The Dutch Way or the Highway

Reuters has an interesting article up about a Belgian auto parts supplier who has forbidden his employees to speak another language than Dutch while at work. If they ignore the rule, they can be fired.

“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.

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.

The employees who are most upset with this rule are from Turkish origin: they believe that the new rule is aimed against them and they have asked a union to intervene.

Geert Vermote added: “”It’s really nothing other than other rules we have, such as a ban on smoking.”

Now, I am quite sure that Vermote will be criticized by quite some people, but – as I see it – it is his right to demand of his employees to speak Dutch while at their work. His argument, that cliques are formed based on nation of origin and, thus, language is bad for the company and thus bad for business is believable.

I do not know much about Belgian law, but, if it is not legal, it should be legal for an employer to do this. If employees do not like it, they can always quit and find another job.

It is called capitalism.

On the other hand, having 35% of one’s employees being angry, is not exactly good for business either. So, although it should be legal, one can wonder whether enforcing this rule is wise.