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Sports Direct staff told they ‘should only speak English’

Sports Direct has apologised after a notice appeared in one of its stores telling staff they are only allowed to speak in English.

A notice was posted on the wall of a branch in Bangor, Wales, telling staff they should only speak in English because of health and safety reasons.

Welsh politicians criticised the company for discriminating against people who speak Welsh.

And the Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws, said she has instructed her office to investigate if Sports Direct has broken rules from 2011 which made it illegal for companies to stop people from speaking Welsh to each other.

In a statement, Sports Direct apologised for what it called a ‘misunderstanding’.

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It said: ‘English is the most common language used by our multi lingual staff and, therefore, the most likely to be understood by all.

‘This notice was not intended to restrict the use of the Welsh language, or prohibit staff from communicating in their local language, outside these briefings or with customers.

‘We will be reviewing the wording of the notice to ensure this is made clearer and re-issuing an updated notice. We are an international business and fully support the use of the local language in all our jurisdictions.

‘We apologise for any misunderstanding or upset this notice has caused.’

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Sports Direct earlier claimed there was no language ban, saying it has launched its own investigation.

The notice was printed on a Sport Direct-headed piece of paper and said it wanted to remind workers that English was the ‘official language of the company’.

It read: ‘It has come to our attention that some members of staff are speaking to each other in languages other than English whilst carrying out their duties.

‘We would like to take this opportunity to remind staff that they must speak in English at all times when they are at work, in order that they can be understood by all members of staff.

‘Staff speaking in languages other than English can pose a variety of risks to the company, including health and safety issues arising out of not being understood by those around them.

‘This includes any personal conversations that may be taking place during work time.’

Welsh Assembly Member (AM) for Arfon, Sian Gwenllian, told the BBC: ‘In an area such as Bangor where there is a high number of Welsh speakers, it is highly likely that such a policy would deny staff members the right to converse in their own language.’

‘I will be submitting a formal complaint to the owner of Sports Direct.’

(Picture: PA)