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There was was not much sympathy on the talk back shows for the Sky City employee whose job was in jeopardy because she was carrying a Bible at work.
On Wednesday aftenoon, on National Radio, host Jim Mora and his fellow panelists expressed surprise at the amount of support that seemed to exist among the general the public for Sky City’s actions.
One of the panelists, Gary McCormack, said, “There is something wrong with it; employment and human relations in the work place should be about individuals.”
“New Zealand has become an ideology driven society where bureaucracy is the modern ideology… the individual does not matter any more,” he said.
He believes that people’s willingness to accept a “more uniform society” is “caused by fear, given the straitened economic times.”
“We have got to a pretty sad point in NZ if we start picking on 65 year old ladies clutching bibles,” said McCormack.
Tuni Parata, who has worked for Sky City for 16 years, was facing a hearing for possessing non-work related material during work hours after the book was found on a bathroom vanity in the Sky Tower while she was in a cubicle.
Her union, Unite, said she faced dismissal because the act was deemed to be serious misconduct.
The company has since issued a statement saying it regrets how the incident has played out and at no point was it deemed serious misconduct. Tuni Parata has not lost her job.
Sky City spokeswoman Grianne Trout told NBR Online Ms Parata will now be allowed to carry a small bible with her.
“In the past, Tuni did carry a much larger bible, and that just wasn’t acceptable because she wasn’t able to fit it in her pocket and she had to carry it in her hand.
“The bible she has now is a tiny wee thing that fits in her pocket.
“As long as she doesn’t take it out when she’s on shifts, we’re happy to let her have it on her.”
Listen to the discussion on The Panel
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- (Opinion)
News category: New Zealand.
