Welsh And Sports Direct

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You know there is a thing about walking into a Sports Direct store. You feel uneasy. There is such a bad background story now. The owner Mike Ashley having to make radical reforms to the way staff are treated there due to the stories of bad working conditions. You feel somehow complicit walking in. As if you're being friendly with a Victorian mill owner

Now let me make it clear. It's been a while since I've entered a Sports Direct. But the last time I did I got the sense that there was a lack of coordination. As long as you could pile it high and sell it cheap it seemed as if it didn't really matter where you put the items for sale. It really seemed a mess to me.

Anyway Sports Direct are in the news for a different reason in Wales today. Apparently there was a notice in company notepaper in a Bangor store banning the speaking of the Welsh language for "company business" for various reasons citing specifically health and safety.

Now Sports Direct are denying that this is company policy and are investigating. But before we chat about the note directly let's say this. Even if, say, the notice was fake and this was the work of some disgruntled English only speaking employee or a monoglot practical joker like all well organised pranks it was believed automatically. And the reason was because you wouldn't put it past Sports Direct to act like this. That you see, whether justified or not, is what a bad reputation does to a company.

And let me make my views clear. The one and only time in a work environment that people have to speak English is if there is a work related conversation and an involved non Welsh speaker is in the room. That is it. To deny the speaking of Welsh in any other context is to take away people's basic human rights.

In this notice whilst it states that speaking a language other than English could pose "various risks" to the company the only one actually highlighted is health and safety. This is of course rubbish. Not only are there bilingual signs available but also in the event of a fire, ( in a store let's point out that literally puts clothes for sale up to the ceiling) does anybody really believe that a Welsh speaker would shout "Tan!" before shouting "Fire!" Women children and Welsh speakers first? If you really believe that then obviously still you still vote UKIP.

I have written before of how the speaking of Welsh is slowly becoming an act of rebellion in the light of apparent pressure by mainly right wing ideologues. If this is now affecting business then this disease is spreading.

If this notice is proved to be true and the company doesn't act I would not advocate a boycott of Sports Direct. People's jobs might be on the line. Instead what I'd suggest, and if I next go into Sports Direct this is what I'll do, is to insist on being served by a Welsh speaker only even if my Cymraeg is not fluent. If more people do this perhaps the native language of Wales will be appreciated by those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Until the next time.