美國科羅拉多州一肉類加工廠因工作時間禮拜問題一次性解僱200名穆斯林員工，大多是索馬利亞裔。此前該公司曾允許員工在工作時禮拜並提供禮拜間。但由於流水線作業頻繁中斷，嚴重影響生產效率，公司決定禁止禮拜。該決定引發200人罷工及美國伊斯蘭協會介入。公司下發最後通牒後有少數人復工，餘下的全部被解僱。

Cargill 解僱150位穆斯林雇員是否合理合法?

(1月231日)科羅拉多州 Fort Morgan 肉類加工廠(Cargill Meat Solutions)解僱了200名穆斯林員工， 起因是該工廠的十一位索馬利亞裔穆斯林員工要求在上班期間一起在工廠為他們提供的祈禱室內進行祈禱，但廠方以這麼多人一起休息進行祈禱會影響生產線流程為由， 要求他們能夠分成小一些的群體一起禱告。這十一位員工同意了廠方的意見， 但之後，其中十位員工因此請辭。

之後，該廠約200位索馬利亞裔穆斯林員工連續三天拒絕上工。該公司有關政策規定， 員工如連續三天沒有合理理由不上班， 將被廠方解僱。於是，這200名員工被廠方以該政策為由全體解僱。目前，這些被解僱的員工許多都在申請失業救濟， 也有一些在通過一些民權組織與廠方交涉，希望能夠被重新僱傭。但該公司有政策規定， 被解僱的員工不能在六個月以內被重新僱傭， 除非有特殊的理由。 這些被解僱的員工都是時薪為$14 的工會成員。

對此事件引起的媒體關注， 廠方強調，該公司一貫持有保護員工宗教信仰自由的立場，並一直有為穆斯林員工提供上班期間祈禱的場所和時間。 此次矛盾只是因為要求一起進行祈禱的人太多，會影響生產線的連續運作， 才要求他們分成小組進行。 該廠為全體2100 員工設立了兩個祈禱專用的場所(Prayer and Reflection Rooms)，但由於穆斯林員工人數很大(解僱這200名員工之後， 仍然有500名左右穆斯林員工在該廠工作),廠方常常需要協調才能保證一次去祈禱室的員工不會太多而影響生產線的正常運作。被解僱的一些員工說， 雖然公司的確有為員工提供祈禱場所， 並且允許他們從每天30分鐘的午休時間裡拿出5-10分鐘用來祈禱， 但具體執行這些政策的工頭卻曾說過「要祈禱就回家去」這樣的話。 導致一些員工認為公司的政策有變。對此，公司發言人回應說，這場衝突有可能是從雙方的誤解開始的。

Cargill Meat Solutions是總部設在堪薩斯州的Cargill食品公司的一個分部。Cargil公司總共有十五萬員工，分布在該公司在全球68個國家的各個分部里。

需要說明的是，科羅拉多州和公司總部所在的堪薩斯州都是所謂的「Employment at Will」states，既員工和僱主雙方都可以不為任何理由在任何時候解除僱傭關係。當然，由於美國的僱傭關係還要受到其他法律法規的限制，其中最影響深遠的就是平權法(Equal Employment Act)， 所以美國的僱主們在解僱少數族裔，女性，身體有殘疾者，年齡超過四十歲的雇員等「受保護群體」時都會十分小心，以免被員工以各種歧視罪提出訴訟。

這個事件發生在穆斯林極端組織如ISIS及其擁護者在全球引起的恐慌大環境下，自然會讓人聯想到穆斯林群體在美國的宗教自由問題。從事實本身來看，廠方在為員工提供祈禱場所這方面已經做得比許多僱主好了，而且公司的確有相關規定，如果員工沒有適當理由，超過三天不來上班的話就可以被解僱，所以從face value來看，公司方面並沒有做錯什麼。但在目前這個政治敏感的大選年，這個事件很可能被用來炒作成穆斯林生存空間被打壓的例子。事實上，上面的CNN 採訪中，代表一部分被解僱員工的美國穆斯林關係委員會人員就已經把發生的這一切「歸咎」於共和黨總統候選人川普和卡森了。這個事件最後如何了結，Cargill是否會迫於政治壓力而允許這些員工重新回去工作，還真的很難預料。

Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan,

200 Muslim meat-packers fired over prayer dispute

Company terminates Somalian immigrants who walked out claiming not enough was being done to accommodate prayer times.

(01 Jan 2016)

Nearly 200 Muslim employees have been fired from a meat-packing plant after downing tools following a dispute over praying at work.

The workers, mostly Somalian immigrants, staged a walkout to protest what they said was insufficient accommodation of prayer time at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan, Colorado.

The company has provided a "reflection room" for Muslim employees to pray since 2009 but the workers claimed there had been a change to the policy.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the workers had been treated in a "discriminatory manner" and told "If you want to pray, go home".

Jaylani Hussein, a council spokesman, said: "All of these employees are good employees and don't have any other issues. They feel missing their prayer is worse than losing their job. It's like losing a blessing from God."

The Muslim employees Photo: ABC 7 Denver

However, the company, an agribusiness giant that employs 155,000 people in 68 countries, said there had been a "misunderstanding" and its policy of allowing time for prayer had not changed.

A spokesman said plant managers met with the workers, members of the Somali community, and union leaders following the walk-out but were unable to resolve the issue.

The Muslim employees Photo: ABC 7 Denver

He said workers were warned that failing to show up for work three days in a row would jeopardise their employment. After 200 did so they were terminated.

The spokesman added: "Cargill makes every reasonable attempt to provide religious accommodations to all employees based on our ability to do so without disruption to our beef-processing business.

The work passes left by the Muslim employees Photo: ABC 7 Denver

"At no time did Cargill prevent people from prayer at Fort Morgan. Nor have we changed policies related to religious accommodation and attendance. This has been mischaracterised."

The spokesman told the Denver Post: "It's an unfortunate situation that may be based somewhere in a misunderstanding. There has been a desire among some employees to go in larger groups of people to pray.

"We just can't accommodate that. It backs up the flow of all the production. We have to ensure food safety. We have to ensure the products we produce meet consumer expectations."

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/12077549/200-Muslim-meat-packers-fired-over-prayer-dispute.html)

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