A Salvation Army employee responsible for supporting refugees was lawfully dismissed after making inflammatory remarks suggesting migrants should be sent back “on a boat”, an employment tribunal has ruled.
The tribunal found that the charity was justified in dismissing Charles Markie, 56, after comments he made while working at Strathmore Lodge, a Salvation Army–run hostel in Dundee that housed refugees and migrants.
Mr Markie, who had worked for the organisation for almost 20 years, was dismissed following comments made to colleagues in March 2024. The tribunal heard that he said there “wouldn’t be a housing shortage if we weren’t taking in 150 refugees” and added that they should be “sent back on a f****** boat”.
In its judgment, the tribunal concluded that the remarks went beyond inappropriate workplace frustration and amounted to gross misconduct, particularly given the nature of Mr Markie’s role and the values of his employer.
The tribunal found that the comments were inflammatory, carried a clear reputational risk, and were fundamentally incompatible with the mission and purpose of The Salvation Army, which provides support to vulnerable people and communities without discrimination.
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