What has Forkliftaction meant to you? Drop us a line.