Signal operator often ignored trains to surf Internet, was late, slept on the job but union argued formal warning was too harsh
A Swedish railway worker who delayed train traffic because he was viewing porn at work has gotten off with a warning, despite the fact he was previously reprimanded for that type of misconduct before.
The 52-year-old signal operator received a warning in 2007 for visiting pornographic and gambling websites at work more than 50 times. For two years after, he continued to visit the sites, resulting in his employer’s computer network becoming infected with viruses. The worker was called into several meetings to discuss his misconduct but it became apparent he hadn’t learned his lesson when several trains, including passenger trains, cargo trains and high speed trains, all experienced delays at his station in Gävle, Sweden. The administration learned the delays were caused by the worker looking at Internet pornography and not paying attention to the signals.
The worker also was regularly late, didn’t keep train operators up to date and was once caught sleeping while a train waited for permission to enter the station. Despite all this conduct, the worker kept his job and was referred to a behavioural therapist to improve his job performance.
In early 2010, the administration issued a second formal warning to the worker indicating he was on thin ice. However, union representatives argued the warning was too harsh and the worker should be given a written reminder of his duties instead.
