Pix- Haggis factory in race dispute

SCOTLAND’S most famous haggis maker, Jo Macsween, is mired in a bizarre court battle involving allegations of racism and sabotage.
 
A former Polish employee of Macsween has taken the legendary firm to an employment tribunal, claiming he was dismissed because of his race.
 
 
Bartek Graas, 31, claims he lost his job at the Macsween factory in Edinburgh after bosses accused him and three Polish colleagues of sabotaging the production line.
 
 
He says he was wrongly accused of deliberately throwing a red plastic bucket in to a mincing and grinding machine last July.
 
 
Graas says he and his three compatriots were immediately dismissed but their Scottish supervisor escaped punishment.
 
 
Director Jo Macsween appeared at the tribunal in Edinburgh today (Tue), declaring that the incident was a potentially “catastrophic” act of sabotage and that the sackings had nothing to do with race.
 
Graas says : “I believe we were dismissed because of our nationality.”
 
He adds: “My supervisor, Billy, who worked with us that night was not fired, and I believe that is because he is a Scottish national.
 
 
“Our other supervisor – Malik – is also Polish and he had not been working that night but was still punished.”
 
Jo Macsween denied sackings had anything to do with race.
 
He said: “If the haggis had been packaged and sent out it could have been catastrophic, not only human risk but because when we had noticed we would have had to recall the product.
 “This was an act of sabotage and is the biggest event of this nature I have had to deal with since becoming director.”