THE fate of the man who triggered a mass walk-out of more than a thousand workers at BAE Systems Samlesbury factory will not be decided until next week.
The unnamed worker was sacked for "internet abuse" on the night shift on Tuesday and around 1,200 staff downed tools to demand his reinstatement. The Transport and General Workers' Union is supporting the man who is understood to have worked at BAE for the past 25 years.
A spokesman for BAE confirmed that the man had lodged an appeal against his dismissal. "The appeal process is now in place," he said. "We want to ensure the individual has as fair a hearing as possible and if that means the process moving into next week then so be it."
Neither the company nor the union would comment on the nature of the alleged misuse of the internet systems at Samlesbury. Many workers have access to the internet through the company's own IT systems, but its use is strictly controlled.
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