New Zealand: Store's English policy 'a disgrace'

[Harold Schiffman]

Store's English policy 'a disgrace'

By STACEY WOOD - The Dominion Post

 A Wellington supermarket's English-only policy has been labelled a
disgrace by a leading employment lawyer, but the store's owner says
the matter has been blown out of proportion. Thorndon New World was
yesterday revealed to have told employees they could receive warnings
for speaking foreign languages on the job. Signs, which were taken
down after media uncovered the policy, warned that talking in other
languages could make customers and other staff "feel uncomfortable".

Supermarket owner Brian Drake said the signs had been put up by a
junior manager and he "probably would have worded them differently".
"The message was, when you are serving a customer, you should focus on
the customer and preferably speak English." Under employment and human
rights law, it is illegal to discriminate by reason of ethnic or
national origin, either directly or indirectly. Language itself is not
a prohibited ground, but employment law expert Peter Cullen said it
could create indirect discrimination against people of different
national origins.

"It would come down to why they were doing it - it's not as though
they're working in a steel mill where there are health and safety
concerns." Thorndon is home to a host of foreign embassies and high
commissions, from Cuba to the Cook Islands. Mr Cullen said he would be
surprised if any employers adopted such a policy, particularly in
multicultural Wellington. "We're not dealing with the Taihape general
store in 1932 ... It's a disgrace."

He said he would expect the Human Rights Commission to take an
interest. The commission does not comment on specific cases.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington/2311601/Stores-English-policy-a-disgrace
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