Speak Dutch or be fired


A Belgian auto parts supplier has forbidden its workers to speak any language other than Dutch, even during their lunch break, and employees could be fired if they disobey.

"We have people from Italy, India, Poland, Algeria here. It's to avoid cliques forming here and there," said Geert Vermote, human resources manager of HP Pelzer in the town of Genk in Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region.

Language is a sensitive topic in Belgium, particularly in Flanders where locals and politicians are keen to promote the use of Dutch and prevent the encroachment of the country's other main language, French.

Two staff at HP Pelzer have so far received written warnings, out of a workforce of 125 employees, some 70 percent of whom are of foreign origin. Three warnings would lead to a worker being fired.

Belgian newspaper De Standaard reported Thursday that workers of Turkish origin, who make up some 35 percent of the company's workforce, felt the rule was aimed against them and had asked the union to intervene.

Vermote said the rule had been agreed with the company's works council and said the "three strikes" rule applied to warnings of any form.

"It's really nothing other than other rules we have, such as a ban on smoking," he said.

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Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited.

A Belgian auto parts supplier has forbidden its workers to speak any language other than Dutch

I wonder what happens if they speak Flemish, Frisian, or Afrikaans? All kidding aside, there are a bunch of Low Franconian dialects (or languages, depending on politics) to chose from. Frisian is technically outside the group, but shares some characteristics with Dutch. One wonders if a ban to speak proper Dutch could be enforced: no slang or words or usages not in the official dictionaries or grammar- / usage books. (Here's a lovely monolingual Dutch dictionary online.)

אַ שפּראַך איז אַ דיאַלעקט מיט אַן אַרמיי און פֿלאָט

A language is a dialect with an army and navy. [Max Weinreich] (Original saying was in Yiddish: a shprakh iz a dialekt mit an armey un flot.)

" Geen Turks op werkvloer
Genks bedrijf dreigt met ontslag van overtreders.

Volgens directeur Human Resources Geert Vermote leidde het systeem tot nog toe slechts tot drie overtredingen. Vermote zegt ook geen probleem te hebben met het feit dat vier Turken tijdens de pauze Turks onder mekaar praten, maar stelt dat het Nederlands verplicht is zodra ze gezelschap krijgen van iemand van een andere origine. "

Morning AnnaStrophic. Ja. ik spreek Nederlands.
I found the article in De Standaart.

This is about 125 employees , 70 % of whom are of foreing origin. Mainly from Turkey , most of whom are second generation employees . As I saw (see headline,)the measurement is mainly directed towards the Turkish employees. Newcomers from other countries, as they are more isolated, less tend to form a group within the group.
In the little exerpt above the director puts that during breaks 4 (?!) Turks can talk Turkish amongst eachother, but that Dutch should take over as soon as someone from a different nationality comes in. Well, ? ?

Well, it's a company mesurement, the details you gave are correct. It's not a law. Belgium has had a long history of language quarrels. The prevailing French language and culture has been taken over by the Flemish/Dutch in the second half of last century.

Holland has no obvious workfloor language rules yet. The Dutch have never been that strict with rules. (partly tolorance, partly indifference.) Yet with hordes of immigrants coming in, (Polish top score right now), the discussion about talking Dutch is never off the government list.
English is often a help out.

( BTW, 'onder mekaar' is Flemish. 'onder elkaar'is Dutch. (see blue part above)

To stay with newspaper language news. A headline from today's paper:
The Welshman wants to fight for his language again.

" We now have a word for laptop: gliniadur "
.