Students Outraged at TBS for Possible Violations of Labor Rights

By: Maureen Guirguis
@MaureenGuirguis

A meeting between The Food Services Advisory Committee and the TBS managers took place last Wednesday to address social outrage as members of the AUC community lambasted The Bakery Shop (TBS) for their unsuitable labor regulations.

One of these regulations is a prohibition to wear long-sleeves or outerwear,allegedly for “hygienic purposes” despite temperatures dropping to below ten degrees Celsius Political Science graduate student Lama Tawakol took to social media on February 16 to raise awareness of the issue.

“The entire staff is dressed in just T-shirts, with the exception of the veiled woman who has been given reluctant permission to wear a longsleeved T-shirt underneath,” she said.

Sameh El-Sadat, one of TBS’ co-founders, responded to the social media frenzy on Tawakol’s personal Facebook post by stating that the company is fully aware of the situation.

“Our employees are the key success factor of this business and… their wellbeing is of great importance to us. However, we have very strict operating procedures and our managers take the liberty of implementing those procedures and we trust their judgment.”

In response to these comments on social media, many have raised concerns regarding the legality of such an action.

“Article 208 of the Egyptian Labor Law sets an obligation on you to provide a warm atmosphere for your employees,” said Nesrine Badawi, assistant professor of political science.

However, the company has resisted calls to amend its dress code.

“We will not introduce any changes to a system we proudly built for the past 10 years” El-Sadat said.

But, AUC Branch Manager Hisham Hany denied allegations that employees are prohibited from wearing heavy attire against their will.

He also said that the company does not design a long sleeve shirt during the winter months but that all employees, including baristas, are free to wear another layer below their t-shirt as long as it matches the shirt’s color.

Hosny added that this is not limited to the AUC branch and that there is no strict policy about heavy clothing in any of their branches.

But an employee who has asked to remain anonymous expressed his discomfort regarding the cold weather and how he was not able to wear something heavier.

The Committee was composed of a Chair, Student Union representatives, faculty service executive coordinator, associate Vice President for Campus Services and the Operations Manager.

TBS co-founders El-Sadat and Basel Mashhour, as well as operation manager Ramy Hassan, also attended the meeting, hoping to reach a mutual agreement.

However, they also said that students should not use social media to express these concerns.

“Students should feel at liberty to express themselves on social media as they always do with regards to other issues,” said SU representative Fadwa El-Saqa.

“Convincing [Lama] means nothing to your violation of your legal obligations towards your employees…Operating procedures cannot trump the law” Badawi told The Caravan.

In th meantime, Food Services informed TBS senior management of their concerns and that they do not comply with the recommendations put forth by the university.