Urchin,
Sorry to hear about that bro.
Were you wrong to shout at the payroll clerk?? In a word Yes.
Ya gotta cool that temper buddy, females will always win in these situations.
Was it fair you were fired, in a word No?
Sounds like one of two things to me, was the manager who fired you a friend of the payroll clerk??. The manager was a she right?? I dont think thats just coincidental. Only natural she would side with the female clerk. The secind possibility is that they were looking for a reson to get rid of you. Maybe the payroll clerk deliberatley wound you up, perhaps knowing that you have a hot temper?
As for the future, I would first try and get a reasonable reference from them. Go to them saying, "C'mon guys this is my future"and perhaps volunteer to apologise to the clerk. This may be a pride thing for you but pride aint gonna put bread on the table. Failing that I would try and make up something to cover the year on your resume, something that sounds real plausable and is not easy to check.
Tell ya the truth, I would not hire ya if your references didnt check out, but I *might* if you were upfront and said It was a one off thing. So your choices are 1) get a reference 2) come up with a *very* good cover story or 3) be up front with potential new employers, if honesty is important to them then it may swing things your way. I would avoid number 2 if ya can, cause if someone came to me with even a slightly suspect story I'd check it in detail.
Hope it works out for ya, from knowin ya from Aces you seem like a good bloke. Why not use this as an opportunity to update your skills and develop a better career path??
Best Wishes,
Dave.