Ivor Smith served in Malaya in 1955 and 1956, and worked at B&Q for 12 years - he says security guards ordered him not to speak to workmates on the way out
An 82-year-old war veteran was sacked from his job at B&Q and marched out of the store - after leaving his till for three-and-a-half minutes.
Great-grandad Ivor Smith said security guards ordered him not to speak to his workmates on the way out.
He had worked at B&Q for 12 years – starting at 70 – and been hailed by bosses as an outstanding employee, reports the Daily Record.
And as he took the company to a tribunal, he said: “They treated me with utter contempt.
“I did my national service and served my country and yet I get treated like this. I loved that job.”
Ivor served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Malaya in 1955 and 1956 as British troops fought communist guerillas.
Donald MacLeod 
Then, after retirement, he took on a new job – as a greeter at B&Q’s store in Parkhead, Glasgow.
Ivor, who has 25 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, enjoyed his work welcoming customers and helping out wherever he was needed.
And in 2010, he got a glowing letter of commendation for perfect attendance.
It praised him for his “commitment and resilience” and “fantastic drive” and ended with the words, “Keep at it.”
Ivor, from East Kilbride, was also hailed in the press in 2010 as an example of what pensioners could bring to the workplace.
He said at the time: “The job gets me out of the house and keeps my mind active and lets me run a car without touching the pension.
“B&Q are very good at encouraging people with experience.
“Older people have more time with the customers, and the sort of patience that perhaps younger people don’t have.”
But bosses changed their tune about Ivor last summer after accusing him of leaving his till open.
He’d been moved from greeting duties to the checkouts after a forklift ran over his foot in the store, leaving him with broken toes.
Ivor said he didn’t get any training on working the tills.
He added: “During an appraisal, they complained that I was getting a bit slow.
“I’m in my 80s, but they knew that. It is a despicable way to be treated.”
The incident that led to Ivor’s sacking happened last August.
He denies the allegation that he left his till.
He said: “A man wanted change of £200, which sounded a bit fishy, so I had to count and check the money.
Ivor said he was told six days after the incident that he was being sacked for gross misconduct.
Bosses claimed his oversight was a security breach which gave customers “potential access” to cash in the till.
He recalled: “I was escorted out by security as if I was a common criminal and told I was not allowed to speak to any other members of staff at all.
“When one of my family took my uniform back, a female member of staff burst into tears because she knew I was forced to leave.”
Ivor says he was singled out and treated unfairly and has suffered extreme upset as a result.
“The stress has been immense,” he added.
Bosses told the employment tribunal yesterday that Ivor’s till was later found to be short by £700, but stressed that he was “not being held responsible in any way for the alleged shortage”.
And Ivor’s lawyer, Margaret Gribbon of Quantum Claims, insisted: “The only thing Mr Smith is guilty of is serving a customer too slowly – not gross misconduct.
“The company did not act in a reasonable way by dismissing him.”
Ivor told us he took his case to a tribunal because he wasn’t prepared to accept B&Q’s “bullyboy tactics”.
He added: “Everywhere I’ve worked I’ve been given great reports but B&Q have singled me out. It’s shocking.”
The hearing was adjourned until July.
A B&Q spokeswoman said: “We can confirm this case is ongoing but cannot say anything about it specifically that might prejudice the legal process.
“B&Q have a strong track record of employing older workers.
"We removed the compulsory retirement age in the mid-1990s and more than 30 per cent of our current employees are over 50.”