Grieving sisters are told: you've no job

5:00am Thursday 4th December 2008

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TWO grieving teenage sisters were told they no longer had jobs after taking off two weekends following their brother’s unexpected death.

Cindy and Rosie Rose both had Christmas jobs they loved in the entertainment team at Gulliver’s theme park.

But their world came crashing down when their 19-year-old brother Luke died suddenly on November 13.

Devastated, the Priestley College students, from Old Liverpool Road, contacted their supervisor at the theme park.

Cindy, aged 18, said: “My supervisor said to us ‘take as much time as you need’. I kept them informed, I kept letting them know. She said everyone’s thinking about you.”

Following Luke’s funeral, Cindy repeatedly tried to contact her supervisor to ask when she and 17-year-old Rosie could return to work. But she got no reply.

Just before they were due to set off to work they got a phone call from a manager telling them that because they had taken time off they no longer had jobs.

Their mother, Christine, said: “Cindy said ‘can you give us any other work?’ They said ‘no’.”

Furious at their dismissal, Christine contacted Gulliver’s and told them that her daughters had spent the week contacting their supervisor with no reply.

Gulliver’s got back to her and offered Cindy and Rosie a day’s work each, on alternate weekends – far less than they thought they would have been working.

Christine said: “I was so proud of them going back in on the Thursday, so soon after Luke’s death, and I thought it was a good thing for them to do.

“Gulliver’s is supposed to be a family-run park for families but it has no family values.”

Luke, who was also studying at Priestley College, was a keen actor and had plans to work in stage management.

He was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was eight months old, but after coming off his medication he had remained fit-free for almost a year before his death.

“He led a completely normal life,” remembers Christine. “He went to bed at 10.30pm. I always looked in on him and I found him on the floor. It is a lot to get your head round and then for these to lose their jobs is hard.”

But after the way Gulliver's treated them, Cindy and Rosie are adamant they do not want to go back to the theme park.

“I would not take my job back because you do not know if they are just going to fire you. We would not advise anybody to work there,” admitted Cindy.

A Gulliver’s spokesman said: “Our deepest sympathies are with Cindy, Rosie and their family at this tragic time.

“When compiling rotas for busy times like the Christmas period, we collect availability and place people where they are needed, but we never guarantee people specific roles or hours as we need everyone to remain flexible.

“Cindy and Rosie were unable to attend rehearsals for the Christmas show, so they were offered alternative positions within the team, which didn’t require rehearsal time, but they turned these positions down.

“These positions are still available for Cindy and Rosie. If they would like to contact us, we look forward to hearing from them.”