Man sacked in UK for not speaking Polish?

Paulo Franco was employed at the Fyffes factory in Coventry, central England at a company which has operated in the UK for 123 years.

Franco says that he was asked to leave the firm after writing a letter to his employers complaining of an alleged Polish bias.

“All the training has been provided in a low level of English, causing misinterpretations, and most of the line workers do not understand basic instructions,” he claimed in the letter.

“At meetings, Polish replaces English, causing communication breakdown,” he added.

Paul Barrett, a brand manager for Fyffes, told the Mail on Sunday (UK) that Franco had become “agitated about his interpretation of what was happening.”

He said that line-workers need “a minimum standard” of English and that they are tested on this after applying for positions.

“But you will never change the fact that people prefer their native tongue. You can't ban people speaking their own language,” he added. (nh/pg)