Did "Teva Naot" force employee to be Mechalel Shabbos? Exposure

Did the network of shops "Teva Naot" which sells comfort shoes, employ a hareidi woman while forcing her to desecrate Shabbos? And later on fired her during her pregnancy while "sewing" a control that supposedly 40 extra shekel was found in the cashier?

A claim which a hareidi woman, 19 years old, who is married and lives in Netivot, by means of the attorney Roni Aloni-Sadovnik to the district Labor Court in Tel Aviv, and which was transferred according to the plaintiff's request to a court in Be'er Sheva, relates a hair raising indictment of abuse towards the employee, her religion and her most basic needs.

According to the indictment, which reached the hands of Behadrei Hareidim, the plaintiff had an interview in the shop when she was 3 months pregnant, there was also no room for mistakes regarding her hareidi appearance, and for a minute she did not imagine that she would be forced to desecrate Shabbos.

Matters developed: "It soon became apparent to the plaintiff that only she and the shop's manager are employed at the Netivot branch, and actually there are no shifts over Shabbos which they are supposed to split, rather she is the one who is required to staff the shop on Fridays and Shabbos. All her pleas for a day of rest were rejected".

"According to the agreement, the plaintiff was supposed to give 6 shifts of 6 hours each week, but she was required to work against her will much beyond that… On the third week as well as the fourth, she was required to work 7 shifts which included Friday and Shabbos, and within 8 weeks she was forced – despite her being a meticulously hareidi woman – to work 4 consecutive Shabboses, while forcing her to open the shop on Shabbos at 18:00 when Motzaei Shabbos was a few minutes later than that, and was forced to desecrate Shabbos in order to make it on time to open the shop".

Teva Naot: "She was fired as a result of monetary irregularities"

Later on in the claim the plaintiff relates the response of the manager when she asked her to take into consideration her Shmiras Shabbos: "This is the way it's done here, if it doesn't suit you – find another place". Later on she refused to allow her to leave even on Shabbos when there were family simchas. "From that day the shop manager started abusing the plaintiff and explaining over again that the plaintiff must work on Thursday, Friday and Shabbos according to what she instructed her, and if not, the door is open for her to be fired. In this disagreement and those which were before it, the plaintiff pleaded not to desecrate Shabbos and to be understanding of her – but without success".

Thereafter, the plaintiff describes in details how "by chance" on a Sunday morning an extra 40 shekels were discovered by an inspector who was sent to check the situation, how she underwent a hearing procedure without consideration and no attentiveness to her claims on the 1st of January 2012, and how afterwards she received a letter of dismissal with the date 4th of January, and a postal stamp which testifies that it was already sent on the 28th December 2011.

The plaintiff also claims that after her dismissal, rumors were spread by the network as if she was found embezzling with money, and as a result of all that she suffered complications in her pregnancy, shame and distress.

In conclusion, the woman is suing the company for violating the following clauses: employing her on condition that she agrees to desecrate Shabbos and without giving her 36 hours of rest according to law. Not holding an innocent hearing. Dismissing her in an advanced month of pregnancy without the approval of the office of industry and commerce, and spreading slander against her.

The response of Teva Naot: "All the claims of the employee are incorrect, and things will be clarified in court. The worker was fired as a result of inspection which found monetary irregularities in her work, and an incorrect management of the cashier, and only because of that".

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!