Dinner lady sacked for accidentally serving pork to a Muslim child

[boyfriday]

You're sort of hinting that she was repeatedly serving haraam food to Muslims ... we do not know.

 

Making the opposite supposition does not equal balance.

 

I'm hinting at an alternative possibility that the main stream media and no one else on this thread is considering, yet was stated in the local newspaper who presumably were first to cover the story.

[milquetoast1]

Yep. Its possible that this dinner lady has been in trouble before and its just unfortunate that the "final straw" was one that involved religion.

 

Until we know the full facts its foolish to judge or play the blame religion / race card game.

 

We will never know the full facts, and people and the media will spin it how they want, but we can still have a general discussion that involves the potential minefield of religion in schools, and specifically school catering.

 

If she was on her final written warning for other issues, then I very much doubt that incompetently serving gammon to a vegetarian would ever be seen as a "final straw". My parents would have just rolled their eyes if that had happened to me, and certainly not been complaining to the school.

 

The school shouldn't be providing a service of ensuring that parents religious dietary wishes are met, because it will always fail. They should just provide the choice, not promise to police it.

[boyfriday]

Missionary work in Africa is a total waste of time as is the various types of aid given.

 

PS weren't the Fuzzy Wuzzies from Sudan and just look at the state they're still in today.

 

looking at your avatar you'd have more in common with them than me,

btw, seeing as you've brought it up why do you as an adult have a young startled pubescent fuzzy wuzzy as an avatar?

 

Since I'm not averse to a bit of stereotyping meself, why do you right wing geezers lack so much in the intelligence and sense of humour department?

[milquetoast1]

Anyway, possibly a bit more balance from this article

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/08/02/alison-waldock-row-muslim-parents-speak_n_3694477.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

[boyfriday]

We will never know the full facts, and people and the media will spin it how they want, but we can still have a general discussion that involves the potential minefield of religion in schools, and specifically school catering.

That's a perfectly reasonable proposal, but Im afraid milquetoast don't you see how this incident has already been hijacked by people who want to make political capital out of it? That's the game I don't want to play.

 

What do we have here? A woman who was sacked for failing to do her job, happens everyday. She might have been unfairly treated and can have her day in front of an employment tribunal if that's the case. But what we do know is that being sacked for doing something like this is a rare event, after all we don't hear these stories every day and mistakes must be made every single school day without Muslims complaining or being 'outraged' about it.

 

Yet the media and contributors to websites like this talk about 'pandering to Muslims', 'Muslims got the woman sacked', the only comment I've seen from Muslims is a rational one, saying she shouldn't have been sacked..funny how that's hardly mentioned as a positive outcome to this debacle.

If she was on her final written warning for other issues, then I very much doubt that incompetently serving gammon to a vegetarian would ever be seen as a "final straw". My parents would have just rolled their eyes if that had happened to me, and certainly not been complaining to the school.

Most Muslim parents already do precisely what your parents would have done.

The school shouldn't be providing a service of ensuring that parents religious dietary wishes are met, because it will always fail. They should just provide the choice, not promise to police it.

On that I agree with you, but what we don't know is the level of responsibility the school and caterers agreed to undertake, more fool them if they were unable to supervise it.

 

---------- Post added 02-08-2013 at 16:26 ----------

 

Anyway, possibly a bit more balance from this article

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/08/02/alison-waldock-row-muslim-parents-speak_n_3694477.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

 

..and for the sake of balance I wouldn't propose this as being the definitive view either.

[Bypassblade]

Depends. The headteacher has implied that this wasn't the sole reason she was sacked anyway - ''it was not a one-off''. Without knowing the other reasons people wanted rid of her it's impossible to say.

 

Thanks for the reply Halibut, looks like one of those we'll never know the whole story.

[Peer Gynt]

That the issue over the halal wasn't the sole reason she lost her job.

 

Maybe she was lazy and had lousy timekeeping and a bad attitude; maybe she got a load of stuff wring all the time, who knows?

 

And they only came to that conclusion after 11 years , that would imply those above her weren't up to the job. Mind you, you did say maybe, another one of your meaningless/suppositions.

 

---------- Post added 02-08-2013 at 18:26 ----------

 

Depends. The headteacher has implied that this wasn't the sole reason she was sacked anyway - ''it was not a one-off''. Without knowing the other reasons people wanted rid of her it's impossible to say.

 

Thanks for the reply Halibut, looks like one of those we'll never know the whole story.

 

Well naturally but if she takes the matter to a tribunal even Halibut won't be able to come up with one of his gems.

 

---------- Post added 02-08-2013 at 18:30 ----------

 

What do we have here? A woman who was sacked for failing to do her job, happens everyday. She might have been unfairly treated and can have her day in front of an employment tribunal if that's the case. But what we do know is that being sacked for doing something like this is a rare event, after all we don't hear these stories every day and mistakes must be made every single school day without Muslims complaining or being 'outraged' about it.

 

If this woman had been spoken to on other occasions then records should have been kept along with records of interviews that should have taken place, these should be available to the employee at the time of her sacking.

Be interesting to see what comes out if she takes it to an employment tribunal.

[Norseman]

I wonder how many were sacked when this happened:

 

Or what about the schools which only serve halal meat and don't notify the children or parents? That could be offensive to any Christian zealots.

 

Actually you've hit the nail on the head with this. There is a sandwich shop near where I work and they only now stock Halal meat, conventional meat has gone. As I am now not given the choice I do not buy my lunch from them any longer...business seems to be dwindling can't imagine why

[Happ Hazzard]

I think Halal should be banned.

[Aleksandr]

and if she had served something that contained nuts to a child with an allergy then she would get the same treatment.

Nuts can kill someone who is allergic to them, but pork is completely safe, nutritious and often delicious!

 

---------- Post added 02-08-2013 at 23:53 ----------

 

"Miss Waldock served the gammon meal after the seven-year-old pupil pointed to it. The school’s headteacher spotted the mistake and stepped in before the girl ate any of the meat, which is banned under her religion."

 

So no harm done then. The employer should pay Waldock in compensation the same amount that she would have earned had she remained and worked until retirement. The head teacher should resign; it's not like she wasn't warned that there was a problem. Besides, if this really is such a problem for Muslim children, then they should be 'educated' in a madrassa rather than a normal school, where they will be safe from Western influences, and bacon!

 

---------- Post added 02-08-2013 at 23:54 ----------

 

I think Halal should be banned.

So do I! The way the animals are slaughtered falls well short of what can reasonably be expected in a civilised country. Exsanguination is barbaric!

 

---------- Post added 02-08-2013 at 23:55 ----------

 

Actually you've hit the nail on the head with this. There is a sandwich shop near where I work and they only now stock Halal meat, conventional meat has gone. As I am now not given the choice I do not buy my lunch from them any longer...business seems to be dwindling can't imagine why

Let them go out of business. They deserve to for betraying their cultural heritage.

 

---------- Post added 03-08-2013 at 00:04 ----------

 

Do you expect the people working on school dinners to ask every child if they are Muslims, or just the children that look like Muslims. Now what do Muslim children look like, whats different about them that would distinguish them from everyone else.

And what about those who are white Muslims. And what about those brown children who are not Muslims? Assuming someone's cult from the colour of their skin is unwise, don't you think?