Question regarding ethical/religious beliefs and DWP sanctions?

Energize

Thankfully for me only a hypothetical question currently. But if you have a genuinely held ethical or religious belief against trading in drugs, can you refuse job roles for things like supermarket/bar jobs where your employer would require you to sell drugs like alcohol and tobacco?

Neil_Jones

Strictly speaking they're not "drugs" as in heroin or cocaine, though I appreciate nicotine is heavily addictive and as as good as a drug...

That being said ethics may or may not come into it, if people want to come and buy tobacco from a shop who are you to stop them? If you don't like smoking or being around people who smoke then that's fine but we have the smoking ban so they'd have to go outside anyway. Same with alcohol, again you may not drink the stuff, that's your choice but again who are you to deny a sale? The only real exception to alcohol sales is to let it be sold to somebody who's already drunk.

As far as sanctions go, unless it's been specified as such from the off on the commitment form (if they would allow such a thing to be added at all as it narrows availability for retail work) it may not sail.

Kentish_Dave

Yes, absolutely you can refuse roles.

The government, sticking to their sincerely held belief that doing so means that you should not receive benefits can then sanction you,

So you have two belief systems each accommodating the other quite nicely.

TELLIT01

I don't know about other supermarkets, but our local Morissons have staff who won't handle or serve alcohol. When they are working there are signs on their tills to that effect. If you can show that it is against genuinely held religious beliefs you might be OK, simply saying that you don't agree with the sale of alcohol or cigarettes may not receive such a positive outcome.

whitegoods_engineer

TELLIT01 wrote: »

I don't know about other supermarkets, but our local Morissons have staff who won't handle or serve alcohol. When they are working there are signs on their tills to that effect. If you can show that it is against genuinely held religious beliefs you might be OK, simply saying that you don't agree with the sale of alcohol or cigarettes may not receive such a positive outcome.

I would not shop in a supermarket where they excuse staff from doing a perfectly normal and expected task of handling acohol. Nobody is telling them they have to drink the stuff, they are simply processing a normal item in a western country where alcohol is legal. To make special exceptions to accommodate religious beliefs is ridiculous.

Comms69

I don't know any religion that says you cannot handle alcohol, or any other substance. In fact my understanding of both Judaism and Islam is that there is a specific aspect dealing with earning a living.

KatrinaWaves

whitegoods_engineer wrote: »

I would not shop in a supermarket where they excuse staff from doing a perfectly normal and expected task of handling acohol. Nobody is telling them they have to drink the stuff, they are simply processing a normal item in a western country where alcohol is legal. To make special exceptions to accommodate religious beliefs is ridiculous.

It is more likely because they are under 18.

But also, requiring someone to avoid one till in one shop (which I have never seen myself) is not 'ridiculous' but feel free to take your ignorant custom elsewhere.

suki1964

Its pretty common here in NI for checkout staff not to sell alcohol, there are signs above which tills you can use

Comms69

KatrinaWaves wrote: »

It is more likely because they are under 18.

But also, requiring someone to avoid one till in one shop (which I have never seen myself) is not 'ridiculous' but feel free to take your ignorant custom elsewhere.

I don't think it was ignorant.


Any business can make any decision they want, and any customer can make any consumer decision they want.


Personally I believe in sectarianism. Religion should have no place in business - but I wouldn't legislate it as I also believe in small govt and the market dictating practice

KatrinaWaves

Comms69 wrote: »

I don't think it was ignorant.


Any business can make any decision they want, and any customer can make any consumer decision they want.


Personally I believe in sectarianism. Religion should have no place in business - but I wouldn't legislate it as I also believe in small govt and the market dictating practice

I do not see allowing someone to not handle alcohol (if indeed a religion required it which remains to be seen) as a business decision. It is a staffing decision. Same as allowing someone to wear religious headwear which may not be in their normal uniform provision.

If someone wants to refuse to shop somewhere where they make a tiny allowance for (possible, I still think its an age thing) religion, then in my opinion that is ignorant. No one is being inconvenienced in any way.Just because someone is free to give their money to whoever they choose doesn't mean the reason cannot be ignorant.

Plus anytime the phrase 'western country' is brought up in such topics it is never a enlightened opinion which follows...

TELLIT01

The person who will not handle alcohol is definitely over 18 and the exemption by the company is due to their religious beliefs. I am not saying whether that it right or wrong, simply trying to answer the original question.