Retail Apartheid?

[mushroom25]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2527820/Marks-Spencer-tells-Muslim-staff-CAN-refuse-serve-customers-buying-alcohol-pork.html

Good Idea?

[ChillDoubt]

Seems there is something from a spokesperson:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/muslim-marks-spencer-staff-told-2952827

A spokesman for M&S said: “We recognise that some of our employees practise religions that restrict the food or drink they can handle, or that mean they cannot work at certain times.

“M&S promotes an environment free from discrimination and so, where specific requests are made, we will always make reasonable adjustments to accommodate them, whilst ensuring high levels of customer service.”

The spokesman said that their policy would be applied to other religions, including Christians who did not want to work Sunday's and Jews who choose not to work Saturdays.

Oh dear.

[ChillDoubt]

Should have added, that link was updated 50 minutes ago.

[jim360]

One thing that surely also should raise suspicion about this story is that it appears as if there is so far only a single incident of it reported. Assuming this were official M&S guidance it would follow that there are several Muslim cashiers enough that this could be a problem. Meanwhile I'm fairly sure it's likely that there are plenty of shoppers buying alcohol and pork products so on balance you'd expect more than one such transaction a week. I expect this would have been experienced more widely than at just one shop in London just once last week, then. So I'm wondering if what happened was something closer to the following: this particular cashier asked if she could be excused from handling pork/ alcohol on religious grounds, and her supervisor said that would be fine. This I think fits the apparent facts better. Just one incident in just one shop because of just one supervisor giving bad advice.

[2sp_]

Sometimes it seems to me that the very people who try to make life "easier" for minority groups in this country are making it more difficult for the majority to accept them.

[mushroom25]

many newspapers have now picked up this story, and there are many entries on google leading to blogs where it is being discussed, mainly in the negative. if the story is untrue, it's too late, the damage has already been done, and m&s's apparent refusal to comment can only be compounding the situation.

[Gromit]

ChillDoubt

All of hat is in the original story from yesterdays Daily Telegraph and linked to pn the first page of the thread.

Seesh.

[ChillDoubt]

Really Gromit?

The spokesperson in the OP link has worded it differently (certainly in the link) plus, I don't see any link to a Daily Mirror article on page 1 of the thread.
Do you?

[ChillDoubt]

From the OP link:

A M&S spokesman said the policy of tolerance acknowledges the beliefs of other religious workers, including Christians and Jews.

Not quite as in depth as the paragraphs from the Mirror link, is it?

[mushroom25]

//The spokesman said that their policy would be applied to other religions, including Christians who did not want to work Sunday's //

if that is indeed what the man from M&S said, it's very disingenuous - that's no concession granted by M&S, but the law of the land, as set out in the Sunday Trading Act 1994, schedule 4.

[Gromit]

From the Daily Telegraph article linked to on page 1.

// An M&S spokesman said: “We recognise that some of our employees practise religions that restrict the food or drink they can handle, or that mean they cannot work at certain times.
“M&S promotes an environment free from discrimination and so, where specific requests are made, we will always make reasonable adjustments to accommodate them, whilst ensuring high levels of customer service.”
The policy applies throughout its 700-plus stores. The spokesman said the policy of tolerance applied to other religions, so, for example, Christians who did not want to work on Sundays and religious Jews who chose not to work on Saturdays would also be excused. //

[ChillDoubt]

So even though there was confirmation from an M&S spokesperson, you still posted this:

I have my suspicions that this story will prove to be NOT true. I have looked on M&S' website at their staff terms and conditions and there is nothing to confirm this story.

Dare I ask on what basis, notwithstanding the fact that 2 national newspapers rendered themselves liable to legal action for supposedly priniting quotes attributed to an M&S source that you are implying are false?

[jomifl]

How come the employees can exercise discrimination but the employers can't?

[Gromit]

Because, if you read the bits in quotations, it neither confirms or denies that such an incident took place and it does not confirm that people working on its tills can refuse to handle alcohol.

The spokesman is not given a name. Or a proper job title (other than spokesman). We do not know if he was someone at the branch or someone working at head office, if they are senior or shop floor.

It is not so remarkable for newspapers to print misleading statement or even lies. The Daily Mail has the largest number of complains upheld by the Press Complaints Commission with 687 complaints which led to an adjudication or a negotiated settlement. The next biggest transgressor is The Sun on 394.

[dunnitall]

IF the story is true why would anyone work in an environment which goes against their religion or belief? And more to the point, why would anyone employ them!

[ChillDoubt]

The spokesman is not given a name. Or a proper job title (other than spokesman). We do not know if he was someone at the branch or someone working at head office, if they are senior or shop floor.
-----------------
Seriously? How often do retailers actually name their spokespeople?
Not many named in these links:


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10524134/All-Marks-and-Spencer-toys-to-be-gender-neutral-by-spring-2014.html

http://www.retail-week.com/sectors/fashion/marks-and-spencer-insists-it-has-no-stock-problem-despite-selling-out-of-key-autumn-lines/5053200.article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-19740659

[jim360]

Chilldoubt, what do you make of the fact that it's only occurred in a single store (at least, only been reported to have occurred in a single store), and only once at that? For a national policy, that's a surprisingly low hit rate, no?

[Gromit]

ChillDoubt

You are correct that M&S do not name their spokes people but in the links you have highlighted, both those stories can be verified to an official M&S source. The gender neural toys one came from a statement on their official Facebook site. And the Remploy one came from a M&S press release here.

http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/page.aspx?pointerid=4f736248509846ce857ec375a248b9de

I may well be wrong, and this may be M&S national policy. But I remain unconvinced.

[THECORBYLOON]

M & S said this applies to folk of other religions so why do some see it as applying ONLY to Muslims?

[CokeTulip]

Wonder if they intend applying this in their clothing dept aswell and have some consistency? M&S are doing sooooo well in this dept!!