EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION: Electrolux Agrees to Religious Accommodations for Muslim Workers during Ramadan

August 6, 2010

Saint Paul, Minnesota – A settlement has been reached between Electrolux and their Muslim employees last week in regards to religious accommodations for this upcoming Ramadan fast.

The EEOC mediated settlement was announced by the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) who assisted the employees in filing a religious discrimination complaint against the Swedish appliance manufacturer.

According to the complaint, Muslim employees were threatened with termination if they were caught breaking their Ramadan fast while on the production floor.

Under the new agreement between the employees and Electrolux, the 30-minute break will be shifted at the same time as sunset during the Ramadan period.

This will allow Muslim employees to break their fast after sunset, perform their sunset prayers and take their Ramadan meals off the production floor.

Other terms of the agreement includes required 2-hour training about religious accommodation for supervisors, managers and HR staff.

Compliance to the terms of the agreement will be monitored by the EEOC for at least three years.

Ramadan, which will start today, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is considered as the holiest period for Islamic faith.

Muslim faithful who are physically able abstain from eating or drinking from the first sign of dawn until sunset.

Majority of the employees in the Electrolux Saint Paul plant are Muslim.