PENDENNIS Shipyard says that senior management knew nothing about a security guard who was told by his employer that he could no longer work at the docks over fears he might have Ebola.

The company says it has disciplined an employee and apologised to Sam Ogunnoiki who was told by his employer Stout Security that he could not return to work at the docks for three weeks following a holiday in Nigeria.

A statement from Pendennis issued today said: “Pendennis wishes to clarify that the senior management at the yard knew nothing about the situation between Stout Security and its employee, Mr Sam Ogunnoiki, until it was highlighted in the media earlier this week.

“We have now conducted a thorough internal investigation and as a result we have disciplined an employee who acted without authority and without consulting senior management or taken advice from our Occupational Health Nurse.

“We apologise for any offence or any inconvenience this may have caused Sam Ogunnoiki and we have no problem with him resuming his duties within Pendennis if he is so allocated here by Stout Security.

“We do not support or endorse the action taken by his employer.”

Mr Ogunnoiki from St Blazey Gate came back from a three-week holiday in the African country — officially declared free of the deadly virus — on Saturday to find a letter from his boss informing him that several members of staff had raised concerns about working with him following his trip.

Mr Ogunnoiki, who has worked for St Austell based Stout Security LTD for eight years, was told by director Trevor Mannell that, to allay colleagues’ fears that he was carrying the Ebola virus back with him, he could not allow him to return to work until he had been back in the UK for at least three weeks.