A BARMAN who was sacked after a customer claimed he stole half a pint of cider won his case for unfair dismissal.
Ben Morgan, 30, of Newport, had been working at Newport's Murenger pub for just over a year when landlord Robert Jones sacked him because he believed he had downed the £1.30 drink a few days earlier - something Mr Morgan denied.
Mr Jones also said Mr Morgan had been late to work on a few occasions and claimed he had been buying drinks for his girlfriend while on shift, which is against customer policy.
At an employment tribunal hearing yesterday, the pub's area manager, Mr Michael Martin admitted the dismissal procedure had been unfair and Chairman John Thomas awarded Mr Morgan a total of £684.80 in compensation.
**In short he won on a technical point and so was awarded the money, nice work if you can get it.
But Mr Thomas said he was unable to determine whether the ex-barman was guilty of stealing the cider because the pub's CCTV footage had been lost.
**Here he is a whiney chap, not innocent just not proven. There is a world of difference. But still looking like a smug git but now with £600 plus notes in his arse pocket thanks to a technical legal point.
In evidence presented to the tribunal, landlady Julie Jones claimed the CCTV footage had shown Mr Morgan drinking the cider, but he claims he was drinking soda.
After the hearing, Mr Morgan, who has been drinking at the pub since he was 18, said the whole experience left him feeling depressed.
He said: "I've been drinking in that pub for years and always had a good relationship with the people there, all of this just came out of the blue.
"I always used to go to the pub and now my social life has been completely upheaved.
"I haven't gone back since I was dismissed and I don't know if I will go back now, it would just be too awkward."
**Trust me Ben, I think that your welcome would not be a jovial one. More a case of persona non grata, and I am sure that he would have to pay for his half of cider/soda this time.
He added: "I needed that job and it left me short, I had sleepless nights worrying about how I was going to pay to support my two children and I felt aggreived that they would think I'd steal."
**Well Ben the old saying is that honesty is the best policy.
There are plenty of pubs around Newport taking on staff, I am sure that Mr Morgan can easily find another high flying bar role. He could try The Friendship which has a rather laid back attitude to honesty and following the laws of the land.
Mr Morgan said even though his innocence was not proven in the tribunal, he was happy.
He said: "I'm pleased that they've said I was unfairly dismissed - it's not the money that matters to me so much it's a matter of principle."
Mr Martin, the area manager for the Samuel Smith chain of pubs, and Murenger landlord Mr Jones did not want to comment after the hearing.
**Having worked with Mr Morgan previously before his high flying career in The Murenger as a barman I can say that he was often late in to work. As for the allegation of him being light fingered, who knows? But it would explain where all the office pens vanished!
The Murenger is a fine local pub and even better now that drinks don't go walkabout and the other staff turn up on time and serve customers rather than their latest squeeze.
Some pics of the Murenger and http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/44570/
Tags:The Murenger
Real Ale
Camra
Newport
Ben Morgan
Newport Gwent
7 people have spoken:
This is a nasty mean-spirited little blog entry isn't it? Is his "squeeze" your "ex-squeeze" or some such?
No as I have too much respect for my penis to pork anything that Ben has been with.
I know this man very, very well and know, full well, that he IS NOT a thief and doesn't even drink cider!!! So, on that note, get on with your own sad little life and leave the poor bastards that you are slating on this site alone!!!! How dare you 'bitch' issues that you have no real evidence against???!!! It seems that you love to accuse everyone of being immoral and 'in the wrong'......take a look in the mirror sunshine, you are nothing but a HYPOCRITE! (and, just incase you arent sure what that long ol' word means....)"a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude"!!!!!
As far as I'm concerned this blog is pure slander- regardless of whether or not Mr Morgan was proved innocent or guilty.
You may want to consider getting rid of this blog before you find yourself getting the same treatment.
oh and further to my last comment.. I think it was only right of Mr Morgan to take his case further.
Landlords and the such like shouldn't be able to dismiss their staff however and whenever they feel like it. This kind of situation happens all too frequently and its only through cases such as this that justice to staff can be done. Even if the public don't get to hear about it it is a good point for case law and the word will soon get around the local pubs.
Now now Ben, lets not be a sore loser.
Fidothedog, what ARE you on about? If your comment "Now now Ben don't be a sore loser" was directed at the comment made just before your's then you are as much of an idiot as your comments suggest! I am certainly not Mr Morgan.
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