Row over Jesus picture at Manchester Airport
10.10.07
A supervisor at Manchester Airport was suspended from duty for hanging a picture of Jesus on a staff room wall. The 40-year-old Roman Catholic man, a team-leader in the airport parking department, was escorted off the site after a colleague complained.
It is understood that the man found the picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - the subject of devotion by many Catholics - in a desk draw while cleaning out an office. He placed the picture on a wall in a staff rest room prompting the complaint.
Bosses suspended the man and launched an investigation, but he was reinstated without a blemish on his record after three days. Trade union leaders who backed his case say he has been left 'very upset' by what has happened. They said he wasn't trying to cause offence and have described his suspension as an 'over reaction.'
Glyn Platt, an official at the Unison union, said: 'We wish this matter could have been handled more sensitively. He was escorted off the premises and suspended. The decision to suspend him was an over reaction. It could have been dealt with informally.'
'It would have been more appropriate for someone to have had a quiet word with him, or to ask him to take the picture down if it had caused any offence, rather than to take any action. There are no guidelines on what should or should not be pinned on a wall.'
The airport car parks department has been moving from outlying buildings to one of the airport's main office blocks. It is understood the supervisor was cleaning out an office when he found the picture in a desk draw. He felt unable to throw it away but, instead of taking it home, hung it up on a wall in a staff rest room.
It is understood that the investigation carried out during his suspension showed it was not an act of provocation.
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