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Union officials and Asian councillors launching the work right campaign
MUSLIM WORK RIGHTS DRIVE
19/12/2003
MUSLIM workers in the North West are being urged to use new
anti-discrimination laws to demand religious rights from
employers.
Changes they may be able to insist on include:
- The right to attend the mosque for Friday prayers.
- The right to have extended holidays to undertake the Hajj.
- The right to wear Muslim dress at work including the hijab.
- Breaks at prayer times and a quiet area for prayer with washing
facilities.
- The right not to work in areas where alcohol or non-halal meat
and meat products are sold.
- Canteens that offer halal alternatives.
The Manchester based shop and warehouse workers union USDAW have
linked with the North West area of the Muslim Council of Britain
and the Coalition Against Racism to launch a campaign to make these
paper rights a reality.
Though the new legislation, which became law on 2 December, does
not go into detail over new rights, campaigners believe employers
will have to make concessions to Muslims unless they can prove the
changes will seriously damage their business.
Bolton councillor Ebrahim Adia is the author of USDAW's pamphlet on
the new discrimination laws.
He said they should be the green light to all reasonable requests
from Muslims for greater flexibility at work to accommodate
religious principles.
He added: "A request to attend Friday prayers outside the normal
lunch hour should be accepted, for example, providing Muslim
employees undertake to make up the time on another day.
"Equally with requests over dress, holidays for religious festivals
and pilgrimages.
"This is not just a Muslim issue in applies to all religions
including, Christians who may want extra time off on Sunday to
undertake their worship."
USDAW organiser Ruth Stoney is in charge of the union campaign. She
said most major employers so far had been reasonable about the
changes.
"They should ensure that Muslims can wear their own dress in stores
and attend prayers. Where we can show that changes do not have a
serious detrimental affect on businesses, the employers should
concede."
She said the new laws could significantly improve the religious
rights of Muslim workers employed by small retailers in 'white'
areas.
"In Asian areas supermarkets and store owners usually have no
problem with female employees wearing the hijab. But in some white
area we have had refusal in the past on the grounds that dress
codes should reflect customer tastes. But this law should change
this attitude."
Many Muslim workers - including many who work for Muslim employers
- are not in unions. USDAW hope their campaign for religious rights
will encourage more to join.
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