Irish jokes no longer funny

It had to come. British phone company BT is leading the way

"BT has suspended 30 of its call centre staff after they were caught forwarding an email joke poking fun at the Irish. Bosses at the telecoms firm did not see the funny side of the story, which involves four Irishmen, and an investigation is under way.

But the probe was today branded a waste of time and money, and a cynical ploy to axe staff during the recession. One worker said yesterday: 'Either BT have no sense of humour whatsoever or the bosses are deliberately trying to get shot of people without having to pay any redundancy money.

'The joke was sent around the office as a bit of fun. Everyone is worried about their jobs but we all try and cheer each other up.

The quip involves the death of three Irishmen. The first leaps with a budgie thinking he's budgie-jumping; the second kills a parrot thinking he's parrot-shooting and the third leaps off with a hen, believing he's hen-gliding.

Managers suspended every worker who had forwarded the joke to someone else and warned them they face disciplinary action.

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