CIC STAFF WHO WATCHED PORN ON THE JOB REINSTATED

See story in the Toronto Sun below. The Globe and Mail also run a story on this case today. This is simply laughable. I had to read it twice to see if it was a joke. It truly inspires confidence on our policies and policymakers. What seems obvious is that it is nearly impossible to fire a civil servant, no matter what the conduct. Draw your own conclusions.


Fed staffer axed for porn habit back on job Canada News Toronto Sun


Fed staffer axed for porn habit back on job

By Jessica Murphy ,Parliamentary Bureau

First posted: Thursday, September 08, 2011 02:54 PM EDT Updated: Thursday, September 08, 2011 08:23 PM EDT


OTTAWA - A federal bureaucrat fired for his workplace porn habit is back at work, QMI Agency has learned.

Franklin Andrews, a policy advisor at Citizenship and Immigration Canada got his walking papers in November 2009 for spending work hours surfing porn websites.

But he appealed the firing and the Public Service Labour Relations Board ordered him reinstated in early August.

The decision came down after an internal investigation found 335 sexual images stored on Andrews' work computer, including images showing bondage, according to labour board documents.

He also admitted to spending between 50% and 100% of his work hours between September and November 2008 and May and August 2009 finding the pictures on photo-sharing sites such as Flickr.

After his superiors confronted him, Andrews admitted what he had done, but argued "he was acting through boredom and insufficient work," the labour board decision said.

The decision also noted other department employees were working overtime while Andrews surfed the web.

"Rehabilitation and correction should also be important considerations in determining the quantum of discipline. Discipline should not be so heavy-handed that those goals are lost," labour board adjudicator Kate Rogers wrote in her decision to re-hire the civil servant.

She also found the Andrews' managers failed to manage their employee and cited the bureaucrat's length of service, clear disciplinary record and acceptance of responsibility as mitigating factors.

Nor could Andrews be accused of stealing time from his employers, she argued, because he never falsified time sheets or time cards.

For those reasons, Rogers ruled the time he spent out of work was punishment enough.

It's a decision that didn't please Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

"The decision to reinstate this individual back into the public service is an insult to taxpayers and undermines public trust in the civil service," said Candice Malcolm, a spokesman for the minister.

"Government employees are expected to make efficient use of their time and be productive in their roles."