Four Gala Bingo employees were sacked for taking their own food and drink into one of the group’s other clubs on a day out last year.
An employment tribunal in Dundee heard their employer sacked them on two counts, one of breaching their liquor licence and a second on the basis they breached company policy.
However, regional manager Peter Connor, now based at the Arbroath Gala Bingo premises and whose decision it was to sack them, admitted that their behaviour was not a breach of either the licence or their Gala staff gaming policy.
The four, all from Fife, had visited Gala’s Possil Park bingo hall on their day off and smuggled alcohol in and hid it under their tables while playing bingo.
Due to their noisy behaviour, the club’s manager became involved and their attachment to Gala Bingo was discovered.
Two of the four, partners William Anderson, 24, and Lori Kennedy, 27, of Lismore Court, Glenrothes, took Gala to the tribunal on the grounds of unfair dismissal.
The Courier understands the other two, Susan Scappaticcio, of Carlton Avenue, Glenrothes, and Sylvia Cunnigham, of Shotburn Crescent, Leven, settled with the company previously.
Mr Connor admitted the wording of the dismissal letter sent to both Mr Anderson and Ms Kennedy could have been better.
The letter read: “The reason for your dismissal is that you were in breach of the liquor licence and the Gala staff gaming policy.”
Mr Connor said: “It should have read that it was a breach of company policy and put our licence in jeopardy.”
He told Gala’s solicitor Margaret Anne Clark he had asked Ms Kennedy what would have happened to customers in the same circumstances and she replied the drink would have been taken off them and the manager would have been informed as they don’t have a licence to allow people to drink their own alcohol.
Cross-examined by solicitor Ryan Russell, for Ms Kennedy, Mr Connor admitted that there was nothing in the licensing legislation to prevent people consuming their own alcohol.
Neither was it a breach of company policy as nowhere was it mentioned in their policy documents.
Mr Connor said he was 100% convinced he had made the right decision to dismiss them, but admitted he was not at his best when he compiled the dismissal letter as he was moving clubs and “my mind was on other things”.
“Would you accept that accusing someone of a criminal act was quite serious in itself?” Mr Russell asked.
“Yes, very serious,” Mr Connor replied.
The tribunal was adjourned until May.