RSPB volunteers and investigators walk out after manager sacked over claims he treated Syrian refugee colleague ‘like a slave’

Volunteers staged a mass strike after an RSPB hatchery manager was sacked over baseless allegations that he assaulted a Syrian refugee colleague.

Dr. Paul Morrison, 72, had worked on Coquet Island, near Northumberland, for 38 years but was suspended after claiming he was Dr. Ibrahim Alfarwi was treated like a modern slave.

Dr. Alfarwi was subsequently appointed new manager, sparking angry reactions from colleagues who said Dr. Morrison – who was also accused of ignoring safety protocols following an outbreak of bird flu – had been a “truly dedicated” employee who treated his team “like family”. .

Mr Morrison, who denied the claims, was reportedly awarded damages after a lengthy legal battle with the charity.

It prompted one volunteer to accuse the RSPB of pushing their ‘diversity agenda’ by replacing a ‘privileged old English white man’, it was reported.

Lord Ridley, a Tory peer who regularly visits the breeding island – home to 40,000 breeding seabirds, including puffins and terns – said he was ‘shocked’ by Dr Morrison’s treatment.

Lord Ridley said: ‘For us Northumbrians, the thriving bird colony on Coquet Island is a very special place: roseate terns breed nowhere else in Britain and Paul Morrison had found ways to increase their numbers fivefold, a remarkable achievement.

‘When I was trustee of the island’s owners, I was allowed to visit the island annually and I am shocked at the way Paul was treated.’

Dr. Morrison, a member of the RSPB for forty years, claimed he faced a barrage of accusations of ‘unacceptable behaviour’ and ‘as one accusation was refuted, another came’.

In September 2022, he was called into a meeting with the bosses and told that he had been working illegal hours and had not made proper arrangements for Dr Alfarwi to be released and leave the island for two months.

At the time, the island was facing an outbreak of bird flu, which had already killed 5,000 birds and left volunteers at the breaking point of the heavy workload.

The weather also made routine trips to the mainland more complicated than usual.

The RSPB is reported to have said that Dr. Morrison was ‘controlling, coercive and manipulative’.

He was also reportedly falsely accused of drinking while operating heavy machinery.

Hilary Brooker-Carey, a long-term volunteer who worked on Coquet Island for over 30 years but left after Dr.

Morrison’s departure said she found the allegations “hard to believe” and that they were “patently untrue.”

The charity had launched an investigation into working practices on the island in September 2022 and Dr. Morrison said he would have no problem making the requested changes.

But he was suspended for failing to help Dr Alfarwi leave the island at a certain time. The following January the RSPB initiated a second disciplinary procedure against Dr. Morrison, saying he had not followed proper bird flu procedures.

Dr. Morrison said this was before bird flu had been confirmed on the island and he had followed the guidelines. He was discharged in March 2023 and other volunteers quit in support.

After Dr. Morrison was replaced by Dr. Alfarwi, video emerged of Dr. Alfarwi chasing and stepping on the tail of a hunter with suspected bird flu.

He allegedly twisted his neck and smashed his skull against a rock.

Dr. Alfarwi did not wear personal protective equipment during the incident in August 2022, when bird flu was prevalent on the island.

He claimed that Dr Morrison, who was still in charge at the time, had instructed him to ‘end the suffering’. The RSPB cleared him of wrongdoing.

Dr. Morrison said he met Dr. Alfarwi had not ordered the bird to be killed and said it was “grossly irresponsible of him not to use the PPE available to him.”

An RSPB spokesperson said: “It is true that this person no longer works for us.

‘The RSPB is proud to be an organization committed to ensuring that all staff and volunteers are treated fairly and fairly.

“We will not comment further on issues relating to former staff members.”