Stuart Horton, 47, quit his job at Domino’s over a notice warning staff they must speak in English or face disciplinary action. Now he says his studies at Blackburn College have inspired him to take the pizza giant to industrial tribunal.Wha..?
Stuart said he felt he had to stand up for colleagues who spoke English as a second language. He said his job as a team leader was made much more difficult when staff couldn’t make quick checks with each other in their own language.Then he’s clearly not ‘team leader’ material! But what gave him this insufferable attitude to the needs of the company that paid his wag…
Oh.
Before taking up a management role in the food industry he worked as a government enforcement officer. After quitting his job at the branch in Blackpool Road, Ashton, Preston last winter, Stuart took up studies at Blackburn College with a foundation degree in Community Policing and Justice Management.Oh, great. A grievance factory. Like so many nowadays.
A spokesperson for Domino’s Pizza Group PLC said: “To ensure a good flow of communication in our stores, the use of a common language is condoned at work to avoid confusion and to create a more welcoming environment.
“It is also paramount that all safety aspects are adhered to and for this reason a common language is vital. The tone of the poster in question was a little strong and this was addressed directly with the franchisee.”And would he leave it at that? Well, perish the thought!
He said: “My teachers are really supportive. They tell me that if I believe in this I must act and change it. I’d like to go into law or teaching after this is all over.”Fabulous! That’s just what the law (or teaching) needs. More people like you…
What an utter cnut!
ReplyDeleteXX he worked as a government enforcement officer.XX
ReplyDeleteA WHAT?
He kicks in your door at two in the morning, points a pistol at you head and enforces Government on you, or.....????
Or was he just some kind of dog shit counter?
I can add little to Anon's comment.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet Dominos are quaking in their boots though ... NOT!
I do hope Mr Horton, the would be soldier for justice, keeps us up to date with his battle, especially when Dominos hit him with the counter claim, I shall keep a stock of Popcorn handy .. just in case.
let's suppose that his co-workers were Spanish and find it easier to confirm those small details in their native tongue when they can. If it were a matter of confirming whether or not the customer wanted jalapeno peppers, does it matter what language is used as long as the right data is conveyed? Would you prefer a sub-standard pizza or one made according to the instructions? How does enforcing la language actually help the company?
ReplyDeleteProbably because it isn't a case of "Hey Miguel, que dijo el Jamon y champinones, Par favor?", is it?
ReplyDeleteIt's a case of (If my experience is anything to go by) they're all jabba jabbaing away in their own language, which is fine if say said Spaniards are in Torremolinos, but not quite so much on the High St of Walton on the Naze and the manager of said pizzaria "No habla Espanol".
Graeme:
ReplyDeleteIt would make a difference because in the real world , some of his co-workers may be Spanish, some Urdu speakers, some Bengali, some Russian, but the vast majority, and most customers, English or at least majority English speakers. Life is so much easier if everyone communicates in the same language, and really, why is it such a big deal that someone in England should speak English; in France you speak French or don't expect to get hired.
From his previous role as a 'a government enforcement officer', I suspect Mr Horton would have demanded Domino’s notice warning staff they must speak in English or face disciplinary action be available in 47 different languages.
ReplyDeleteThey can speak what language they like as far as I'm concerned. My only experience of their product will continue to be my only experience of their product; "inedible" would give it the benefit of the doubt.
ReplyDeleteBunny
ReplyDeleteLet's look at Mr Horton's legal ambitions for some level of his likelihood of possessing an IQ slightly larger than an amoeba. Mr Horton is 47, he is doing a foundation degree, two years, that makes him 49 when he completes it. Then he has to do an LLB, that is three years, by this point he is 52 years old. Two years BVQ, 54 years old and he will be competing with the bright young things for a pupillage. Simply put if he follows his dream, which I truly hope he does, he will be 54 years old, in massive debt and just as unemployable then as he is now.
All I can say that I wish all the best in pursuing of a law degree. I hope my fellow readers hope he pursues it too.
Besides that what Mr Anonymous said at 1.
@Bunny "54 years old and he will be competing with the bright young things for a pupillage"
ReplyDeleteI doubt it, he'll more than likely be continuing to run up his student loans, safe in the knowledge that he'll never have to pay them back.
I thought that people couldn't afford Mickey Mouse degree courses like Stuart Horton's because they are so expensive.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's right - only if you have to pay them back by earning well.
I guess Stuart's 'management role' wasn't quite high flying enough to quash the English first' edict that offended him so much - he was more of a 'would you like pepperoni with that' kind of manager, I guess.
I only wish I could share a multicultural expression with him to show my support - this was told to me by a Thai: "Hurry home and screw your mother - your father is dying".
"Or was he just some kind of dog shit counter?"
ReplyDeleteIt probably means he worked in an office...
"If it were a matter of confirming whether or not the customer wanted jalapeno peppers, does it matter what language is used as long as the right data is conveyed?"
I think it's more as Budvar suggests. Plus, it's rude.
"I thought that people couldn't afford Mickey Mouse degree courses like Stuart Horton's because they are so expensive.
Oh, that's right - only if you have to pay them back by earning well."
Spot on!