South Eastern Trains accused of flippant dog attack advert
An advert by South Eastern Trains has been accused of being flippant because of the way it portrayed dogs attacking postal workers. The poster, which is displayed on trains and in train stations, is to advertise the fact that passengers can renew their season tickets by post.
The poster shows a postman being chased by a dog, which is of course all in good fun. However the Communication Workers Union has lambasted the poster, claiming that South Eastern Trains has acted irresponsibly. The Union recently launched a campaign against dog attacks on its staff.
Dave Joyce, from the Communication Workers Union, has written to South Eastern Trains requesting that the posters are removed. He stated:
Around 6,000 postmen and women get attacked, bitten and mauled by dogs every year while delivering the mail and the problem is continuing to get worse.
Many of the attacks result in serious debilitating physical injuries and mental trauma for CWU members. Many never fully recover. Two of our members nearly died when attacked by dogs in the last two years.
The problem of bad tempered, aggressive dogs coupled with irresponsible owners presents a real danger to our members. It’s unforgivable for a major rail company to depict the very serious problem of dog attacks on postal workers in such a light hearted, flippant way.
It’s no joke and this type of thing simply encourages those irresponsible dog owners to continue not taking their responsibilities seriously.
The image on the poster shows a dog chasing a postman, in silhouette.
