Bookseller fires blogger

LONDON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- British bookseller Waterstone's has fired an employee for keeping a blog about bad days at work and satirizing his boss.

Joe Gordon, 37, worked for Waterstone's in Edinburgh for 11 years. He says he was dismissed without warning for "gross misconduct" and "bringing the company into disrepute" through comments he posted on his Web log, or blog, The Guardian said Wednesday.

Several authors and bloggers protested the dismissal, saying it was extraordinary a company advertising itself as a bastion of freedom of speech acted so swiftly to sack Gordon.

Gordon wrote about everything from U.S. elections to his home city of Edinburgh in the satirical blog he penned in his spare time.

Gordon said he had offered to stop posting anything about his work life when the company called a disciplinary meeting. His union said the company rejected his plea.

A spokeswoman for Waterstone's confirmed the firing but declined comment.