Posts Tagged ‘ dispute ’

Headwear dispute at Disneyland

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

A stand-off has taken place at the Anaheim headquarters of the iconic theme park Disneyland.

A Muslim restaurant hostess, who has worked at Disneyland for over two years, has rejected what was termed a ‘compromise’ offer from her employer over a dispute involving her wearing of the traditional hijab.

Imane Boudlal, who has been aggrieved after being told that she would not be allowed to wear the hijab at work, said she has rejected management’s solution of wearing a hat which covers a makeshift head covering. Boudlal has filed a formal complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Disney, saying the compromise offer was offensive.

Boudlal has worked for the company at their Grand Californian hotel’s Storytellers restaurant since 2008, and said through a statement by the Local 11 union Unite Here that the latest dispute was the seventh time in the past two years that she was ordered to leave the workplace and return home due to her refusal to remove her hijab. Boudlal called the directive ridiculous, claiming that the alterations made by Disney not only made her look silly but made a mockery of her as an individual and of her religion.

Officials at Disney say they had met with Boudlal and talked through several options as a way of reaching a compromise. They argue that it was Boudlal who requested the costume, which is reminiscent of the Wild West, and this was done in line with the group’s costuming guidelines and in such a way that her religious beliefs were accommodated. Boudlal said she would be happy to wear a simple headscarf with a Disney logo.

Garment workers protest in Bangladesh

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Tens of thousands of garment workers have been subdued by police in Bangladesh.

Tear gas and rubber bullets were used by authorities to disperse the crowds who had gathered to demand higher salaries at a rally just outside of Dhaka.

At the Ashulia industrial area, around 30km north of the capital, workers walked off the job and ransacked several factories in support of protesters campaigning against a three-fold wage hike. Local police Chief Sirajul Islam said police were pelted with rocks and live rounds by the protestors, who blocked the highway out of the area for two hours. Chief Islam confirmed that police used rubber bullets, tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse what were termed ‘unruly workers’, prompting a return of fire which left one officer injured.

Forty police officers were wounded in the fighting, which lasted for three hours, according to Islam. He did not make any statement on how many of the garment workers were hurt in the protest, although the left-wing Garment Workers Unity Forum claimed that more than 100 were injured.

Islam told reporters that around 50,000 garment workers were involved in the protest, which is calling for a minimum monthly wage of 5,000 taka (£48). Currently, workers are paid the minimum wage set down by the 2006 manufacturers, unions and the government agreement of 1,662 taka (£16)

The violence follows a string of labour disputes at the two main apparel hubs of Ashulia and Kanchpur, which produce garments for leading global retailers such as Tesco, H&M and Wal-Mart.