Cardiff woman who posted job rejection letter blaming her ‘strong Welsh accent’ offered legal help
There have been offers of legal help after a woman from Cardiff posted a message online saying she was rejected for a job because of her “strong Welsh accent”.
Eluned Anderson, who is Holocaust UK’s regional ambassador and has been active in the Labour movement, posted the message online last night saying it was the “first time I’ve ever been told I’ve got a strong Welsh accent, so I suppose that’s a win?”
The message said that she had been turned down for the role despite having “performed well throughout” and praised for her “skill set”.
“I’m sorry to say, however, that we have decided not to proceed with your application,” the message said.
“It was decided that your strong Welsh accent, accompanied by your regional activities, would not suit the office environment.”
Eluned Anderson, 22, blanked out the title of the job she applied for and the name of the person who sent her the message.
She had previously worked an internship as a parliamentary assistant.
First time I’ve ever been told I’ve got a strong Welsh accent, so I suppose that’s a win? 🥴 pic.twitter.com/zNdzlcyGhy
— Ellie (@ElunedAnderson) March 21, 2022
After she posted the message Eluned Anderson received over 500 messages of support, including from legal experts offering to argue her case.
Jamie Hanley, a partner at Pattison Brewer trade union law, said: “Ellie – if you want my team at to look at this for you please send me a DM. Would be happy to assist.”
Employment lawyer Deeba Sayed also offered to help: “This is horrible and definitely discrimination under the Equality Act.”
Eluned Anderson has been active in the Labour party. Last year she criticised Wales’ First Minister, Mark Drakeford for attending an event alongside individuals expelled from the Labour Party.
“The First Minister of Wales should not be sharing a platform with members who have been expelled from the party,” she said of the World Transformed event. “The damn state of this.”
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Ellie really should pursue this clear case of discrimination. They even told her clearly in the letter that they were being prejudiced against her accent. Imagine dear English readers who may be confused why this is a problem if instead of a beautiful Welsh (well Cardiff) accent she was rejected for say a beautiful Nigerian accent, how this would be received. Yes, that. For a thousand years. I am guessing that the article is right, that this was for a government job, possibly in Westminster because nowadays who, but the official home of anti Welsh xenophobia would dare be so… Read more »
I recall it happened to me in the 80s, in Wales!!!. I remember another incident trying for a job at the hospital same period when a Welsh speaking manager asked that because i filled my form in Welsh i would probably be forcing people to speak Welsh to me. Wir i dduw ichi!!!
Or the university which initially refused an applicant who had submitted his form to lecture in Cymraeg – because it was filled out in … Cymraeg. (Only thanks to their HQ was the decision reversed.)
This in clear breach of the university’s own Cynllun Iaith / Welsh Language Scheme, accepted policy and discrimination laws.
You couldn’t make it up.
Caerdydd ? Sounds like the fudged thinking so prevalent in that institution.
Na.
Is this actually a real rejection letter?
Only this woman has previous on insulting the Jewish Community.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/young-labour-chair-candidate-withdraws-over-comments-about-incredibly-good-looking
Karma is a very mysterious thing.
All this story will achieve is,all similar prospective employers will tighten up their procedures when communicating with unsuccesful candidates.
So they should. More pertinently they should make sure that they secure the services of top quality applicants not some jerk with a plum in his/her mouth.
Discrimination? Racism surely?
Well, we aren’t a race now are we? It’s xenophobia, cymrophobic, bigoted. Certainly isn’t racism.
Of course not – Cymru is not a country.
The latest edicts from Westminster tell us we are ‘a territory’.
Occupied territory ! In some places only people with home ownership are Sais colonists !
This is a common occurrence even within Cardiff although the prospective employers are not usually stupid enough to put it in writing
More Cymrophobia, I see. Ms Eluned Anderson was rejected not because she was under-qualified for the position sought but because she had an alleged “strong”Welsh accent therefore ethnicity, as both are part and parcel. And the excuse they used to reject her was accent “would not suit an office environment” laughable.
And I find it ironic that this company must have known Ms Anderson was a Holocaust regional ambassador and her job description was to educate people and raise awareness that hatred prejudice & racism can lead to the horrors that occured.
This has been going on for years, will things change? Nope. It’s inbred into many people across the border. It’s only got worse recently with the attitude of this English nationalist UK government. It’s time for change and that change as to be independence. It may not stop discrimination but at least we can stick two fingers up and prove them wrong.
As you know full well, Steve, it was indeed y Cymry who started the practice of flicking the V sign – as longbowmen against the French during the Hundred Years War.
Now, if we had done this against the English Establishment sooner …
I had an interview to be a volunteer at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the man started acting my accent. When I complained he said it was not offensive because his partner was from Swansea, I don’t know what that had to do with anything
From my experience of complaining I have never had any of my objections upheld. I just get letters back from someone English telling me no offense was meant, I call it Englishplaining. Never seems to apply to us Welsh people and the main problem is it is English people who decide if something is offensive or not. I have complained my times to the BBC about their reporters using the word “Welshing” only to be told the word has nothing to do with Wales or the Welsh people. Ofcom is the same
way back in the 1970’s I had a full time officer of a TU comment to me “you are very Welsh aren’t you ? “. “More Welsh than you are working class, pal” was my response to which his local members fell about laughing. Snobbery is not an exclusive trait of the upper classes.
I live in London and I get the “you are very Welsh” a few times a week often with the person acting a Welsh accent, very boring.
Me (to my Mum, as she sets out for her weekly day out with her fellow senior citizens at the local ‘Hub’, speaking in Cymraeg): Enjoy yourself!
Carer (looks at my Mum, looks at me, looks back at my Mum): You’re not Norwegian, are you?
Sheesh!
What is the SI unit of Welshness?
Ofnadwy!
looked her twitter up she is a looney leftie calling for revolution being a typical political busy body online
Even if she is what you say that does not justify discrimination due to her accent. If they don’t want to give her a job because of her politics why say it is because of her accent?
I would suggest no such letter was sent. A hoax. For whose benefit? I’ve no idea.
Croeso i’r fforwm, R2D2! / Welcome to the forum, R2D2!
Reminds me of when I was on holiday many years ago in Pembrokeshire. My wife and I went into the post office of a popular holiday destination and,being a proud Welshman and native speaker, asked for some stamps in Welsh. The response, in a very strong South Wales accent “You’ll have to speak English, we don’t understand foreign languages here”.
What is astounding about this is that they could have just said she wasn’t a good fit for the office and not outlined in black and white the discriminatory reason they thought that. I imagine this happens every day to hundreds or thousands of people from many walks of life and backgrounds. But the fact the felt the Welshness of her accent made it acceptable to say that quiet part out loud is fascinating, and stupid. She should definitely take legal action. All it will do is remind people that they shouldn’t put stuff like this is writing, but still.… Read more »