Marks and spencer allows Muslim works to refuse selling pork and alcohol to customers

[shanny]

It gets a bit daft after a while. It's the whole sense of entitlement, I think, that everyone has these days. It seems surreal that someone can apply for a job knowing what it entails, then refuse to do certain aspects of it because of their own beliefs.

When I was about 19 I took a job as a trainee chef. I lasted about 3 days, until the restaurant owner discovered I was vegetarian. I didn't mind handling meat and did it without question, but it hadn't occurred to me on taking the job that I'd have to taste the food, and obviously I wouldn't do it, so I was sacked. SO many people told me I should have taken him to a tribunal when it happened, and the ridiculous thing is I probably could have done, but he was absolutely right, I couldn't do the job properly. Had I kicked up a fuss he'd probably have been forced to employ me. That's nuts.

so true-- a common sense approach - if there are aspects of a job that go against beliefs i have chosen ie working on a sunday- how is that fair on the employer??? job description and all that??

that said a supermarket has many roles and can adjust accordingly but not at the expense of the customer ...............imo

 

[Eternal]

It gets a bit daft after a while. It's the whole sense of entitlement, I think, that everyone has these days. It seems surreal that someone can apply for a job knowing what it entails, then refuse to do certain aspects of it because of their own beliefs.

When I was about 19 I took a job as a trainee chef. I lasted about 3 days, until the restaurant owner discovered I was vegetarian. I didn't mind handling meat and did it without question, but it hadn't occurred to me on taking the job that I'd have to taste the food, and obviously I wouldn't do it, so I was sacked. SO many people told me I should have taken him to a tribunal when it happened, and the ridiculous thing is I probably could have done, but he was absolutely right, I couldn't do the job properly. Had I kicked up a fuss he'd probably have been forced to employ me. That's nuts.

so true-- a common sense approach - if there are aspects of a job that go against beliefs i have chosen ie working on a sunday- how is that fair on the employer??? job description and all that??

that said a supermarket has many roles and can adjust accordingly but not at the expense of the customer ...............imo

I am religious and it's a fairly strict religion I guess, but I 100% agree.

I don't drink, therefore I wouldn't work I'm a pub pouring drinks, but I don't have issue scanning a bottle of wine at the check-out.

My previous career pre kids was nursing, so in that example I wouldn't work in/with terminations and you do have a right to choose not to, I agree with this, but that's hugely different to scanning a bottle of wine in my opinion.

Plus I even if it something I believe to be true I don't expect everyone to have the same beliefs as me, so whatever it is, that's other people's agency. So if it's something I feel very strongly about I would find another job, I wouldn't expect the job to work around me.

 

[kit10grl]

Its really not a new thing to be honest. Three years ago one of my Muslim staff came to me over the same issues. The company already had policies regarding she wasn't forced to do something against her beliefs. They also had policies in place for religious holidays including all religions but the ones I remember specifically were not having to work Sundays and not working Easter. I worked for asda at the time.. M&S are just catching up.

But honestly I don't see why it even matters to the customer or general public? Its between the employee and employer. Provided the assistant isn't trying to make comments to the customer about the products they selected or holding them up then its really none of the customers business. The assistant shouldn't need to explain why someone else is scanning the products or have a sign up saying they won't serve certain products as that infringes on their right to not have to defend their beliefs all day. Round here having a sign up would cause more bother than its worth as certain members of society would then use it to start trouble.

 

[tamithomas]

In an economy where jobs are becoming scarce, I find it unfair for a person to be paid to only end up making their own rules when they could have hired someone who would have had no problem doing the job as a whole no exceptions. You knew what you were getting into when getting the job, why make everyone else's life more complicated than it needs to be? People has given examples of I don't drink so I don't work at a bar.

 

[Shadowy Lady]

I was born in the middle east and grew up there till I was 9 (muslim culture but I have agnostic parents). I find this policy weird, why work at a place when you cannot perform the basic task of serving the customers? I would be annoyed if I went to the store and was refused my ham :/

Hoping this policy never makes it to Canada. I honestly try not to be very anti-religious but things like this just annoy the hell out of me.