Coach drivers receive abuse for not being fluent Welsh speakers
A Welsh coach company has said it will not tolerate abuse received by members of its staff for not being fluent in Welsh.
Machynlleth-based Lloyds Coaches runs school bus and local service contracts on behalf of Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Powys and Denbighshire Councils, as well as the T2 service (Aberystwyth to Bangor), T3 (Barmouth to Wrexham) and T12 (Machynlleth and Wrexham) on behalf of the Welsh Government.
Posting on Facebook, Lloyds coaches said: “We’re proud of our diverse workforce here at Lloyds Coaches.
“With our staff hailing from Blaenau to Bratislava, Machynlleth to the Midlands.
“Our staff should not be abused for not being Welsh nor being able to speak fluent Welsh.
“They are here to get you to your destination, day in, day out, come rain or shine.
“Lloyds Coaches, Here for Everyone.”
‘Abuse not tolerated’
The Company employs more than 100 staff locally, with additional staff from Penygroes down to Aberystwyth and from Wrexham down to Bala, Dolgellau, Tywyn, Barmouth and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Lloyds Coaches added: “A minority of drivers have experienced abuse for not speaking fluent Welsh.
“Our drivers are trained in basic Welsh but as you’ll be aware different dialects across our operating area, from Lampeter to Bangor, and Barmouth to Wrexham, differ greatly.
“The Facebook post was generic to create awareness that abuse in general against our staff will not be tolerated.”
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They should offer free Welsh classes to all their staff, in my opinion.
Wales is a bilingual country!
Are they seeking to recruit fluent Welsh speakers in predominantly Welsh speaking areas?! Somehow I doubt it 🙄 Also connecting a complaint by first language Welsh speakers in their homeland to racism speaks volumes about the lack of understanding the owners of this company have 😒 No prizes for guessing where they’re from 🙄
Quite right. English people should be required to take a welsh language test or be deported!
The bus company should be providing Welsh lessons to their staff if the customers require it. Not responding to customer demand is the anthesis of capitalism – “The customer is always right”.
Having said that it is not ok to be abusive to the drivers.
I wonder what this abuse actually consisted of? Was it actual abuse? If so, that’s totally deplorable. If it was refusing to switch to English, or calling out some colonialist, then that’s a different matter altogether. “Here for everyone” says Lloyds Coaches, in English. “Here for everyone, but only in English”? More info is needed on this one.
Wales is (or is trying to be) a country of Welsh speakers and Welsh learners. Nothing would put off people from joining either of these groups more than being abused for not being fluent.
There is give and take (I would also criticise – not abuse – someone living where Welsh is main language if they refused to engage) but we need to be a welcoming country.
I learnt Welsh in West Wales some years ago and experienced nothing but kindness and support from native speakers.
What a sad, cynical way to advertise your little transport company.