Thomas Cook Welsh Language Ban - Comments from Eleanor Burnham AM
11.06.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 11th Jun 2007
Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the Welsh Language and Assembly Member for North Wales, has today given her reaction to the news that travel agent Thomas Cook has banned the work-related use of Welsh among staff in its Bangor branch.
The travel agent has instructed members of staff at the Bangor branch to hold all work-related conversations in English, a policy applying to all non-English languages.
Ms Burnham said: "It is utterly disgraceful that a company be allowed to dictate to its staff which language they use whilst working, particularly in such a strong Welsh-speaking area as Gwynedd.
"Examples like this make it clear why we need to enshrine the rights of Welsh speakers in law, and give official status to Welsh as a language of Wales equal to English.
"Welsh and English should stand side by side in law and those who wish to use either language in official situations or in the workplace should be allowed to do so.
"Thomas Cook's actions undermine the bilingual status of our society. In a region with a substantial number of Welsh speakers, why shouldn't staff be allowed to use either Welsh or English with each other and with customers? It should be a matter of choice, and a new Welsh Language measure would protect this right to choose which language people use on a day to day basis.
"We will soon know if the firm's actions are actually in breach of the Race Relations Act and I would hope that Thomas Cook will now reconsider their language policy. Using Welsh or English within Wales is a choice, not a rule and this incident flies in the face of our diverse, modern Welsh society. Other businesses and companies should now consider very carefully how they facilitate bilingual workplaces in Wales."
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