The REAL reason they got fired is because they outbid their manages on some worthless rubbish the manager wanted.

Isnt that what managers do?

I'm sure this happened in BOFH

1. Get caught eBaying at work

2. Get fired

3. ???

4. Profit!

I wonder how many warnings they got befor getting fired?, you still have to give warnings right?

...(and this is true, if today's Today programme is to be believed) that he/she blamed the managers, for exposing the employees to temptation by permitting internet access...

Yes, next we will hear that people will be sacked for playing online poker while at work!

I waited a customs checkpoint in Romania for 20 minutes while the customs officer completed a game of Freecell on her computer. I kid you not!

what they were doing was classed as gross misconduct, which in this case should be right and proper. I do not pay council tax for some slack assed council worker to bid for shell suites on Ebay.

I feel the urge to stab an incompetent member of IT staff in the eye at a client's site, I can claim it was my employer's fault for letting me have access to screwdrivers.... Interesting.

The classic image of council workers, is a bunch of them standing around on the side of the road, leaning on shovels, while the new guy casually pokes at the ground.

This article makes me think it was actually council STAFF offending, and not the 'workers' .

We are at risk of losing a cultural icon, if we allow this imprecision of terminology to continue.

Maybe they just wanted a new Shovel, Grader or D9 Bulldozer or something.

We would be stuffed If I was not allowed to browse Ebay at work.... Where do you think our test equipment comes from?

- The joys of the Telco Industry in Australia.... ;-)