The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Monday that more than a dozen employees of the appliance manufacturer Electrolux in St. Cloud are again being denied proper prayer breaks during the Ramadan fast.
The employees are participating in the latest claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to the Associated Press.
Last year, the council stepped in after Electrolux refused to allow Muslim employees at the St. Cloud plant to break their Ramadan fast on time, the council alleged.
The EEOC and Electrolux then settled a religious accommodation charge and the plant adjusted break times during the evening shift to resolve the complaint.
This year, the company reduced the length of the meal break. Muslim employees say they no longer have enough time to break their fast and complete prayers after sunset. In a news release, the council said employees submitted a petition to the EEOC outlining how the new break schedule does not reasonably accommodate their religious needs.
Electrolux responded Monday by saying that, in advance of Ramadan this year, the company proposed three possible revised meal and break schedules and put in place the schedule preferred by the majority of the employees.
"Electrolux seeks to accommodate the religious needs of all of its employees," the company said in a statement.
Source: The Twin Cities Pioneer Press
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