A worker who was fired for saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ received compensation after ‘unfair’ dismissal.
52-year-old Marian Cunnington from the UK was an award-winning Sainsbury’s employee who came under fire after picking up a black toy and proclaiming that Black lives matter.
The incident took place last year and just days after George Floyd’s death. According to the reports, Cunnington was changing price tags when she picked up a black ‘Bing’ toy and said: “Should we really be selling this toy? Black Lives Matter.”
Following her comment, the employee was reported to the manager by her co-worker. Shortly after the incident, the store found the woman guilty of gross misconduct and fired her.
As the 52-year-old insisted in her interview with The Mirror, she isn’t racist and had no bad intentions with her comment.
“I’m not a racist and I’m a really good worker. When you have worked for a company for that long, to have it all ripped away and leave under such circumstances,” she said.
Fast-forward several months, the case was taken to Birmingham Employment Tribunal, whereas a judge ruled that the worker should be compensated for unfair dismissal after the manager responsible failed to elaborate why Cunnington’s comment was offensive or worthy of her losing her job.
Following the ruling, the award-winning employee will receive financial compensation. The amount remains undisclosed as of this writing.
As for Cunnington, she insists that she had no bad intentions with her comment. She also explained she honestly felt that people of color could be offended by the black toy rabbit.
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