Royal Mail driver in 'anti-Catholic' abuse claim

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.acadvertiser.co.uk/lanarkshi ... -22499630/

A ROYAL Mail driver who allegedly delivered sectarian, anti-Catholic abuse in a bust-up with a Celtic-supporting workmate has lost his unfair dismissal claim.

Peter McCool from Airdrie denied he had made an offensive sectarian comment at the Glasgow Mail Centre in Springburn following “banter” about Rangers and Celtic.

McCool claimed colleague Gerard Broadley attacked him from behind before punching him in the Mail Centre’s “muster” room. Others had to jump in and separate them and McCool reported that he had been assaulted by Broadley.

Both men were suspended pending an investigation and they subsequently lost their jobs.

Broadley, a Celtic supporter, claimed McCool made a crude remark about “Fenian b******s”.

Broadley said the incident on November 7, 2007, had escalated to a “serious argument”.

He claimed McCool got up and came towards him and said he felt cornered so pushed him away. He said McCool came towards him again but was stopped by others in the room.

McCool denied he had made any foul or sectarian comments or that he had been fighting and insisted he had been attacked from behind by Broadley.

But McCool, who had 13 years’ good service with Royal Mail to his name, was sacked for gross misconduct last December for threatening and provoking a colleague, using foul, abusive and sectarian language and fighting. Broadley was also dismissed.

McCool, a father of three, appealed, denying there was any sectarian language attributable to him, or that he had been involved in a physical altercation.

He said the only thing he had done wrong was being foolish enough to get himself drawn into a “bad situation”.

But his appeal was rejected.

The tribunal accepted evidence from one witness who said McCool had made a sectarian comment and often made anti-Catholic and football related comments which were “not very pleasant”. Another witness said he thought he heard him say something about Catholics prior to the altercation.

The Glasgow tribunal ruled that Mr McCool of Airdrie, was not unfairly dismissed from his job as a distribution driver.

Employment judge Stewart Watt added: “The tribunal have no hesitation in concluding that the respondents were within the band of reasonable responses in dismissing Mr McCool for using foul, abusive and sectarian language against another employee and thereafter becoming involved in a physical altercation with Mr Broadley.”

[DGP1]

I would like to see that rule enforced in my office but then it's only the managers pets who use it so it'll never happen.

[eireann]

Did the other guy appeal? Anybody know anything else about this case?

[fishtank]

I would like to see that rule enforced in my office but then it's only the managers pets who use it so it'll never happen.

Up here this is bred through the school system.
Until we get rid of seperate protestant and catholic schools you will never see an end to it.

[eireann]

The chap Peter McCool is to become the Minister at Tillicoultry Congregational Church...

Not bad, lose a job, find God - wonder if he ever found his postal routes with the same ease...there's hope for the rest of us yet.

[DGP1]

I would like to see that rule enforced in my office but then it's only the managers pets who use it so it'll never happen.

Up here this is bred through the school system.
Until we get rid of seperate protestant and catholic schools you will never see an end to it.

The Catholic school system is run by the church and the state runs the rest (at least over here).

We have a couple of catholics working in my office and even though they aren't Celtic supporters they do have to take a bit of abuse about their results (the same happens the other way round when they take the proverbial out of the rest of us...................and I don't even like football ). I suppose I don't know the full details of the incident and what was said or not said but I do think it could have been handled better by the management

[fishtank]

In Scotland Catholic schools were absorbed into the state system almost 100 years ago and are fully funded by the Scottish Goverment.
There are legal provisions (unlike in England & Wales) to ensure the Catholicity of such schools within the system e.g. applicants for positions in the areas of Religion, Guidance or Senior Management must be approved by the local Diocese, and are invariably Catholic.
Not in my humble opinion a good start in life to separete children by their religion of their parents.
Non- denominational or "proddy" schools are just as polarised because who wants to be the only catholic kid in a "proddy" school.
That is my experience of the school system up here although i dare say it has changed a bit in XX years.

[Spartacus]

Catholic schools exist in the rest of the UK quite happily, it's only Scotland (mostly in the West) that they seem to be a problem for some people.

[fishtank]

Catholic schools exist in the rest of the UK quite happily, it's only Scotland (mostly in the West) that they seem to be a problem for some people.

I don't think it is the schools themselves that are the problem and certainly not limited to catholic schools.
I think it is the segregation of children at a young age which contributes to the polarisation of their relgious veiwpiont as adults

[Spartacus]

Catholic schools exist in the rest of the UK quite happily, it's only Scotland (mostly in the West) that they seem to be a problem for some people.

I don't think it is the schools themselves that are the problem and certainly not limited to catholic schools.
I think it is the segregation of children at a young age which contributes to the polarisation of their relgious veiwpiont as adults

I understand entirely what you're saying, the point I'm making is that sectarianism and bigotry around schooling only seems to happen in Scotland.

Religious intolerance is learned behaviour, I'm certain that intolerance is not taught in school, so you have to look at the parents and peer pressure to find the real causes.

Schools and fitba make the west of Scotland what it is.

[DGP1]

Catholic schools exist in the rest of the UK quite happily, it's only Scotland (mostly in the West) that they seem to be a problem for some people.

I don't think it is the schools themselves that are the problem and certainly not limited to catholic schools.
I think it is the segregation of children at a young age which contributes to the polarisation of their relgious veiwpiont as adults

I understand entirely what you're saying, the point I'm making is that sectarianism and bigotry around schooling only seems to happen in Scotland.

Religious intolerance is learned behaviour, I'm certain that intolerance is not taught in school, so you have to look at the parents and peer pressure to find the real causes.

Schools and fitba make the west of Scotland what it is.

Have you never been to Northern Ireland

[dados]

i'm in N.Ireland,our D.O has prods & catholics,a fair few English,couple of Welsh,1 from S.Africa,we all get on,the banter is what you would expect from such a mixture,that stupid dvd we had to watch hasn't changed anything,i still have to work with the w*****s

[DGP1]

i'm in N.Ireland,our D.O has prods & catholics,a fair few English,couple of Welsh,1 from S.Africa,we all get on,the banter is what you would expect from such a mixture,that stupid dvd we had to watch hasn't changed anything,i still have to work with the w*****s

At least you've no bit part actors from Eastenders

[eireann]

Is there really any room for Sectarianism in this country?

Any one of us could have been born to a Roman Catholic, Protestant or Aetheist family - it's not a choice, just as any one of us could have been born black, white or Chinese.

We are not born hating individuals, we are not born looking at differences - we learn these mostly in the home or in the school playground.

As for the anti-Roman Catholic abuse claim - both parties got what they deserved.

[blue1873]

Catholic schools exist in the rest of the UK quite happily, it's only Scotland (mostly in the West) that they seem to be a problem for some people.

I don't think it is the schools themselves that are the problem and certainly not limited to catholic schools.
I think it is the segregation of children at a young age which contributes to the polarisation of their relgious veiwpiont as adults

To quote Rabbie Burns we are all Jock Tamsons bairns