Jailed for Office Gunplay, Man Wants Job Back
Mon Dec 1, 9:15 AM ET




TORONTO (Reuters) - Fired for walking into his office drunk, toting a loaded, sawed-off shotgun and saying he was looking for his bosses, a Canadian man wants his union to help him get his job back.

 

The incident last April stunned the man's co-workers at the city of Moncton, New Brunswick, where he had worked for 18 years as a tree pruner.


In court last week, George Pavlovsky, 44, was convicted of weapons-related offenses, but was acquitted of attempted murder. He is serving a two-year prison sentence.


Pavlovsky was reported to have been angry about being passed over for a promotion. He was arrested about 15 minutes after the incident began. His bosses away at the time and no one was injured.


The city of Moncton dismissed him, but a week later Pavlovsky went to his union to protest the firing and members agreed the union should help him try to get his job back once he finishes his prison term.


Steven MacKinnon, spokesman for the city of Moncton, said he was stunned that Pavlovsky would challenge his firing and said many of his co-workers are shaken by the thought of Pavlovsky returning to work.


"We're going to contest this vigorously," he said.