andrewducker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
andrewducker) wrote2005-07-27 09:06 am
andrewducker) wrote2005-07-27 09:06 am
Days Off?
Not sure how I feel about this. A Christian lost his court case where he claims he was sacked for refusing to work Sundays. His employers moved to a 7-days shift system and required people to work every day of the week (I assume week on/week off).
On the one hand, if they're discriminating equally against Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc. then it's hard to say that they're practising religious discrimination. And it's not like I actually agree that there's any _rational_ reason for not working on a Sunday.
I suspect I'm feeling the left-over twinge from when working on a Sunday used to be extremely rare. If, after all, a sect sprang up that forbade working on Wednesdays I wouldn't expect employers to automatically give people the Wednesday off. And it's not like we're actually a Christian country any more - church attendance is down to 7.5%.
Dammit, it's my Englishness coming to the fore. Must...suppress....
On the one hand, if they're discriminating equally against Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc. then it's hard to say that they're practising religious discrimination. And it's not like I actually agree that there's any _rational_ reason for not working on a Sunday.
I suspect I'm feeling the left-over twinge from when working on a Sunday used to be extremely rare. If, after all, a sect sprang up that forbade working on Wednesdays I wouldn't expect employers to automatically give people the Wednesday off. And it's not like we're actually a Christian country any more - church attendance is down to 7.5%.
Dammit, it's my Englishness coming to the fore. Must...suppress....
no subject
'Wholly' erroneous? For some people, Christmas is a predominently a religious period, although these people are reducing in number.
I firmly believe that becoming a parent is a choice like any other. Yes, it is in our interests for employers to make it easier for parents to work, but I don't think 'because I'm a parent' should automatically trump all other reasons for increased flexibility. Sadly, it's something I've seen a fair bit of.
I would hope that an employer would help parents ensure that they can take holiday at convenient times. I would equally hope that an employer would be understanding of the commitments of non-parents (eg. sick relatives, moving house, restrictions on a spouse's holiday periods). I've seen a lot of emphasis on the former and not a great deal on the latter.