A Morrisons store manager has said he was fired for tackling a “prolific” shoplifter, despite almost three decades of loyalty to the company.
Sean Egan, 46, had devoted 29 years of service to Morrisons’ Aldridge store, near Walsall, but said “everything was taken away” after a single incident in December led to his dismissal.
He took to LinkedIn to share what happened in a post that has gone viral. He said: “Like many stores, we were dealing with frequent shoplifting, especially during peak Christmas period.
“On this occasion, the individual was a well known, prolific offender in the area. I followed company policy, approached calmly, offered help, and then escorted him from the store when needed.
“But as we neared the exit, I was spat at. In that moment, I reacted. Not as a manager. As a human being. That split second changed everything.”
At his disciplinary hearing, Mr Egan was told he would be dismissed on the grounds of not following the company’s deter-and-not-detain policy.
The 46-year-old said as he was escorting the shoplifter from the store, he was spat at repeatedly.
“I grabbed his arm to stop him entering his bag to grab something, and then an altercation happened,” he told the BBC.
Despite calling the police to inform them of the shoplifter, an investigation took place, followed by a disciplinary action against Mr Egan and an appeal.
Mr Egan wrote: “Despite nearly three decades of loyalty, performance, and commitment, including turning numerous underperforming stores into some of the most profitable in the West Midlands, I lost my job.”
Explaining the significant impact on his personal and professional life, he said he is still living with the consequences every day as he has been out of work for four and a half months.
“I wasn’t able to buy my children Christmas presents. I’ve struggled to keep up with bills. I’ve been dealing with crippling anxiety and a real sense of worthlessness.”
Chris Philp MP expressed his support for Mr Egan. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said: “Morrisons must immediately reinstate Sean Egan. He rightly and bravely confronted an aggressive shoplifter. Morrisons shamefully fired him - after 29 years service.
“Retailers must support their staff who stand up against criminals. I’m sick of criminals being allowed to do what they like and decent people like Sean getting penalised.”
In a statement, Morrisons said: “We are continuing to take wide ranging action to address the threat of shoplifting or violence in our stores.
“The health and safety of all colleagues and customers is of paramount importance to Morrisons. We have very clear guidance, procedures and controls in place to protect our colleagues and customers from the risk of harm, which must be strictly followed.
“These include detailed procedures for handling shoplifting incidents, which are in place to protect both the colleague involved and surrounding colleagues and customers, and which seek to de-escalate and calmly control the situation. We will not ask colleagues to put themselves at risk.
“As a responsible employer, our focus is entirely on taking the correct action to ensure health and safety is maintained at all times.”
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