&host=www.rt.com&uri=/news/germany-work-discrimination/&via=1.1 8.254.9.149:80 (Footprint 4.8/FPMCP)&ua=CCBot/1.0 (+http://www.commoncrawl.org/bot.html))
Work discrimination – silence matter in Germany
Published: 23 February, 2010, 07:51
Edited: 25 February, 2010, 01:16
TAGS: Conflict, EU, Politics, Europe, Human rights
Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from discrimination and harassment by colleagues and bosses in Germany every day. However, many do not speak out for fear of being unpopular at work or even losing their jobs.
Happy days are here again at Sedika Weingaertner’s home. But for years this wife, mother of four and former executive says her home life and health were harmed due to discrimination.
Sedika worked for Siemens in Nuremberg, Germany from 2001 until she was fired in 2009. She contends that she was mistreated because she is a woman and because she is not of German descent.
“I had a supervisor who was very rude, a very impolite person. He called me ‘walrus,’ he used insulting words like ‘dirty sloppy Arab,’ and so on,” she told RT.
A German citizen who is originally from Afghanistan, she claims the abuse began subtly, with a heavier workload than her colleagues, exclusion from meetings, constant criticism and false claims from her first supervisor. With a new boss, she says, the bullying intensified.
“No one was allowed to talk to me,” she said. Sedika’s husband Helge said that the pain changed her.
“She came home and then cried,” he said. “She was always very tough at work, so nobody could see how she felt, but when she came home she broke down almost everyday.”
The ex-exec has launched a lawsuit against Siemens. The company declined to be interviewed, but issued a statement that insists an internal investigation found no basis for the allegations.
“The company tolerates no discrimination. Suspected infringements are rigorously pursued,” the statement said.
Sedika’s case could set a major precedent. It is estimated that 1.5 million workers a day in Germany are victims of on-the-job bullying. Many suffer in silence, afraid that speaking out could cause even more harm.
Germany is watching the suit closely as it struggles with integration and discrimination.
“First of all, we seriously do have a problem with discrimination,” said an expert on integration and migration, Gunilla Fincke.
Fincke has worked to improve integration for 10 years, and points out that Germany has only had anti-discrimination legislation since 2006.
“With this kind of law and the whole discussion, we have certainly seen a number of companies taking measures on awareness training, on skills, also just on having mission statements that include diversity goals, which help a lot to make this country sort of more open,” she said.
But people of foreign backgrounds are still grossly underrepresented in both the private and public sectors. A quota system is being debated as a way to level the playing field.
“But the quota system also has a flip side to it, which is when people think ‘Oh, she looks different and she has that job. Is that that because of qualifications or because of a quota?’” Fincke added.
A voluntary quota system combined with increased training and awareness is a more palatable option and is also being considered.
Fincke believes the diversification of Germany’s work force is not only a matter of fairness but also key to innovative ideas it needs to remain competitive.
23.02.2010, 06:46
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February 24, 2010, 05:19, work wrote > Anyone who has had to work for a living anywhere in the world has probably had to put up with some form of discrimination. There are all kinds of discrimination but the most common is where one race gangs up against another race and makes their life miserable until they quit or encounter health problems. It used to be whites exploiting blacks in America. This has reversed itself in America and now it is more likely that blacks discriminate against whites in the media promoting "political correct" environment. America tolerates racism today, so long as it is not directed against blacks. The American postal service is a prime example of reverse discrimination against whites. There is still a lot of discrimination against American Indians and most of the treaties were not honored. If America could take off the media imposed blinders and see things as they are, not as the media reports it, this terrible discrimination could be reduced or stopped.
Sina it is a scandal that we have an anti- discrimination authoroty, but this public authoroty is only established, that People sufferd from discrimination would not get any help. In German Parliament there ist another outhority responsible for Immigration, Foreigners and refugees but they dont want to take any action against theier lobby the present german government. 1,5 Million people in Germany are victims of bullying and discrimination, thats the official numbers published by the govenement. The estimated number of unreported cases are 10 times higher in Germany. About 15 million people in Germany are from foreign origin. In fact, in Germany one third of the population are discriminated in one or the other way. The polititians don't want to take some mesure for the improvment of the situation of the suffering people. A pitty, that people in Germany under the best demokracy of the world experience the most severe infrangement of human dignity and individual rights. German justice system does not want to grant any compensation because these compensation is not usual in Germany. And that is exactly the reason why the employers continue to discriminate people, and bullying is developed as a method for Human resource Policy. In fact, German labour protection law is one of the strict ones in the world. But the lobiism is prior to the law and regulation.
I commend and support Sedika for pursuing her charges against Siemens in Nuremberg, Germany. I totally understand how hard the road is to charge and pursue a large, global company like Siemens, because I am also charging Siemens with discrimination charges.
Since large companies have been successful in making sure the judicial systems and laws are more beneficial and favor companies, the ability to discriminate and treat their employees in any fashion they choose is easily possible. It is easy for these companies to discriminate without being held accountable. The difficulty in being able to find attorneys who handle discrimination cases is evidence of how difficult it is to win discrimination cases for employees. Siemens views and treatment of women, national origins, age, race, color, religion, equal pay, and disability ARE those that define discrimination. The fact that supervisors and/or managers are able to successfully bully and dominate their employees, then get away with doing so, shows that Siemens does not have the control, or desire, to change these practices. Of course, Siemens is going to say that there was no basis for the allegations. Siemens stating that they perform an internal investigation is a joke! This is like the fox watching over the hen house. They may perform an internal investigation, but only a chosen few are able to view what was investigated, and the process and procedures that were followed to make their determination. If you are the one making the charge, you should be able to see this information. After all, you are the one who has had to suffer the humiliation and degregation from the discrimination. The only reason that Siemens even has an internal Ethics Hotline and Investigation is because it was part of the companies settlement on their corruption scandal. It is easy for Siemens to say: “The company tolerates no discrimination. Suspected infringements are rigorously pursued,”. It is harder for those of us who have had to be the receipients of the discrimination, to move ahead and make a difference!!I wish Sedika all the best with her case . Hopefully, she can set a major precedent for Germany. The main goal I have with my case is to make Siemens answerable for their actions, and to make sure that the discrimination and treatment I received is no longer done to someone else who still works for this company.