A WHISTLE-BLOWER who complained about unfair pay at work has been sacked.

Mr Mike Beatty spoke out in February. Days later he was suspended and then fired by sweet makers Pfizer Adams.

According to Mr Beatty, they said he had been deliberately putting mis-shapen sweets into a machine at the Dumers Lane factory, formerly known as Halls. His bosses suspended him on full pay for two weeks, then, in what Bury South MP Ivan Lewis described as "a disgraceful act of scapegoating and victimisation", fired him.

"I have no doubt that it was for speaking out," claimed a bitter Mr Beatty (40).

"There's no question that I have been used as a warning to other workers."

Mr Beatty, a packer and wrapper at the cough sweet manufacturers, had complained about the difference between the wages of temporary and permanent workers who did the same sort of job.

He had been a "temporary" worker for more than two years, but was paid £6,000 a year less than permanent employees. He said he was not singling out Pfizer Adams but rather the employment laws that allowed this to happen.

"Shortly after the story appeared I was summoned to a meeting with personnel officers. They told me they were looking into taking disciplinary action against me pending an investigation.

"They alleged that I had deliberately put mis-shapen sweets into the machine. Mis-shapes accidentally ending up in the hopper is a common occurrence but no-one has ever been disciplined." Mr Beatty was suspended and was called in for a disciplinary hearing a fortnight later. It lasted three hours. Besides being accused of gross misconduct for deliberately using mis-shapes, he said he was accused of having an attitude problem, being unco-operative and told there were doubts about his trustworthiness.

"I absolutely refuted these claims. I went out of my way to behave whiter than white after the article appeared because I knew they would be looking for any opportunity to punish me."

His contract was terminated. At an appeal last week the company upheld its decision.

"I am in talks with my union about going to an industrial tribunal. I have no money and we have had to cancel the summer holiday we planned," said the father-of-three from Little Lever.

"I regret the consequences of my actions but have no regrets about what I did and said. If more people spoke out about injustice the world would be a better place."

MP Ivan Lewis has vowed to take up Mr Beatty's cause.

He said: "This is the sort of behaviour you would expect in Victorian times, not in the 21st century.

"In my view they have contrived an excuse to justify the dismissal of Mr Beatty. I will not rest until he gets the justice he deserves."

Pfizer Adams have so far made no comment.