'Wellbeing support' rail workers sacked after calling female passenger a 'little Karen' at London station
Transport for London are also investigating the incident
Two wellbeing support officers working at a London train station have been sacked after reportedly calling a female commuter a "little Karen" during a confrontation.
Listen to this article
The passenger filmed the argument with the hi-vis workers wearing Morson Vital-branded jackets, who can be heard asking her to leave.
The heated exchange eventually saw the woman ejected from the platform at Homerton station, east London, but it has now emerged the men have been sacked after she alleged they called her a "little Karen".
The Morson Group employers provides infrastructure, rail and construction projects and said the pair were there to give "safeguarding and wellbeing support".
Read more: Driver accused of killing girls in Wimbledon prep school crash appears in court
Read more: Millionaire banker arrested in hunt for ‘Putney Pusher’ also arrested over class A drugs
The company said their behaviour was "not acceptable" and confirmed they have since been let go.
A separate Transport for London (TfL) investigation has been launched, the Daily Mail reports.
In the footage, which went viral on X, the woman can be heard saying: "You're not even wearing proper uniform.
"You're telling me you're TfL."
She can then be heard accusing the men of calling her "a little tramp" and "a little Karen" after being challenged while taking a phone call on her mobile.
One of the men says: "You’re shouting, you’re raising your voice, there are little kids here."
In a statement on Tuesday, the company confirmed to the Mail that the two employees were there to provide "visible safeguarding and wellbeing support" at the station.
The spokesperson said they approached the woman who had "become animated" during a phone conversation.
They said: "This was in line with the training we provide to operatives in this role, which involves identifying potentially hazardous behaviours and de-escalating risks to support passenger safety.
"Since this incident, we have carried out a thorough investigation. Our investigation concluded that the individuals involved did not adhere to their Morson Vital training.
"It also established that they did not follow strict behavioural standards, and failed to communicate the purpose of their intervention whilst wearing non-compliant uniform, which includes wearing visible ID.
"As a result, these operatives are no longer engaged by Morson Vital."
Rory O’Neill, Transport for London's general manager for London Overground Rory O'Neill added: "The behaviour seen in this online footage at Homerton station is not acceptable.
"The individuals involved are employed by Network Rail’s contracted security provider and not by Transport for London.
"We expect everyone working on the network to act professionally and treat customers with respect at all times. We have raised this matter with Network Rail as a priority and they are investigating."
The British Transport Police said it did not meet the threshold for an investigation.