CANADA (RNN) – Fired after he was allegedly “aggressive, rude and disrespectful” to a coworker, a waiter in Canada filed a complaint against his former employer, claiming discrimination because of his French culture.
Waiter Guillaume Rey’s discrimination case was filed with British Columbia's Human Rights Tribunal, which mediates human rights complaints. It will receive a hearing after the tribunal denied a dismissal request, according to CBC News.
Vancouver-based restaurant Milestones accused Rey of breaching its code of conduct during his employ between October 2015 to August 2016, for which the server was eventually fired.
Rey claims in his complaint he is the victim of “discrimination against my culture.”
While training in France’s hospitality industry, he says he picked up a “direct, honest and professional personality” that his colleagues misinterpreted, which led to his termination.
Both parties agree Rey was good at his job, and CBC News reports guests gave him “great feedback” and he was praised for being “very friendly and professional with his tables.”
But the waiter was ultimately fired for his “aggressive tone and nature” with colleagues, according to CBC News.
In August 2016, CBC News reports Rey asked one server to complete his duties. While Rey says he was courteous, Milestones’ manager says the server came to her office “borderline in tears” after Rey “aggressively” checked the server’s duties.
The Human Rights Tribunal hasn’t yet agreed or disagreed with either Rey or the restaurant in the case but simply said there wasn’t enough evidence to dismiss the complaint, CBC News says.
At his hearing, the tribunal says Rey “will have to explain what it is about his French heritage that would result in behavior that people misinterpret as a violation of workplace standards of acceptable conduct.”
The hearing has not yet been scheduled.
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