A dad says he is considering legal action against a newsagent after his 15-year-old son was sacked from his job as a paperboy for taking time off to self-isolate.
Schoolboy Keenan Latimer had been delivering papers to locals in Stamford, Lincolnshire, every day for the last two years as a way of earning some extra pocket money.
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But after a number of positive coronavirus cases were confirmed at his school, the GCSE student was told he had to self-isolate. He was then told not to return to his job after bosses said he had missed too many shifts.
Dad John, 43, says he might sue Sutherland Way Stores for unfair dismissal after his son lost his job 'just for following Government guidelines'.
Keenan took 20 days off work, a month apart because of self-isolation rules issued by Bourne Grammar School, following two breakouts of coronavirus cases.
The teenager also missed two days as he had a punctured bike tyre - but John claims these are the only days he has taken off during the past two years.
When he was contacted by his school telling him to start isolating for a third time just before Christmas, shop owner Neil Barlow terminated his employment.
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John has says his son's treatment as 'shameful', saying the only alternative would have been to flout coronavirus rules.
Dad-of-three John, a factory worker, said: "He's lost his job merely for following the guidelines and that's not acceptable. In fact it's downright shameful.
"My son has been getting up early for them for the past two years. He isn't work-shy and has done nothing wrong. It's disgusting how he has been treated.
"Apart from missing a couple of days due to a punctured tyre, he has only missed two lots of 10 days days and both occasions were out of his control.
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"What did they want him to do, go out there potentially endangering others by spreading the virus?"
Keenan would get up at 5.45am on weekdays, and 6.45am at weekends, earning himself £19 a week and last Christmas picked up £80 in tips.
He had been saving some of the money to spend during a family holiday planned for next year.
Keenan said: "I was told to self-isolate again by my school just before Christmas and when I got that message I rang work and left a voicemail.
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"When they came back to me they said I had missed too much time. They just said we don't need you any more and effectively that I was fired.
"I'm not sure what I was supposed to do differently, it came as a bit of a shock. I had done my paper round as normal the day before and the next day I was sacked.
"I won't miss getting up early - but I will miss earning money."
Neil Barlow, who has owned Sutherland Way Stores for 12 years, said Keenan had missed seven shifts out of ten.
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He added: "Many times he didn't turn up, which puts other people under pressure in the business because we don't want to have disappointed customers.
"I had to do the round on top of what we already had to do.
"Keenan was warned on several occasions by my manager who looks after the paper rounds, and by my wife."
Mr Barlow said he had warned Keenan not to take off any more shifts, but was later told Keenan was self-isolating for a third week.
He said: "I didn't want to tell him not to come back. I'm not a vindictive person, but I must protect my business."
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: UK News