New Zealand: Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia condemns bus firm's English policy

[Harold Schiffman]

Turia condemns bus firm's English policy

By PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post

 Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has slammed a Wellington bus
company's policy asking its drivers to only speak English.


Mana Coach Services' company handbook asks its drivers to use only
English, even in the staffroom. Chief executive officer Geoff Norman
wrote to the Tramways Union saying "the use of a language in front of
others who do not understand what is being said, we consider to be the
height of bad manners". The rule was to prevent staff feeling left
out, or that they were being talked about, "critically or otherwise",
he said. Mr Norman said yesterday that Mana Coach Services had written
to the Human Rights Commission, asking if the English-only policy was
acceptable.

It had not yet heard back from the commission. "We will certainly
respect any ruling that we get," he said. Mrs Turia said the company
needed "a language reality check". "It's outrageous that a company
based in the Wellington region's Polynesian capital has told its
workers they can only speak to each other in English," she said. "The
company needs to realise that language is the cornerstone of any
culture and not giving their staff the right to express themselves to
another staff member in a language they both understand is depriving
them of their identity."

The handbook said it was important for all staff to communicate with
each other in one common language, which was English. Under the Human
Rights Act, an English-only policy can be justified for health and
safety reasons but not to promote workplace harmony. Thorndon New
World supermarket's parent company, Foodstuffs, dropped a similar rule
recently after a negative public reaction. According to the Human
Rights Commission, seven complaints about companies' English-only
policies have been received so far this year, compared with 18 last
year. The commission does not comment on specific cases.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/2342995/Turia-condemns-bus-firms-English-policy

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