Updated 1.30pm: A weekly newspaper journalist has resigned on the grounds that he was facing disciplinary action for accompanying his terminally ill grandmother to hospital.
John Toner, a reporter in Haringey, north London for the Newsquest/Gannett group, has released his resignation letter on Twitter (see here) in which he accuses his former bosses of an “inhuman and uncaring approach”.
The letter, addressed to the group editor Tim Jones, says that he received “a written warning” after informing his line boss that he needed to attend a hospital appointment with his grandmother.
He had explained that he was the only person able to take his grandmother because of her age and condition.
Toner wrote: “On several occasions, I made it explicitly clear to you that I was, and am, the only person in a position to accompany my terminally ill grandmother to these appointments and that it was vital she had someone with her, given her age and condition. In short, I have no choice”.
He mentioned that he was leaving his job “with a huge amount of sadness”, adding: “It is a great shame I have had to leave it because of your inhuman and uncaring approach”.
Update: In response to a phone call, Tim Jones emailed a statement, which was received at 1.20pm. He said that Toner’s resignation letter misrepresented the facts “and is only one side of the story”.
His statement continued: “Newsquest London is a fair and reasonable employer and we are fully aware of our responsibilities to our employees. It is a shame that John has resigned in this way and has not spoken to the company constructively about the situation.
“We cannot comment fully on this matter due to our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, but can confirm that we always follow our company procedures, and that these have been applied in John Toner’s case.”
