[lg policy] Ireland: Gaeltacht company reverses ban on speaking Irish

[Harold Schiffman]

Gaeltacht company reverses ban on speaking Irish
 December 11 2009


A company in Connemara has withdrawn a recently imposed ban on
speaking Irish in its plant.

The Irish owned company, Cambus Medical, employs 25 people in Spiddal
in the Galway Gaeltacht and has received grant aid from Údarás na
Gaeltachta.

Staff at the plant, which opened in 2007, were threatened with the
sack if they spoke any language other than English on the premises
outside of their break time.

The firm said the ban was to ensure ‘a positive, productive
atmosphere’ within the workplace, where five languages are spoken -
Irish, English, Polish, Latvian and Spanish.

Cambus issued a Language Policy memo to staff stating : "At no time
during the normal course of the working day, are employees permitted
to speak in any other language other than English.  Anyone found in
breach of the policy will be subject to disciplinary action in
accordance with their disciplinary policy, up to and including
dismissal."

A company spokesperson said that it had been decided that English,
which was spoken by all staff, would be the common language and that
the memo had not been an 'anti-Irish' move.

The company withdrew the ban on Thursday however saying that they
would work with Údarás na Gaeltachta to address the multi-lingual work
environment at the company’s plant.

The company announced plans earlier in the year to hire an extra 60
staff at the factory.

http://www.insideireland.ie/index.cfm/section/news/ext/cambus001/category/1087
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