Sainsbury has shot itself in the foot, so to speak. It received a severe ticking off and a substantial fine this week for unfairly dismissing six former managers. An industrial tribunal heard that an internal memo was circulated saying individual managers should be made redundant "by sniper bullet only". The unfortunate phrase came from Terry Wells, director in charge of the shake-up. It then was shot off to chief executive Dino Adriano and the other executive directors. But the showdown at the Sainsbury corral only kicked off when the memo was leaked to redundant managers, who later discovered new staff were hired to open new stores in their place. Employment lawyer David Royden, representing the redundant managers, said: "To me sniper bullet' suggests Sainsbury's had a clinical, predetermined plan to axe workers and from a distance." A Sainsbury's spokesman said of the memo: "It was intended to mean that we wanted the procedures over as quickly as possible so as not to leave our colleagues hanging around." All this talk of shooting and hanging ­ it's enough to turn you vegetarian. {{COUNTERPOINT }}

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