Weather
4 Lancashire County Council staff sacked over offensive e-mails (From Lancaster And Morecambe Citizen)
Contact us by email or phone.
The latest Lancaster and Morecambe news from the Westmorland Gazette
4 Lancashire County Council staff sacked over offensive e-mails
9:24am Tuesday 7th July 2009
-
- By Tom Moseley » Local government reporter
FOUR council staff have been sacked following a three-month investigation into offensive emails.
The county council carried out formal hearings last week after suspending 14 staff in April for the “highly inappropriate” material, believed to relate to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Bosses would not confirm details of the “unfortunate incident”.
But the Lancashire Telegraph understands staff brought memory sticks to work to bypass the council’s security system.
The offensive material was only discovered when one of those involved was off work and a colleague discovered the images on their computer.
Five more staff have been given formal written warnings, and the other five returned to work.
The group are believed to work mainly in two departments, adult and community services and children and young people.
The sacked staff were not members of Unison, County Hall’s largest union, but were represented by a Preston-based law firm.
Council chief executive Ged Fitzgerald said: “After a full investigation we have taken disciplinary action against a number of staff found to have sent and received highly inappropriate emails.
"There have been formal hearings for the most serious cases.
"Four people have been dismissed with a further five staff receiving formal written warnings.
"For some less serious cases, the staff involved have returned to work and any necessary action will be handled by their managers.
“This has been an unfortunate incident, but an isolated one.
"By far the majority of our staff use e-mail appropriately and are working hard to deliver a good service to everyone in Lancashire.”
More News stories
- Lancashire students warned of loan scam email
- Carnforth historian finds hoard of Roman coins near Arnside
- £10.98m cuts unveiled by Lancashire County Council
- Incidents up for life-saving North West team
- Lancashire Council of Mosques chair to fight £9k benefit theft charge
- Arnside rail viaduct repairs 'painful but imperative'
- Arnside Viaduct to be closed for four months
- George waits for a kidney
- Grange medical centre gets go-ahead
Your Say YourCitizen
DavidBurnley, Burnley says...
10:02am Tue 7 Jul 09
The fact that these people worked in a public position means that certain subjects should not be the subject of 'joke' emails within the workplace. That destroys the impartiality these people are meant to portray.
I'm sure we all have opinions on the subject and these vary depending on the individual's view point.
It has nothing to do with NLP or turning anyone against children at all.
I think your shamian master is misleading you young man.
milty, blyth says...
10:57am Tue 7 Jul 09
ganja man, nelson says...
11:09am Tue 7 Jul 09
vast majority of the the people are being spoon fed by those running the world institutions and world order.
On a final note davidBurnley your points are not valid as you clearly lack the ability to see beyond that you have been programmed to believe in.
RAyzer, BURNLEY says...
12:07pm Tue 7 Jul 09
RAyzer, BURNLEY says...
12:13pm Tue 7 Jul 09
Lifeinthemix, Accrington says...
12:22pm Tue 7 Jul 09
RAyzer
The middle east is the problem for everyone.
Obama's administration have just given the green light for Israel to attack Iran.
Tell me how does the fact it will be British soldiers fighting for israel against Iran have nothing to do with 'our' problems?
pete08, blackburn says...
7:57pm Tue 7 Jul 09
Lifeinthemix wrote:the simple facts of the story are they took inapproproate material into the office and distributed it using the companies equipment which under the terms and conditions of employment with them resulted in there dismissal. Hope that clears it up for you
Hi All.
I would love to hear from the four who have been sacked for your full story so I can publish your side without any editing from me.
Contact : lifeinthemix22@yahoo
.com
RAyzer, BURNLEY says...
8:02pm Tue 7 Jul 09
Lifeinthemix, Accrington says...
5:20pm Wed 8 Jul 09
Here is the real story in relation to this event :
http://www.lifeinthe
mixtalk.com/?p=512
Davidoff, n/a says...
8:43pm Thu 9 Jul 09
Also, given the highly sensitive nature of the data these people potentially have access to - just read the departments they worked in if anyone has any common sense left in this world any longer - and I certainly wouldn't want them near any computers, potentially gaining access to such data. Occam's Razor, they've (and not the first time we've had LCC staff reported for this by LET this last year) abused their employment and the public's trust in their positions by violating their status and access to council systems in this way. I think disciplinary action for such things is mild compared with how this would have been and probably SHOULD have been dealt with in any other employment or place of work.
Just remember these people have access to certain systems the public doesn't. If that doesn't set alarm bells ringing then nothing in Creation will make a dent!
Why can't people just be sensible and see this for what it was. I'd feel much safer if I didn't have to worry who at the council HAD access to my personal data as it seems some you can't trust far as you could throw them or did they not teach them about the Data Protection Act.
I don't honestly care about what goes on in whatever country but that is nothing to do with the facts here - they aren't clearly trustworthy enough to be in those positions!
sofia, blackburn says...
6:12pm Sun 12 Jul 09
‘UNFORTUNATE’: Chief exec Ged Fitzgerald
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Lifeinthemix, Accrington says...
9:48am Tue 7 Jul 09
I would love to hear from the four who have been sacked for your full story so I can publish your side without any editing from me.
Contact : lifeinthemix22@yahoo
.com