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Muslim postal workers threaten to sue Royal Mail
Postal workers who were refused time off to celebrate a religious holiday are considering legal action against Royal Mail.Muslim staff at a regional distribution center in Leeds, say they are usually allowed to take the day off to mark Eid-ul-Fitr. But around 50 workers who wanted time off last Friday were told they could not have the day off this year "for operational reasons". Many refused to turn up and are now facing disciplinary hearings. One postal employee told the YEP: "In previous years shifts have been organised so there was cover for those who wanted to celebrate Eid. For some reason this year the management either forgot to do this or deliberately did not do it. Union leaders are now negotiating with managers to ensure that, in future, Muslims will get time off to mark religious holidays. And they have warned they are prepared to take the company to a tribunal for discrimination. Andy Lee, secretary of the Communications Workers Union Leeds No1 Amalgamated branch, said: "We know they cannot always release everybody, but they have always tried to release as many as possible. This year they simply said 'unfortunately, we can't do it' and so they cancelled leave for all. "Our members are very upset - my phone did not stop ringing. Many members decided they would not go in to work and as a result they are facing hearings over unauthorised absences. We're already fighting those. We're actively pursuing this. There is another Eid coming up at the end of November and we want to avoid a similar confrontation. "If we have to then we are prepared to take it to a tribunal because we believe it is a clear case of discrimination." Under British law there is no specific rule which states that a worker must be given time off for religious holidays or festivals, though employers are encouraged to be "sensitive" to requests. Posted by: ryuge 2010-09-14 |
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