By Jan Bailey; Bushey Road, Raynes Park

I was surprised and saddened to read your article about Celestina Mba, who lost her employment tribunal against Merton Council.

I can not understand how any Human Resources Department can get itself into this mess in 2012.

 Many of us who have worked in the commercial world have lived with a 24/7 business life for almost 20 years but, in my experience, many companies have welcomed multiculturalism and made it possible for people of all faiths to observe their special days. 

In Merton we have a wide choice of Christians, Jews, Muslims and many of no faith to fill posts, so it should be possible to give serious Christians Sundays off, as well Jews for Saturdays and Muslims for Fridays. It's just a case of sensible scheduling.

For seriously religious people who contribute greatly to our society, attendance on these days is their emotional as well as the spiritual basis of their lives.

To deny them that ability undermines their ability to work enthusiastically and efficiently.

Where work is outsourced, the council should ensure that their contractors also abide by this policy. 

If Merton adheres to the fashionable policy of not asking people what, if any, religion they belong to when they first employ them, as well as logging it and then treating their observances with respect, they are just asking for trouble which is totally unnecessary. 


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