Hillsborough Abuse In The Workplace: Royal Mail Worker Faces Sack After Being Subjected To Tragedy-Related Jibes

Incident had dramatic effect on the mental heath of driver at Warrington plant and now he faces dismissal despite being on the receiving end of appalling football "banter"

Graham Reavey received a phone call from his employer last week. The 62-year-old was summoned by Royal Mail to a meeting today, April 15. He expects to be sacked because of an incident where football-related tragedy jibes were used in the workplace.

The insults referenced the Hillsborough disaster and Reavey was on the receiving end. He decided not to attend the meeting, scheduled to take place on the 35^th anniversary of the 1989 catastrophe in which 97 people were unlawfully killed. It has been rescheduled for tomorrow, April 16.

Reavey is the only one suffering consequences from the abuse by his co-workers.

The series of events began last year on February 14. He was happy enough going into work at Royal Mail's Warrington depot. Liverpool, the team he supports, had beaten Everton the previous night. His good mood did not last for long. As he passed an Everton-supporting colleague, the workmate said: “At least no one got murdered.”

This upset Reavey. It was a reference to the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, when 39 predominantly Italian supporters were killed before Liverpool’s European Cup final against Juventus. It is also used as a sly reference to Hillsborough. The chant of “Murderers” is frequently heard from the away section at Anfield, as is the song, “You killed your own fans.”

The situation was made worse later in the day when a second colleague spouted similar bile. He spoke directly to Reavey and used almost the same words as the first abuser.

Reavey’s initial instinct was to approach his Communication Workers Union (CWU) representative. A word from the union, he thought, might calm things down. He asked the CWU man to explain that there were many people working in Warrington who were affected by Hillsborough. Reavey also requested that the representative speak to a woman, a Manchester United supporter, who regularly used the phrase “Always the victims,” in the workplace. This had long irked Reavey.

Warrington sits on a fault line. It is equidistant between Liverpool and Manchester and the Royal Mail depot is a ‘Super Hub’ for parcels. It employs people from across a wide region, stretching to north Wales, Merseyside, Lancashire and south Cheshire. This can sometimes be a combustible mix.

The Evertonians apologised. But when Reavey asked the United fan whether she had been spoken to by the union, the woman became aggressive and threatened to bring her sons down to “sort you out.” The exchange was fraught and unnerved him but, although angry, he remained calm. That composure was destroyed when management approached him. The woman had complained about his behaviour.

He was aghast. A meeting was convened and Reavey explained the circumstances. As the loading bay has numerous security cameras, he suggested that management review the film to assess the body language. At this point a manager, a Manchester United fan, changed the subject and told Reavey that he did not think “Always the victims” had anything to do with Hillsborough. This was despite widespread publicity about tragedy chanting. Family members of the 97 who died in 1989, survivors' groups and other campaigners have long made it clear that the "victims" taunts are connected to Hillsborough. The football authorities and courts have backed this point of view.

It became clear to Reavey that Royal Mail did not understand the issues involved. The situation had a huge impact on his mental health. Feeling there was little support from his employers, he went to see his GP and was signed off.

Reavey was not at Hillsborough and that appeared to be one of the reasons why his being upset was not taken seriously. However, many of his family and friends witnessed the unlawful killings. His brother was one of the many fans who poured onto the Hillsborough pitch to try and save the dead and dying.

That should have been enough for him to be taken seriously. But Reavey had other triggers, too.

Reavey was one of the 10 Liverpool fans arrested, detained and then acquitted by the Belgian authorities after Heysel. He spent eight months in a foreign prison and received compensation from the Brussels government after he was exonerated. Fourteen other Liverpool fans were convicted.

Being alluded to as a “murderer” is upsetting but Reavey remains much angrier at the Hillsborough jibes. The deaths of 97 people at the 1989 FA Cup semi final eventually led to the longest inquest in British history. Liverpool supporters were exonerated from any blame by the jury.

Royal Mail insisted on a second opinion after he was signed off. In April last year, he was assessed by Optima Health. The verdict was straightforward. “‘In my opinion, Mr Reavey is not fit for work. We used a standardised tool during the appointment today, which indicated severe anxiety symptoms and severe depressive symptoms.”

It continued: “Management should review the factors that can contribute to stress-related illness and take whatever measures practicable to try and reduce or remove them when found.”

This report was not sent to Reavey until September. In the meantime, he had no contact from his employers.

Royal Mail and the Post Office were part of the same publicly-owned entity until 2012, when the companies were split and privatised. The Post Office has been consumed in the sub-postmasters Horizon scandal. Its sister company appears to have the same scant concern for its employees.

The period since has been a difficult one for the heavy-goods vehicle driver. In a series of meetings with Royal Mail, Reavey suggested the company institute an education programme for staff about the impact of tragedy-related abuse. One home-made poster was put on display and perfunctory conversations were conducted about “football banter.” There were no group meetings but one worker was asked to turn his team shirt inside out. Reavey is insistent that he has never used the word “banter” and has been specific about pointing out the difference between jocular exchanges about sport and the deaths of 136 people at matches.

He has been forced to explain the situation to four different managers and began to sense an increasingly antagonistic approach from Royal Mail, whose attempts to get Reavey back to work have consisted of a number of unviable options, including returning to his previous position with no changes to the unhealthy working environment at Warrington. There have been other incidents at the depot since which have not come to management's attention.

The most recent occupational health report, based on a telephone conversation on March 7, says: “Graham feels that the workplace incidents relating to his absence were not resolved to his satisfaction and, whilst this remains the case, I think he will find it very hard to return to work.”

It concluded: “Unfit – No return to work plan identified to support a return to work within 12 weeks.”

Reavey believes that Royal Mail have underestimated the gravity of the workplace abuse. He expects the latest meeting to reiterate that the phrase “Always the victim,” has no relation to Hillsborough. Union representatives have told him his job is likely to be on the line. Royal Mail made a severance payment offer to Reavey last month but it was withdrawn almost immediately without explanation.

The spillover of tragedy abuse from football stadiums to the workplace is a dangerous development. Royal Mail have consistently sought to minimise the impact and consequences of such behaviour on Reavey. It has been easier to marginalise the injured party rather than address the root causes. Reavey is suffering the consequences.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “As a responsible employer, it is necessary to meet with colleagues, understand their individual circumstances and assess what can reasonably be done to support their return to work – this is standard practice.”