Post Office says no to 'hooligan'

The Post Office is refusing to reinstate an alleged football hooligan in a move which could lead to a major London postal strike.

Post Office managers have rejected an employment tribunal ruling to re-employ Mick Doherty even though he won his claim for unfair dismissal. Lawyers for the Post Office parent company Consignia have written to Mr Doherty to say it would be "impractical" to let him return to his job as a counters clerk in Islington.

The stance could lead to a repeat of the mass walkout that followed his dismissal last summer. Even more seriously, the decision could seriously undermine efforts to mend tattered industrial relations at the Post Office. It comes in the middle of a three-month moratorium on official strike action agreed with the Communication Workers' Union.

Mr Doherty, 34, said: "I find this unbelievable. It backs up what I've been saying all along that the company refuses to treat my case fairly."

The Post Office insists it has the right to refuse to employ anyone who behaves inappropriately.