Lichfield, West Midlands, England News
Cathedral loses £5m lottery bid
Lichfield Cathedral has had its application for £5m of lottery funding turned down.
Lichfield Cathedral has had its application for £5m of lottery funding turned down.
Muslim sues Tesco for forcing him to carry alcohol
INT42International/Law/Religion/BusinessMuslim sues Tesco for forcing him to carry alcoholLondon, Sep 29 IANS A Muslim youth who worked with Britain's biggest retailer Tesco has sued the store for religious discrimination after he came to know that he carried crates of alcohol bottles as part of his job, the Daily Mail reported Monday.Mohammed Ahmed, 32, who was raised in Saudi Arabia, had worked in a distribution depot of Tesco for eight months before quitting "in protest", the newspaper said. Ahmed, who lives in Derby in the East Midlands of England, said that he was forced to leave the job because "handling beer, spirits and wine is against his strict Islamic beliefs and that he was victimised when he asked the company to give him another role".He told an employment tribunal in Birmingham that he had no idea his job entailed handling alcohol when he started work last September at the depot in Lichfield, Staffordshire.When he realised he was doing something against his religion, he asked his employer for a change but one of his supervisors told him: "You do the job or go home."According to the tribunal, the problem worsened in November and December when extra alcohol arrived at the warehouse in readiness for Christmas.Ahmed claimed he lodged an official grievance with the company, but as a result he had to undergo various "harassment" by his superiors. However, Laura Canham, the company's solicitor, said that it was still unrealistic for Ahmed to say he had no idea what his duties would be. "He was advised at the outset what the job would entail. At no stage did he raise the fact he could not handle alcohol," Canham told the tribunal.She also denied the allegations that the company discriminated against Ahmed and said: "It would be reasonable to expect him to be aware of what Tesco did."A spokesman for Tesco, whose 63-million-pound Lichfield depot has around 1,000 workers, said: "Managers are trained to be culturally sensitive and have an open-door policy to staff for issues like this, as everyone is welcome to work at Tesco."The tribunal will hear the case later this week.--Indo-Asian News Service skp/dg383 Words29091541
INT42International/Law/Religion/BusinessMuslim sues Tesco for forcing him to carry alcoholLondon, Sep 29 IANS A Muslim youth who worked with Britain's biggest retailer Tesco has sued the store for religious discrimination after he came to know that he carried crates of alcohol bottles as part of his job, the Daily Mail reported Monday.Mohammed Ahmed, 32, who was raised in Saudi Arabia, had worked in a distribution depot of Tesco for eight months before quitting "in protest", the newspaper said. Ahmed, who lives in Derby in the East Midlands of England, said that he was forced to leave the job because "handling beer, spirits and wine is against his strict Islamic beliefs and that he was victimised when he asked the company to give him another role".He told an employment tribunal in Birmingham that he had no idea his job entailed handling alcohol when he started work last September at the depot in Lichfield, Staffordshire.When he realised he was doing something against his religion, he asked his employer for a change but one of his supervisors told him: "You do the job or go home."According to the tribunal, the problem worsened in November and December when extra alcohol arrived at the warehouse in readiness for Christmas.Ahmed claimed he lodged an official grievance with the company, but as a result he had to undergo various "harassment" by his superiors. However, Laura Canham, the company's solicitor, said that it was still unrealistic for Ahmed to say he had no idea what his duties would be. "He was advised at the outset what the job would entail. At no stage did he raise the fact he could not handle alcohol," Canham told the tribunal.She also denied the allegations that the company discriminated against Ahmed and said: "It would be reasonable to expect him to be aware of what Tesco did."A spokesman for Tesco, whose 63-million-pound Lichfield depot has around 1,000 workers, said: "Managers are trained to be culturally sensitive and have an open-door policy to staff for issues like this, as everyone is welcome to work at Tesco."The tribunal will hear the case later this week.--Indo-Asian News Service skp/dg383 Words29091541
John Lichfield: Racy goings-on in la France profonde
The nearest town to our house in Normandy is a sad place which has never fully recovered from the summer of 1944. In June of that year, it was pointlessly bombed by the British. In August, it was partially burned by the SS. Sixty-four years later, shops and restaurants are struggling to survive. The population is ageing and glum. Excitement is hard to find.
The nearest town to our house in Normandy is a sad place which has never fully recovered from the summer of 1944. In June of that year, it was pointlessly bombed by the British. In August, it was partially burned by the SS. Sixty-four years later, shops and restaurants are struggling to survive. The population is ageing and glum. Excitement is hard to find.
Obese Midlanders problem tackled
Health experts meet in Birmingham to discuss the problem of obesity in the West Midlands.
Health experts meet in Birmingham to discuss the problem of obesity in the West Midlands.
Manufacturers get xA34m loan fund
A xA34m loan fund is announced to help small and medium-sized manufacturing firms across the West Midlands region.
A xA34m loan fund is announced to help small and medium-sized manufacturing firms across the West Midlands region.
Number of jobless rises by 3,000
The number of people out of work in the West Midlands in the three months to September rises by 3,000.
The number of people out of work in the West Midlands in the three months to September rises by 3,000.
Building caves in for second time
A high street in the West Midlands is cordoned off after a building collapses for the second time in six months.
A high street in the West Midlands is cordoned off after a building collapses for the second time in six months.
West Midlands hit by flooding
Large areas of the West Midlands are hit by flooding following heavy rain while several rivers remain on flood alert.
Large areas of the West Midlands are hit by flooding following heavy rain while several rivers remain on flood alert.
Retailers told about knife laws
Retailers in the West Midlands are to hear about the current laws on selling knives at an event run by police.
Retailers in the West Midlands are to hear about the current laws on selling knives at an event run by police.
Men armed with machete rob shop
Two men armed with a machete and wearing balaclavas rob a newsagents in the West Midlands.
Two men armed with a machete and wearing balaclavas rob a newsagents in the West Midlands.
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