I was sacked from Co-op after giving discounts to pensioners and a war vet – I just wanted to do something nice
A "GUTTED" Co-op worker was given the boot after he innocently offered discounts to pensioners and a war veteran.
John Burley has slammed the popular supermarket after he feels he was wrongly was sacked for "deliberate abuse" of his staff discount privileges.
After landing the job in May at a branch in Eastleigh, Hants, John started extending his employee perks to elderly customers - one of whom was a former army soldier - under the impression he was permitted to do so.
The baffled 64-year-old claimed he was never informed this breached company rules.
He added that he would have "stopped straight away" if someone had spoken to him about it before being let go without warning.
The fuming Co-op worker was interrogated by his store manager last month after discovering customers were receiving 30 per cent off store branded items - and 10 per cent off all other products.
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"I am gutted, especially with it being so close to Christmas," said John.
"Someone my age trying to find a job now will be really tough - it is bound to have a massive impact on my finances.
“I just wanted to do something nice for the veteran.
"It was my way to honour him, but I had no idea what I was doing was against the company’s policy."
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John was informed he would be suspended while an investigation was carried out.
"I was shocked because at no given moment was I told by anybody that what I did was wrong," added the 64-year-old.
He was fired a week later, a decision he appealed but lost, which meant he was dismissed for gross misconduct without notice or pay.
"I just want to know why no one came to me and said that what I was doing was wrong," he explained.
"I was only on a part-time contract but any time they needed me to cover someone’s shift I would always help.
"I had finally found a job I loved, and getting to have banter with the customers.
"I was brought up properly, I don’t steal or lie."
A spokesperson for Southern Co-Op said: "After a thorough investigation, we reluctantly had to dismiss an employee for deliberate abuse of his staff discount card.
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"The policy around the use of colleague discount is communicated clearly at the point of signing up to the scheme.
"We expect colleagues to respect the rules and our policy clearly states that a serious breach of the rules can be taken as an act of gross misconduct which can lead to dismissal."
