AN NHS Tayside porter who had what he termed “light-hearted banter” with an injured Dundee FC footballer has been sacked.
Raymond Conway, who worked at Ninewells Hospital, was suspended in January after speaking with injured defender James McPake.
Mr McPake had suffered a shattered knee on January 2 after making a tackle on Dundee United midfielder John Rankin in the New Year derby and was taken to Ninewells for treatment.
It was during his time in the hospital that the footballer met Mr Conway, who made a comment to him about the incident.
Speaking at the time of his suspension, Mr Conway said: “It was just an off-the cuff remark about the challenge. I said ‘I heard it was a bad challenge’.
“I asked him about his knee and how he was and he blanked me.”
Now, Mr Conway has been verbally sacked from his position after meeting with NHS chiefs last week.
It is expected a formal letter will be sent to the Celtic fan at some point this week to confirm his dismissal from NHS Tayside.
Mr Conway declined to comment when approached.
An NHS Tayside spokeswoman also refused to comment on Mr Conway’s dismissal.
She said: “We do not comment on matters relating to individual
members of staff.”
One of Mr Conway’s colleagues, who declined to be named for fear of repercussions, said he believed the sacking of Mr Conway was an act of “revenge” made by the health board after nearly three months of strike action by porters last year after a dispute over backpay.
He said: “Raymond was sacked for various reasons and I think it all leads back to the strike. This is payback time for NHS Tayside.
“A few porters have been sacked since the strike and I think this is just an act of bullying by management.”
The porter also said the health board was “a shambles” for taking so long to make a decision about Mr Conway’s future.
He added: “It’s a long time to be waiting for the result. The NHS just can’t make a decision quickly.
“They leave it as long as they can — it’s a shambles.”
