[mart]

I've been a mill forman for around 4 years and today i fired my first worker. I was so angry with this lad that i believe he left me no choice. For a month this stacker has been turning up late for work with feeble excuses like the alarm doesn't always work or he had a headache, toothache or he was stuck in traffic which i know is a lie. Because i drive the same route and he just lives a couple miles further down. The best one was that he had to drive his partner to work so it was her fault that he was late according to him. He also had 13 days off without phoning in once to say why he couldn't come in and when he turned up the next day all he'd say was that he was ill. As usual he came in today 45 minutes late just saying he got up late. So that was it i told him to turn around and go, your fired. I just got angry the way he casually walked in as though nothing was wrong. I had already had words with him on several occasions and warning him that if his time keeping doesn't improve he's fired . I don't think he took me for my word. I can't have stackers casually turning up whenever they feel like it. I'd value any opinions as to whether i did the right thing. I believe i had no choice even though i never wished to have to fire anyone.